The Truth About Hair Myths and Misconceptions
Hair care can be a confusing topic, with a plethora of myths and facts circulating around it however, just because you’ve heard something repeatedly doesn’t necessarily make it true. Many of these hair care myths seem logical but can actually harm your hair.
From how often to trim your hair to which styling methods to use, it can be challenging to know what to believe. But don’t worry, we’re here to help you achieve the healthy, luscious locks you desire.
In this article, we’ll separate hair care facts from myths and provide you with the best information to get the stunning results you’re after. So, leave your worries behind, and let’s get started.
Myth 1: For Healthy Hair, You Need 100 Brush Strokes Daily
Truth: Excessive brushing or combing can cause friction in your hair. Excessive strokes, such as 100 or more, will damage your hair and make it weak from the roots.
There are, however, some advantages to brushing gently and briefly with a natural bristle brush. It can increase blood circulation in your scalp and aid in the distribution of natural oils from the roots to the tips.
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Avoid synthetic or plastic bristles, as well as old brushes with bent or broken strands. Avoid brushing wet hair as well. Before brushing, be sure to gently untangle the knots.
Myth 2: Cutting Your Hair Regularly Causes it to Grow Faster
Truth: It’s widely assumed that getting your hair trimmed every 4-6 weeks will help it grow faster, but this is just more misinformation. Hair growth occurs at the roots, not at the ends, so cutting the ends of your hair (which, by the way, are not living entities) does not affect the follicles that control your hair’s growth.
While regular trims may not affect how fast or how much your hair grows, there’s no denying that they help with the overall appearance of your hair by removing split ends, which can often make hair look thin or sparse at the bottom.
Myth 3: Frequent Shampooing Can Severely Damage Your Hair
Truth: Shampoos are only intended to clean your hair and scalp. They can’t make your hair grow faster, stronger, or weaker from the roots. Shampooing keeps your hair clean and healthy by removing dirt, dust, product buildup, and other impurities.
If you use harsh, chemical-based shampoos, they can strip your hair’s natural oils and cause temporary dryness. However, this has nothing to do with severe damage or hair loss.
Myth 3: Gray Hair is Caused By Stress
Truth: Your mother is most likely to blame for this common misconception (if only we had a nickel for every time she claimed our actions were causing her to grey), but this is one thing she didn’t get right (sort of).
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This is because greying is a multivariable equation influenced primarily by genetics and ageing. As you get older, you naturally produce less melanin (the molecules that give your hair colour), which causes grey hair to grow.
While there is currently little scientific evidence that stress causes your hair to turn gray, it can accelerate the ageing and fallout process, resulting in more incoming grey hairs if your body already produces less melanin.
In other words, while stress may hasten the greying process over time, there is no strong scientific evidence demonstrating a cause-and-effect relationship, so why worry?
Myth 4: Natural Oils Are Beneficial to Your Hair
Truth: Raw food products such as honey, curd, or oils such as coconut oil, avocado oil, and others cannot penetrate your hair shaft deeply enough to produce long-lasting results. They are all excellent conditioners for your hair strands, but they do not promote hair growth or reduce hair fall. Y
You may have also heard that applying oil and leaving it on overnight is beneficial to hair growth. That, however, is not the case. Even if you apply oil, leave it on for 15 to 30 minutes, and then wash it off, you will get a great result. Furthermore, natural oils are heavy and difficult to remove from the hair.
They can make your hair greasy and attract dirt and pollutants, which can negatively impact the overall appearance and health of your hair.
Myth 5: Skip Conditioner If You Have Greasy Hair
Truth: Conditioning your hair will not result in greasy hair – period. Instead, it is caused by the scalp tissues producing too much sebum (a type of oil your body naturally produces), resulting in buildup. Conditioner, like a proper shampoo, is not only acceptable but also required for oily hair types, as it helps provide hydration, nourishment, and protection that it would not otherwise receive.
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The key is to find one that works for your specific hair needs and can be completely customized based on your hair type and hair goals. To keep your hair from looking flat or weighed down, apply conditioner only to the ends and avoid the scalp entirely.
Myth 6: Multiple Gray Strands Can Result By Plucking Grey Hair From The Scalp
Truth: The absence of melanin in the hair follicle causes the colour change in your hair. Your hair turns grey or white as your cells stop producing melanin. So plucking your grey hair will not increase the number of grey strands.
Furthermore, this habit may disrupt neighbouring roots, resulting in hair loss or weakening of the other roots.
However, it is best to avoid plucking grey hair because it can cause thinning or scarring. It can even prevent hair regrowth in that area.
Myth 7: It is Preferable To Air-dry Your Hair Rather Than Blow-drying It
Truth: Believe it or not, this one is both true and false. While it’s best to avoid blasting your strands with hot air daily, it’s also not a good idea to air-dry them every day.
A recent study found that while blow-drying causes more damage to the hair’s surface, air-drying causes more damage within the strands themselves, which may be worse (shocker, we know).
Because water causes your hair to swell and puts pressure on the proteins that keep your hair intact, it can cause more damage than heat styling.
Finishing Up
Beautiful hair is captivating, but it requires a lot of time and effort to keep it healthy and lustrous. To take care of your hair, you should follow an effective hair care routine, eat a balanced diet, and drink plenty of water.
You may hear a variety of hair care tips (or myths) from family, friends, or other sources, but they are not always accurate. Check them out from reputable sources or consult a beauty expert or a dermatologist.
Filed under: Makeup & Hair, Tips and Myths
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