"hair grows faster when you cut it"

[ilovelonghair]

How to convince someone who believes this that this is nonsense?

I said: roots don't know the ends have been cut. That didn't do the trick.

[florenonite]

Ask them what makes them think that, then you can better tailor your response. Tell them that some people tell their kids that so that they'll cut their hair to make it manageable.

[Hypnotica]

How to convince someone who believes this that this is nonsense?


Explain to them the hardcore facts: Hair growth is regulated by your genes and not by scissors.

[Blueglass]

It's the law of diminishing returns. The shorter your hair, the more new growth is evident.

[anna1850]

I think somebody actually did do a scientific study on this to prove that it wasn't true. I heard about it on TV.

[Blueneko]

The "idea" is that if the hair is spending less "energy" repairing a damaged end, it focuses on the root.

And I like unicorns!

I have begun a routine of trims every 9 months. I do not get split ends. My growth is excellent. I only trimmed to even up my blunt ends, not because I needed it or thought it would trigger growth.

Scalp work will trigger growth. Hair is dead! Dead men tell no tales, and stuff.

[truepeacenik]

it really is: cut your hair so your splits do less damage and hair appears to grow more.

I wonder if there is a "magical amount" of trimming?
(seen the Truth commercial with the unicorn?)

[aisling]

This is only true if you have a lot of damaged ends that break off, in that case regular trims might be in order. Other than that, no, cutting your hair only makes it shorter :)

[ilovelonghair]

Ask them what makes them think that, then you can better tailor your response. Tell them that some people tell their kids that so that they'll cut their hair to make it manageable.

This person think that because he believes that each hair has some sort of core that is alive and attached to the root.

[*Elvina*]

I would say: invite him/her over to LHC.

[AJoifulNoise]

If it is someone who has hair that is rather damaged... It could be true for them. If they don't trim their hair could be breaking off as fast as it grows. If they trim the damaged parts off it won't harm the healthier hair? I dunno.

Either way, I haven't taken scissors to my hair in about 2.5 years and my hair grows an inch a month. Any faster than that and I'd be able to sit here and watch it grow.

[Gumball]

I'd just say "Actually your hair gets shorter when you cut it. You've got it all backwards."

[UrbanEast]

Is it true though that split ends can migrate up the hair shaft if left untrimmed?

[AJoifulNoise]

I'd just say "Actually your hair gets shorter when you cut it. You've got it all backwards."

Hehe. Throw in a very confused look and this is perfect.

[FrannyG]

It's true that really damaged hair tends to break off and not show growth. I saw this first hand with my daughter when she didn't have a trim for 3 years after having a perm and highlights. In the last year her hair didn't get any longer--it was still growing of course, but it just kept breaking.

With strong, healthy hair, there is no need for a trim in order to see visible growth in length at all. Longhairs only need to trim if they are obsessive like me about having neat ends.

With all of the knowledge at our fingertips these days with the internet, I fail to see why these myths are still being perpetuated. :rolleyes:

[eadwine]

Is it true though that split ends can migrate up the hair shaft if left untrimmed?

Oh you betcha that is true. I used to have a head full of that years ago. See how brown my hair is? It was WHITE with splits back then.

[jojo]

i agree with Franny, hair which is damaged will grow better if trimmed not quicker though, as the ends will just break off.

Cutting hair makes it tidier whist growing and we notice growth quicker in short hair because it becomes harder to style with longer hair growth is less noticeable so we perceive it grows quicker, when really its growing the speed it always has!

[biggeorge]

I would mention that that would be like cutting off your feet so you could be taller. When he says that that is dumb; just respond "exactly my point"!

[Feisty Redhead]

I would mention that that would be like cutting off your feet so you could be taller. When he says that that is dumb; just respond "exactly my point"!

That is just brilliant! I laughed out loud when I read it!

[kate46]

I do small trims every 2 - 3 months to slowly trim away damage and to thicken up my very thin ends, everytime I trim someone will say 'oh your hair has grown' so I can only presume that the slightly thicker ends give the illusion of growth, my hair grows at the same rate each month whether I cut or not.:)

[akurah]

This person think that because he believes that each hair has some sort of core that is alive and attached to the root.

Explain to them that if that were the case, cutting hair would be as painful as cutting off, say, the fleshy part of a fingertip. All our living bits (except maybe the eyeball) have pain nerves in them, and for a reason.

[ajr]

With all of the knowledge at our fingertips these days with the internet, I fail to see why these myths are still being perpetuated. :rolleyes:

Because people don't research for themselves and belive everything they hear. Or worse they research lazily read one thing, and never bother to keep looking for proof that back up or refutes the original article.

Basically people are lazy

[teela1978]

I think going with the "hairdresser conspiracy theory" on this one is a good way. If you think you need to trim your hair to make it grow then the hairdressers get money, if you think you can not trim for a year and end up with longer hair, the hairdressers get less business.

That's my theory as to why this myth has stuck around for so long, perpetuation by those it helps.

[ilovelonghair]

I think going with the "hairdresser conspiracy theory" on this one is a good way. If you think you need to trim your hair to make it grow then the hairdressers get money, if you think you can not trim for a year and end up with longer hair, the hairdressers get less business.

That's my theory as to why this myth has stuck around for so long, perpetuation by those it helps.


It must have been a hairdresser who told him :D. Anyway he needs a trim for the split ends but doesn't want S&D he thinks that doesn't work either. Even though he saw it greatly improved my hair.

[FrannyG]

Because people don't research for themselves and belive everything they hear. Or worse they research lazily read one thing, and never bother to keep looking for proof that back up or refutes the original article.

Basically people are lazy
D'oh! Why do I always forget that? :?

[Stagecoach]

Just to throw this out there...

For what it's worth, my hair does grow better when I get trims ever 4 months or so. I'm almost at the end of my second 12 month trim free period... and in these 24 months my hair has only grown as much as it grew in the 12 months before when I was triming ever 3-4 months.

[atlantaz3]

I called the George Michael person in my area and he said this to me "You need to cut your hair every 6-8 weeks to get it to grow!" when I call for info and to make an appt. I didn't make an appointment once he said that to me. I'm guessing I grow about a 1/4 inch each month - so if I cut off 1/2 an inch every 6-8 weeks I would be the same lenght forever (but hopefully healthy!)
I think with all our S&D'ing we don't need trims very often.

[jel]

For what it's worth, my hair does grow better when I get trims ever 4 months or so. I'm almost at the end of my second 12 month trim free period... and in these 24 months my hair has only grown as much as it grew in the 12 months before when I was triming ever 3-4 months.

Are you sure this has anything to do with trimming?

My hair grew faster in the first year after joining LHC, and in the year and a half after that, it slowed down (but not progressively, just on average). I have not trimmed at all, either at the beginning, or later.

[GlennaGirl]

My hair has never grown faster or slower based on the time of year, whether or how often I trimmed it, or whether or not I had bangs.

I judge by the roots, not the ends (since as others here have said, ends can break off if they're in bad enough condition).

No matter what, it always grows somewhere between 1/2" and 3/4" a month.

[Euphony]

Hair certainly grows from the top, not the bottom. But having trims will help in less breakage. My hair never grew past bsl before I found LHC - but ripping a brush through my thick, wavy hair with the only mission being ~get the knots out~ didn't help in the least. I tried going without trims and it only seemed to make it worse.

My husband's BIL believes he should never trim his hair, he wants it long. He hasn't had a trim in at least the 4 years I've known him and I'm sure it's been longer than that. His hair is shorter now than it was when I met him. But he has wavier hair than I do, rips that brush through it with the speed of frustration, washes with sulfate shampoos full strength, daily and that's his hair care routine, so it stands to reason.

[aisling]

Just to throw this out there...

For what it's worth, my hair does grow better when I get trims ever 4 months or so. I'm almost at the end of my second 12 month trim free period... and in these 24 months my hair has only grown as much as it grew in the 12 months before when I was triming ever 3-4 months.

As your hair is getting very long, the reason for slower growth might be the length, your hair won't grow much longer, not the trimming.

[Iylivarae]

I would ask her if it hurts when she cuts her hair. If she says no, then she has obviously no nerves in her hair... so how should the roots know what is happening at the ends of the hair?

[spidermom]

We simply do not know whether or not the roots "know" if the ends have been cut. They might be able to sense the change in weight. Or some other mechanism may come into play. I have read that you can separate two electrons out of any substance and send one far away in distance. Yet if you do something to one electron, the other one will react INSTANTANEOUSLY. Since hair is made of long chains of molecules, I imagine there is some sort of communication going on up and down the chain. Just because we can't hear our hair thinking doesn't mean that it doesn't have awareness. Just because you don't feel pain when it's cut doesn't mean that it's dead. There are places in your body where acupuncture needles can be inserted and you won't feel it. Does that mean your body is dead?

Don't believe everything you hear, including "your hair is dead." Or "the root of your hair doesn't know what's going on at the ends." That may be rubbish. The sikhs would certainly say so.

[jastark84]

When I did the big 6" damage removal chop last year, my hair grew jumped from 3/4-1" growth rate to anywhere from 1-1.5" the 3 months after. Then it slowed down to an inch adn finaly it's back to the origianl growth rate.

[Speckla]

Your ends will definitely look thicker and seem longer.

I think the scalp gets more stimulation/manipulation and oil distribution during a cut or trim and that can cause a speed up in growth.

I got a trim today and the hairdresser told me I need to massage my scalp more and it should speed up the growth and help to distribute oil more evenly.
________
ALASKA DISPENSARY (http://alaska.dispensaries.org/)

[Igor]

How to convince someone who believes this that this is nonsense?

I said: roots don't know the ends have been cut. That didn't do the trick.

I usually go with ”only if you mistreat your hair so bad that the damage is eating the ends up. And I dont"

[Pegasus Marsters]

Why bother fighting? Roll your eyes and walk away.