Prepare yourself, ladies, I’m about to debunk some of the most common hair myths that you’ve likely heard and might even believe. There are some pretty far out hair care tips out there and while some of them truly work, some won’t do much of anything to help the health of your hair. I don’t know where or how these hair myths start, but we’re going to put a stop to them today! Before you pick up that hair tool you’re going to want to read up on these common hair myths so you don’t get caught up in the hair hype.
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1. Frequent Trims Help Hair Grow
I’ve never been one of those people who were always on top of their hair cut schedule. So it’s kind of a relief to know that frequent trims helping your hair grow is one of the more common hair myths. I’m all for trimming off dead ends and having a stylish cut, but frequently trimming your hair in order to get it to grow never made much sense to me. Getting trimmed is important to keeping your hair healthy, but unfortunately it won’t help you on your mission to grow your hair out. Hair pro Jenny Cho of Suave Professionals says that hair grows about a ½ inch every month on average, irrespective of whether you trim it or not, so every 8-12 weeks is sufficient to keep hair looking good.
2. You Need to Switch Hair Care Brands or It’ll Stop Working
I used to believe that I had to switch shampoo and conditioner on occasion in order to prevent my hair from getting used to using the same products. Boy, was I wrong. It turns out that if you like a specific hair care product and it works well for you, there’s no reason not to continue using it. Most times when our hair doesn’t seem to be behaving as well as it used to, residue and build-up are to blame. Wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo every couple of weeks to help get rid of build-up and your hair should be back to its normal self in no time.
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3. Comb Wet Hair from Top to Bottom
I try to avoid doing too much to my hair while it’s wet to begin with since it’s at its weakest state, but there are times we need to run a comb through there. Whenever you detangle wet hair, make certain you use a wide-toothed comb and start combing your hair from the bottom-not the top. Starting from the ends and working your way up will put less stress on your tresses and prevent pressure and breakage.
4. Hair Texture Never Changes
This next hair myth might not be as common as the others, but it’s still something to keep in mind. No matter what type of hair you are born with, there is no guarantee that you’ll live out the rest of your life with the same hair texture. According to board certified dermatologist Joel Schlessinger, MD, hair goes through various stages caused by medications, stress, age and hormones, so your once coarse hair can later be fine or your waves can eventually become straight.
5. Stress Turns Your Hair Grey
I started seeing some grey hairs in my late 20s and even my hairdresser at the time blamed it on stress. Turns out that there isn’t any hard evidence that links stress to grey hair and it could much more likely link to other factors, such as genetics or even certain illnesses. So while there is no conclusive evidence that points to stress as a contributing factor to hair turning grey, stress can cause a variety of other symptoms so it’s worth it to keep it in check!
6. If You Pluck a Grey Hair, Three More Will Come Back
What could be more awful than finding a grey hair? Waking up to find two more grey hairs as a result of plucking it out! Well, we can relax knowing that plucking grey hairs won’t cause more to grow back. Plucking out a hair of any color causes the hair follicle to reproduce a hair, not 2 or 3. Most hair experts will warn against plucking out greys since it can irritate your scalp or even cause a bald spot with continued plucking.
7. You Can Fix Split Ends with Hair Products
There are tons of hair care products out there that promise to mend or get rid of split ends, but it’s simply not true. Once your ends split, there’s not really any going back. The best way to get rid of split ends is to get a trim and use a good conditioner to keep hair hydrated. There are products that can help make split ends and damage less noticeable, but the best way to get rid of dead ends is to cut them off.
If you’ve ever believed any of these or some of the many other popular hair myths floating around, you’re not alone. I too hear these “facts” from various sources and follow them as hair care is serious business for me! What other hair myths have you heard?
Sources: stylelist.com, womansday.com, oprah.com, elle.com, goodhousekeeping.com, cnn.com
Comments
Darya: Actually trimming split ends does help make your hair grow. I can vouch for it since I am a hairdresser and what happens is when you have split ends they actually ride up and break off so it'll seem like your hair never grows but when you try them off you're giving your hair a chance to keep growing in a healthy way
Caroline: Completely agree Number 2 is true- hair will become immune to shampoos, conditioners etc!! A good example would be protein based shampoos (found in most damaged/weakened hair shampoos) Really good to help reconstruct the hair after colour/ chemical treatments, but using protein based products as a long term solution can actually have the opposite effect and dry the hair out! So switching shampoos every so often will help your hair get what it needs from the products your using.
Ladymaat: I disagree with #2... Some products are designed to be used for a limited amount of time...Mizani and Dioxin specifically help restore badly damaged hair...once your hair texture has changed and your hair has been repaired, you have to stop using it as it will make your hair fall out. Also. I've had to change shampoos and conditioners frequently my entire life...variables such as my current meds, new hair color, the seasons, etc. influence how well the products I use work. I rotate between the same brands, just with different products. My hair is healthy and grows super fast!
Ivy: #1 is completely true. When u get my split edges cut it grows amazingly fast.
Juliojammil: I agree with #4, my moms hair used to be pin straight then she got pregnant with my sister and it got thicker and super wavy.
Karen: I agree with Ivy Lee & I, personally, have proven it time & time again. I had badly damaged hair from a botched perm re-permed by a professional hair dresser & I wound up having to have my hair chopped from just below my waist to just above my shoulders. The hairdresser (totally different hairdresser) was almost balling by the time I finally let her stop cutting my hair, in spite of me assuring that it would all be back to that original length in just a few months. I went back to her almost 3 months later to show her that my hair was indeed almost back to my waist as I told her that it would be. It was only a couple of inches above my waist by then. As for shampoo & conditioner ... I have very fine hair which forces me to change mine every 3 - 4 days or I wind up with build up & very limp & flat hair. I have 5 different sets that I have to switch to & not always in the same order, however, several of the sets are in the same product line. My daughter was the one who showed me that combing my hair with a wide toothed comb & from the bottom to the top when it was freshly washed & still wet. I do have to use detangling leave-in conditioners though, or my hair gets majorly tangled ... fast. As for hair type changing, I can attest to that. I used to have perfectly straight hair & now my hair will grow a loose ringlet on the left side if I let my bangs grow out & my hair will naturally curl @ the bottom on the sides & back of my hair when it is shoulder length. All I have to do is finger comb my hair from the underside.
Misty: #2 is not correct with me. I have naturally curly hair and after using hair products for awhile that work great, they stop working well for me and do the opposite of the 1st reaction to my hair. I have to constantly change hair products because they stop working. I know many people with the same problem as me. It seems the hair gets use to it and then it stops. So I do not agree with that one.
Chacha: I feel so sorry for the poor souls who would comb their wet hair from top to bottom, OuCh!
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