Anyone who likes hair care topics stumbles upon some myths about hair sooner or later. Some of them are especially persistent. Unfortunately, brands who have a big budget to spread their message propagate these myths. Those brands also make a profit out of people believing these myths.
I don’t want you to spend your money on false promises. So today let’s have a look at some hair care myths and facts, so that you can keep fact from fiction in the future!
Related: How to make your hair grow faster – the no BS guide
Disclosure: Some of the links below are so-called provision links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I can earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Hair myth: Hair products for split ends
Everyone who grows their hair out meets them sooner or later: split ends. And everyone wants to get rid of them. After all, split ends are literally a sign of that hair being broken.
Hair product brands make good use of our wish to heal split ends. They advertise products promising to reduce split ends by x%.
Why hair products for split ends are nonsense
Unfortunately, many ads don’t mention that products cannot actually “heal” the hair. All they can do is temporarily glue your hair ends back together.
This makes it temporarily look like your hair is healthier but under the surface, everything is the same.
At the same time, plastering your hair with products like that can actually make things worse in the long run. Building up layers and layers of product on your hair will make it look dull.
Related: Why do I keep getting split ends? Mystery solved!
How to deal with split ends instead
First of all, you want to take good care of your hair. Obviously. This prevents split ends before they develop.
Still, even with the best care, at some point, you will have split ends. That’s life.
Related: Damaged hair: a simple way to prevent it while sleeping
The only thing to really get rid of split ends is to cut them off. That is the truth. I get that many people don’t like it, but this is how it is.
Luckily, it doesn’t have to mean going to the salon every month and losing all your hair length. In fact, I get rid of my split ends at home regularly. All you need is a good pair of hair scissors (get them here!)* and some time.
If you are interested in doing it yourself, I wrote more about it in my post about how to stop split ends. Check it out!
Related: Do split ends stop hair growth? Or cause hair loss?
Hair care myth: Products for faster hair growth
When people want to grow long hair, they usually get impatient at some point. We want to get everything right now! And then our hair just doesn’t grow fast enough for our liking.
In this situation, many folks start searching for products to make their hair grow faster. And again, they find shampoos, tonics, and other hair products promising to make your hair grow faster.
Unfortunately, these belong into the realm of myths about hair care!
Why hair products for faster growth are B.S
The production of hair happens below the skin of your scalp. Your general health determines the speed and strength of your hair growth. Illnesses, hormonal imbalances, taking medicine or vitamin deficiencies can influence them.
Shampoos and other hair products that you can buy in the drugstore can hardly impact your health in that way.
First of all, the concentration of any active ingredients cannot be high enough to do anything, for legal reasons. Any over-the-counter products will be weak (and therefore safe!).
Second of all, to really work, the product would need to very long on your scalp. Way longer than a usual shampoo does.
Related: What are active ingredients in skin care? A bit weird!
How to optimize hair growth instead
Instead of buying products for hair growth, focus on your health. Make sure you have a “healthy hair diet” and that your hormones are balanced.
Hair is a luxury product of the body because we don’t need it for survival. So only when everything else is working fine will your body put resources into growing long and healthy hair.
Related: How to make your hair grow faster – the no BS guide
Hair myth: Cut your hair to grow it faster
Another tip that I see all the time is to cut your hair regularly to make it grow faster.
This one is a personal pet peeve of mine. This tip simply does not make any sense at all! It only makes sense for people who want you to cut off your length. (So that you can keep buying products for hair growth…)
Related: 5 reasons why your hair is not growing
Why cutting your hair for faster growth is nonsense
Once the hair grew out of your scalp, it is “dead matter”. It doesn’t know what you are doing to it. You cannot influence your hair structure anymore after that by eating healthy. Your hair lengths don’t suddenly turn white, because you are scared. Only new hair that will still grow.
Everything that influences your hair in any way happens BEFORE the hair grows out of your scalp.
So naturally, cutting off the tips of your hair cannot in any way influence the speed of hair growth. There is literally zero connection between the two!
The only way cutting does help with longer hair
There is one way in which cutting your hair can help with your plan of growing long and healthy hair. If you have damaged hair and many split ends, you might have to use a lot of force when detangling. (Because split ends tend to tangle more and build more knots.)
Using a lot of force when detangling, in turn, leads to more split ends and hair breakage. Hair that breaks off, doesn’t grow long, obviously.
So by regularly cutting out damaged hair, you keep your hair healthier. This helps with growing your hair longer.
Still, I recommend using the split cutting technique I talked about above. It helps with both objectives: getting rid of split ends and keeping your length.
Related: Cassia for hair – how to help your hair be strong!
Liked these hair myths and truths?
Whew. I really needed to get this off my chest. These hair care myths are bugging me, seriously!
If these misconceptions about hair care bother you, too, or if you’ve learned something new today: please share this with someone else!
*These links are so-called provision links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I can earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Thank you for actually being real with hair care. I can believe I fell for the others. This was refreshing