Dispelling Hair Care Myths

All too often we hear advice about our hair that may not be quite accurate. Today we’re going to dispel some hair care myths that you might not be too sure about, by providing scientific proof. Myth #1: Plucking a single gray hair will allow two more to grow in its place. Hair grows in a single strand. Just because it has turned gray doesn’t mean it will suddenly start producing two hair follicles. If that were the case, all people with gray hair would have a wild and bushy head of hair. When you begin to see gray hairs showing up and you don’t want them, talk to your stylist about getting some highlights to blend those strands of gray into the rest of your hair color. Myth #2: Grandma may have told you that brushing your hair 100 strokes a day will make it healthier, shinier, and grow faster because it stimulates the scalp. Sounds like good advice. And a good brushing can redistribute the natural oils in your hair adding to shine. However, brushing only temporarily works to improve the look of your hair. The biggest problem with vigorous brushing is that it stresses the hair, leading to breakage. This is even more true when it comes to brushing wet hair after you’ve applied a post-shampoo conditioner. Hair stretches when it is wet, sometimes to as much as an extra one-third of its length. When stretched, hair is weak and can break. A better approach is to detangle your hair before shampooing, then very gently comb it out after it has been conditioned. If you want to stimulate your scalp, massage your scalp with the pads of your fingers. Using your nails can leave micro-scratches on your scalp. Myth #3: Getting a regular trim makes your hair grow faster. This is absolutely a myth, because hair grows at the scalp. However, there is some truth in this myth. Hair grows on average one-half inch per month. Getting regular trims will not change how fast your hair actually grows. However, as your hair gets longer, the ends are older, have been exposed to the elements longer and been touched by coloring and hair styling tools more frequently. All these lead to potential split ends. Hair, when split at the end begins to split up the length of the shaft of hair leading to even more breakage. Getting a regular trim prevents those split ends from damaging the ends of your hair, which makes it seem like your hair grows faster because it’s no longer breaking off at the ends.