The Myths of Hair Growth and Hair Loss: Busted
We’ve heard all sorts of crazy old stories on how to improve the health of your hair.
Some say you can get curly hair by eating bread crusts. We have also heard the notion
that trimming makes hair grow faster innumerable times. Then we have some lucky days
to get a haircut.
We all want thick and shiny hair. But how do we figure out a fact from a fiction? Today, we are going to crack the code and uncover many myths about hair growth, but first…
A Brief History of Hair
One of the most prosperous industries in the world today is the hair care industry. We come across numerous articles and posts about hair care.
Magazine stands and Instagram are also full of hair care.
However, this obsession with hair is not new.
Different hairstyles and hair lengths have been a symbol of class, religion,
tribal influence, and even marital status. For example, in Ancient China, unmarried
women used to support braids.
Married women, on the other hand, used to tie a bun on their head.
Ever since we’ve remembered, we have always been searching for better methods
to control hair fall.
Hair loss has always been an issue for us. Over 4000 years ago, a man from Greenland died.
His DNA proved that he was suffering from male pattern baldness. Now the question comes,
why do we have such fixation with hair?
According to medical and beauty experts, thick and shiny hair is a sign of health. Healthy hair and skin are found to be extremely attractive. A majority of people try every method possible to grow healthy hair.
Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician, also had to bear the turmoil of hair loss. He prepared a potion of opium, beetroot, spices, horseradish and a surprising ingredient, pigeon droppings. He also discovered another way to deal with hair loss, but it was a very peculiar method. He noticed that eunuchs do not lose hair. Thus, he suggested castration to be an effective way to treat hair loss.
As much as this method seems irrational, the Duke University confirmed the efficacy of this method in 1995. However, let’s not go to such extremes, right?
Now, It’s Time to Uncover Some Myths
Frequent trimming boosts hair growth
And pigs can fly! The growth of your hair lies in their follicles, and not at the ends. Trimming can make your hair look thicker as it removes split ends. Apart from that, trimming does not serve any purpose in your hair growth. Trimmed hair don’t grow at a faster rate, they just look neater and better.
You maternal grandfather is responsible for hair loss
Downright false! Genetics play a very important role in hair culture. But you can’t blame just one person for your balding head. That’s not just incorrect, but equally preposterous. If you share your genes with anyone having hair loss, your chances of inheriting the genes are higher. It doesn’t matter whether the genes come from your mother’s side, or your father’s.
Plucking a grey hair results in two more grey hair
That would mean George Clooney was busy plucking quite a good number of grey when free. The truth is: one hair follicle grows one strand of hair. And follicles don’t split into two. Or we would have had a cure for white hair.
Just pluck one black hair and get two more black strands in its place.
The good way is to color your grey hair. Also, beware: plucking may lead to spot balding.
Stressful events may cause hair loss
Finally, a notion that is almost true. Traumatic events can cause hair loss. For example a car crash, giving birth, major surgery, or the death of a loved one. However, hair loss is not caused by common, everyday stress that comes with modern life. Routine stress that comes from home and work life does not cause hair loss.
Otherwise, no one would have any hair!
Wearing hats can cause hair loss
Not at all! On the contrary, hats protect your scalp from the damaging effects of the harmful UV rays. Plus, they make you look cool or dapper. However, that depend on whether you are wearing a baseball cap or supporting a Panama hat. For a cap to cause hair loss, it will have to be so tight that you won’t be able to wear it at all!
Excessive hair wash causes hair loss
You may feel discouraged looking at the shower drain after a shower. But it’s completely natural for a healthy human to lose up to 100 hair strands per day. Just like all living cells, hair grow and die too! Shampooing is essential to remove the oil and dirt built up on the scalp. Not shampooing regularly, as a matter of fact, is responsible for improper hair growth. Choose a mild shampoo for regular hair, and if you’ve got a skin condition, then talk to a skin specialist.
Contraceptive pills hamper hair growth
Women who are sensitive to androgen are at a higher risk of hair loss due to contraceptive pills. However, contraceptive pills with a lesser amount of progesterone than other are less risky. In any condition, talk to your physician to be sure.
Brushing your hair 100 strokes daily promotes hair growth
Brushing your hair is a good thing. It helps in distributing natural oils on the scalp even all over the hair and makes them shiny. But as they say, too much of anything can be bad. Excessive brushing causes friction on the hair, may also damage the cuticles and cause frizzy hair. Excessive brushing can also cause hair breakage and make hair look thinner. If you don’t want that, stick to 20-30 brushing strokes on a daily basis.
