I'm a natural coily head and I take my hair seriously. It doesn't rule my life but I definitely have a special connection with my hair.

I can't stand it when people have no idea what having coily hair is like but they seek to give advice about it. It's not their fault that they don't know, but it upsets me when they state their opinions about coily hair as fact.

With these opinions there have been 3 myths about coily that I hear on a regular basis and it makes me cringe because they are so, so wrong.

All Coily Hair Is the Same

Wrong. There are different levels of coily hair. If you want to get technical, there are 6 different types of coily hair and this does affect how certain products work on the hair. It can be big, fluffy and dense or it can be thin and have loose coils.

It's not something most people realize about the "coily clan" but if you really get to know us, we'd happily tell you that what works for one curl, does not always work for the next.

It Doesn't Grow Past Shoulder Length

This is something that is understandable for people to think because a lot of people with natural coily hair thinks this is true as well. It's not.

I'm glad that people are starting to realize this as more as more coily haired individuals maintain hair that can be as long as waist length.

The only reason natural ethnic hair seems to not grow is because it is way drier than other hair types and it's because of the dryness that our hair is prone to breakage and split ends. This means, the issue isn't that our hair doesn't grow, it's that we have a hard time making sure the hair stays moisturized.

There's a big difference.

It Is Unmanageable

If that were true, that would mean there was just no way to groom coily hair. It's not that it's unmanageable. The fact is that coily hair requires a different kind of care that most people aren't used to so it can get stressful if you don't understand the process.

This is another reason that knowing that all coils are not created equal. Different curl patterns and thickness (and texture) determine what products work better for an individual.

I think this is the most annoying myth to me simply because it seems that people who claim coily hair is "unmanageable" are those that don't hair coily hair or they chemically process their hair and avoid taking the time to properly care for it.

The next time you see someone who has natural hair, ask them what the importance of identifying their hair type is and if they know what they're talking about, they'll be able to walk you through all the ways they've been able to manage their coils without damaging it by simply identifying their curl type.