Let’s face it, we all want our hair to stay perfectly beautiful and healthy and the measures we take are sometimes extreme, but not as extreme as these myths which people from years ago, and even some today, believed were the remedy to achieving that desired hair goal.
These myths have been passed down for years, from a mother to a daughter and from that daughter to her daughter, so we wouldn’t blame you if you had faith in these hair myths.
Take a look at these hair myths that you should stop believing right now!
1. Brushing your hair 100 times will make it healthier.
NO! No matter how many times you brush your hair, the end result will not be long, lushes locks. In fact, excessive brushing causes more bad than good. This increases the risk of damage. According to Reader’s digest, you should “Brush gently for styling only—not to stimulate the scalp”. So whatever you’re doing, put that brush down!
2. Having your hair trimmed regularly, will make it grow faster.
We’ve all heard this one before. We are often told that going to our favourite hair salon on a regular basis to have our lovely locks trimmed, will increase our chances of our hair growing faster. We heard that cutting off split ends makes room for hair growth. According to Health website, dermatologist and hair specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, Melissa Piliang, says “Frayed ends make hair look thinner and cause breakage, so when you cut them off, your hair appears fuller”.
3. Braiding your hair will make it grow faster.
When we were kids, our moms used to tell us that if we braid our hair it will help speed up the growing process. This is not true. Braiding or beading your hair causes more harm than good. Braiding your hair too tightly can cause breakage and so much damage. Braiding or plaiting your hair does however, strengthen your hair.
4. Women aren’t allowed to dye their hair when pregnant.
This is one we have heard over and over and over. Many believe that if you dye your hair when your’re expecting, the chemicals in the dye will absorb into your scalp and somehow affect your baby. WRONG! OB-GYN and professor at the University of Minnesota, Carrie Ann Terrell, said “The main concern with dyeing your hair during pregnancy is the risk associated with inhaling ammonia, not the risk of it being absorbed into your scalp. But the levels of ammonia are so low that it’s not a problem, especially if you go to a salon, which will have industrial strength ventilation.” Despite this information, some women still opt for the safer side and use henna to dye their hair instead.
5. Dandruff is caused by a dry scalp.
When we discover dandruff, we’re often embarrassed and blame it on our itchy, dry scalps, but Dr. Piliang told Health that “Dandruff is caused by a type of yeast that tends to overgrow in an oily environment.” Many believe that cutting down on washing your hair, will decrease dandruff, but this is not true. But if you want to try out the option of washing your hair less, consider using an anti-dandruff shampoo.
So there you have it, we may not be able to help our hair grow by trimming it regularly, but we can help it look beautiful in the meantime
