Hair Article on CNN

[Aerin]

Hi Guys!

Was browsing through CNN and found this hair article. Thought all of you would enjoy some of the things they get right and those that they seem to get wrong. :D

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/13/living/hair-myths-o/index.html?hpt=hp_bn8

[sfgirl]

Hair only grows a quarter inch a month!? What? I always thought it was at least a half an inch.
It's hard to trust the rest of the article with that bit of info.

[sun-kissed]

:rollin: Just wow.

"Brush your hair minimally (only to detangle or style), and use the right tools -- a wide-toothed comb or a paddle brush with ball-tipped, plastic bristles. Avoid boar-bristle brushes -- natural bristles aren't uniform, so they're especially harsh on your hair and scalp."

[PixxieStix]

Interesting read, I have to wonder if the cold water rinses not actually doing anything is true? I have seen a difference in my own hair with them, but I wonder if the cuticle on the hair *doesn't* really ever raise or lift? Hmmmmm..... and I laughed out loud at the BBB being bad and the brush with the plastic ball tips being good. :D

[Mommyof4]

LOL BBB are bad... interesting.. I guess I just imagine a difference...

hair doesn't react to cold water?? nice.. haha...

[teal]

I'd love to have those scientists explain why my hair was greasy by the second day when I washed almost daily and now doesn't get greasy for a week now that I wash every 1-2 weeks.

[MonaLisa]

Well I thought - OK they got the 1st big myth right....then basically all you said here, washes and BBB, but hey! Men like long hair, UNFORTUNATELY? made me laugh :D

[nellreno]

For some reason I thought the average was .5" a month, not .25".

[rock007junkie]

I'm so glad to see the cold water rinse reasoning to be debunked since I hate doing that. Now i don't have to feel bad about it.

[jacqueline101]

Good lord what an article.

[ktani]

They fail to address how brushing is done and on wet or dry hair.

There is also a variation in ball tipped brushes and boar bristle brushes that can make a huge difference in results.

I do not believe that the excellent results reported here using the right tools properly are the exceptions.

And as far as I know it is .5 inches of average growth per month.

[terpentyna]

Haha, if it's not living it doesn't react to temperature... I stopped there.

[EdG]

This one, unfortunately, is true: Men prefer longer hair.I fail to understand why that is unfortunate. :D


According to studies, men are generally more attracted to women whose hair flows past their shoulders. I can't imagine how they'd react to the hair lengths on this board. :rolleyes:
Ed

[raveness13]

I've read that washing hair less doesn't do anything, but I still see results. My hair used to get greasy every day, when I was washing every day. Now washing once a week, I almost never get greasy. Explain that science! I also can't see how long hair being attractive is unfortunate. Oh, and if hair doesn't react to temperature, then how come heat styling damages hair. Honestly! :rolleyes:

[Diamond.Eyes]

I found this article to be very interesting :p. I've pretty much found out all of these things on my own the last few years though. :)

[patienceneeded]

Interesting stuff. I take everything I hear about hair-health with a grain of salt, even the stuff I read here. There simply is no one best way that fits everyone. I did like how they kept mentioning to limit heat styling and styling tools.

[Juneii]

Interesting stuff. I take everything I hear about hair-health with a grain of salt, even the stuff I read here. There simply is no one best way that fits everyone. I did like how they kept mentioning to limit heat styling and styling tools.

just what I was going to say! For the most part the article is true, more for some than others.

[princesitamaria]

wow that article was pretty good but I just dont think that a boar bristle brush is that bad really- it just brushes the surface anyway and it spreads the oils which regular ones dont- and I co- but when my scalp starts accumulating dirt then I do use a really good redken shampoo- and the cones thing- idk cause they coat the hair but dont let any moisture in- its just a temporary fix

[Mairéad]

Well, if shampooing less often doesn't effect oil production someone needs to explain to me how when I used shampoo it got filthy oily in 12 hours (yes, I washed twice a day) but now that I don't use shampoo that it takes weeks upon weeks to get oily.

[princesitamaria]

I've read that washing hair less doesn't do anything, but I still see results. My hair used to get greasy every day, when I was washing every day. Now washing once a week, I almost never get greasy. Explain that science! I also can't see how long hair being attractive is unfortunate. Oh, and if hair doesn't react to temperature, then how come heat styling damages hair. Honestly! :rolleyes:

omg thaat so true- well that is like a lot of heat tho- but still whatever- u gotta think that these people still are promoting all "their" hair products so they are gonna say biast stuff

[HairFaerie]

Myth #3: A cold-water rinse makes your hair shinier.

Hairstylists love to spread this gospel. Their rationale: The icy water will make the cuticle of your hair close so it's flat (and light-reflective), not ruffled (and dull-looking). Your hair, however, contains no living cells -- it doesn't react to cold (or hot) water, says chemist Mort Westman. Use conditioners and styling products that contain silicones and oils to smooth the cuticle. And limit damage to your hair from straightening treatments, hot tools, and frequent dyeing.

I agree with this one. Hair reacts to water, period. Unless the water is boiling or unless you go into extreme freezing temps with wet hair and it freezes, then it might affect your hair badly....but I don't think final rinsing it cold makes a difference. I always get a lot of flak for saying that....but oh, well. I am going to stand by it.

The article says "hair does not react to hot or cold water". It does NOT say hair does not react to temperature! The temperatures have to be extreme to be damaging.

[CashmereHair]

A cold rinse gives me less steamed scalp after washing and minimize freeze

[spidermom]

Hair care is definitely not "one size fits all". Maybe it's my hair type, but I always had the uncomfortable sensation of a BBB shredding my hair and much prefer a paddle brush. Also - all washing my hair less often did for me was get me used to having less than fresh, clean hair.

[LadyCelestina]

The first three did have a point.
But sorry,the others are just plain retarded.:o

[CSallaround]

Hmm wondering how they came to those conclusions? I definetely feel a difference in greasiness depending on how often I wash and the BBB also gives me good results. I don't know about the type of brushes. I don't get a lot more breakage using a regular brush as long as I detangle thoroughly with my wide tooth comb first....


Well I thought - OK they got the 1st big myth right....then basically all you said here, washes and BBB, but hey! Men like long hair, UNFORTUNATELY? made me laugh :D

Hahahah me too xD

[SwordWomanRiona]

So plastic-tips brushes are good? Huh. Maybe they haven't stopped to think that "brushing breaks hair" because they actually use those horribly damaging plastic and metal brushes, now, have they?

And that last comment was outrageously patriarchal. I don't keep hair long because men find it more attractive, be that statement true (*unfortunately*, wasn't it? :rolleyes:) or not! :mad:

[sun-kissed]

So plastic-tips brushes are good? Huh. Maybe they haven't stopped to think that "brushing breaks hair" because they actually use those horribly damaging plastic and metal brushes, now, have they?

And that last comment was outrageously patriarchal. I don't keep hair long because men find it more attractive, be that statement true (*unfortunately*, wasn't it? :rolleyes:) or not! :mad:

And why in the world is #5 addressed to women only? None of the 'advice' was gender-specific [unless their scientists also concluded that there is a difference between male and female hair] yet the last comment did not mention how women feel about guys with long hair. :ponder:

[Mesmerise]

Well it started okay... but went down hill a bit from there ;) I do disagree that "breakage is what makes hair look thin on the ends"... for me that's due to natural taper, and also varying hair growth rate, not breakage!

The shampoo one makes sense... I would agree that hair doesn't get "used" to shampoo, but I still like to mix it up a bit on occasion!

Not sure about the cold water one... while hair doesn't contain living cells, it's not true to say it doesn't react to cold water or hot water differently. I am sure not everyone's hair is the same, though. Heat certainly has an impact on the majority of natural fibres, and I don't think hair would be an exception to this. However, whether an individual's hair is improved by a cold water rinse or not, is down to that individual's hair!

Errm disagree about the BBB... mind you my hair brush is a mixture of nylon bristles and boar bristles, and it works fine for me (as it should cause it's a Mason Pearson and it cost almost $100 over 20 years ago!!).

Umm suggesting that if you wash your hair less frequently "the buildup of dirt and oils" may stunt your hair's growth is a bit lol... those WO folks must get no growth at all!! I also disagree that your hair doesn't change when you start washing it less. A lot of people, particularly in their teens, get very greasy hair when they don't wash daily. This doesn't necessarily last for the rest of your life though!

And as for men preferring long hair *pfft*... Yes, lots of men do, but you can't lump all "men" in together and expect that they all prefer the same thing! I know of guys who prefer short hair on women. When I started going out with my husband I had short hair and while he may prefer it longer, he's never asked me to grow it or not cut it short (which I did one other time during our 17 years together).

But yeah, I do think I look prettier with long hair!

[Of the Fae]

I háve had shinier hair when rinsing with cold water. In addition I have had very positive experiences with oil distribution and a BBB

[Amber_Maiden]

agh... just wow. So much of that article is wrong.

[HintOfMint]

"Myth #1: Frequent trims make your hair grow faster."
Definitely a myth, I'm glad they address the fact that it is damage that makes hair seem that it is not growing when in fact it is breaking off.

"Myth #2: If you always use the same shampoo, eventually it will stop working."
Definitely a myth although, they didn't address the notion of buildup which I think is the main reason people think their shampoo/conditioner has "stopped working."

"Myth #3: A cold-water rinse makes your hair shinier."
Whether its true or not, thank god they said this. Women go through enough discomfort for vanity, we shouldn't have to feel guilty for not dunking our heads in ice.

"Myth #4.: For healthy hair, brush 100 strokes a day."
There is a lot of variety of hair and they all respond differently to brushing. I respond well to combing, and the tines on my scalp feels really good and I'm sure the massage helps. Brushing tears at my hair, whether its boar bristle or plastic bristle.

Myth#5.: If you shampoo less often, your scalp will gradually produce less oil.
Definitely a myth for most. Those who have had success in stretching washes and all that likely had an existing sensitivity to certain detergents and their scalp was reacting to an irritation by producing more oil. I sincerely doubt this myth is true save for a small minority.

"This one, unfortunately, is true: Men prefer longer hair."
Many women feel pressured into having shorter hair to be taken seriously at work. Not everyone has the luxury of not having a "work persona." Most of us have to give up a little comfort to make it in a certain environment. However, many of us like to be attractive to our partners or to men in general, but it's a bit difficult to do that if I feel the pressure to have short hair to be taken seriously at my job. I can't grow my hair out on the subway back to my apartment.
Also, if women are constantly told they can't have hair past a certain age lest it be seen as "mutton dressing as lamb," but are told men like longer hair, they read it as "men like YOUNG women with longer hair." Yay for more insecurities about perfectly natural conditions such as aging!/sarcasm

All in all, debunking these myths isn't so bad. They were more right than wrong.

[EdG]

"This one, unfortunately, is true: Men prefer longer hair."
Many women feel pressured into having shorter hair to be taken seriously at work. Not everyone has the luxury of not having a "work persona." Most of us have to give up a little comfort to make it in a certain environment. However, many of us like to be attractive to our partners or to men in general, but it's a bit difficult to do that if I feel the pressure to have short hair to be taken seriously at my job. I can't grow my hair out on the subway back to my apartment.Agreed, being pressured to have short hair at work is a problem. I knew that was a problem for men, but I can see that it is a problem for women as well. :(
Ed

[gthlvrmx]

Haha, if it's not living it doesn't react to temperature... I stopped there.

XD Yeah i hear you.

[SwordWomanRiona]

And why in the world is #5 addressed to women only? None of the 'advice' was gender-specific [unless their scientists also concluded that there is a difference between male and female hair] yet the last comment did not mention how women feel about guys with long hair. :ponder:

I agree! Patriarchy all over again. Apparently, men shouldn't wear their hair long :mad:

[Orangerthanred]

I agree about the brushing; unless you have straight hair, and even then brushes can cause split ends and damage. And I find the BBB are evil, nasty things that make my hair look like cotton..

I also agree about the cold water thing, my hair does not respond to cold water. Sometimes it actually gets poofier from cold water. :p

And by the way, not all women are spending every minute of their life trying to attract men- in fact, some of us are not even attracted to men. I don't care if men like my hair short or long. It's my hair.