The Truth About 6 Common Hair Myths
We’ve all heard sage advice about our hair that we accept to be fact. But, have you ever stopped to consider if this advice is accurate? Do you truly need to cut your hair more often to get it to grow faster? Should you really lather, rinse, and repeat? We’re here to clear up six common hair myths you probably believe so you can finally get the facts straight.
1. Trimming Hair Often Makes It Grow Faster
Your hair won’t grow faster if you cut it frequently. How quickly your hair grows is determined by your hair follicles. So, cutting the ends of your hair won’t impact the roots. This hair myth is understandable though. Frequent hair cuts get rid of split ends and breakage, which can make your hair appear healthier, thicker, and longer. Getting your hair cut every 6-8 weeks won’t make your hair grow faster, but it will help it look healthier. This type of maintenance haircut is known as “light dusting” and gets rid of split ends.
If you want to improve your hair growth, apply products that promote hair growth at the roots.
2. Gray Hair Is Caused by Stress
It’s a widespread belief that stress causes grey hair, but this isn’t true. Instead, grey hair is usually a result of aging or genes. Grey hair is simply hair that no longer contains melanin, the molecule responsible for your natural hair color. Hair that has minimal melanin is grey, while white hair has zero traces of melanin. As we age, we produce less melanin, and our hair naturally turns grey. Depending on your genetics, this process can start earlier in life for some versus others.
Stress doesn’t make our hair turn grey, but it can make your hair fall out!
3. The More You Brush, The Healthier Your Hair
We’ve all heard that expression, “brush your hair 100 times a day.” Supposedly, doing this will leave you with lush, shiny hair. Well, we’re here to say that is one of the many common hair myths out there. Yes, you should brush your hair daily. Brushing helps to distribute the natural oils in your hair. However, too much brushing can cause friction, resulting in frizz. Additionally, overbrushing leads to hair breakage and damages your hair.
Brush your hair one to two times a day, as needed. Always start at the bottom, and work your way slowly up to the root.
4. Air-Drying Is Better Than Blow-Drying
This is a tricky one. Blow-drying daily isn’t recommended because, as much as possible, you want to avoid applying direct heat to your hair. This is especially true if you’re also using heat styling tools on top of blow-drying. However, recent studies have shown that air-drying isn’t the perfect solution either. When you air-dry, the weight of water on your hair for an extended time puts pressure on the stands. This pressure then damages the proteins that are meant to keep your hair intact. A potential solution is to allow your hair to air-dry half of the way. Then, use a blow-dryer on a low setting for the final portion.
5. Dandruff Signifies a Dry Scalp
Dandruff almost looks like dry flakes of skin, so many people associate it with dryness. In fact, the opposite is true. Dandruff is usually caused by yeast thriving in an oily environment. It’s not daily washing that is causing your dandruff. Instead, it’s a combination of yeast and excessive oil in your hair follicles. To treat dandruff effectively, use a medicated shampoo.
6. You Need to Lather, Rinse & Repeat
Lather, rinse and repeat is considered one of the greatest marketing ploys of all time. All the shampoo companies recommend this process, but it’s not for the benefit of your hair. Instead, this common hair myth was circulated so that you use double the product. There are some instances when you will need to repeat, such as if you have knots, have teased your hair or have used too much product. But, generally speaking, one light lather and rinse should suffice. Don’t fall for this marketing gimmick anymore!