These 7 popular hair “facts” are actually total BS
Everyone is on their own personal hair journey and what works for you might not work for the next person. No matter where you are in the world reading this, you’ve probably been told the same dos and don’ts on how to achieve the look you’ve been working towards.
But the thing is, a lot of those dos and don’ts are totally made up. We’ve decided to debunk some of the most popular hair myths ranging from how to style your hair down to what you eat.
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1. If you pluck a grey hair, more will grow
This is a myth that is as old as time and is completely false. For one thing, we can’t actually add to the amount of hair follicles we have, according to a trichologist at the Phillip Kingsley Clinic in NYC. Plus, pulling a grey hair won’t affect the color of the greys around it.
This myth probably exists because if your hair is naturally turning grey, more and more of the hairs will start changing color. But correlation is not causation — plucking greys doesn’t actually speed up the process.
That doesn’t mean start going crazy with the plucking because this can permanently damage your follicles as well, but a pluck here and there won’t turn you into Storm.
2. Air drying is better than blow-drying
In a study done a few years ago, seven doctors did an experiment to see if air drying was healthier for your hair opposed to blow-drying. Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t a huge difference between blow drying and air drying your hair.
In the report, the doctors came to the conclusion that blow dryers cause more surface damage to your hair, but using your hair dryer at a six-inch distance while constantly drying your entire head causes less damage than air drying your hair naturally. The study participants speculated that this might be because leaving your hair wet for longer periods of time can damage it.
Crazy right?
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3. Frequent trims makes your hair grow faster
Frequently trimming your hair ends doesn’t effect the speed that your hair grows, according to Paradi Mirmirani, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. Yes, trimming your ends makes your hair appear thicker and look healthier, but it honestly won’t change the fact that on average our hair grows a quarter inch monthly, regardless of what you do to it.
Trimming your hair helps prevent breakage, and excessive breakage can cause your hair to look like it’s shorter. But your hair grows from the root, so trimming the ends has no effect on growth whatsoever.
4. Dandruff means your scalp is dry
Dry scalp isn’t actually a common problem, according to medical author Gary W. Cole, MD/FAAD. So if you frequently have a super dry scalp, it more than likely means you have an inflammatory skin disease. The hair scalp is one of the most naturally greasy parts of the human body so if you don’t cleanse your scalp by shampooing it the dead skin cells will build up, causing excessive dandruff. Check out his report to learn more about dry skin vs. dandruff.
5. Moisturizing and treating your hair will help it grow faster
So many articles say do this to your hair or don’t do this to make it grow, but what about what you’re putting in your body?
Definitely focus on how much manipulation you’re doing to your hair, but what you eat matters just as much. Proper nutrition promotes hair growth, according to popular hair care line Redken. Protein boosts hair strength, iron and zinc are two minerals that will help your hair grow. Biotin or vitamin B7 will also promote faster hair growth.
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6. Dying your hair is unhealthy
We all know that constantly bleaching your hair is arguably a death sentence to your hair health, but Melissa Piliang, MD, dermatologist and hair specialist at the Cleveland Clinic says that not all color treatments are unhealthy for your hair.
“Removing color from the hair makes each strand thinner and more prone to breakage,but adding color actually plumps up your strands, making your locks look thicker,” she says. “I tell my patients it’s okay to color their hair, as long as they’re going darker.”
So as long as you aren’t going from chocolate brown to platinum blonde, you’re totally fine. Just dye your hair in moderation and be careful of bleach.
7. You can’t dye your hair while being pregnant
Back in the day, pregnant women would let their roots grow in to play it safe because it was believed that hair dye was harmful to fetuses. Not anymore.
Most research indicates the chemicals found in both semi-permanent and permanent dyes are not highly toxic and are safe to use during pregnancy, according to the American Pregnancy Association. In addition, only small amounts of hair dye may be absorbed by the skin, leaving little that would be able to reach the fetus.
