MYTH OR THE TRUTH? PULLING OUT ONE GRAY HAIR CAUSES TWO MORE TO GROW Nobody likes those pesky gray hairs, but what do you do when you get them? Many people fear plucking them because of this myth, which is one of the oldest hair myths around. Fortunately, it is just a myth. Pulling out or plucking gray hairs won’t lead to two more growing in their place because the number of hairs that grow in each follicle is genetically predetermined. However, pulling your hair out on a regular basis can lead to root damage and if the root is damaged enough, the hair won’t grow back at all. Instead of attacking your hair, attack the gray with either a permanent or semi-permanent dye. COLD WATER ADDS SHINE Another common myth is that washing hair in cold water can add shine to your hair. It is true that cold water is better for hair than hot water, which can make your hair feel rough and look dry and frizzy. However, cold water can’t make your hair shinier. It can give your hair a temporary sheen since it helps the hair cuticle lay flat, but once your hair dries, that sheen will dry up as well. To keep your hair from losing its shine after a cold shower, coat it with a silicone serum and blow-dry it at a downward angle using the nozzle attachment. PULLING HAIR TAUT CAN CAUSE BALD SPOTS Tight ponytails, cornrows and extensions can put a lot of stress and tension on the scalp, but they don’t necessarily cause bald spots to start appearing. What they can do is cause traction alopecia, a type of hair loss that commonly occurs in black women. The best way to prevent this is to avoid tension-causing hairdos. If you must wear them, make you don’t do so on a regular basis and be sure to switch your style often. HAIR GETS USED TO SHAMPOO Some people like to switch their shampoos and conditioners on a regular basis because they think that their hair can get used to certain products, rendering them useless. This is definitely a myth. But there’s nothing wrong with switching your shampoo and conditioner from time to time, especially if you want to moisturize your scalp, add shine to your hair or get rid of dandruff. TRIMMING YOUR EYEBROWS CAN INCREASE HAIR GROWTH Some men would rather look like Andy Rooney than trim their eyebrows. The reason? They think it will cause the hair on their eyebrows to grow faster. This myth comes in other forms, including the one in which trimming your hair every six weeks will increase the growth rate. All of these myths about trimming are false. Your hair isn’t connected to your body via a blood supply or the nervous system, so your hair can’t communicate when it’s been trimmed, cut or shaved. [Related – 6 Of The Best Ways To Remove Unwanted Hair] GROWING HAIR LONG COVERS BALDNESS As men start to lose their hair, the hairs that do remain tend to get longer and longer in an effort to distract the eye away from their bald spots. This hardly ever works though, and that’s because it actually makes the bald spots more noticeable, not less noticeable. The trick is to show an equal amount of scalp on all sides of the head, so if you’re going bald on top of your head, cut the sides short. It may sound counterintuitive, but it works and it looks much better than a comb-over. [Related – Is There A Baldness Gene Related To Hair Loss?] DRY SCALP IS THE ONLY CAUSE DANDRUFF Dandruff, aren’t those little flakes just dead skin cells? They are, but they don’t flake off just because of dryness. Dandruff has numerous causes other than dry skin, like eczema, psoriasis or oily skin. It is even believed that dandruff can be caused by a fungus called malassezia, which feeds off the oil on your scalp. Once it sucks the oil out of your scalp, the skin cells dry up and flake off. COLORING HAIR CAUSES SEVERE DAMAGE While coloring your hair constantly can dry it out and even damage it, the damage isn’t as bad as it once was. Hair dyes have come a long way and these days many of them contain conditioners to help your hair retain moisture. If you only dye your hair once in a while, you probably don’t have to worry about weakening your hair at all. [Related – How To Minimize Hair Dye Damage] SPLIT ENDS CAN BE MENDED Many hair care products can now mend your split ends, or at least they say they do. But when put to the test, your ends actually remain split no matter how many times you use these products. They only guaranteed way to get rid of split ends is to cut them off. But if you want to reduce the appearance of split ends, some silicone serum or beeswax can actually do the trick. [Related – How To Get Rid Of Split Ends In Your Hair] HAIR CAN BE TRAINED You may be able to tame your hair, but you certainly can’t train it. Some people believe that by styling their hair a certain way every day, it can change the growth pattern of their hair. Although pomades and styling gels can change the growth pattern of men’s hair on a temporary basis, it cannot change it permanently. The same goes for women. Curling or straightening hair for weeks, months, or even years on end can make the desired look easier to achieve, but it can’t change the type of hair you were born with.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 19:21:17 +0000
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