Hair pulling and increased growth?

[twolunarspring]

A friend of mine was just telling me that in India, women lightly pull on each-other's hair to increase growth... the stress on the roots makes it stronger, I think that's the theory. I have never heard of this - has anyone else?

She was telling me this because she thinks if I wore a bead on my baby dreadlock (I have one, underneath my loose hair) it would make it stronger.

[MonaMayfair]

I've never heard of that! It sounds pretty unlikely to me, but it woud be good if it WERE that simple to make your hair grow faster!

[tofuowl]

I don't have any scientific evidence for this, but anecdotally, this has certainly proven true for me.

Back in middle school, I remember my hair was somehow very slow-growing. It was about waist-length, but no matter how careful I was with it, and how many times I just trimmed the ends up to prevent tangling, I was stuck with "fairytale ends" and it never seemed to gain much length.

We took a family trip down to Key West one summer, and I got my WHOLE head braided. I left the braids in for a week or two before taking them out. Within a few months, my hair was easily down to Iliac Length, and was much fuller.

I guess any number of dietary or other factors could have played into it, but I definitely attribute the kick-start to the tight braids!

[Rapunzal2Be]

Well, in my family we believe in the old wives' tale that you should pull your hair up (wear it in a pony tail or bun, not extremely tight but also not loose) as much as possible to make it grow long.

My Mom put my hair up from the moment it was barely long enough and by the time I was three I had waist length hair. I did the same thing with my daughter, with the same results.

My friends did not believe me, when my daughter was a tiny little one, and I put her hair up into cute ponies and buns and told them my family's belief - but they sure were amazed when my daughter's hair just grew and grew and grew!

So yep, I'm a believer that a good amount of (gentle) pulling helps the hair to grow. I have no idea why and there's not really any logic to it, but I see it work. (In fact, I often wear my own hair in a bun on top of my head now that it is long enough, the same way that I do my daughter's.)

[Loreley]

I heard several times that if you wear it in a tight ponytail it'll grow faster. I don't know... :confused:

[spidermom]

Maybe it's true. Who knows? A friend of mine went to Mexico for a couple of months and came back with an amazing amount of growth. She told me that she realized one day while she was sitting in the shade of a tree that if she pulled her hair, she could make it grow longer. I think that mind-altering mushrooms were involved. Anyway, I couldn't believe how much longer her hair was when she got back; it was only 2 months!

[Toadstool]

I read this in a magazine as a teenager and have been pulling at my hair rather desperately since my recent trim!

[dropinthebucket]

i wonder if it has a similar effect to scalp massage, stimulating blood flow/circulation?????

[Aredhel77]

I have heard of a scalp massage technique where you gently grab the hair close to your roots in your clawed fingers, close the fingers (with hair in) and tug on it slightly. You carry on doing this all over the scalp. It feels quite nice if you're not rough! I would guess that it stimulates the follicles?

[Aredhel77]

I have heard of a scalp massage technique where you gently grab the hair close to your roots in your clawed fingers, close the fingers (with hair in) and tug on it slightly. You carry on doing this all over the scalp. It feels quite nice if you're not rough! I would guess that it stimulates the follicles?

Ah yes, my point exactly, dropinthebucket;)

[Fairlight63]

I read that also in a book by Oleda Baker's "Age-less Super Hair-Saver Program.

It says:
Take a clump of hair in each hand & gently pull - with a smooth firm motion. Hold for a count of three, then release, and move on to another area. Continue this routine until you have "pulled" the hair all over your scalp. This will help strengthen the hair & stimulate additional growth.

I would do it once in a while, but not often enough to see results, I need to do it more routinely, I guess.

[*Aoife*]

I'm guessing it has the same effect as a light scalp massage. I love scalp massages! I don't know if they speed up hair growth but I love one.

Actually, I want one now :p

[Aredhel77]

*giving Aoife a virtual scalp massage* there you go:).

At least scalp massage is one massage that's very easy to do on yourself!

Pulling from the roots has got to be better for the lengths than tugging on the ends at any rate!! Is that how they do it in India I wonder??

[Sieren]

This is really facinating! My hair grows fast, but I'd love it to grow even faster since my wedding is coming up...hehe :) I think I'll try this and see how it works--can't hurt! :P

[SlightlySoprano]

This is really interesting! I'm a bit hesitant to try it, as I've already lost a ton of hair to tension alopecia...

[Igor]

Any stimulation of the scalp will increase blood flow to the follicles which may increase growth

Massage, hot weather, spicy foods, ginkgo biloba etc all have this effect

My only semi-sarcastic not on this will be: Why pull when you can have a pleasant massage?

[*Aoife*]

*giving Aoife a virtual scalp massage* there you go:).


Thank you :D

[ChloeDharma]

Yes this is a movement in Indian head massage. My teacher said that some people in India when it is done from a young age can have their hair wrapped around the person giving the massages forearm and get lifted up by it because the roots are so strong from doing this.

This thread reminds me i really should be doing this on myself.

[lastnite]

I read about doing this after you massage your scalp in a few of my old beauty books (Fairlight, yes, it was the Oleda Baker booket!). Kinda encouraging it to grow... but then I stopped because I wasn't sure if I was causing damage.

If it works for Indian women, then I will have to remember to tug at my roots after I oil and massage my scalp. Really... after using the Indian herbs for my hair, I'm convinced the Indian women know all the secrets to long hair and if they say it works, I'll take their word on it ;)

oh yeah... I see a few people mentioning tight braids and ponytails. I think pulling at the scalp for awhile is different than wearing tight ponytails. constantly having tight hair styles constricts blood flow and can cause hair loss, so be cautious trying it that way.

[ibleedlipstick]

I am definitely going to try this a few times a day for the next month or two.

[slythwolf]

spicy foods

Hmm, maybe this is why my hair grows so much faster than my friends'! I can't get enough spicy food!

[ifyouforget]

Wow, that would certainly explain why my hair seems to grow faster when it's longer- the longer it gets, the more often I put it up! (I'm currently anxiously awaiting a return to put-up-able hair, and now that much more so!) *tugs at roots in effort to get there faster*

[HintOfMint]

When I was young, my mother put my hair in reasonably tight pigtails (not facelift tight, but you get the picture) saying that wearing my hair that way would make it grow faster. She said it was the tightness at the roots that did it. And yes, we're Indian. I was notoriously bad at keeping my hair this way, so I never really was able to see the results. I'm sure if I kept at it, the only thing that would come is traction alopecia. I remember taking a tour of Amish country and learning that the women who kept their hair in tight, middle-parted buns day in and day out eventually developed increasingly wide parts as they grew older.

The only thing that has affected my hair's health was diet and stress. When my diet was off, my stress was high, and sleep was low, my hair would shed like mad.
I'm sure massage and increasing blood circulation helps, but we do that when we rinse our hair and brush/comb.
Sometimes, there is just not a hell of a lot you can do about growth.

[UltraBella]

I don't think that rinsing our hair or brushing/combing it gets the same type of blood flow stimulation as a firm scalp massage.
Scalp massage does work, so I can see how pulling on the hair would as well. However, I don't like the idea of putting stress on my actual follicle if I can massage the scalp instead. Follicles are fairly delicate on some people.........

[Debra83]

well, well, well!.......my best friend's sister and the sister's daughter, 3 summers ago, wore their hair in pony tails to help their hair "grow faster", and boy, had it grown when I saw her a couple of months later, but I TOTALLY forgot about it. Now, here's the kicker, the growth that I attributed to being pregnant and then again nursing, might not have anything to do with pregnancy hormones, BUT THE FACT that I wore my hair up pretty much everyday in a braid back then. CAN YOU BELIEVE I NEVER CONNECTED THAT UNTIL NOW?????? I wonder if that really was the reason for the quick growth, and I'm going to try an experiment for the month of July....I'm going to wear it in a braid pretty much every day (but take it out at night), and see if that makes a difference for my growth. I can't wait to start the experiment!!!!

[julliams]

Debra83 - did you wear your braid tight? I just pulled my hair all the way through reading this thread - it actually feels quite nice. I'll give it a go this next month and see what happens as I'm charting my growth anyway and we're at the end of this month now anyway.

[Sammich]

Debra83 - did you wear your braid tight? I just pulled my hair all the way through reading this thread - it actually feels quite nice. I'll give it a go this next month and see what happens as I'm charting my growth anyway and we're at the end of this month now anyway.

Same here, I've been pulling my hair all through reading! :p It is quite a lovely feeling for me. Hmm. :) I'm curious as to how tight people say they did their ponies/braids, and how far up their head and down they put it? And what sort of pony/braid?

[Igor]

First of all: Tight constrictive updos can cause damage. It will pull on the follicles and yes, that can cause damage to future hairs growing out. Or not, if you keep hurting the follicles. Especially if you pull against the natural growing pattern of the scalp
Keeping your hair in the same style tight ponytail day in and day out without variation will damage the hairs where the elastic is secured. Yes, ouchless elastics help, but you’re still securing the weight of a style on the same spot over and over. It will cause rubbing damage on the strands
So even if we did say that a tightly pulled ponytail would make your hair grow faster, you are damaging the length over time

Second: Why would you want to pull on your hairs like this when you can get the same effect with more pleasant and less damaging methods?

[LoversLullaby]

I've also heard this too. I'm curious as to see if it really does work. I'm going to add it to the end of my scalp massage (which I need to get in the habit of doing regularly!)

[princessp]

I do this because I think it feel good (strange I know). Anyway, my hair grow fairly well maybe this is a factor. I didn't know people did this for strength and length. Very interesting thanks for posting.

[dropinthebucket]

Hmn, I was just reading that the arrector pili muscles near the hair follicle (those muscles responsible for "lifting" the hair at the root - i guess those of us with really flat hair have flabby arrector pilae! :D) actually have receptors that sense the position of the hair shaft - this is how they know when to raise and lower it - for "goosebumps," etc. Now, I'm wondering ... could the gentle tugging have more of an effect than just circulation, a la scalp massage? Could there be a mini-exercise component involved, where those muscles are being "worked" by the pulling, and therefore, strengthening? I dunno .... i can't find anything more-or-less scientific about this online, but it's an interesting theory. The closest I've been able to find are a few articles on mechanical stimulation of epithelial cells (for ears, nose, and ... uh....vagina therapies! - i'm having visions of the Monistat thread ;)). Those of you who posted with anecdotal evidence, what direction is the hair pulled in - is it down, out, or up? I'm interested! :)

[little_cherry]

Yes it does...it's a part of scalp massage technique that stimulates the hair follicle. If it (gentle hair tugging) is done sparingly each day along with massage, it certainly does help with growth.

[Amraann]

I am forever throughout the day putting my hair up in a pony tail.

I do not make it very tight so it slips (also I use cloth scrunchies)

I wonder if that counts and helps growth?

[LaurelSpring]

So, okay, I have also been sitting here randomly tugging at bits of hair while I read this. Maybe I will have to incorporate that into my LHC reading routine and see what sort of results I get. We should all start tugging and see what happens as an experiment. It actually really does feel pretty good.

[redneckprincess]

I used to braid up and bead my DD's hair when she was little and her hair would grow very fast, so I have always wondered about this..

[Pear Martini]

Maybe it's true. Who knows? A friend of mine went to Mexico for a couple of months and came back with an amazing amount of growth. She told me that she realized one day while she was sitting in the shade of a tree that if she pulled her hair, she could make it grow longer. I think that mind-altering mushrooms were involved. Anyway, I couldn't believe how much longer her hair was when she got back; it was only 2 months!

Haha... thats a good story

[Igor]

Hmn, I was just reading that the arrector pili muscles near the hair follicle (those muscles responsible for "lifting" the hair at the root - i guess those of us with really flat hair have flabby arrector pilae! :D) actually have receptors that sense the position of the hair shaft - this is how they know when to raise and lower it - for "goosebumps," etc. Now, I'm wondering ... could the gentle tugging have more of an effect than just circulation, a la scalp massage? Could there be a mini-exercise component involved, where those muscles are being "worked" by the pulling, and therefore, strengthening? I dunno .... i can't find anything more-or-less scientific about this online, but it's an interesting theory. The closest I've been able to find are a few articles on mechanical stimulation of epithelial cells (for ears, nose, and ... uh....vagina therapies! - i'm having visions of the Monistat thread ;)). Those of you who posted with anecdotal evidence, what direction is the hair pulled in - is it down, out, or up? I'm interested! :)

George Michael has the same theory (And he also believes that having longer hair naturally strengthens this muscle so much that floor length people only sheds 2 hairs a day. Right… )

What this theory doesn’t take into consideration is that shedding is both “damage” from hairs pulled out and the natural, hormonal shedding

If you pull out a hair at a random time (say after 2 years of growth) the follicle will continue and grow out a new hair. If your active growth phase is 6 years, then said follicle will carry on producing hair strand for 4 more years before shedding the strand in the catagen and telogen phase before returning to the active growth again (anagen)

It’s all controlled by hormones. You can’t strengthen the natural, hormonal growth (rate) by strengthening this muscle

If you believe that this muscle can somehow “stop” the hairs from being pulled out, you can also flex it by rinsing with cold water or by brushing against the natural growth pattern of your scalp (At least that is George Michael’s theory as well) But all this is, again, stimulation of the blood flow to the follicles

However, the muscle itself is not in any way “anchoring” the hair strand. It seems to me the only thing you could get out of “training” it is the stimulation (and as written before, there are other methods to stimulate blood flow) and extra powerful goose bumps

[dropinthebucket]

George Michael? That guy from Wham? ;)

[RedHed]

After every hair cut, my brother used to disappear into his room, where he would sit, pulling his hair, until it was more to his liking.

[jera]

I heard several times that if you wear it in a tight ponytail it'll grow faster. I don't know... :confused:

You can get traction alopecia from tight ponytails so be careful if you try this. :rolleyes:


Maybe it's true. Who knows? A friend of mine went to Mexico for a couple of months and came back with an amazing amount of growth. She told me that she realized one day while she was sitting in the shade of a tree that if she pulled her hair, she could make it grow longer. I think that mind-altering mushrooms were involved. Anyway, I couldn't believe how much longer her hair was when she got back; it was only 2 months!

Hehehe!!! :D Thanks, Spidermom.

[virgo75]

George Michael? That guy from Wham? ;)

:lol:
Every time I hear that name I think of him too.



I think there is some validity to the claims.
Pulling is a part of Ayurvedic scalp massage, and most people that I know who want their hair to grow will usually wear it in braids. It does seem to work.

The only time I've seen anyone suffer from traction alopecia is when they get a "professional" to do it.

I've never had a problem with it since I do it myself(French braid or 2 French braids with the ends tucked under in a bun and/or barrette).

[Charlotte:)]

Ayurvedic methods of oil message include gentle hair pulling. Check this artical out for more information. The woman who wrote the artical got really long, thick, healthy hair from using this method.

http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Holistic-Approach-to-Hair-Care

[x0h_bother]

Any stimulation of the scalp will increase blood flow to the follicles which may increase growth
My only semi-sarcastic not on this will be: Why pull when you can have a pleasant massage?
I second the blood flow/circulation to noursh the folicles effect.
And Igor the massage comment made me smile :)

[dropinthebucket]

charlotte, thanks for posting this link! this was a good article.

[twolunarspring]

I suppose I can't help thinking of Croydon facelifts (it's an expression we have in the UK... when women - particularly women in places like Croydon, or Essex, are famous for it - wear their hair up in such a tight ponytail that it gives a strange facelift effect! But they also end up with very high hairlines because the hair gets pulled out over time... similarly I notice a lot of African women with the same problem from having cornrows and other tight hair-dos.)

I'm thinking that maybe she's talking about the very gentle pulling involved in Indian head massage.

[ChloeDharma]

Ayurvedic methods of oil message include gentle hair pulling. Check this artical out for more information. The woman who wrote the artical got really long, thick, healthy hair from using this method.

http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Holistic-Approach-to-Hair-Care

Great article Charlotte, thankyou :)

Personally i wouldn't wear a style that constantly pulls on the hairs as this risks pulling them out which after a while results in weaker growth and traction alopecia like Twolunarspring points out is evident in some black people with corn rows and girls doing the "Croydon facelift".

Hair pulling when done head massage style is gentle and controlled.....a good way to do it i find is to have your hand/s flat, fingers slightly spread. Slide the hand over the scalp, close fingers and lift upwards.....the fingers grip the hair enough to give a gentle tug but it's easier to make sure the pull isn't too firm that way.

This thread has motivated me to start doing this daily after massaging my scalp now and it does feel lovely afterwards so i'm glad i saw this.

[christine1989]

My mom's friend who is a hair stylist mentioned this to me once. She said it helps to stimulate the follicles and release the hair's natural oils.

[twolunarspring]

This thread has motivated me to start doing this daily after massaging my scalp now and it does feel lovely afterwards so i'm glad i saw this.

Yay. It's motivated me to get Mr Twolunarspring to give me head massages ;)

[Capybara]

I do this because I think it feel good (strange I know). Anyway, my hair grow fairly well maybe this is a factor. I didn't know people did this for strength and length. Very interesting thanks for posting.

Me too. I've always liked the feeling of gentle tugging on the hair, or other people playing with my hair. I'd never heard of any benefits until now, though.

[tinti]

Maybe that's why my hair grows fast (everyone says so, but I don't think so myself :p) I wear it a lot in a messy bun that sometimes tugs a bit (not ouch-ish, but gentle)?

[ArienEllariel]

I've been sitting here tugging gently on my hair near the roots while reading this. It actually feels really good to me and now my scalp feels nice and stimulated. I think it's a good method (provided you don't pull to hard of course) to stimulate blood flow. :)

[missmandy]

Never heard of that, but it's worth a try..... *pulls on braids*

[redneckprincess]

Another thought,I had my ends trimmed up to an even straight across mid-May. I usually pull on (twirl, finger comb through) the sides of my hair and over my ears. I am noticing my hemline now seams to be growing in an invirted V shape. With the sides (that I pull on) being slightly longer then the back where I don't tug on so much...I don't plan to trim till next spring at least, so maybe I will pay attention and report back after more time..

[Darkhorse1]

Having read that wearing tight braids and ponytails over time will damage hair, I can't think it would work.

Most likely, the people who went away, you noticed a change because they were gone for 2 months or so. When you don't see someone or you braid your hair for a period of time, it will appear longer because braids hike hair up, making it appear shorter.

Sorry, I'm thinking that's an old wives tale. Nothing can make hair grow faster---yes, you can stimulate the scalp to produce more blood flow, but you can't alter mother nature and your body's way of working.

[virgo75]

Never heard of that, but it's worth a try..... *pulls on braids*

:lol:
Why did this make me laugh out loud? lol


Another thought,I had my ends trimmed up to an even straight across mid-May. I usually pull on (twirl, finger comb through) the sides of my hair and over my ears. I am noticing my hemline now seams to be growing in an invirted V shape. With the sides (that I pull on) being slightly longer then the back where I don't tug on so much...I don't plan to trim till next spring at least, so maybe I will pay attention and report back after more time..

You may be onto something.

I'm right handed and will often use my right hand for things(writing, typing on the computer, etc.) while playing with my hair with my left hand(twirling, tugging, etc.).

Whenever I get a trim, my left side is always longer than my right and has to be evened up....

[Cailie]

i would think long-constant-pulling (tight braids) would be counter-productive... and it doesn't feell good to the scalp for sure!

a small light pulling (on a large quantity of hair at a time) in a massage like manner once in a while : this does feel good and relaxing. I wouldn't be surprised - with other good healthy hair habits - that it helps hair grow a little stronger.

walking bare feet everyday, all summer, does make our soles much more resistant by September ! :D

[Hotrox]

Hotrox - tugging on her hair

Anything that can help is worth a try :eyebrows:

Actually, when I get a scalp massage here in China there is quite often some quite firm hair pulling involved. I was always a bit nervous of this but now I will embrace the pulling

[Cirafly24]

I actually know a girl that ties little weights to the ends of her dreadlocks every evening to help them grow faster and stronger. She swears by it. I never put much stock in the idea, but maybe I'll give gentle pulling a shot...

[GoddesJourney]

i wonder if it has a similar effect to scalp massage, stimulating blood flow/circulation?????

Yes. Also, any stress put on the body (so long as it's moderate) encourages your body to strengthen the area. That's what any physical training is about, stress and recovery. Your bones create strength on certain stress lines. There's no reason why your hair should be any different. I used to work for a guy who did this to keep from going bald. I do this on the top of my head where my hair is typically thinner. In the last few months, it has become much thicker. It's part of my head massage. I love the way it feels. I just close my fist around a clump of hair while I'm massaging my head and create gentle traction. It feels amazing.

[GoddesJourney]

Having read that wearing tight braids and ponytails over time will damage hair, I can't think it would work.

Most likely, the people who went away, you noticed a change because they were gone for 2 months or so. When you don't see someone or you braid your hair for a period of time, it will appear longer because braids hike hair up, making it appear shorter.

Sorry, I'm thinking that's an old wives tale. Nothing can make hair grow faster---yes, you can stimulate the scalp to produce more blood flow, but you can't alter mother nature and your body's way of working.

Too much sustained tension would weaken it by decreasing blood flow and causing too much physical stress for too long. If you stretch your body for awhile, it will respond by making your muscles/connective tissue longer and stronger. If you overdo stretching, for example, hunching over at your desk which puts your back muscles on a stretch all day, you will decrease circulation and weaken the muscles causing spasm, pain, and possibly decreased muscle fiber. Relating to hair, that's why they say "gentle pulling", not constant tight braids or ponytails. One would need just enough to create some pull but not so much that it's uncomfortable.

[Fethenwen]

Maybe it's true. Who knows? A friend of mine went to Mexico for a couple of months and came back with an amazing amount of growth. She told me that she realized one day while she was sitting in the shade of a tree that if she pulled her hair, she could make it grow longer. I think that mind-altering mushrooms were involved. Anyway, I couldn't believe how much longer her hair was when she got back; it was only 2 months!
Ahhhaha :p That's just awesome!


Yes this is a movement in Indian head massage. My teacher said that some people in India when it is done from a young age can have their hair wrapped around the person giving the massages forearm and get lifted up by it because the roots are so strong from doing this.

This thread reminds me i really should be doing this on myself.
This is so cool, something I could incorporate in scalp massages. I think there's one part in indian headmassage that involves pulling on the hair.
I also agree with others that pulling the hair really thight for a long period of time might be counterproductive. But altering your hair in many kinds of ways might be a better alternative. Like wearing a high ponytail or bun from time to time instead of always wearing it low.

[Vanilla Mint]

It sounds to me like a lot of this can be attributed to keeping the hair from hanging loose, thus preventing damage (braids and such, and I've even found that a ponytail can help keep my hair from tangling as much, though I usually wear mine down anyway). I do think a scalp massage can be beneficial, and moderately-secure updos are a good idea, but too much tension at the root doesn't sound like a good idea.

[twolunarspring]

I actually know a girl that ties little weights to the ends of her dreadlocks every evening to help them grow faster and stronger. She swears by it. I never put much stock in the idea, but maybe I'll give gentle pulling a shot...

I am sure all that does is straighten them out, though, which makes them *appear* longer :shrug:

[Rapunzal2Be]

Having read that wearing tight braids and ponytails over time will damage hair, I can't think it would work.

Most likely, the people who went away, you noticed a change because they were gone for 2 months or so. When you don't see someone or you braid your hair for a period of time, it will appear longer because braids hike hair up, making it appear shorter.

Sorry, I'm thinking that's an old wives tale. Nothing can make hair grow faster---yes, you can stimulate the scalp to produce more blood flow, but you can't alter mother nature and your body's way of working.

Well, the old wives' tale certainly does work for my family! Both my daughter and myself had waist length hair by age three (and we attribute this to wearing the hair up more often than not). I know plenty of kids who by that age just have shoulder length hair....so :shrug:

ETA: Also, as an adult now my hair does *not* grow very fast at all, so I don't think it can be chalked up to just having a family with an above average growth rate.

[Rapunzal2Be]

Ayurvedic methods of oil message include gentle hair pulling. Check this artical out for more information. The woman who wrote the artical got really long, thick, healthy hair from using this method.

http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Holistic-Approach-to-Hair-Care

There's actually no photo of the author's hair, so.... :shrug:

I do believe in gentle hair "pulling" - or rather wearing hair up in snug pony tails and buns, for speeding up growth.

But after reading this article I decided to do a vigorous scalp massage with lots of oil, following the author's directions. Before I even got to the hair pulling, I had shed two handfuls of hair. It was dreadful. The next morning when I washed the oil out, I also had a large hairball in the shower drain. :(

So I guess for some people, rough stimulation of the scalp is okay, but for me I'm going back to babying my scalp with gentle massages, scalp brushing and wearing my hair up. I've been doing so good at reducing my shedding the past few months and this one experiment really set me back. :(

[hybrise]

When I was little and grew my hair out I used to do this while brushing because to my mind it made sense that when you tug on a knot, the string you are holding gets longer, so tugging on your hair should do the same, right? My hair always grew like a weed. I stopped when I was older because I thought it was silly and my growth did slow, so with seeing this thread I guess it's back to gentle tugging for me!

[Darkhorse1]

The only way to truley know if this works would be to do an experiment on different aged people, and have them all do this.

For the poster who said this worked for them when they were a child, but your hair is slow to grow now, do you still wear your hair in tight ponytails? I would venture to guess that, like anything, its an old wives tale that people believe, but unless you actually record the growth, I think it's just an illusion. I don't deny your hair grew, but it's quite possible it coinsided with your natural hair growth.

My hair didn't grow in until I was 3 years old, and then, it didn't stop. I wore my hair loose the majority of the time. Now a days, I notice it doesn't grow as fast and I wear braids, ponytails, buns--hair is always back rather snug for work and if anything, all I noticed was more breakage.

[Rapunzal2Be]

The only way to truley know if this works would be to do an experiment on different aged people, and have them all do this.

For the poster who said this worked for them when they were a child, but your hair is slow to grow now, do you still wear your hair in tight ponytails? I would venture to guess that, like anything, its an old wives tale that people believe, but unless you actually record the growth, I think it's just an illusion. I don't deny your hair grew, but it's quite possible it coinsided with your natural hair growth.

My hair didn't grow in until I was 3 years old, and then, it didn't stop. I wore my hair loose the majority of the time. Now a days, I notice it doesn't grow as fast and I wear braids, ponytails, buns--hair is always back rather snug for work and if anything, all I noticed was more breakage.

To each their own....

[Igor]

Not going to bother with this thread anymore. It seems like a lot of people want to ignore the most basic knowledge of LHC and believe that you can pull hair out of your scalp like a spiders thread

[ButterCream]

There's actually no photo of the author's hair, so.... :shrug:

I also noticed that:confused:

She claims fantastic results with this and talking about her hip length hair but showing the readers a strange ladys hair instead of her own, which actually would be interseting to see...?

I think she should posted pictures of her own hair at least, not a picture we don`t know where come from?:rolleyes:

The author could be a semi bald middelaged man with beer gut and mesh singlet, and a thin limp ponytail, for all I know...:p:D

[Cirafly24]

To each their own....


I'd like to echo this sentiment. :rolleyes:

[Darkhorse1]

No proof=highly suspicious, but like someone said, to each is own :)

My understanding with the brushing hair 100 strokes was to stimulate oil glands in the scalp, which made hair shiny, soft and most likely increased blood flow.

[teela1978]

It could work. Who knows. There are plenty of cell types in the body that change their behavior based on changes to their physical environment, who's to say that follicular cells don't follow that as well?

Then again, hair is a somewhat ductile material. I can strech mine out pretty easily at the ends by pulling (not so good for the hair) I would imagine that daily pulling on the roots would do something similar <<<goes to play with stretching hair>>>... um... yeah, it stretches a lot without breaking and seems to go past the elastic point (e.g. like when a hair tie isn't as stretchy as it used to be). Pulling on your hair can definitely make it longer. Doesn't necessarially make it grow faster... but I think you could significantly lengthen your hair if you were pulling on it regularly... it would weaken your hair somewhat though, kinda like the pulled out hair tie.

[florenonite]

Well, the old wives' tale certainly does work for my family! Both my daughter and myself had waist length hair by age three (and we attribute this to wearing the hair up more often than not). I know plenty of kids who by that age just have shoulder length hair....so :shrug:

ETA: Also, as an adult now my hair does *not* grow very fast at all, so I don't think it can be chalked up to just having a family with an above average growth rate.

How much of the apparent increased growth is really due to a decrease in breakage, though? If a young child wears their hair loose every day, it's going to be subjected to a significant amount of damage, and wearing it up helps guard against that. At the age of three, the average girl is roughly 3 feet tall. If we assume waist length to be between a third and half a person's height, that's 1-1.5 feet. The average person's hair grows 6 inches a year, so in two to three years one can reach 1-1.5 feet of hair. It is not unreasonable therefore for a girl who doesn't receive haircuts and whose hair is protected to reach waist length by the age of three.

There is perhaps a genetic component involved, too, in terms of how long it takes for "proper" hair to start growing; some infants take months to even have visible head hair, whilst others have noticeable hair from the outset. A child who has noticeable hair from birth and whose hair thickens relatively quickly would be more likely to reach waist-length by the age of three than one who is virtually bald at birth.

[Diamondbell]

The article sent by Charlotte is really good. (Thanks Charlotte). I don't know about the hair pulling part but all the rest of what she says - oiling/and massaging - keeping it overnight and washing the next day - is really good. In fact I tried it this week and it works in reducing the shedding. I think it is worth it.

Normally I do scalp massage in the night but without oil, but this time I tried with oil. It is really one of the best articles I have read. But I didn't pull my hair, just massaged. I also used the shikakai-reetha-amla mix, and used it exactly how she said to do it, on dry hair. It also improved my hair-ends a lot.

[Rapunzal2Be]

No proof=highly suspicious, but like someone said, to each is own :)

My understanding with the brushing hair 100 strokes was to stimulate oil glands in the scalp, which made hair shiny, soft and most likely increased blood flow.

:waving: Hello there, I guess I'm "someone", although people generally refer to me Rapunzal2Be. :D

[Rapunzal2Be]

How much of the apparent increased growth is really due to a decrease in breakage, though? If a young child wears their hair loose every day, it's going to be subjected to a significant amount of damage, and wearing it up helps guard against that. At the age of three, the average girl is roughly 3 feet tall. If we assume waist length to be between a third and half a person's height, that's 1-1.5 feet. The average person's hair grows 6 inches a year, so in two to three years one can reach 1-1.5 feet of hair. It is not unreasonable therefore for a girl who doesn't receive haircuts and whose hair is protected to reach waist length by the age of three.

There is perhaps a genetic component involved, too, in terms of how long it takes for "proper" hair to start growing; some infants take months to even have visible head hair, whilst others have noticeable hair from the outset. A child who has noticeable hair from birth and whose hair thickens relatively quickly would be more likely to reach waist-length by the age of three than one who is virtually bald at birth.

You could very well be correct. Maybe my family just has a good "head start" ;) at growing from a young age, combined with protective updo's and no cutting, it's to be expected that hair is going to grow.

Like I've said from the start, I'm not a staunch supporter of "sure, pull your hair right out and it'll grow like silly string" and I have myself wondered since reading here about wearing the hair up being a 'protective updo' if that was actually the benefit of wearing ponytails and buns, instead of the "stretching" effect.

Who knows!

[Rapunzal2Be]

Not going to bother with this thread anymore. It seems like a lot of people want to ignore the most basic knowledge of LHC and believe that you can pull hair out of your scalp like a spiders thread

No offense, but this sort of comment is akin to the old, "I'm taking my toys and going home if you aren't going to play by my rules..." followed by a pout.

I don't really see anyone in this thread saying that they are hanging from their hair every night or pulling at it like crazy to see if it's going to work.

I think that your logic that the "pulling" is just another form of stimulation to the follicles is quite a good one. It makes sense. I also have to agree that it's possible the "wearing hair up in snug pony tails and buns" is just simply protective in nature and is helping with "growth" from that angle.

I guess maybe I am not seeing who you are referring to, and I'm wondering, even if there were people who believed in this the way you describe, "So what?" Why get so huffy about it as to announce that you aren't going to bother with the thread anymore? :confused:

[Igor]

No offense, but this sort of comment is akin to the old, "I'm taking my toys and going home if you aren't going to play by my rules..." followed by a pout.

I don't really see anyone in this thread saying that they are hanging from their hair every night or pulling at it like crazy to see if it's going to work.

I think that your logic that the "pulling" is just another form of stimulation to the follicles is quite a good one. It makes sense. I also have to agree that it's possible the "wearing hair up in snug pony tails and buns" is just simply protective in nature and is helping with "growth" from that angle.

I guess maybe I am not seeing who you are referring to, and I'm wondering, even if there were people who believed in this the way you describe, "So what?" Why get so huffy about it as to announce that you aren't going to bother with the thread anymore? :confused:

To each their own....

[chrissy-b]

But after reading this article I decided to do a vigorous scalp massage with lots of oil, following the author's directions. Before I even got to the hair pulling, I had shed two handfuls of hair. It was dreadful. The next morning when I washed the oil out, I also had a large hairball in the shower drain. :(

Do you normally do scalp massages? I notice when I go a very long time without massaging my scalp I too get a really heavy shed the first few times. I've been keeping up my scalp massages for the last two months and I don't shed at all when I do them now. The same thing could be happening to you. :)

[Iron0Maiden]

Hmmm... I always thought pulling the roots can rip it out?

[Rapunzal2Be]

Do you normally do scalp massages? I notice when I go a very long time without massaging my scalp I too get a really heavy shed the first few times. I've been keeping up my scalp massages for the last two months and I don't shed at all when I do them now. The same thing could be happening to you. :)

Hmm, that would be great! I usually do just a gentle scalp massage (no oil, just moving the scalp around, not rubbing the hair) right before bed if I remember, and only for a few minutes. I massage coconut oil into my scalp (same way, not really vigorously) probably one evening per week or so and leave on overnight.

When I did it this last time, I was a little more zealous and vigorous. Do you think I was too rough, or do you think that if I keep it up more often I will stop the shedding?

[hmmm]

Yes this is a movement in Indian head massage. My teacher said that some people in India when it is done from a young age can have their hair wrapped around the person giving the massages forearm and get lifted up by it because the roots are so strong from doing this.

This thread reminds me i really should be doing this on myself.

When I hear things like that, I don't know whether to be surprised or not. You do know that some people like to exaggerate wildly when they feel that a Westerner is paying attention to their 'culture', right? People in this country (and elsewhere) will never cease to amaze me.

Then again, there was the story about that Indian girl who pulled a truck with her hair... (Please don't try it, you guys...)

I have a secret formula that really works on my hair, though.





Wait for it.















Waiiiit for iiiit.















Waiiiiiiiiit for iiiiiiiiit.



















Yep, it's that easy.

[Rapunzal2Be]

When I hear things like that, I don't know whether to be surprised or not. You do know that some people like to exaggerate wildly when they feel that a Westerner is paying attention to their 'culture', right? People in this country (and elsewhere) will never cease to amaze me.

Then again, there was the story about that Indian girl who pulled a truck with her hair... (Please don't try it, you guys...)

I have a secret formula that really works on my hair, though.





Wait for it.















Waiiiit for iiiit.















Waiiiiiiiiit for iiiiiiiiit.



















Yep, it's that easy.


TOO CUTE, I love it!! :wigtongue You're right, if you just wait it out, hair knows what to do all on it's own. :p

[chrissy-b]

Hmm, that would be great! I usually do just a gentle scalp massage (no oil, just moving the scalp around, not rubbing the hair) right before bed if I remember, and only for a few minutes. I massage coconut oil into my scalp (same way, not really vigorously) probably one evening per week or so and leave on overnight.

When I did it this last time, I was a little more zealous and vigorous. Do you think I was too rough, or do you think that if I keep it up more often I will stop the shedding?

It could be because you were too rough or it could be the oil, it's hard to say. I'm pretty aggressive with my scalp massage but I try to move the skin and not the hair (if that makes sense) and then give gentle tugs at the end of the massage before I put it up and it definitely sheds less now than when I started doing them again.

[chrissy-b]

Hmmm... I always thought pulling the roots can rip it out?

It can, but I think this thread is talking more about gentle, infrequent tugging, not pulling so hard that you rip the hair out or repeated, tight updos that cause traction alopecia.

[Rapunzal2Be]

It could be because you were too rough or it could be the oil, it's hard to say. I'm pretty aggressive with my scalp massage but I try to move the skin and not the hair (if that makes sense) and then give gentle tugs at the end of the massage before I put it up and it definitely sheds less now than when I started doing them again.

I'm switching to emu oil (it just arrived today!) and considering ordering Nightshade's oil. Thanks for the help with this, I think I will keep trying, maybe just tone it down a bit and work up to vigorous (but stay away from roughing up the hair).

[Darkhorse1]

I just remember reading an article about tight braids/ponytails being bad for your scalp/hair over time. It causes too much pulling at the roots, which damaged the hair folicle and affected growth. Now, if I could remember where I read that, I'd be adding the link, but I think it was awhile ago.

When it comes down to it, everyone is going to do what they want.
Like many have said, to each is own :)

[virgo75]

It can, but I think this thread is talking more about gentle, infrequent tugging, not pulling so hard that you rip the hair out or repeated, tight updos that cause traction alopecia.


2nd this.

I don't know why traction alopecia keeps coming up.

No one is advocating wearing braids so tight or pulling your hair so hard that you can tie your ears behind your head.

Gentle or even firm pulling during a massage or a well done braid(or braids) will not pull your hair out. If that were the case, there would be a LOT of bald elementary school girls as many have their hair in ponytails and braids for years.

In this case, a good rule of thumb would be: If it hurts, don't do it.

[Darkhorse1]

2nd this.

I don't know why traction alopecia keeps coming up.

No one is advocating wearing braids so tight or pulling your hair so hard that you can tie your ears behind your head.

Gentle or even firm pulling during a massage or a well done braid(or braids) will not pull your hair out. If that were the case, there would be a LOT of bald elementary school girls as many have their hair in ponytails and braids for years.

In this case, a good rule of thumb would be: If it hurts, don't do it.

Ah, but, did those elementary girls get longer hair as a result of those tight braids/ponytails? ;) :cheese:

[virgo75]

Ah, but, did those elementary girls get longer hair as a result of those tight braids/ponytails? ;) :cheese:


You know, I can't speak for everyone else.
But my daughter's hair was in braids and ponytails for about the first 9-10 years of her life with only an occasional day out here and there.

By the time she was that age(9-10) - even with trims and a shoulder length bob cut when she was about 5 - her hair was down to her (imaginary) hips. :shrug: And she still has hair so thick it's about the same as 3 peoples' head of hair. Takes me over an hour to detangle - in sections - after washing. No bald spots or hair loss. :)

My point isn't that wearing braids or ponytails or getting the hair gently pulled while massaged is going to make your hair grow - it's that it isn't going to make you bald.

[Darkhorse1]

Oh! virgo--so sorry. From the article I read, the tight braids/ponytails weren't talking about making you bald, but something about weakening the hair always being so tightly bunched etc. I really wish I could remember where I read that--most likely a magazine, but I do know it perked my interest as I always wore tight ponytails/braids when at the barn. I've since loosened them and notice less damage to my hair. (breakage etc.)

[Konstifik]

It is indeed a fascinating theory! I just started grab-your-hair-and-pull scalp massage last week, didn't know about this then, but it feels great! I hope it's true. :)

Personally, I don't think it's the stress put on the roots that causes growth, but as some others here have mentioned, it could stimulate the bloodflow similar to "ordinary" scalp massage.

[Luvmakeup]

The amount of time hair spends in the growing phase varies from about 2 yrs to 6 yrs. ..If your hair isn't growing as long as it used to that means it spending less time in the growing phase. If your hairs are also getting thinner and weaker it may mean that the follicle is narrowing.
Furthermore, you can use <spam - removed> method to improve hair growth. I am currently using it and noticed increase in the thickness of my hair.

[Naturel]

This is and intresting thread. I did a little pulling as I was reading :eyebrows: however I think this is risky. so I wont do the pulling.

[Hotrox]

I have been doing my usual scalp massage before washing and since reading this have added some light tugging to my hair as well. I don't know if it will help, bit I think it doesn't do any harm and it feels soooooo good :D

[Othala]

When I was a kid growing up in Pakistan the women would be quite vigorous with pulling the hair of their female children into two tight braids after a severe oil massage and combing - this was done daily and you got even more scalp and hair manipulation on a Saturday night and Sunday morning. Kid you not, it looked and felt like child abuse.

I must say though that the girls who received this treatment had better hair (quality and quantity) than those of us whose mothers and aunts did not perform such hair rituals.

Maybe the oil that is poured onto the scalp, rubbed in and kept on for the whole week (and replenished whenever it appears to have been absorbed into the skin/hair) together with the massage is the important bit. I don't think the tight braids or hair pulling does any good except showing the kids who's boss.

I just want to add that the reason for the two tight braids is so that the hair does not come loose while the girls are playing and also to prevent tangles. The oil completely saturates the hair and scalp protecting against sun damage. The reason for the massage was to get the coconut oil worked in as deeply as possible into the hair follicles and to ensure that the new hair that grew out was strong. The massage was so powerful that I remember my face turning red. Usually I would run away if my aunt called me for this treatment.

[dropinthebucket]

A friend of mine took me to the local Indian Grocers, got me some Navratna oiil (amla, sesame, rosemary, thyme, and menthol) and showed me how to do this. First, rub the oil into the scalp. Then, grab a largish section of hair between thumb and forefinger (largish: about what will fit into thumb and forefinger, maybe about two inches worth) and GENTLY move in a circular motion. It's a gentle tug, with enough hair between the fingers so that you're not putting too much stress and pressure on only a few hairs. After having this done all over my head, it felt like my regular scalp massage i usually do, but on steroids! it was all prickly and hot-ish, but no soreness, and no shedding. I really do think it increases circulation, plus the oil is designed to do that as well! Anyway, her hair is long, strong, and beautiful - classic Indian hair. Can't wait to see if this helps my hair, too!

[ChloeDharma]

A friend of mine took me to the local Indian Grocers, got me some Navratna oiil (amla, sesame, rosemary, thyme, and menthol) and showed me how to do this. First, rub the oil into the scalp. Then, grab a largish section of hair between thumb and forefinger (largish: about what will fit into thumb and forefinger, maybe about two inches worth) and GENTLY move in a circular motion. It's a gentle tug, with enough hair between the fingers so that you're not putting too much stress and pressure on only a few hairs. After having this done all over my head, it felt like my regular scalp massage i usually do, but on steroids! it was all prickly and hot-ish, but no soreness, and no shedding. I really do think it increases circulation, plus the oil is designed to do that as well! Anyway, her hair is long, strong, and beautiful - classic Indian hair. Can't wait to see if this helps my hair, too!

The Navratna oil has mineral oil in it. I'm not saying don't use it as to be honest it seems good and my dad finds it really good for his sore neck and muscles. If you start noticing your hair getting build up or the oil not seeming to wash out properly you might need to occasionally use a sulphate shampoo to remove it.

[dropinthebucket]

Thanks ChloeDarma - I don't see it listed on the ingredients; it only lists sesame oil, menthol, amla oil, camphor, thyme, and rosemary oil, in that order. Since it's packaged overseas, I wonder if they are allowed to put something in it that's not listed on the bottle?? I did go sulphate free, so if it has mineral oil in it, that would be important to me! :)

Ah, hang on - I have the Navratna Plus, Herbal Cooling Oil - wonder if it is a different product? thanks for mentioning this, though, i will be sure not to pick up the plain Navratna when I go back to get more!

[Reptilia]

I would say that it doesn't work. I have a hair pulling/twirling habit that I've done for years, and I can for sure say the parts I pull don't grow any longer than the rest!

[twolunarspring]

The oil completely saturates the hair and scalp protecting against sun damage.

This is interesting. I'd have thought that oil would have the opposite effect of protecting against sun damage? I am thinking about the fact that we cook with oil, and people use oil to make themselves tan faster and deeper in the sun?

[ChloeDharma]

Thanks ChloeDarma - I don't see it listed on the ingredients; it only lists sesame oil, menthol, amla oil, camphor, thyme, and rosemary oil, in that order. Since it's packaged overseas, I wonder if they are allowed to put something in it that's not listed on the bottle?? I did go sulphate free, so if it has mineral oil in it, that would be important to me! :)

Ah, hang on - I have the Navratna Plus, Herbal Cooling Oil - wonder if it is a different product? thanks for mentioning this, though, i will be sure not to pick up the plain Navratna when I go back to get more!

Yes the one i brought only has those things listed, i usually wouldn't ave brought it without finding an exact ingredients list but it was cheap and i remembered seeing a good review for it on mouthshut.

The ingredients for Himani Navratna Plus-herbal cool oil are:

Paraffinum Liquidum, Oil Of Sesamum Indicum, Menthe Arvensis, Parfum, Emblica Officinalis, Oil Of Menthe Arvensis, Cinnamomum Camphora, Arbus Precatorius, Hedychium Spicatum, Parmelia Perlata, Bacopa Monnieri, Hibiscus Abelmoschus, Butylated Hydroxyl Toluene, Eclipta Alba, Vetiveria Zizanioides, Pogostemon Cablin, Cananga Odorata, Rosmarinus Officinalis, Melaleuca Alternifolia, Cos Oil Red EML (CL26100,60725).

Here is a link to the site carrying it with a picture to help you see if its the same
http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Himani-Navratna-Plus-Herbal-Cool-Oil.html

I do notice though that it also contains bhringraj and brahmi :)

[ChloeDharma]

This is interesting. I'd have thought that oil would have the opposite effect of protecting against sun damage? I am thinking about the fact that we cook with oil, and people use oil to make themselves tan faster and deeper in the sun?

Some oils help protect from the sun.....for example sesame oil has an SPF of approximately 4

[Cinnamoon]

Hmm... I'll have to try that pulling technique! It sounds like it might work - as others have said, it probably stimulates the scalp.

[LadyLongLocks]

I just read an article on hair care yesterday and it included hair tugging...I thought it was strange!:confused:

Here is the link:

very-simple-but-great-effective-growing-long-hair (http://www.pipau.com/very-simple-but-great-effective-growing-long-hair/)

see tugging info at second to last paragraph.

[Diamondbell]

Ayurvedic methods of oil message include gentle hair pulling. Check this artical out for more information. The woman who wrote the artical got really long, thick, healthy hair from using this method.

http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Holistic-Approach-to-Hair-Care

As for oiling every night (heavy oiling) and washing the next day (doing this every day) - I tried it for about 10 days. I couldn't get the hair to dry even by night time and finally ended up getting cold, cough and flu (though the flu may be due to some other reasons). But doing the "oil-bath" every day didn't suit me. This could be because the sesame oil that I used, is known to be very cooling. So if anyone is trying this, please proceed with caution! :) May be twice a week heavy oiling is OK, but heavy oiling every day and washing (every day) may not suit everyone.

[Rapunzal2Be]

I just read an article on hair care yesterday and it included hair tugging...I thought it was strange!:confused:

Here is the link:

very-simple-but-great-effective-growing-long-hair (http://www.pipau.com/very-simple-but-great-effective-growing-long-hair/)

see tugging info at second to last paragraph.

These days anyone and everyone can write an "article" and throw it up onto the web - usually on a site that they own and that they want to link to their other sites.

I would be very wary of just buying into any random article (on any topic, for that matter) that came up in a google search.

[Debra83]

Okay, here are my results.....I changed two things for the month of July only. I introduced GF triple nutrition conditioner (only), and I purposely wore my hair up more often in different styles to put a gentle pressure on the scalp. Today, I feel it is longer, and just posted a thread about it. Maybe it's my imagination? I'm going to try again in August to do similar.

Here's when I started (doing this at the beginning of July):

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4366&pictureid=75632

Here's today:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4366&pictureid=78299

[unicornlady]

I've read somewhere years ago that Japanese women do or did this historically when they experienced shedding in some areas, to stimulate new growth. I believe the key is to pull gently and not hard or too persistent, just enough to promote the circulation and release.
Cant say if it really stimulates hair growth because I am not regular with it. Just lately I got regular. It did not and does not make my hair fall out.
In general my hair grows a bit faster than average. Per example I trim often and my length will change the same as the length of someone who did not trim at all during that time.

[longhairvixen]

The longest hair ive ever had in my life was when i was in 1st-2nd grade. My mom used to braid my hair and i kept it in for 2 weeks at a time. It was classic length! I think its because when you keep it braided there is less manipulation meanin less breakage, leading to longer hair. Also braiding your hair pulls it which increases blood flow to roots. Its very stimulating to your scalp. I would always fall asleep while my mother did my hair lol

[kitcatsmeow]

When I was young I had hair down to my knees and my mom always kept it in tight french braids. Now when I am growing it I keep it in a bun (not tight but not loose) on the top of my head. I may do some french braids but I find that I sometimes have to re do them several times before it's perfect and I'm sure I'm causing more mechanical damage that way.