The Myths and Truths About Hair

There are many hair myths that circle the globe like urban legends.  Like a new flu virus, once a hair rumor is started, it develops a life of its own and spreads like wildfire.  Some of the strand stories endure for years. 

Listed below are some of the oldest and most common hair myths along with the actual facts. 

 

Myth No. 1: Cutting Hair Makes It Grow Faster and/or Thicker

False. Shorter hair often looks and feels thicker but cutting your hair won’t alter its normal biologically determined growth rate or overall texture. 

Thin, limp or fine hair will not ever grow thicker in response to a haircut. Plump up your hair by using volume enhancing hair care products, experimenting with a hair fattening blunt cut or getting a texturizing perm or color treatment.

 

Myth No. 2: Split Ends Can Be Repaired Without Trimming

False. The only successful treatment for removing split ends is with a scissors.  While some hair care products may temporarily merge split ends together, this fix only lasts until your next shampoo.

Keep in mind damaged ends tends to grow slower than healthy, well-maintained, trimmed hair.  

 

Myth No. 3: Split Ends Will Travel

True. Uncut split ends can travel up the hair shaft towards the roots.  Tresses that are not tended to, over time, may develop splits that migrate and split all or part of the entire hair. 

Some ends can actually tear multiple times so that your split ends have splits. 

 

Myth No. 4: Hair Grows Faster On Different Parts Of The Head

True. There is some scientific evidence that the growth rate of hair may vary on different parts of the head for select people.  There is also some indication that the growth rate of hair on babies may be faster on the crown than on any other parts of the scalp.  Usually the growth rate differences are very marginal and will not impact the hair appearance in any way. 

 

Myth No. 5: Hair Will Always Remain The Same Texture

False. Although you may be born with straight, curly or wavy locks, there are many circumstances under which your hair’s ultimate texture can be permanently altered.  Pregnancy, medication, chemotherapy, age and other variables can cause your texture to be temporarily or permanently altered. 

 

Myth No. 6: Shaving A Baby’s Scalp Will Alter Their Natural Hair Texture

False. The hair that a baby is born with may or may not be the hair that they grow up with.  Shaving a baby’s head will not alter the texture of their ultimate hair nor will it cause their hair to grow faster or thicker. 

 

Myth No. 7: Coloring Hair During Pregnancy Is Harmful

False.  Although some physicians disagree, most believe that coloring the hair during pregnancy will not be dangerous to the baby. When in doubt always get your physician’s permission to color your hair during pregnancy.  Most experts believe that the key danger with hair coloring is not the application of the product to the scalp but the inhalation of the strong chemical odor.   

 

Myth No. 8:  Virgin Root Hair Should Be Treated Differently

True. The hair that is closest to the roots will react differently to the application of new hair coclor and chemical treatments.  Hair color applied directly to the roots will process differently that color applied on hair that has already been treated.

 

Myth No. 9: Blow-Drying Hair Can Cause It To Smoke 

False. This bizarre myth has been circulating for years in a number of versions. On the rare occasion that hair “smokes” it is due to the evaporation of condensation on the hair from styling gels or similar hair care products.

 

Myth No. 10: Smoking Causes Gray Hair

True.  According to J. G. Mosley of the Leigh Infirmary in Lancashire, England in an article in Science News (January 11, 1997) smokers are four times more likely to have gray hair than nonsmokers. Even worse, smoking has been conclusively linked to accelerated hair loss.

 

Myth No. 11: Sleeping With A Wet Head Causes Scalp Fungus

False.  Scalp or fungal diseases can’t be caught from sleeping with wet scalps.  Scalp fungus or infections requires prior involvement with infected sources such as humans, tainted hair care tools or animals. As an example, ringworm can be spread by infected animals. 

 

Myth No. 12: Sharing Combs And Brushes Can Spread Scalp Diseases

True.  It is a fact that lice and other parasites can be transported from scalp to scalp through the sharing of combs, brushes and other hair care tools.

 

Myth No. 13: Hair Develops Immunity To The Same Shampoo Over Time

False.  Many people swear that their hair will become immune to the benefits of the same shampoo used over time.  There is no scientific evidence to prove this myth.

 

Myth No. 14: Hair Should Be Washed Every Day

False.  There is no correct schedule for washing hair.  Every person should shampoo according to the specific needs of their hair type and texture.  While some people do benefit from a daily shampoo, others benefit from a variety of shampooing schedules.

Myth No. 15: Salon Products Are Identical To Drugstore Products

False. While there is an exception to every rule, salon products are generally manufactured to contain higher quality, more expensive ingredients that are designed to consistently provide more intensive cleansing, moisturizing and conditioning results.  The quality ingredients found in salon products are not usually found in drugstore brands.