Hair and the Old Wives Tales
Hair myths are passed from mother to daughter, from friend to friend, and sometimes even from hairstylist to client, and they’ve been around for centuries. I spoke to Aleksandr Shuster, a senior hair director at Shear Country Salon, on some of these myths.
Aleks has an interesting background that makes him unique in the hair industry. He’s a former Ukrainian ping-pong champion, a shipyard welder, and a hairstylist from Russia. This is what he said about the most common hair myths.
Myth: Hair becomes thicker and grows faster when you cut it.
Aleks: "Hair may seem thicker when it’s cut because hair shaft is thickest starting from the root and tapers down as hair is subjected to the wear and tear of everyday life. However, the biological nature of your hair won’t change after a haircut. As far as how fast hair may grow, keep in mind damaged hair grows slower than healthy hair, so trimming off the dead ends regularly will keep your hair growing at a normal rate."
Myth: Split ends can be repaired with conditioners.
Aleks: "Once hair is split, that’s it. There’s no way for the hair to fuse together and become whole again. Some products may provide a temporary solution, but this usually only lasts until you shampoo your hair again. The best remedy is to get your hair trimmed regularly to keep your ends healthy."
Myth: Brushing your hair makes it healthier.
Aleks: "This is a very, very false myth. Although hair may feel smoother after brushing, excessive brushing ultimately leads to split ends and breakage. If your hair needs to be softer, there are many shampoos, conditioners, and styling products designed to give you specifically that."
Myth: Pluck one gray hair and two grow back.
Aleks: "This is obviously an old wives’ grievance related to stress over going gray, but in all reality has no truth to it whatsoever. If this were true, we would have a lot of middle-aged men and women walking around with heads of thick, luscious gray hair."
Myth: Dandruff is contagious.
Aleks: "Although lice and other nasty things are caught from borrowing someone’s brush or towel, dandruff can’t be passed on. It’s simply an excessive shedding of the skin on the scalp caused by a fungus called Pityrosporum ovale. This lives on our scalp and skin usually without causing problems; unfortunately for some people, it causes dandruff. The fungus, however, doesn’t spread, so ’catching dandruff’ isn’t something to worry about."
Myth: Shampoo stops working after your hair becomes used to it.
Aleks: "It may feel as if your hair is developing an immunity to your shampoo when it’s simply showing the benefits of the shampoo. There’s no scientific evidence to prove hair can become immune to shampoo."
Myth: Washing your hair excessively is bad for it.
Aleks: "This actually varies from person to person. As long as you get the right shampoo for your hair type and texture, shampoo shouldn’t be a damaging agent. It also depends on the person. While some people are able to wash their hair every day, other people, like those who produce extra sebum, need to wash their hair often to keep it from getting greasy. Consult your stylist to find the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair."
Hair myths are everywhere. Now that we’ve debunked these, test your stylist and see how knowledgeable he or she is. TPW
Aleks has an interesting background that makes him unique in the hair industry. He’s a former Ukrainian ping-pong champion, a shipyard welder, and a hairstylist from Russia. This is what he said about the most common hair myths.
Myth: Hair becomes thicker and grows faster when you cut it.
Aleks: "Hair may seem thicker when it’s cut because hair shaft is thickest starting from the root and tapers down as hair is subjected to the wear and tear of everyday life. However, the biological nature of your hair won’t change after a haircut. As far as how fast hair may grow, keep in mind damaged hair grows slower than healthy hair, so trimming off the dead ends regularly will keep your hair growing at a normal rate."
Myth: Split ends can be repaired with conditioners.
Aleks: "Once hair is split, that’s it. There’s no way for the hair to fuse together and become whole again. Some products may provide a temporary solution, but this usually only lasts until you shampoo your hair again. The best remedy is to get your hair trimmed regularly to keep your ends healthy."
Myth: Brushing your hair makes it healthier.
Aleks: "This is a very, very false myth. Although hair may feel smoother after brushing, excessive brushing ultimately leads to split ends and breakage. If your hair needs to be softer, there are many shampoos, conditioners, and styling products designed to give you specifically that."
Myth: Pluck one gray hair and two grow back.
Aleks: "This is obviously an old wives’ grievance related to stress over going gray, but in all reality has no truth to it whatsoever. If this were true, we would have a lot of middle-aged men and women walking around with heads of thick, luscious gray hair."
Myth: Dandruff is contagious.
Aleks: "Although lice and other nasty things are caught from borrowing someone’s brush or towel, dandruff can’t be passed on. It’s simply an excessive shedding of the skin on the scalp caused by a fungus called Pityrosporum ovale. This lives on our scalp and skin usually without causing problems; unfortunately for some people, it causes dandruff. The fungus, however, doesn’t spread, so ’catching dandruff’ isn’t something to worry about."
Myth: Shampoo stops working after your hair becomes used to it.
Aleks: "It may feel as if your hair is developing an immunity to your shampoo when it’s simply showing the benefits of the shampoo. There’s no scientific evidence to prove hair can become immune to shampoo."
Myth: Washing your hair excessively is bad for it.
Aleks: "This actually varies from person to person. As long as you get the right shampoo for your hair type and texture, shampoo shouldn’t be a damaging agent. It also depends on the person. While some people are able to wash their hair every day, other people, like those who produce extra sebum, need to wash their hair often to keep it from getting greasy. Consult your stylist to find the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair."
Hair myths are everywhere. Now that we’ve debunked these, test your stylist and see how knowledgeable he or she is. TPW