It seems there is no lack of secret hair tips, from the gems your grandma shared, to the ones in a late night infomercial. With so much misinformation swirling around out there, let’s shed a little light on fact vs fiction when it comes to hair:
1. CUTTING YOUR HAIR WILL MAKE IT GROW FASTER:
This is probably the most misunderstood of the bunch. If you were to think about it logically, how would cutting the bottom of your hair make it grow faster from the scalp? It won’t- so this is FALSE. The reason to trim your hair, is to keep it healthy. Once the ends of the hair become frayed, the damage will continue up the hair shaft. This will cause the hair to break, therefore it will become increasingly difficult to grow longer. The healthier the hair, the easier it will be to grow. So while cutting the hair doesn’t technically make it grow faster, it will make it easier to grow it longer than hair left untrimmed.
2. HAIR GROWS FASTER IN SUMMER:
Well, believe it or not, this one is TRUE. But hair only grows marginally faster in summer. There’s no exact explanation of why this occurs, but it is believed to be the combo of heat, sunlight, hormones, and fresher fruits and vegetables in the diet. Just another reason to love these balmy upcoming months!
3. CERTAIN VITAMINS/PRODUCTS WILL HELP YOU TO GROW THICKER HAIR:
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this one is FALSE. The hair you were born with, is the hair you were born with. A person who has always had thin hair, is not able to use a prenatal vitamin, or a shampoo to give them a thick lion’s mane. However, that does not mean that both vitamins and certain products are ineffective in helping hair to grow stronger. Hair is directly affected by diet, hormones, and stress. By adding in a great vitamin, like Biotin, it is possible to keep the hair you have healthier. The same is true of different topical products- they help to strengthen the hair, and also keep it from shedding excessively. This in turn, allows hair to grow, and stay thicker. Both vitamins, and a professional shampoo and conditioner can definitely improve the quality of your hair, they just can’t grow more of it than you were genetically assigned.
4. WOMEN OVER 40 SHOULD CUT THEIR HAIR SHORTER:
All I can say with one word here is FALSE. I’m not sure where this whole short hair/older woman campaign started, but it’s 100% wrong. Women should wear their hair in a way that makes them feel attractive, and sexy at any age. ( and I’m sorry, let’s not forget, 40 is the new 30!). If you want short hair, have short hair- but don’t base it on a number. There are so many sophisticated styles that look great on older women- and many of them are to the shoulders. I think a better rule of thumb is cut your hair to a length that is flattering. If your hair is thinning, it may need to stay in a more one length, long bob. If your hair is thicker and wavy, it may be better suited to have hair below the shoulders. Whatever your age, the key is do what’s right on you- there are no hard fast rules on hair and age.
5. MEN ONLY LIKE NATURAL HAIR:
FALSE! Men may like hair that LOOKS natural, but they have a lot of trouble discerning what is natural. Men are visual creatures – so they like what looks attractive to them. How you go about getting there… well, that’s a whole different story. I think what is most important is to make yourself happy first. And if coloring your hair, straightening it, putting in extensions, or throwing it up in a ponytail feels right to you- do it! At the end of the day, your confidence will be what wins him over- and that, is absolutely TRUE!
