Worst hair advice you've ever heard?

[Cania]

A few days ago, I was told that for perfect hair, I should leave my shampoo in for 12 minutes when I shower, and to do that every day instead of every other! I can't imagine that being even marginally good for it..

So what awful advice have you had about your hair?

[faerykitty13]

I was told to damage your hair with box dye and bleach it will help your hair hold a curl longer!!!LOL!!! And all my friends with short hair always tell me to cut mine short I secretly think they are jealous!!! BECAUSE NOW THERE GROWING THERES LONG!! LOL!!

[discoisntdead]

"Pulling on your hair makes it grow faster"

[marzipanthecat]

I got one TODAY - a lady told me I should be using straightening irons on my hair "because they are really good for your hair condition!" (she seemed very nice and we were chatting in a queue at the supermarket - but that's totally odd to say to anyone).

Also, as my hair was in a lot better condition than hers, I don't think she should believe what is written on the box of her hair irons...

[allnight avenue]

I heard a "beauty guru" say on YouTube that heat makes your hair grow faster, so taking really hot showers, blow-drying and straightening it will increase your growth.

[Vani1902]

A few days ago, I was told that for perfect hair, I should leave my shampoo in for 12 minutes when I shower, and to do that every day instead of every other! I can't imagine that being even marginally good for it..

So what awful advice have you had about your hair?
O.o that is horrible! If I did that to my hair, it would feel like a desert.

[QueenJoey]

This past week my mom keeps saying that I need to shampoo daily because "the oils are damaging." She also said WO is very bad for the hair and that the chemicals in shampoo are actually good for me.

[denzelswifey86]

was told by a dermatologist to not oil my hair because thats what's causing my hair loss Lol O.o

[Lollipop]

-CO will make your hair fall out
-you need to cut your hair to get it to grow
-your hair will mold if you don't blowdry immediately

[swetiepeti]

>>-your hair will mold if you don't blowdry immediately

Lollipop,
I am still laughing and grateful that I did not have a mouthful of coffee when I read this.

[spidermom]

NW/SO is about the worst advice I've come across. I'm not fond of WO either.

[pepperminttea]

I heard a "beauty guru" say on YouTube that heat makes your hair grow faster, so taking really hot showers, blow-drying and straightening it will increase your growth.

There could be an element of truth in that; exercise, scalp massages and warm weather can all increase scalp circulation, which can help growth. So all that heat probably is increasing her circulation, but at too high a cost in damage if she's trying to grow her hair.

Funny how these myths start. It's like a giant game of Chinese whispers.

[Dina L.]

My worst advice on my hair isn't connected to hair care. On guy told me that I should cut my hair shorter, straighten it and dye it lighter. He said no reasons but guess it's just his taste. Well, his current wife did at all for him, so I hope he's happy because I'm absolutely happy with my brown, curly, BSL hair. :cheese:

[MissManda]

"Your hair is much too healthy, so I recommend you use X, Y, or Z chemical processes to damage it a little to make it look better."

I think they were talking about roughing up the cuticles to give the hair a little more friction for more body/volume or something like that.

Oh, and of course...

"Your hair is too _____ to be long!"

[blue_nant]

That I should cut it off for Locks of Love.

It's like the only thing people can think of when they see long hair, and then they go ahead and say it: Ugh. Like, wow, no one has ever said that to me before (sarcasm)!

No offense to folks that do cut their hair off and give it to LOL, but I tell people the truth: Why would I do that? I grew this for me. It has taken a long time. I like it. I'm keeping it.

No thanks, you do it instead of me. Cool. Bye!

[Badwolf]

"Pulling on your hair makes it grow faster"

You mean the hair on my head isn't like that Barbie styling head that I had as a kid?

[MandyBeth]

To not use SLS.

Boohiss. I have to use shampoo, my hair is too fine and it's a mess otherwise. I'm allergic to ALS. I'm horribly allergic to soapnuts. Shampoo bars leave my hair a matted, greasy, disgusting mess. Baking soda is far too drying.

Give me my SLS.

[JuliaDancer]

-your hair will mold if you don't blowdry immediately

I've heard this one! My mom actually told me this a long time ago when I took down a bun that had been damp all day. I don't think she mentioned the blow drying part, but definitely that putting hair up when wet will make it grow mold.

[dulce]

Cut your hair every 6 weeks to make it grow!! duh?Doesn't make sense to me..

[lyneya]

-your hair will mold if you don't blowdry immediately

I know someone this actually happened to! She was (and still is) between waist and tailbone typically. Super thick hair. She's of the "braid it wet and let it finish drying tonight" habits. Works great except when living somewhere super hot and humid. I think she was an exchange student when it happened, but her braids would actually mildew during the day if she braided it wet! YUCK!! Not sure she went so far as to blow-dry it, but she quit braiding wet while she was living there!

[MissManda]

Oh, I thought of another one!

"Wearing your hair up every day is very damaging, so you need to wear your hair down as much as possible to prevent that damage."

In some ways I think this might be true. I've seen so many articles in teen and women's magaines that tell you you need to heat style, pile on products, tease, and such that by the time you're done, your hair is just as damaged as using all of those things but wearing it down instead. Sure, the styles look great when they're finished and are awesome for special occasions, but I'm going to stick with looking severe for the health of my hair and the sake of simplicity and laziness. :p

[mrs_coffee]

The old reliable "Cutting it makes it grow faster."

[RitaCeleste]

Yep, cutting hair makes it grow faster has got to be the biggest and worst myth. I have actually seen some people who do need to trim to see their growth. But I haven't met many people like that. I am gonna watch my hair and then decide if I want to mess with split ends or not. I'm not entirely convinced I need to mess with mine. Maybe I get some breakage and maybe it is enough to worry over but maybe not. Also I have decided most people can do without daily shampooing. I have one daughter I don't think will ever Co-wash, but it works for many including me.

[darklyndsea]

I know someone this actually happened to! She was (and still is) between waist and tailbone typically. Super thick hair. She's of the "braid it wet and let it finish drying tonight" habits. Works great except when living somewhere super hot and humid. I think she was an exchange student when it happened, but her braids would actually mildew during the day if she braided it wet! YUCK!! Not sure she went so far as to blow-dry it, but she quit braiding wet while she was living there!
Suddenly I'm very glad that I hadn't started wearing my hair up in more than a ponytail until after I came back from Japan. Because my hair is like that, and the weather in Japan is like that in June.

[gthlvrmx]

This past week my mom keeps saying that I need to shampoo daily because "the oils are damaging." She also said WO is very bad for the hair and that the chemicals in shampoo are actually good for me.
Jajaja! XD Exactly, right?!

[Ribbon]

The hairdresser told me I needed highlights in order to be considered pretty.

Thanks, my self confidence just skyrocketed. And I'm too nice so I tipped 15%. I didn't go back there though.

[QueenJoey]

Jajaja! XD Exactly, right?!

oh, totally! Haha when she was telling me this, I was trying so hard to look like I was taking it all in, but at the back of my mind, I kept thinking, "Heck no! I'm not doing that! You're cra-zazy, just ask my LHC peeps." :D

[Amber_Maiden]

Cutting your hair will make it healthier and grow longer.

[Cania]

The hairdresser told me I needed highlights in order to be considered pretty.

Some of these are hilarious, but this is so sad! What a horrible stylist, I hope you know how wrong she was.

[Rustella]

I know someone this actually happened to! She was (and still is) between waist and tailbone typically. Super thick hair. She's of the "braid it wet and let it finish drying tonight" habits. Works great except when living somewhere super hot and humid. I think she was an exchange student when it happened, but her braids would actually mildew during the day if she braided it wet! YUCK!! Not sure she went so far as to blow-dry it, but she quit braiding wet while she was living there!


This makes me wonder what she put in her hair before puting it up. I used to braid or bun my hair wet all the time, and never once did it mold on me. It never molded even if I left it up for a few days. I put my hair up wet like this for years, waist length hair at the time, and it never molded. I have never even heard of this before. Eeeewwww....

[christine1989]

A friend's mom recently told me that my hair would start falling out if I didn't get it thinned or cut it in many layers. According to her, heavy, long hair will fall out due to the weight :confused:. I can see a thread of logic in this but looking at all the beautiful, long, thick haired ladies here I'm just not buying it.

[Slinks]

A friend's mom recently told me that my hair would start falling out if I didn't get it thinned or cut it in many layers. According to her, heavy, long hair will fall out due to the weight :confused:. I can see a thread of logic in this but looking at all the beautiful, long, thick haired ladies here I'm just not buying it.

lol !!! I know what you mean .. no-way ..

[Mairéad]

-The classic, "Trimming every 6-8 weeks will make your hair grow faster."

-And I have a, "Henna is the worst thing you could ever put in your hair."

Yeah, maybe in you're indecisive and want to change your hair color all the time or don't even want red hair.

[Chetanlaiho]

Hmm the only one I've heard a lot is 'cutting it will make it grow faster'

Also someone told me it doesn't matter at all which straightening iron you get, as long as it has ceramic plates, but I definitely notice a difference between the very cheap ones and my more expensive one when I use them even just once xD

And once, just once, I had a guy at the salon try to sell me a product that, if I used it, would make straightening it be damage-free. I'm frying my hair, any serum I put on it is not gonna help thát much, sorry dude xD

[lyneya]

This makes me wonder what she put in her hair before puting it up. I used to braid or bun my hair wet all the time, and never once did it mold on me. It never molded even if I left it up for a few days. I put my hair up wet like this for years, waist length hair at the time, and it never molded. I have never even heard of this before. Eeeewwww....

Nothing in her hair. It was purely environmental. She's had super thick long hair for most of her life (well into her 40s now). It was the single period of her life where it was an issue. I've always put my hair up wet with no problems either and mine is pretty similar to hers. It's a real thing ... but completely unique to the environment she was in at the time. Totally not a "normal" thing most places!!

[gthlvrmx]

I've actually heard people say to me things that people on LHC advise for good hair care, i guess it does float around here and there.

My native american friend just said the secret is braiding (basically, updo's). :)
Not much a secret here though, updo's work.


But i have gotten bad advise like cut it every 4-6 weeks, use shampoo(my scalp doesn't like it), brush your hair regularly (um, poof anyone?).

[spidermom]

A stylist talked me into having my hair highlighted as I started to go silver/white because she said it aged me.

So if I lighten my hair with bleach, it's youthful. If I let time do it, it ages me. :rolleyes:

I don't know why I didn't see through that "logic" right off! My highlights dried out and puffed up so that they seemed to float above the level of the rest of my hair.

[kidari]

Personally, I like a bit of damage to my hair. I like how it thickens my hair and helps it to hold a curl and not be so slippery. It's damage but I like a little on my hair. I guess the worst advice I'd ever gotten was to get permanent extensions put in because it would help protect my hair and help it grow. I guess you would be heat styling the extensions if you do so daily but I've known people who look like they lost over an inch on their ponytail after having extensions for while. That's scary. You'll probably depend on extensions for life.

[dragonchickx]

Those straight iron people at the mall told me to flat iron my hair because the "steam" moisterizes it lol (the steam from my frying hair will moisterize it??) :/ I didnt buy the product.

[Raqdoll]

Suddenly I'm very glad that I hadn't started wearing my hair up in more than a ponytail until after I came back from Japan. Because my hair is like that, and the weather in Japan is like that in June.

Yep. In rainy season, I have to break out the blow dryer, or my hair will stay wet for days.

The worst advice I've run across is the 6 week trimming and using laundry soap on your hair (yes, Tide) and no, I never got so desperate as to try that. LOL!

[BlazingHeart]

Let's see...you need a trim every 4-6 weeks, or you'll get terrible split ends (Um, my last haircut was I guess May '10, and I still have fewer split ends than your average salon customer when they come for a trim).

Cut your hair to grow it faster, definitely heard that one. I remember when I was pretty young mentioning it to my mother, though I think the myth I'd heard was specific to shaving one's legs, and her response was to make sure I got that it made no sense.

You'll have 'things' take up roost in your hair if you don't brush it regularly (ye gods I hate to think what else they were doing if they had things take roost in their hair...)

And my favorite:

All hair can benefit from X treatment.

So far, I've met exactly 1 kind of treatment that ALL hair can benefit from, and that's gentle handling. Other than that, I've met or heard of exceptions to every kind of proffered treatment, even things that LHCers recommend.

~Blaze

[swetiepeti]

I've actually used Tide on my hair before. Oddly enough it was not as drying as I'd thought it would be. Most likely becasue I followed my mom's instrustions (She grew up in the backwoods of Montana and sometimes did not have access to hair soap)

[lyneya]

So, not sure if there's any truth in this one, but I completely ignored it. Twice in 4.5 yrs I've had someone else cut my son's hair. When I mentioned in passing that I refused to fight about washing hair, the kiddie cuts lady went off on a lecture about how the oils in the scalp would suffocate his hair and it would start to fall out. I rolled my eyes and ignored her. (And never went back.) But if I hadn't had a history with LHC, I'd have been terrified of having a bald 5 yr old after that!!

DS has beautiful strawberry blonde cherrub ringlets. He's better about letting me wash his hair now, but I typically only do it once a month or so with very gentle baby shampoo. Seems like he's not gone bald yet!

[Mesmerise]

>>-your hair will mold if you don't blowdry immediately

Lollipop,
I am still laughing and grateful that I did not have a mouthful of coffee when I read this.

This made me LOL too!


"Your hair is much too healthy, so I recommend you use X, Y, or Z chemical processes to damage it a little to make it look better."

Err your hair is too healthy... wow... I only wish my hair was "too healthy".


I know someone this actually happened to! She was (and still is) between waist and tailbone typically. Super thick hair. She's of the "braid it wet and let it finish drying tonight" habits. Works great except when living somewhere super hot and humid. I think she was an exchange student when it happened, but her braids would actually mildew during the day if she braided it wet! YUCK!! Not sure she went so far as to blow-dry it, but she quit braiding wet while she was living there!
:bigeyes: Well I had never heard that before! I guess it's like in summer when I don't pull stuff out of the washing machine straight away and it sits there all day and gets a bit "on the nose". Still, it's unlikely to ever happen to my hair ;).


The hairdresser told me I needed highlights in order to be considered pretty.


That's just rude! Wow... some people are so insensitive!


A friend's mom recently told me that my hair would start falling out if I didn't get it thinned or cut it in many layers. According to her, heavy, long hair will fall out due to the weight :confused:. I can see a thread of logic in this but looking at all the beautiful, long, thick haired ladies here I'm just not buying it.

Haha well I wish I had that problem ;) LOL. My hair fell out plenty last year, and I can assure you that weight had nothing to do with it! And yet, there are plenty of folks with super thick long hair that seems to stay firmly affixed to their heads!


Personally, I like a bit of damage to my hair. I like how it thickens my hair and helps it to hold a curl and not be so slippery. It's damage but I like a little on my hair.

Well I guess this makes sense in a way! I had a friend who always permed her hair and I said I no longer perm because of the damage, but she felt that it improved her hair which was otherwisse apparently very straight, fine and limp. She didn't have to add lots of products to it or blowfry it to give it body, and I guess that damage also maybe made it a bit thicker. Anyway, she didn't wear her hair very long (probably SL) and I never noticed it looking overly damaged, so I guess it did work for her!


Those straight iron people at the mall told me to flat iron my hair because the "steam" moisterizes it lol (the steam from my frying hair will moisterize it??) :/ I didnt buy the product.

When I bought a straightener I bought one of those "wet to straight" ones that you're supposed to use on wet hair :bigeyes: the instruction manual went on about how this was less damaging to the hair because it sealed the moisture in. I told my hairdresser friend and she freaked out and said no way I should ever straighten my hair wet because that was soo wrong!

She's actually a very good hairdresser, does a great cut, and used to teach hairdressing apprentices at TAFE. I would certainly trust her with my hair BUT she's also the one that told me I should never EVER use henna as it's sooo damaging due to all those metallic salts! Even then (before LHC) what she described didn't make sense to me as I'd dyed over henna in the past and my hair hadn't smoked and melted. It wasn't until I got to LHC though that I actually understood. I've only ever used 100% henna, so dyeing over it was never a problem.

I suppose the only other bad advice I got was the old "cutting makes hair grow faster" which never even made sense to me as a child, because even then I was smart enough to realise that as hair isn't "alive" the roots can't possibly know what the ends are doing!

[Diesel Tech]

The classic "You should donate your hair."

[AlexiaBlue]

"If you have fine hair, you MUST have layers in it in order for it to look thicker."

"Curls are ugly. In order to be socially acceptable, you must flat iron your curls and make your hair straight."

"If you purchase X, Y and Z shampoo/conditioner/hair-serum, it will turn your damaged hair into healthy hair."

What rubbish.

[Cainwen]

Wow. I am amazed at some of the terrible hair advice people here have been given.

The only one I ever heard was that you needed to trim your hair to help it grow, but my mother was content if I got it trimmed once a year. I even had a hair dresser tell me if my hair was longer than my shoulders, I should never let anyone tell me to wash it more than twice a week! I wish I still lived near that enlightened woman.

[georgia_peach]

"Your hair is much too healthy, so I recommend you use X, Y, or Z chemical processes to damage it a little to make it look better."

I think they were talking about roughing up the cuticles to give the hair a little more friction for more body/volume or something like that.

Oh, and of course...

"Your hair is too _____ to be long!"

In a similar vein, I was told I should bleach all of my natural brunette/grey hair and then dye it back to its natural brown to give it more texture and "life". Sounds more like hair death to me.

I was also told that virgin hair was not a worthy hair goal because it was "boring and just lays there which is why they call it virgin." Er....did she seriously say that to me?

[slo2gro]

just keep cutting it n it will grow long lol wtf

[AlexiaBlue]

I was also told that virgin hair was not a worthy hair goal because it was "boring and just lays there which is why they call it virgin." Er....did she seriously say that to me?

LOL!! That is seriously hilarious. I do hope this person was kidding! hahahahaa

[christine1989]

Did anyone mention this classic gem yet: "To get clean hair you must lather it up with lots of bubbles". I believed this for a long time until my hairdresser told me that it was drying.

[MissAlyssa]

Has anyone seen the new nexxus(I think) commercials on t.v., selling a new line of shampoo conditioner etc that will "mend" your split ends? I'm pretty sure once they're slpit they're split, and no miracle shampoo will permanently fix them. unfortunately ;P

[PrincessBob]

This makes me wonder what she put in her hair before puting it up. I used to braid or bun my hair wet all the time, and never once did it mold on me. It never molded even if I left it up for a few days. I put my hair up wet like this for years, waist length hair at the time, and it never molded. I have never even heard of this before. Eeeewwww....


Nothing in her hair. It was purely environmental. She's had super thick long hair for most of her life (well into her 40s now). It was the single period of her life where it was an issue. I've always put my hair up wet with no problems either and mine is pretty similar to hers. It's a real thing ... but completely unique to the environment she was in at the time. Totally not a "normal" thing most places!!

This happened to me when I was 14 or 15. It was a hot summer, so I spent most days either at the pool or in a cool shower. I would put my hair up in a dew drop (ponytail only half pulled through, I don't know what other people call that style) with a scrunchy and let it do its thing, until it mildewed, then I cut it and wore it down for the rest of the summer. In the fall I moved on to almost perminently braided hair in pigtails, which was my default for how I wore it for eight years. It's just too warm to wear it like that anymore. and the braids get caught on a lot of things. How sad.

[MissManda]

In a similar vein, I was told I should bleach all of my natural brunette/grey hair and then dye it back to its natural brown to give it more texture and "life". Sounds more like hair death to me.

I was also told that virgin hair was not a worthy hair goal because it was "boring and just lays there which is why they call it virgin." Er....did she seriously say that to me?

Yeah... The highlights I wound up getting made my then pixie-length hair terribly dry and tangly. :( I like the way highlights look, but my hair does not respond well to bleach at all. I'm glad my hair wasn't long back then because it would have just broken off. The highlights didn't do anything to my hair, either due to my natural straightness. :p

That person's comment on virgin hair has left me completely speechless. :agape:

[squiggyflop]

"well if you cant figure out how to do only the roots then just bleach the whole thing every month"
yeah, that worked out well

[jacqueline101]

I had a lady tell me to braid my hair and pull on it and play with it to make it grow.

[littlenvy]

Since my hair is fine and thin I always have the problem of it being flat.
I was told few times by 'professionals' that I should blow dry on highest heat setting to make sure no moisture remains in my hair. The dryer the hair the more volume it will have.

Yeah. I ended up with a LOT of volume-ous straw!

[mrs.bad85]

Henna is so bad for your hair! I would never use it!

...but these chemicals including bleach and peroxide are good for you.

[|Xei]

A friend told me, back in grade 4, that if a split end travels up to your scalp, you will have to shave your head bald. She had heard this from her mother. I'm not sure if this is necessarily bad advice, since I often saw my friend S&Ding her hair to avoid having to shave her head(in fact, I learned how to do it from watching her), and she's always had very lovely long hair. The idea of it, though, is rather silly :p

[whitestiletto]

When I mentioned in passing that I refused to fight about washing hair, the kiddie cuts lady went off on a lecture about how the oils in the scalp would suffocate his hair and it would start to fall out.

People are SO illogical! If hair oil makes your hair fall out, why would we have evolved/been created/whatever to produce scalp oil? Has this woman ever thought outside the present moment and wondered why cavemen/adam and eve/hippies weren't bald? So frustrated.

I think every problem in the world is caused by idiots who don't understand cause and effect.

Sorry if this is offensively irate. But I think that advice is offensively stupid. Not ignorant, stupid.

[sarahbrownie]

Ironing your hair is good for it, it smooths the cuticle. :hmm: Orly?


Has anyone seen the new nexxus(I think) commercials on t.v., selling a new line of shampoo conditioner etc that will "mend" your split ends? I'm pretty sure once they're slpit they're split, and no miracle shampoo will permanently fix them. unfortunately ;P

They do mend the split ends together, but unfortunately once you stop using the products the hairs will split again.

[littlenvy]

Ironing your hair is good for it, it smooths the cuticle. :hmm: Orly?

They do mend the split ends together, but unfortunately once you stop using the products the hairs will split again.
Then they are not really mended, just disguised. :p :knitfrog:

[Melon Collie]

I was told to lighten my hair to hide my grays that are starting to appear. Yeah... no. My hair had been through enough torture 3 years ago just to get it back to its natural color.

*coughbleachbleachtonercough*

[elbow chic]

I was also told that virgin hair was not a worthy hair goal because it was "boring and just lays there which is why they call it virgin." Er....did she seriously say that to me?

ha, that's kind of caustically imaginative.

I have not heard that much whacky hair advice, except for the perennial "you have to get your hair trimmed every six weeks if you want to grow it out" and "flat-ironing seals moisture in" bits.

Never believed the flat-iron bit, mostly because I think I already knew flat-ironing was damaging when I first heard it.

But I did have a hard time growing my hair out, due to excessive trimming, before LHC. Hairdressers tend to take off a couple of inches when they give you a "trim" and if you go in three times a year, losing two inches at a time, you will never make any significant headway!

Oh, the other one was advice to try "no-poo," basically washing hair with baking soda and ACV. I don't doubt for a second that it works for some people, but it was horrible when I tried it. I'll be sticking with plain old shampoo and conditioner for the foreseeable future.

[Miss Maisie]

I love my dark brown hair color, and an old boss once told me that I'd eventually have to start bleaching it and coloring it lighter brown, because "dark brown hair looks terrible on people as they get older. It just isn't natural looking."

...?

[georgia_peach]

Re: the virgin hair comment
ha, that's kind of caustically imaginative.
Yeah, when she said it to me I was going to dish back something like, "well, maybe YOU were boring...." but I decided just to keep my mouth shut. ;)


LOL!! That is seriously hilarious. I do hope this person was kidding! hahahahaa

Actually, that was the absolute very last hairdresser I ever visited (I'm NOT hairdresser bashing here, though). She's also a casual friend, so I don't think she would have said it to just any client.

[Dragon]

You will get sick if you go to bed with wet hair.
Plaits are bad for your hair.
You should clean your hair until it squeaks.
All shampoos and conditioners are the same.
You should shampoo twice.
Kids shouldn’t use conditioner because it isn’t good for them to use.
Your hair will grow faster if you cut it.
By using a heat proctor, heat won’t damage your hair.

[mrs_coffee]

using laundry soap on your hair (yes, Tide)

Now that's one I've never heard before! I always wonder how people come up with stuff like that. What sounds good to them about using laundry detergent on their hair? Just the word "detergent" would scare me off. http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm215/tackyblueeyeshadow/Smileys/cuckoo.gif

[IanB]

"It's about time you had that cut"

[Dina L.]

"Curls are ugly. In order to be socially acceptable, you must flat iron your curls and make your hair straight."
I call that: :brainbleach:

[jasper]

The old reliable "Cutting it makes it grow faster."

I love this confusing piece of advice. I know that to some people, the idea is that cutting stimulates growth, kind of like pruning the rose bushes will stimulate new growth and branching. And other people are saying that cutting keeps you from getting split ends, and hair breaking off shorter and shorter from that kind of damage. I used to get split ends when my hair routine involved blow drying, brushing and using curling irons. But even then, the splits didn't have anything to do with growth rate. Maybe hair that isn't breaking off will become longer sooner, but that isn't the same as growing faster.

[Peggy E.]

The worst advice for ME - because it works for, literally, thousands of you - was that I could trim my hair myself!

8" lopped off later, in the desperate attempt to get it "even," I gave up before I had a crew cut. This was shortly after joining LHC and I have not trimmed it since - scares the fajitas outta me!

[Rosetta]

Some include:

- chemical dye makes hair thicker
- chemical dye gives hair more life
- you must perm your hair for it to look nice, straight hair cannot be beautiful
- sun highlights are more damaging than bleach highlights :rolleyes:



People are SO illogical! If hair oil makes your hair fall out, why would we have evolved/been created/whatever to produce scalp oil? Has this woman ever thought outside the present moment and wondered why cavemen/adam and eve/hippies weren't bald? So frustrated.

I think every problem in the world is caused by idiots who don't understand cause and effect.

Sorry if this is offensively irate. But I think that advice is offensively stupid. Not ignorant, stupid.
I'd have to second that, alas. Maybe not every problem, but a lot of them! Most people never seem to think outside the present moment (and the specific culture they live in), in every area of life. Which to me is very sad. And frustrating.

[Honestwitness]

Someone on some website wrote that it's bettter for your hair to let it air dry. Which I have discovered works just fine for my hair. However, this same person also promoted rolling damp hair on brush rollers to give your hair body after it air dries. Boy was I stupid! I tried it with just one roller on the crown of my head. My hair wasn't even to APL yet, but it was close. I almost never got that roller back out of my hair. NEVER AGAIN!!!

[MasCat]

cut it and it will grow - yep, know that one all too well ;)

cut it before it reaches terminal or you will experience a lot of hair loss and go bald ;)))

you have to dye your hair - make highlights and cut layers in order for it to look natural

I even remember saying, after my friend went to a salon and had her hair staightened "wow, it's shocking how much damaging things you have to do to your hair so it would look naturally healthy"

it's the same with makeup - it's easier to put a ton of makeup that will make your skin look naturally healthy, it's a lot harder to work with the skin and keep it nice and healthy...

[MissManda]

- you must perm your hair for it to look nice, straight hair cannot be beautiful


THIS. :rolleyes:

[Busybee]

Some of these are laughable - LOL.

Worst advice I think I ever heard, was to curl the ends of a damp ponytail to help it dry faster and have bounce...........

:bigeyes: Ummm, are you kidding?

I even told the person that that was incredibly stupid. I mean really, is the steam frying your hair, really "curly-happy-vapors"? Hahaha - how dumb.

[jitzgrrl]

I think the worst advice for me personally was the stupid hairdresser who talked me into layers "for body"...not on my baby-fine head of hair. It just made all the hair cling to my neck and look even thinner. AND it took forever to get the layers long enough that I could chop it all off and end up even shorter than before I started. Maddening!

[Mutinous]

I've never really been given anecdotal advice, though I have had many people chime in with their unwanted opinions on what I should be doing. Stuff like: "You should cut your hair off to look professional", or the equally inane "Long hair is for women, cut it and be a man... blah blah"

Nevermind eh? At least we have a community on here with decent advice.

[archel]

Having grown up in the 80s, I got ALL the bad advice. Straight hair was unstylish and perms were all the rage. And crunchy hair gel in the fake permed hair. Everyone had bangs they fried with curling irons and tons of hair spray. And everyone either bleached their hair or fried it outside with Sun-In. Blow dryers and teasing were requisite "hair embiggening devices." I was told that coloring your hair would make it softer and healthier (I mean, it will soak up more conditioner, but that is because you've opened the cuticle via damage). I have also gotten the "your hair won't grow if you don't cut it regularly," which is a crock because I grew my hair for 4 years with very few trims.

I'm so glad I have you folks to keep me on the wavy and narrow...:cheese:

[longcurlygirl<3]

-You CANNOT grow out curly hair because it is ugly, and tangles alot (maybe true).
-Use a silicon leave-in
-Use hairspray to get the frizzies down

[Leucothea]

I had a "friend" tell me that I was "Okay" looking as I was, but I would be "pretty/hot/beautiful" if I chopped off all of my long, healthy, shiny dark hair and bleached it super white-blonde.

Keep in mind this girl had super short white blond hair that was so over bleached/processed/heat-fried literally BROKE apart when she brushed it, seriously, throughout the day more and more broken hair would pile up on her shoulders.

It sounds horrid, but I have never seen hair as damaged as hers. I'm pretty sure she just wanted me to wreck my hair because she was jealous, she turned out to be a very bad friend :(

[Jeno86]

"If you eat the crust on bread your hair will grow faster" My sister told me this when I was 6. I'm pretty sure it was just her way of getting me to eat my crust ^_^ But still it makes me giggle.

[taimatsuko]

Let's see... I've gotten a lot of bad advice over the years. I think the worst advice I ever listened to was when my mom convinced/nagged me into stopping the use of my homemade hair wash routine because she didn't think it could ever really be clean without commercial shampoo and conditioner. My hair was way less damaged when I was using that method. I shall return though!

And of course my least favorite advice to hear is "you should ____ your hair because I personally think it looks better/is easier to manage when it's _____"

[MissManda]

"If you eat the crust on bread your hair will grow faster" My sister told me this when I was 6. I'm pretty sure it was just her way of getting me to eat my crust ^_^ But still it makes me giggle.

Oh, I was told something similar when I was the same age, except my mom's dad told me that eating bread crust would make my hair grow in curly. I told him, "But I don't want curly hair!" and didn't eat bread crust for a few days afterward. :laugh:

[QueenJoey]

Those straight iron people at the mall told me to flat iron my hair because the "steam" moisterizes it lol (the steam from my frying hair will moisterize it??) :/ I didnt buy the product.

They've said the exact same thing to me and my sister at my mall, too! I had already given up heat, so my sister volunteered to let them do her hair. You could hear it sizzling and all this steam was floating up, and the girl said, "See all the steam? That's all of the oils coming to the surface and making your hair silkier!"

It didn't even make sense! I grabbed my sister and walked away from her as soon as possible. I think she was still naming the price to me. (Yeah, because I'm so interested in paying over one hundred dollars to kill my hair.) :rolleyes:

[Idjit]

Everyone (hairdressers and my aunt who has been brainwashed) tells me that my hair will look nicer with layers, which for me, is very bad advice indeed. The longer it is the more wavy and silky it is. When it's short or at and awkward length it just goes poof.

I've also been told cutting my hair will make it grow faster and straightening will make it thicker. Never understood how that's supposed to work.

[PolythenePam]

I was going to a stylist that every time I needed a trim she would give me a CUT right back up to it's original length I started with when she knew my goal was to grow out my hair. We were arguing about her cutting too much when she said "your hair doesn't get longer-it just gets bigger!"

That was kinda advice to give up and let her cut my hair how ever much she wanted.

It was also my last appointment with her.

[Ardellis]

"If you eat the crust on bread your hair will grow faster" My sister told me this when I was 6. I'm pretty sure it was just her way of getting me to eat my crust ^_^ But still it makes me giggle.


Oh, I was told something similar when I was the same age, except my mom's dad told me that eating bread crust would make my hair grow in curly. I told him, "But I don't want curly hair!" and didn't eat bread crust for a few days afterward. :laugh:

When I was little, my grandmother told me that eating the crusts made your hair curly. I had straight hair and wanted curls; my little brother had curls and hated them. For years he cut the crusts off all his sandwiches and passed them across the table to me. :rolleyes:

[whitestiletto]

I also was told that eating the crusts made my hair curly, but when I told my mom she let me know that wasn't real science.

[SugarFang]

I used to be told that putting haircolor on your hair stimulated the follicles into making a quick "jump" in growth for a week or two after coloring, when actually people just notice their new growth more, and assume.

[Melon Collie]

I was told that eating the skins from my baked potato would make my hair grow faster.

As for bread crust... That puts hair on your chest. :-P

[Chetanlaiho]

Not really advice but I once read that someone said they dyed their hair to give it a little condition....

Wait what? xD

[dRummie]

"A lot of fine hair = thin and limp and not suitable to be grown long."

Not the most damaging advice for hair per se, but it did make me think I could never have "pretty" hair and keep trying to disguise how "thin" it was with ponytails etc. I'm 24, and never knew hair could be fun until a few months ago.

[Mommyof4]

I went to get a trim 4 months ago. The stylist I saw was VERY recommended, so I hoped she would be gentle to my hair. She talked about my thick, curly/wavy hair and how I was practically frizzless. I told her I only comb it in the shower unless I BBB before my olive oil soak, and that I can only let it airdry. At the time, I was CO, so I told her that I only wash it with Conditioner (Bath and Body works Mint Aromatherapy Conditioner), and she said that my scalp would get INFECTED if I didn't use something that "foamed" on my scalp at least 3 times a week. I asked her had she ever seen anyone's scalp infected from that. She playfully said, "I've never come across anyone that crazy as to not use shampoo." I told her that it was working fine for me and that I only wanted her to use conditioner when she washed it before trimming. She said that it was AGAINST policy??? I asked her to mix the shampoo and conditioner together when washing. I NEVER went back!

[Mommyof4]

I was told that eating the skins from my baked potato would make my hair grow faster.

As for bread crust... That puts hair on your chest. :-P

Potato skins contain significant amounts of silica, so if you ate them enough, it could help your hair growth if silica works for you. :)

[PixxieStix]

I have a friend who is a hairstylist and we go to school together, and she 's the last person who put in highlights and lowlights for me three or so months ago. She was shocked to hear that my last trim before that had been four or five months and sprouted the "you need to have a trim every 4-6 weeks for hair to grow healthy or at all" (which has never made sense to me, cutting it makes it *shorter*, no?), and when she looked at the ends of my hair kind of had a pouty expression and reluctantly told me that the ends looked fantastic and that I wasn't in need of a trim. *teehee* She has APL bleached blonde hair. She's also the person who told me that henna was horrible for my hair and I should never use it. After researching, I went back to her with the results and she couldn't believe me!

And, a few years ago when I was at a Great Clips, one of the ladies told me if I bought the Nexxus shampoo and conditioner that after a few months not only would I notice my hair growing faster, but that I would in fact grow even more hair than I have now (yes, I bought it because I was so desperate to find something to help "heal" the damage my hair pulling has caused) and that she had to stop using it because it had been making her hair too thick. Riiiiiiiight....

[Melon Collie]

Potato skins contain significant amounts of silica, so if you ate them enough, it could help your hair growth if silica works for you. :)

I did not know that. Thanks. :) Now it makes sense.

[Mesmerise]

Oh, I was told something similar when I was the same age, except my mom's dad told me that eating bread crust would make my hair grow in curly. I told him, "But I don't want curly hair!" and didn't eat bread crust for a few days afterward. :laugh:
I was told this by my parents too! Of course, as educated people they both knew it wasn't true, but told me that anyway so I'd eat my crusts.

Anyway...in some big sorta stupid irony... my hair really DID go curly (or at least wurly...)!! I swear I had 1b hair as a child and I wanted curls :rolleyes:. (Yeah, I know it wasn't the crusts :D but still... it's so funny that I actually wanted curly, frizzy hair as a child...and now I've got it I don't appreciate it AT ALL and would love straight, smooth 1a or 1b hair!

[dRummie]

I swear I had 1b hair as a child and I wanted curls :rolleyes:. (Yeah, I know it wasn't the crusts :D but still... it's so funny that I actually wanted curly, frizzy hair as a child...and now I've got it I don't appreciate it AT ALL and would love straight, smooth 1a or 1b hair!
That was me, too! I very much wished for curly hair when I was younger, but mine was always around a 1b... I totally appreciate it now, though (it's turned into 2c, go figure), just wish it didn't come with such a steep learning curve :p

[Nipushiau]

When I was in middle school and embarassed by being "too tall" in my own mind, my friends advised a short hair cut to make myself appear shorter. HAHAHA! The folly of youth...

[HintOfMint]

I was also told that virgin hair was not a worthy hair goal because it was "boring and just lays there which is why they call it virgin." Er....did she seriously say that to me?

That's actually really hilarious! I can imagine a snarky little hipster with tight jeans, a cardigan and an ironic pomaded pompadour saying that.

[MasCat]

We always fought for breadcrusts back at home, so maybe that's why my hair tends to wave? :D :D :D

[Busybee]

Potato skins contain significant amounts of silica, so if you ate them enough, it could help your hair growth if silica works for you. :)


If those potato skins aren't cooked in bacon grease - then I'm not interested.... Hahahaha

[CurlyNaomi]

That my hair needs protein :poot:
Nan transform my hair in a crunchy bar not soft at all

[KrissyKitty]

I have been told that my thick hair will never look nice unless I have it thinned with shears.
Plus fine hair needs layers, so we're going to thin and then layer your hair.
And you're dark blonde natural color is not doing your complexion any favors- all over highlights will brighten your face. And the slight damage from the highlights will make your hair easier to style. Healthy hair is too slippery to look nice!
Also, curls look awkward and no boy will ever like you with curly hair, so blowdry and flat iron every day.

I have been told all of these things (usually with nicer wording) many, many times by different people over the years.

[headtrip_honey]

That fine and thin hair needs layers. I have both, and while long layers can look REALLY nice on me, if the layers are even just a little too dramatic, I end up looking unkempt and raggedy if I don't heat style.

[Eternal.Fiend]

Hmm... Whenever I got to the hairdressers, they decide they need to cut 2/3 inches off my hair when they hear that I haven't been for four moths, WITHOUT actually looking at my hair to see if it's damaged... (On the flip side, when I hadn't been for a year, and was waiting for a hair appointment, one of the other hair stylists said she couldn't believe I hadn't had it cut, so basically, hairdressers shouldn't assume things :P)

That I need to shampoo my hair everyday or it's gross and that I wearing it anything other then loose at night is really damaging. Oh, and brushing your hair when you'd just gotten out of the shower was good for your hair, it helped to control frizz (wth?) This came from a girl that had really damaged, brittle frizzy hair whereas mine is soft and shiny. Obviously what I'm doing is really bad for my hair.

And that I should shampoo twice and then condition my hair, but not on the roots, because my hair is fine and that would weigh it down. (Ok, the last bit makes sense, but I don't have a problem with that). And my mum told me last night that CWC washing my hair was a waste of conditioner, because my hair didn't need to be conditioned twice, even if there is a huge difference in my hair already. Oh, and that you don't need to use heat protectant when using a blow dryer because blow dryers aren't damaging.

And not really advice, per se, but the "fashion" of hair at my school, your hair is "nice" if it's: bleached, straightened everyday, curled, teased or all of the above. I've known forever that dying your hair was really bad for it, I'be seen girls that hair would just snapp off when they ran their hands through it...

Wow, I've had a lot of bad advice over the years :P

[Ashenputtel]

It's funny hairdressers always told me that I needed to cut it every three months to maintain hair health when I grow it longer, which is true in my case.

The only really stupid thing that I heard from them is that dying is barely dammaging that only bleaching is. It's not AS bad but it's not good either. I also heard the flat irons seal moisture and heat protectant prevent dammage.

My hair dresser is really good when it comes to cutting and not taking too much of it, but she lives in a fairytale when it comes to the magic of products.

[SilverMcFly17]

When I worked at Sally Beauty they were always trying to get us to push the Wet to dry flat irons on people because they're more expensive. I flat out told people if you straighten your hair wet to dry you are damaging it so badly. My boss actually came up behind me and tried to undermine me and I stuck to my guns and explained it with clear logic. She left me alone after that. Be careful of sales people. Even if they do have a hair dressers license does not mean that they know beans about hair.

[longcurlygirl<3]

That I needed to thin my hair. Why oh why did I listen.
And that silicon creames are the best for my curly hair 0_o

[faithsdaisy421]

When I worked at Sally Beauty they were always trying to get us to push the Wet to dry flat irons on people because they're more expensive. I flat out told people if you straighten your hair wet to dry you are damaging it so badly. My boss actually came up behind me and tried to undermine me and I stuck to my guns and explained it with clear logic. She left me alone after that. Be careful of sales people. Even if they do have a hair dressers license does not mean that they know beans about hair.
That is CRAZY! Good for you for holding your ground and not lying to people :)