HAIR MYTHS FACT OR FICTION?
Some hair myths have been around for so long that we’ve come to accept them as fact. Answer TRUE or FALSE to test your hair knowledge. Are these Old Wives Tales or Words of Wisdom?
- Your hair doesn’t really need a conditioner
- Cutting your hair frequently will make it grow faster
- Your hair gets used to a shampoo
If you answered TRUE to the above three questions, you’re wrong, but you’re not alone. There is a lot of fake news out there when it comes to determining how you should care for your hair. We’re here to help you uncover the truth about some of the most common hair misconceptions. From how frequently you should be washing and conditioning your hair to whether lifestyle and diet really help.
Myth #1 - You don’t really need a conditioner
All hair types, whether dry, oily, straight or curly need conditioning. Just as you moisturise your skin after cleansing, you should nourish your hair after shampooing. By applying conditioner, suitable to the texture of your hair, you can put back all that moisture. TRESemmé conditioner provides a healthy dose of hydration and nourishment to your hair. The key is to find the formula that works for your individual hair type.
- If you have thin or fine hair, use a volumising conditioner
- If you have thick or coarse hair, choose a conditioner such as Botanic Nourish & Replenish, Botanic Moisture & Replenish, or any product specifically aimed at smoothing or moisturising.
Will raw food ingredients help?
Contrary to popular belief, raw food ingredients such as avocado oil, coconut oil and honey are incapable of penetrating the hair shaft deep enough to make any lasting improvement. Aside from their inability to actually impact the hair, they can leave a sticky residue and greasy feeling strands. When used as emollients within a professional product, natural oils are fabulous. Used alone, they are heavy and hard to wash out of hair.
Myth #2 - Cutting your hair makes it grow faster
It’s widely believed that trimming your hair every 6 weeks encourages hair growth – this is just more fake news. The fact is that hair growth occurs at the roots, and not at the trimmed ends. While regular trims will not affect how fast your hair grows, they can certainly improve your hair’s appearance by eliminating split ends.
So, how CAN we make our hair grow faster? In short, the healthier you are, the healthier your hair will be. So, it’s important to keep an eye on your lifestyle and follow a well-balanced diet. While a poor lifestyle and diet has a limited effect on the rate of growth, it does impact the quality of your hair. “Hair is made of 97% protein, and needs regular amounts of complete protein, vitamins, minerals and water as well as the omega 3 fatty acids found in oily fish, fruit and vegetables”, says London’s top trichologist Stephen Carson.
Myth #3 - Your hair gets used to a shampoo
This myth stems from the idea that your hair will “get used to” a product and it will stop working effectively. There’s little evidence to support this claim. In fact, changing your shampoo could make things worse. Remember that if your shampoo stops giving you the results you want, the condition and needs of your hair have probably changed. Perhaps the weather is more humid, the sun is harsher, the air dryer. Additionally, your state of health and hormone levels may also affect the condition or your hair.
Now that we’ve covered the FICTION, here are some FACTS:
1. Wearing your hair pulled back tightly can cause baldness
Never put your hair under extreme tension for prolonged periods of time. This may cause traction alopecia, which may eventually lead to scarring alopecia where the hair does not grow back.
2. Swimming pool water can turn blonde hair green
It's the copper in the pipes transporting the water to the pool that cause hair to go green, not chlorine itself. In hot countries, outdoor pools (due to evaporation) have a concentrate of copper salts in the water. These are easily absorbed by porous, damaged hair. To protect your hair, wet it before jumping into the pool. In this way, your hair won’t absorb as many chemicals.
3. Stress can cause hair loss
Extreme stress can have an effect on hair, but not instantly. It can take up to several months to show.
4. Rinse with cold water to get shiny hair
Cold water closes the cuticle of the hair quickly so, in theory, it would make it a little shinier.
