Texture talk

How often should you (really) wash your hair? Are oils and butters essential? The accurate answers to these questions may surprise you.

- Danielle Jackson

If you're used to sporting your natural texture, a lot of what you've learned about taking care of your curls has probably centered on dreadfully long wash days and rigid hair-care rules that are specific to your hair type. But what if someone told you that it doesn't have to be that way? That washing, detangling, and styling your hair doesn't need to take hours and doesn't have to be a mini arm workout either? And, to take it a step further, what if you learned that some of the most common practices we've believed to be rooted in fact are actually based on fiction? Yes, it's time to rethink everything because there's a better, different path. I want folks to know that natural hair care can be simple, says Aeleise Ollarvia, curl educator and cofounder of Black Girl Curls. Not necessarily easy, but if you just cleanse, condition, and style at regular intervals with high-quality products and receive maintenance cuts on schedule, that's all you need. Ahead, a handful of misconceptions-and the habits to adopt instead for better hair (and scalp) health.

1 Myth

Your Routine Is Dictated by Your Curl Pattern

There's no such thing as a product that works best for a specific curl pattern or hair type. For the uninitiated, hair types are broken into four groups, which describe the texture of the hair, from straight to coily. Each group is divided into three categories-a, b, and that describe the shape of your strands. But those letters shouldn't limit how we approach hair care, says hairstylist and curl educator Anita Wilson. Simply put, hair is hair, and it's not 100 percent necessary to purchase products marketed solely for curls when styling and treating your textured strands.

2 Myth

Oils Will Moisturize Your Mane