Hair: the most common misbeliefs

No, it is no longer right! This beauty tip originated in the times, when people did not wash their hair as often as today. Only brushes could help to combat dirt and dust. In addition to that, brush strokes distributed the fat over the entire hair, which resulted in glance and softness.

However, today we wash our hair almost every day. Therefore: do not exaggerate. Bad brushes and combs e.g. made of plastic can damage the hair structure and unnecessary stimulate the sebum production of the scalp skin. If the hair is long, split ends can develop in addition to that.

It is better to brush your hair shortly, possibly 2 to 3 times daily. This stimulates the blood circulation of the scalp skin and therefore supports healthy hair.

Only very harsh shampoos can stimulate additional fatting of the fatty hair. There is nothing wrong with applying mild antifat shampoo daily.

The male sexual hormone testosterone and inherited hair loss are interconnected but men with hair loss do not necessarily have too much testosterone in the blood. The hormone is solely more intensively activated through the hair roots and can therefore be harmful.

Right! A mixture of pigmented and pigmentless hair causes the optical impression of the grey tuft. A single grey hair does not really exit. It is either white or colourless. In the hair roots, there are colour-generating cells that slow down the production of colour pigment melanin and at some point stop it at all. Then between the hairs, which are still pigmented, white unpigmented hairs appear. Frequently this change begins on the temples and finally reaches the back of the head.

The hereditary predisposition plays an important role and influences e.g. the starting period for slowing down the production process. Regardless of this, a hyperacidity of the body and lack of nutrients resulted of it can lead to grey hair development. The UV irradiation of the sunlight can damage hair and thus foster the aging process. To put it shortly: no one is immune against grey hair.

Many women believe that the hair gets thicker, bristly and darker when it grows back after shaving legs. This is an optical illusion since the hair is cut at the thick point in the middle, whereas the hair gets thinner towards its end. Newly growing hair stubbles still have their full volume and therefore appear to be more robust.

However, why does the newly growing hair seem to be darker? Young hair still has its full content of melanin – only sun and cleaning products bleach them out with time. When the new offspring gets longer, everything is the way it used to be.

Do not worry: caps, hats, clothes, baseball caps and head coverings do not interfere with hair growing. The hair is supplied with nutrients and oxygen through blood circulation. It does not matter how much light and air comes from above to the hair.

No, on the contrary: if plucked too often, it can happen that the root is removed and no more hair grows. Therefore, eyebrows should be plucked only on the lower border, and you should not shape your eyebrows too thin.

If the hair is tied to a ponytail everyday, it can really break off at the beginning. So: please change the styling from time to time.

How strong the hair is, is determined by genetic factors and is not influenced by cutting. Still the hair seems to have more volume after cutting, since the thin and frayed ends are cut off. The length of the hair does not influence the hair loss; therefore, cutting hair short is not reasonable.

Those who get rid of their hair with the help of a razor, often have a feeling that it is thicker when it grows back. This impression is deceptive, since the hair gets thinner towards its end.

The growing cannot be accelerated by means of cutting either. The hair grows between one and one and a half centimetre per month or 0,35 mm per day -  no matter whether you shave it, cut it or let it grow.

Hair of the beard grows quicker, up to 0,5 centimetre per day. The hair under the armpits grows 0,3 centimetre a day. Eye brows grow significantly slower, 0,16 centimetre per day and have a natural “length stop” same as all body hair.

Special hair care products promise help, when hair ends split, but they cannot eliminate the damage. The external hair surface consists of seven scale layers that are laid one on top of the other like the tiles on the roof. When they ruffle up, the special care products works as glue and make the split ends stick together again. However, this has only an optical effect: the split can be eliminated only with the help of cutting the hair.

Washing and dyeing the hair too often is bad for the hair only in extremely rare cases, when they suffer from structural damage. In this case, seek your dermatologist’s advice. In the case of fatty hair, too harsh shampoos can cause a quick fatting. There is nothing wrong with using mild anti fat shampoos to wash your hair daily.