Old Wives Tales

[ArtOfNoot]

I fell down a rabbit hole on the internet and found some old wive's tales about hair, things like washing your hair in the rain makes it soft, cutting hair makes it grow faster, and plucking a blonde hair makes it grow back course and dark.

What are some other old wives tales/superstitions you guys have heard over the years?

[Jo Ann]

Eating bread crusts will make your hair curly. My grandmother used to tell me that all the time--but she never cut the crusts off my bread!

[_fred_]

Eating bread crusts will make your hair curly. My grandmother used to tell me that all the time--but she never cut the crusts off my bread!

LOL I was also told that one as a kid! I had curly hair and did not like it, but for some reason my nan thought telling me eating the crusts would make my hair curl would encourage me to eat the crusts. It did not.

Another I remember is the very weird 'You can't wash your hair when you're on your period'. I never understood that, and even now when I work as a curator and know far more about the culture that spawned that particular bit of bad advice I'm still O_o about it. Mind you, I remember reading it in a little booklet my mum gave me, that she'd been given when she was a kid, which was about busting period myths and explaining the biology. Good little booklet that.

'You should brush your hair with no fewer than 50 and no more than 100 strokes' was also bandied around a bit when I was a kid. As we all know, that makes much more sense for the 1880s than for the 1980s!

[Entangled]

I think I’ve heard not to go to bed with wet hair or you’ll get a headache.

[AmaryllisRed]

I was definitely told eating bread crusts would make my hair grow. I liked the crust and my hair grew, so I figured it was true. :D

Not washing your hair on your period sounds like practical advice. I had a near-mishap recently. :/

I also heard as a child that if you chew on your hair, you'll get worms! It wasn't said to me but I overheard and it concerned me for years!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

Yes, I was told the bread crust story, too. It must be a pretty common one. I think the not washing your hair during your period comes from the days when women would wash and bathe in lakes, and where drinking water was obtained also, so that would be a good reason not to, of course.

[Laurab]

I think I’ve heard not to go to bed with wet hair or you’ll get a headache.

I've heard this one but about getting sick!
I'm not sure why people think wet hair leads to sickness, but some people still do apparently.

Another one I've heard is if you dye your red hair it'll never go back to it's natural color. I knew a girl in high school who didn't dye her hair specifically for this reason.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I've heard this one but about getting sick!
I'm not sure why people think wet hair leads to sickness, but some people still do apparently.

Another one I've heard is if you dye your red hair it'll never go back to it's natural color. I knew a girl in high school who didn't dye her hair specifically for this reason.

I think it can do in certain circumstances, for example if it's wet and making you cold and your body is trying to keep you warm your immune system weakens a little and you can be more vulnerable to catching something if it's around. Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps a medical person might know, if there's someone here.

[Faraniel]

What about plucking grey hair is a no no because more will grow? I think it is an old wives tale but some people believe it so...

[Sarahlabyrinth]

What about plucking grey hair is a no no because more will grow? I think it is an old wives tale but some people believe it so...

Well, more would grow anyway, wouldn't they? Because that's what grey hairs do! Whether you pluck them or not! :laugh:

[SleepyTangles]

If you pluck a gray hair, seven will grow in its place.

[Ylva]

Another one I've heard is if you dye your red hair it'll never go back to it's natural color. I knew a girl in high school who didn't dye her hair specifically for this reason.

We've got a pretty strange experience like this in our family!

My younger big brother was always light blonde up until he one time dyed his hair black in his teens. Since then, it has grown in light brown. :laugh:

...Or at least this is how my mother tells the story, but she is absolutely convinced that's how it was! I was too young to remember it.

[Entangled]

We've got a pretty strange experience like this in our family!

My younger big brother was always light blonde up until he one time dyed his hair black in his teens. Since then, it has grown in light brown. :laugh:

...Or at least this is how my mother tells the story, but she is absolutely convinced that's how it was! I was too young to remember it.

I think this has to do with the fact that most people dye their hair for the first time as teenagers or around puberty, which is also the time many people’s hair changes and darkens naturally. The dye would just disguise what happened. It seems like a lot of people where I’m from think their natural color should be the blonder hair they had before puberty and don’t like the darker blonette or brown they get after, and either don’t think of it as their real color or else think their real color is boring and keep dying or highlighting it.

[Ylva]

I think this has to do with the fact that most people dye their hair for the first time as teenagers or around puberty, which is also the time many people’s hair changes and darkens naturally. The dye would just disguise what happened. It seems like a lot of people where I’m from think their natural color should be the blonder hair they had before puberty and don’t like the darker blonette or brown they get after, and either don’t think of it as their real color or else think their real color is boring and keep dying or highlighting it.

Yeah, that's what I think happened as well. My mom just describes it as a very sudden occurrence.

[Ligeia Noire]

When trimming hair or getting a hair cut, we used to toss the remainder on this specific thorny berry plant bush called "silvas". They grow fast and very prolifically, kind of like a weed, so it is believed you should toss your ends there, so your hair grows fast and strong too

[Suortuva]

If you pluck a gray hair, seven will grow in its place.

I hope that would be true, because then I would have a chance to have a thick hair some day.

[RunOnCaffeine]

When trimming hair or getting a hair cut, we used to toss the remainder on this specific thorny berry plant bush called "silvas". They grow fast and very prolifically, kind of like a weed, so it is believed you should toss your ends there, so your hair grows fast and strong too

That's so cool; I love this one. Round here I've only heard the wet hair = sick and bread crusts for curly hair.

[lapushka]

Eating bread crusts will make your hair curly. My grandmother used to tell me that all the time--but she never cut the crusts off my bread!

Well there you go! ;) :p

[leafygreens18]

This isn't exactly an old wives tale and I think it might just be offensive (YIKES) but my family always threatened to sell me to "the gypsies" who bought little redheaded children.

[Nymiriel]

Eating bread crusts will make your hair curly. My grandmother used to tell me that all the time--but she never cut the crusts off my bread!

This is so funny. My mother and grandmother used to tell me the same thing. Never worked for me though. :o

Anyway, I have heard a lot of old wives tales about hair over the years, like never cut your hair unless it's a full moon... or was it a new moon? And to never cut it while menstruating no matter what the moon. I have also heard that lying makes your hair fall out and sex makes it shiny. Who knows? :hmm:

[Kat]

Yes, I was told the bread crust story, too. It must be a pretty common one. I think the not washing your hair during your period comes from the days when women would wash and bathe in lakes, and where drinking water was obtained also, so that would be a good reason not to, of course.

I assume (hope) they did still bathe during that time, though...

[Kalamazoo]

Yes, Grandma always said eating the bread crusts would make your hair curl. And I know a certain music teacher who says playing out-of-tune will curl your hair, too!

[Jo Ann]

...I have also heard that lying makes your hair fall out and sex makes it shiny. Who knows? :hmm:
:shocked: I need a man in my life... :p

[Stray_mind]

This thread is fun! I am definitely following it :)

Don't remember any old wive's tales myself though, except the cutting hair at full moon stops it's growth and when the moon is young it will grow faster if you cut it (never worked for me), but if i do, i will definitely contribute.

[Bri-Chan]

I think this has to do with the fact that most people dye their hair for the first time as teenagers or around puberty, which is also the time many people’s hair changes and darkens naturally. The dye would just disguise what happened. It seems like a lot of people where I’m from think their natural color should be the blonder hair they had before puberty and don’t like the darker blonette or brown they get after, and either don’t think of it as their real color or else think their real color is boring and keep dying or highlighting it.

I also think that... And it is funny, but when I saw for the forst time my natural hair color after 9 years (I had 6 inches regrowth) I discovered my hair is a bit lighter and colder then when I was 13 (the last time I saw it)

[leayellena]

my grandma: "if you brush curly hair will grow straight" & "you must brush your hair to detangle the knots"
also from my grandma but it's even more tragic to find this on the internet! of course I touch my stupid layers that don't stay put! of course I have to touch my hair when massaging. #bustle (https://www.bustle.com/p/8-greasy-hair-causes-you-never-considered-but-could-be-the-reason-your-roots-are-oily-4002803) though. sometimes I think the whole website is based on wives' tales
my mom and 99,99% hairdressers I know or read blogs from: "if you let your hair grow to collarbone length it will fall out and you go bald, the routs can't sustain so much weigh". (of course these people never heard of terminal time and they think terminal length is... well when the hair stops looking pretty on your face)

[Faraniel]

Well, more would grow anyway, wouldn't they? Because that's what grey hairs do! Whether you pluck them or not! :laugh:

True! I was just nervously checking my hair and I can agree :D

[Faraniel]

This thread is fun! I am definitely following it :)

Don't remember any old wive's tales myself though, except the cutting hair at full moon stops it's growth and when the moon is young it will grow faster if you cut it (never worked for me), but if i do, i will definitely contribute.

Damn, my mom told me full moon is the best time to dye hair or do anything with hair :D

[Cg]

I must have lived a very sheltered life. I have heard none of these irrational sayings, but this thread is most entertaining!

[MusicalSpoons]

I assume (hope) they did still bathe during that time, though...

Eh, it depends how often they normally bathed the rest of the time :shrug:

:!:TMI alert
When I first started, I was genuinely perplexed because I couldn't have a bath so what was I going to do about washing my hair? I was told that of course you can still have a bath (we didn't have a shower then) but I've never been convinced - who wants to bathe in that?! Or wash their hair in that same water?! :bigeyes: I guess it doesn't help that I feel that way about baths in general anyway, bathing in one's own dirt ... I think I probably washed my hair over the bathtub, and was exceptionally grateful when we did acquire a shower.


The only actual Old Wives' Tale I can recall is crusts giving you curly hair - I think I heard that broccoli would give you curly hair too, and I love the stuff, but alas :lol:

My sister (in her 20s) used to think until about a year or two ago that your 'baby hair' was hair you'd had since you were a baby ...


Oh, if you cut a baby's curl off it might not grow back - except that seems to prove true reasonably often. Why is that?!

[AmaryllisRed]

Eh, it depends how often they normally bathed the rest of the time :shrug:

:!:TMI alert
When I first started, I was genuinely perplexed because I couldn't have a bath so what was I going to do about washing my hair? I was told that of course you can still have a bath (we didn't have a shower then) but I've never been convinced - who wants to bathe in that?! Or wash their hair in that same water?! :bigeyes: I guess it doesn't help that I feel that way about baths in general anyway, bathing in one's own dirt ... I think I probably washed my hair over the bathtub, and was exceptionally grateful when we did acquire a shower.


The only actual Old Wives' Tale I can recall is crusts giving you curly hair - I think I heard that broccoli would give you curly hair too, and I love the stuff, but alas :lol:

My sister (in her 20s) used to think until about a year or two ago that your 'baby hair' was hair you'd had since you were a baby ...


Oh, if you cut a baby's curl off it might not grow back - except that seems to prove true reasonably often. Why is that?!

Continuing with more TMI:
I hate baths (and even pools!) but I always heard that if you're in the bath, it somehow gets "plugged up" and won't come out as long as you're in the water. I've never tested this.

ETA: About the baby curls, my daughter will be four next month and has not yet had a haircut because I LOVE her curly hair and I'm so afraid they will go away forever.
She was nearly bald until she was two and then her hair grew in curly, and is still growing in curly, and my MIL has curly hair... but I'm still worried. Her curls are so gorgeous.

[Simsy]

I've heard this one but about getting sick!
I'm not sure why people think wet hair leads to sickness, but some people still do apparently.

Another one I've heard is if you dye your red hair it'll never go back to it's natural color. I knew a girl in high school who didn't dye her hair specifically for this reason.

My husband and his sister both have vibrant red hair. She started dyeing her hair in high school and now has a natural colour not dissimilar to badly dyed blonde. He never dyed his hair and still has the red colour. Apparently it’s a hard colour/shade to achieve with dye so she’s not happy about the damage.

[Simsy]

I’m familiar with the “bread crusts for curly hair”, not that mum cared two jots. I had curls, and no amount of diet adjustment was going to change that so I ate my crusts without argument.

I’m also familiar with the “100 brush strokes a night”; it always seemed more applicable to the school stories and history novels than to life as I knew it.

Its interesting to read some of the hair myths. So many of them seem to cover multiple continents and cultures.

[Kat]

Eh, it depends how often they normally bathed the rest of the time :shrug:

:!:TMI alert
When I first started, I was genuinely perplexed because I couldn't have a bath so what was I going to do about washing my hair? I was told that of course you can still have a bath (we didn't have a shower then) but I've never been convinced - who wants to bathe in that?! Or wash their hair in that same water?! :bigeyes: I guess it doesn't help that I feel that way about baths in general anyway, bathing in one's own dirt ... I think I probably washed my hair over the bathtub, and was exceptionally grateful when we did acquire a shower.


Yes, but I would think that a person would not bathe solely for the reason of washing their hair-- that is, they wouldn't think "gee my body doesn't need bathing but my hair sure does!" (I don't know anyone whose hair gets dirty/smelly before their body does.) Conversely, anyone who's not worried about the cleanliness of their body is probably also not worried about the cleanliness of their hair (or, to get downright explicit about it: if someone can go for a week or more during their period and be unoffended by the smell of their own body, I can't imagine there's anything that their hair could do that would offend them that they'd feel the need to wash *that* during that time but not the rest of them). So, if the concern was of what might, um, get into the water, then they would be told not to bathe at that time at all, not only to just avoid washing their hair... so I'm thinking there's something to it besides squeamishness.

[Milady_DeWinter]

I was told that if I sleep in a ponytail my hair would grow faster. Of course it never worked :p

[Arciela]

The ones I can recall that I've heard..

- If you shave your head it will make your hair grow faster. This girl I knew claimed her hair grew fast because when she was a toddler her grandpa shaved her head. Her hair grew at a normal rate xD

- That extreme trauma can give white streaks. I think recently some studies were done showing that stress does make grey hair appear..but who knows.

[Simsy]

Yes, but I would think that a person would not bathe solely for the reason of washing their hair-- that is, they wouldn't think "gee my body doesn't need bathing but my hair sure does!" (I don't know anyone whose hair gets dirty/smelly before their body does.) Conversely, anyone who's not worried about the cleanliness of their body is probably also not worried about the cleanliness of their hair (or, to get downright explicit about it: if someone can go for a week or more during their period and be unoffended by the smell of their own body, I can't imagine there's anything that their hair could do that would offend them that they'd feel the need to wash *that* during that time but not the rest of them). So, if the concern was of what might, um, get into the water, then they would be told not to bathe at that time at all, not only to just avoid washing their hair... so I'm thinking there's something to it besides squeamishness.

It would depend on what you’re doing. My hair doesn’t like getting wet without product, so I do occasionally shower just so I can wash my hair; especially if I’ve been swimming. The rest of me is fine, the hair is not. Ocean, swimming pool, creek; doesn’t seem to matter. My hair simply won’t do wet without product.

Sweat doesn’t appear to have quite the same result but honestly, the mop is a picky bugger so I’m waiting for the day it complains about being mildly damp from sweat.

[SleepyTangles]

My husband and his sister both have vibrant red hair. She started dyeing her hair in high school and now has a natural colour not dissimilar to badly dyed blonde. He never dyed his hair and still has the red colour. Apparently it’s a hard colour/shade to achieve with dye so she’s not happy about the damage.

I've seen such cases, tough I can't find a scientific explanation. Maybe it's years of sunlight, that kept his hair fiery?

[Pacific]

I also heard as a child that if you chew on your hair, you'll get worms! It wasn't said to me but I overheard and it concerned me for years!
That's what my mom told me. ;) But she also told me I would get worms from drinking tap water and not sleeping enough. I never understood why. lol

[Pacific]

Oh, if you cut a baby's curl off it might not grow back - except that seems to prove true reasonably often. Why is that?!
That happened to my middle son. He has had very curly hair. At his 2nd birthday his father shaved his head against my wish. After that his hair grew back straight.
My youngest son has very curly hair, too. He got his first decent haircut at around 7 years. He's now 18 and still has lovely curls.

[shelomit]

We were told as kids that washing our hair in whey would soften it. At least one of my friends tried it, but I don't believe I ever did. Handling whey certainly does make your skin feel. . . interesting, although I wouldn't say "softer" exactly. I suppose it would probably have a little bit of protein left in there, even though most has gone into the curd. Perhaps some brave soul here will attempt it sometime, lol!

[YvetteVarie]

We have several in my culture:
- braiding your hair tightly will help it grow faster (that explains the traction alopecia most women have)
TMI - the hair a baby is born with must be shaved because it resembles the mother's pubic hair
- if you do not relax your hair after every 6 weeks, it will all fall off
- a dirty scalp makes hair grow faster

[Joules]

When I just started washing my own hair myself (around the age of, what, 6-7?) my parents told me that washing too often and using conditioner makes it fall out. My Dad seemed to believe in it the most, he'd get seriously pissed if I decided to wash my hair mid-week :lol: my hair was straight so it was ok, but when I turned 10 it started to go wurly and you can imagine what kind of mess I had on my head for quite some time before my rebellious teens kicked in and I decided to buy hair conditioner just to oppose my father.

ETA: just thought of another one. If you cut your own hair you're "cutting your life", therefore you'll live less and die sooner. It's 2020 and some people still genuinely believe it, whenever I tell people that I self-trim at least half of the time their eyes get large and they whisper "but you CAN'T cut your OWN HaiR!!!1!!". It's gonna be 10 years since my last hairdresser appointment this coming Summer and if this superstition were true I should be long dead by now :lol:

[MermaidDreads]

As a little girl I was always told that eating spicy food would grow hair on my chest. Haha. This myth has been debunked. I've eaten more than my fair share of spicy food and I most certainly don't have a hairy chest.

[Kat]

It would depend on what you’re doing. My hair doesn’t like getting wet without product, so I do occasionally shower just so I can wash my hair; especially if I’ve been swimming. The rest of me is fine, the hair is not. Ocean, swimming pool, creek; doesn’t seem to matter. My hair simply won’t do wet without product.

Sweat doesn’t appear to have quite the same result but honestly, the mop is a picky bugger so I’m waiting for the day it complains about being mildly damp from sweat.

I assume this isn't after having gone a week without washing your body, though? I mean, I've taken more than one shower in a day because it' s my hair-washing day and I've already taken a shower that day for some reason (workout, whatever), but if it's that time of the month and I've not bathed for the duration, my hair is not the sole reason I'm hopping in the shower, you know? That's what I'm trying to say. If the worry is that period blood will get in the water, but the warning is not "don't bathe," then that implies that a person is already not bathing for her whole period anyway (so does not need to be told not to bathe), and hence would only be going in to wash her hair... not that she is washing her hair in addition to bathing the rest of her body. And I don't know anyone who would think their hair was dirty before they thought their body was, in the instance of not having washed for a week or more.

[MusicalSpoons]

Yes, but I would think that a person would not bathe solely for the reason of washing their hair-- that is, they wouldn't think "gee my body doesn't need bathing but my hair sure does!" (I don't know anyone whose hair gets dirty/smelly before their body does.) Conversely, anyone who's not worried about the cleanliness of their body is probably also not worried about the cleanliness of their hair (or, to get downright explicit about it: if someone can go for a week or more during their period and be unoffended by the smell of their own body, I can't imagine there's anything that their hair could do that would offend them that they'd feel the need to wash *that* during that time but not the rest of them). So, if the concern was of what might, um, get into the water, then they would be told not to bathe at that time at all, not only to just avoid washing their hair... so I'm thinking there's something to it besides squeamishness.

I completely understand what you're saying. My comment about frequency was in the context of historically when bathing infrequently was the norm, so they didn't need to be told not to bathe at that time because that was implied, and more of a 'time your hair washing so that you don't want to do it during that week'. I don't know :shrug:

However I do think your understanding of it is more likely, that there was some specific connection to menstruating. I would be fascinated to know what! And in a modern context I totally agree with your reasoning - someone who didn't wash at all would have bigger problems than just dirty hair :bigeyes:

AmaryllisRed re: the TMI that's an interesting point. I think any truth in it is more likely due to laying down in the bath rather than the water (similar to not much, erm, 'happening' overnight).

Edit:
shelomit I'm sure at least someone has tried whey, see if anything comes up in a forum search :D

Joules that's amazing and a bit crazy!

[Natalia_A00]

Touching a redhead's hair brings good luck
Also, from my grandma "if you shave a baby's head after he/she's born, the hair will grow healthier and thicker"

[Natalia_A00]

When I just started washing my own hair myself (around the age of, what, 6-7?) my parents told me that washing too often and using conditioner makes it fall out. My Dad seemed to believe in it the most, he'd get seriously pissed if I decided to wash my hair mid-week :lol: my hair was straight so it was ok, but when I turned 10 it started to go wurly and you can imagine what kind of mess I had on my head for quite some time before my rebellious teens kicked in and I decided to buy hair conditioner just to oppose my father.

ETA: just thought of another one. If you cut your own hair you're "cutting your life", therefore you'll live less and die sooner. It's 2020 and some people still genuinely believe it, whenever I tell people that I self-trim at least half of the time their eyes get large and they whisper "but you CAN'T cut your OWN HaiR!!!1!!". It's gonna be 10 years since my last hairdresser appointment this coming Summer and if this superstition were true I should be long dead by now :lol:

Yes! My father says that washing your hair too often makes you go bald. Well, I don't think it works that way because I have been washing my hair every other day all my life, and it's still thick!

[FrayedFire]

...washing your hair in the rain makes it soft...

My hair is definitely softer if I wash it in the rain.

[Ylva]

My hair is definitely softer if I wash it in the rain.

I would imagine the difference to be especially obvious if one has hard water. Rainwater ought to be very soft.

[shutterpillar]

As a little girl I was always told that eating spicy food would grow hair on my chest. Haha. This myth has been debunked. I've eaten more than my fair share of spicy food and I most certainly don't have a hairy chest.

That's funny, because my dad would (jokingly) tell me that eating beans would put hair on my belly button.

I have to say I haven't heard the majority of these! The only old wives tale I've heard about hair is that if you shave it, it'll grow back thicker.

[Inazina]

If you dye your hair when you're on your period the dye wouldn't stick. (I did it many times with very good results. :D )

[C_Bookworm]

If you go out with wet hair, you’ll get sick. I get this one ALL the time (I wash my hair in the morning).

[lottiealice]

Eating bread crusts will make your hair curly. My grandmother used to tell me that all the time--but she never cut the crusts off my bread!

I wish this one was true! I've always loved crusts and I've always wanted curly hair. :o

[Hexen]

I have really straight hair.
I'm going to start eating JUST bread crusts and see what happens lol.
I'll let the rest dry out and make croutons out of it... :D

[polarnatt]

My hair is definitely softer if I wash it in the rain.

I reckon it's the same when I wash my hair with lake or river water. It's definitely softer.

[BookishRay]

I always heard that you shouldn't cut a baby's hair before their first birthday but never remember hearing why.

The shaving a baby's head might have some merit. My mother's youngest brother gave her a reverse mohawk (shaved her head in about a 2 inch strip down the middle of her head front to back) when she was about 18 months old. At 70 her hair is still super thick and both of her brothers went bald!!

[squirrrel]

I was definitely told eating bread crusts would make my hair grow. I liked the crust and my hair grew, so I figured it was true. :D

Not washing your hair on your period sounds like practical advice. I had a near-mishap recently. :/

I also heard as a child that if you chew on your hair, you'll get worms! It wasn't said to me but I overheard and it concerned me for years!

Not worms, but I was often told I would get a big ball of hair in my tummy. Was I supposed to be swallowing lol the hair I put in my mouth?:rolleyes:

[Elizabeth E]

If you go out with wet hair, you’ll get sick. I get this one ALL the time (I wash my hair in the morning).

I get this all the time as well. I've gone out with my hair in a cool wind many times, and never had a problem with it. My mum also believes that if you go to bed with damp hair, you'll wake up with a smelly nose (???) I can't seem to convince her otherwise despite going to bed with damp hair every time I washed it, lol.

[Kat]

The shaving a baby's head might have some merit. My mother's youngest brother gave her a reverse mohawk (shaved her head in about a 2 inch strip down the middle of her head front to back) when she was about 18 months old. At 70 her hair is still super thick and both of her brothers went bald!!

Karma? :)



Not worms, but I was often told I would get a big ball of hair in my tummy. Was I supposed to be swallowing lol the hair I put in my mouth?:rolleyes:

That's probably the assumption, yeah, that little bits of hair get chewed off and swallowed...

[pailin]

Where I live, traditionally it's bad luck to get your hair cut on a Wednesday.

[Dark40]

Yes, I always the old wives tale that if you cut your hair it will grow faster. Well, as long as I've been growing my hair without trims or cuts my hair has grown a lot faster. I have never believed that about trimming of cutting your hair make it grow any faster. Oh, I love crust from the bead! I've never noticed it making my hair grow any faster though.