Who doesn't want to flaunt soft, shiny, and lustrous hair? Most men and women would do everything to keep their hair in the best shape, from switching to different hair care products to dunking their hair in homemade hair masks.
But inadvertently, we often hear certain haircare myths from people around us, and adhering to such false notions may harm your hair health. Thus, we decided to step in and debunk the top 10 hair care myths and provide you with some fantastic information related to your hair. Let’s start!
Myth 1: Brush 100 Strokes A Day To Get Thick And Healthy Hair
Fact: While brushing your hair helps detangle and dress it, overdoing it may harm your crowning glory. Rigorous brushing through your hair may create friction between the hair strands, which may eventually lead to hair breakage and rough, frizzy hair. However, gently brushing your hair with a wood neem comb may help massage the scalp and distribute natural oils evenly on the scalp, thus reducing greasiness and grime buildup.
Also, it’s better to use a wooden comb such as Matural kacchi neem comb instead of a plastic or metal comb with harsh bristles to avoid injuries to the scalp and lower the production of static negative charge within the hair strands.
Myth 2: Trimming Your Hair Frequently Boosts Hair Growth
Fact: Hair trimming doesn’t affect your hair follicles. However, regular trimming of the ends may help remove split ends and improve the texture of your hair. Human hair usually grows from 0.5 to 1.7 cm per month depending on your genetics, physical health, diet, and ethnicity.
Even seasons play a key role in defining the growth of your hair. During summers, your hair grows at a faster rate due to improved blood circulation to the scalp. Whereas, during winters, most people experience slower hair growth as your body directs more blood to the internal organs to keep your body warm and to regulate metabolic functions.
Myth 3: Dandruff Is A Sign Of Dry Scalp
Fact: It is a common myth about dandruff. The dry, white skin flaskes are not always a result of a dry scalp. Sometimes, it may be caused by an infestation of Malasezzia fungus on the scalp (1). Also, an oily environment makes the best place for fungus to multiply and grow, shampooing your hair with an anti-dandruff shampoo regularly may help you get rid of dandruff.
Myth 4: Plucking Grey Hair May Lead To Multiple Grey Hairs Growing Out From The Scalp
Fact: We bet if you are suffering from grey hair, it is a common fear that you have experienced at some point in time when someone tried to break a grey hair on your scalp. However, it is far beyond the reality. Transitioning of your hair color from black to grey happens due to depleting levels of melanin in your hair follicles. As the melanin stores in your hair roots start depleting, your hair starts turning grey. This problem is commonly experienced by men with long hair.
Technically, plucking grey hair would not result in multiple grey hairs sprouting from a single hair root. However, plucking out a hair manually may disturb the other hair roots near grey hair and eventually weaken them and cause hair breakage. Therefore, you must avoid plucking grey hair manually in a stint to improve your hair lining style. Also, it’s good to avoid plucking grey hair to avoid scarring or hair thinning, and reduced hair growth at that particular point on the scalp.
Myth 5: Air Drying Is Less Harmful To Your Hair Than Blow Drying It
Fact: While it’s true to some extent that air drying your hair is better than blow drying, exposing your hair to strong and high-intensity wind may cause hair damage. Many men and women are habitual to expose their hair to strong winds by sitting directly under a fan running at a high speed.
The strong wind from a fan makes your wet hair move in a particular direction which may put pressure on the hair roots and weaken them. However, you may blot the excess water from your hair using a soft cotton towel and leave it to dry on its own for best results.
On the other hand, you must avoid blow-drying your hair as it may cause cuticle damage (2). For minimal damage, you must keep your hair dryer at a minimum temperature and hold the dryer at least 6 inches away from your hair. It is best to use a blow dryer to style your hair occasionally for special events.
Also, it may be surprising for you to know that exposing your hair to water for a long may be much more harmful than blow drying or heat styling. It is because your hair absorbs water and swells up which in turn puts pressure on the proteins that keep your hair healthy and intact.
Myth 6: Switch Your Shampoo And Conditioner After Every Couple Of Months
Fact: When you realize the importance of hair care, you may want to try every single remedy you hear from your peers. One of the common myths about hair care is that you must keep changing your shampoo and conditioner after a couple of months. However, it’s not true!
Since it's difficult for you to choose the right kind of shampoo and conditioner for your hair type, it’s better to stick to the hair care products that suit your scalp and hair type. However, you may need to change the hair care products under some special circumstances such as -
1. If you have colored your hair
2. Moved to a new place with different environmental conditions
3. Started using new hair care or styling products.
Indulging in any of these changes may make you realize that your existing hair care products are delivering the same results they used to provide earlier. Here, you may switch to shampoo or conditioners depending on your hair’s environmental or styling requirements.
Myth 7: Hair Color Stays Better On Unwashed Hair
Fact: Color appears better on washed and clean hair. Oil and dirt build-up on the hair strands may not allow the hair color to penetrate the hair strands properly. Thus, it’s important to wash your hair and dry it completely before applying a hair color.
You may also wash your hair one night before your appointment at a salon and refrain from applying any hair serum or leave-in conditioner for best results. Dirty, oily, and unwashed hair would not allow color to reflect on your hair properly and the results would also not be long-lasting.
Myth 8: Stress May Lead To Grey Hair
Fact: While stress may cause hair fall, it has no significant association with grey hair(3). Grey hair occurs when the pigment cells in your hair stop producing enough melanin- a pigment responsible for producing black hair tips.
Myth 9: Washing Hair With Hot Water Increases Hair Loss And Frizz
Fact: Most of us are worried about washing our hair with hot water during the transition season from summer to winter. While the statement is true to some extent, it is not always the case. It depends on the temperature of the water you use to get a head cleanse. Washing your hair using water that is too hot may rip off natural oils from your hair and scalp, thus leading to increased hair fall, hair breakage, and frizz.
However, using lukewarm water instead of hot water opens up the pores on the scalp and removes oil and dust build-up, thus leaving your scalp clean and fresh without disrupting your hair’s natural texture.
Myth 10: Shampooing Your Hair Frequently Causes Hair Loss
Fact: Shampooing your hair would not stop it from growing, nor would it pace up your hair’s natural growth. The prime purpose of shampooing your hair is to get a clean and fresh scalp. Shampoos work to remove excess oil, sebum, and dirt from the hair and scalp. However, you must restrict shampooing your hair twice or thrice a week depending on your scalp type and the climatic conditions in your area.
Conclusion
Having a head full of shiny, soft, and beautiful hair is overwhelming, but you need to follow a proper haircare regime to achieve your beauty goals. You must follow the right hair products, eat nutritious foods, and stay hydrated to keep your hair in good health. Now that we have discussed the common hair care myths and facts, indulge in a great hair care routine and get ready to flaunt healthy, shiny, and smooth hair every day. Switch to some great tips and flip your hair care game.