Hair Myths?

[angelfell]

I apologize if there is a thread like this out there, I put 'hair myths' into the thread search and didn't find anything offhand. But there are a couple of hair myths I remember being told by parents and peers that I am now wondering if they are really true. Do enlighten me, oh genius LHC members :eyebrows:..

Myth #1: Hair grows slower as it gets longer.
Myth #2: Hair grows slower in the winter than in the summer.
Myth #3: Using supplements to aid grows in hair from the scalp will make hair all over thicker, longer.
Myth #4: All hair dye (non henna/herb) is bad and damages your hair.
Myth #5: If you don't trim your hair every 6-8 weeks, it will become damaged and you will have to trim more off than you would have in the first place.

[Konstifik]

Myth #1: Hair grows slower as it gets longer.

Nope! ETA: Oh yes, as BrightEyes7 said, it will stop at terminal though. :D But until then it'll grow in the same pace as usual.

Myth #2: Hair grows slower in the winter than in the summer.

For some this is true. Me for example, as I barely get any growth at all in the winters. Some are not affected though.

Myth #3: Using supplements to aid grows in hair from the scalp will make hair all over thicker, longer.

Supplements will only affect the new growth, not the hair that's already outside your head. :) Not all supplements help, and it varies from person to person which supplement that is the best, if any.

Myth #4: All hair dye (non henna/herb) is bad and damages your hair.

I do not know much about this, but I'd say yes. However, very varying degrees of damage depending on the ingredients (does it contain ammoniak, peroxides, or something like that?), but it's at least slightly drying if it's a "good" dye.

Myth #5: If you don't trim your hair every 6-8 weeks, it will become damaged and you will have to trim more off than you would have in the first place.

Nope! I fell for this myth for a while. Did no good at all. Now I trim once a year or so, and I'm getting all healthy and nice hair. The amount of damage depends on your haircare routine, not the amount of trims.

[BrightEyes7]

Myth #1: Yes. Everyone has a terminal length. Some may have a longer terminal length than others but eventually your hair will stop/slow growing. Where that length is, that is the question!
Myth #2: Yes.
Myth #3: They can help with growing. I don't use any and I got to hip length. A healthy balanced diet can help.
Myth #4: Sure.... But I use chemical dye. I don't do it every 8 weeks... I usually try to go 12. But it doesn't do too much damage to MY hair.
Myth #5: You don't need a timeline. But you do need to trim off split ends or it will travel up the hair and you'll have to cut more. The more you baby your hair, the less often you need to cut. Less damage, less trimming, more length! :)

[YesitsReal]

I apologize if there is a thread like this out there, I put 'hair myths' into the thread search and didn't find anything offhand. But there are a couple of hair myths I remember being told by parents and peers that I am now wondering if they are really true. Do enlighten me, oh genius LHC members :eyebrows:..

Myth #1: Hair grows slower as it gets longer.
Myth #2: Hair grows slower in the winter than in the summer.
Myth #3: Using supplements to aid grows in hair from the scalp will make hair all over thicker, longer.
Myth #4: All hair dye (non henna/herb) is bad and damages your hair.
Myth #5: If you don't trim your hair every 6-8 weeks, it will become damaged and you will have to trim more off than you would have in the first place.

I don't want to answer all of these. I think I know the answers to them, but I don't have the science or personal experience to back them up.

Myth #1: Hair does not (in my experience) grow slower as it gets longer. It may seem that way because when you have shorter hair, it looks like your hair grows faster than it does when your hair is longer. Also, as hair gets longer, it accumulates more damage, so it may break off more, making it seem like it's not growing as fast. Try babying your hair and taking monthly measurements.
ETA: Except, of course, if you're going for terminal length (sorry, forgot about that).

Myth #2: Yes, it can. Fingernails too. My hair grows in cycles: I can get as much as 1 whole inch per month in the summer, but sometimes my hair will almost completely stop growing in the winter. I'm not entirely sure why, but it probably has to do with hormones and circadian rhythms. I'm sure someone else knows more about that than I do.

Myth #5: Yes and no. It depends on your hair type and how careful you are with it. There are people on the LHC who never trim and have great hemlines. Me, I have to trim regularly, but I have layers and really fine hair. Plus, I'm not as nice to my hair as some of the people here (I get impatient with my tangles :rolleyes:). If your hair does okay (no split ends, etc.), then you don't really have to trim that much. S&D is also great for prolonging the time between trims.

HTH! Good luck!

[MinderMutsig]

I have another one: hair changes structure every seven years or so. I.e. straight hair getting wavy or curly and curly hair going straight and thin hair getting thicker or the other way around. It can also change color.

I've heard this one from several people over the years but other than my hair getting a little darker as I got older I've never noticed any structural changes.

[UltraBella]

I can tell you that hair can definitely change in structure. 100% !!!! My hair is totally different from ten years ago. I have tight wavy frizz on the crown of my head that I did not have before. It is like my own little Afro now, lol.
As far as dye being damaging, I guess it depends on what way we define damage. Yes, it does in fact penetrate the hair shaft and alters the hair, technically damaging it. However, for some people their hair will have no noticeable difference is health or strength. I am in this category. My hair is bleached and dyed and super strong and healthy.

[little_cherry]

Hair myth: Long hair is dirty.

I agree that hair can change structure....I used to have fine hair as a child and it's becoming coarser the older I get, especially with the silvers.

[angelfell]

My hair hasn't changed texture and I've been through... well, almost 3 courses of 7 years :p. The only time it changed is when I chemically altered it with a horrible, dreaded perm.. but the new hair grew out just as straight as it was before thaaaank goodddddd XD.