Top 12 Hair Myths - DEBUNKED

Hair myths have been around for ages, and it can be hard to tell fact from fiction when it comes to taking care of your hair. I hear the same myths repeated in my chair constantly, and some of them are actually causing damage. The frustrating part is that these myths get passed down from mothers to daughters, repeated on social media, and eventually everyone just assumes they are true.

I'm Bri, a stylist at The Warehouse Salon in Fairfield. A client named Priya came to me completely defeated. She was a 38 year old marketing director in Montclair who considered herself pretty knowledgeable about hair care. She did her research. She followed all the rules she had learned over the years. And her hair was dry, breaking, and looked dull no matter what products she tried.

"Bri, I do not use heat," she said. "I air dry every single day to protect my hair. I brush it a lot to distribute the oils. I skip conditioner because my roots get greasy. Why does my hair look worse than my friends who do none of this?"

Almost everything she listed was either a myth or she was doing it in a way that hurt her hair instead of helping it. Over the next few months, we undid years of myth based hair care and her hair transformed completely. Here are the most common hair myths and the truth behind them.

#1: Trimming your hair frequently will make it grow faster

While getting regular haircuts can help keep your hair looking healthy and prevent split ends, it will not make your hair grow faster. Hair growth is primarily determined by genetics and hormonal factors, and no amount of trimming can change that. Your hair grows from your scalp, not your ends.

However, getting regular haircuts approximately every 8 to 12 weeks can help prevent split ends and keep your hair healthy. Split ends cause dryness, tangles, and breakage, which makes it difficult to achieve length. Trims help you keep the length you grow, but they do not speed up growth. For more tips, check out my blog on The Importance of Scalp Health and How to Achieve It.

#2: Using hot water to rinse your hair will make it dry and brittle

This one is partially true. Hot water can strip the natural oils from your hair, leaving it feeling dry and brittle. However, this can be mitigated by using a moisturizing conditioner like Aluram Moisturizing Conditioner and limiting the amount of hot water you use.

It is also a good idea to rinse your hair with cooler water at the end of your shower to help seal the cuticle and add shine. Priya was taking scalding hot showers and wondering why her hair felt stripped. Once she started finishing with cool water, she noticed an immediate difference in how smooth her hair felt.

#3: Brushing your hair 100 strokes a day will make it shiny and healthy

Priya's grandmother told her this one, and she had been doing it since childhood. The idea is that brushing distributes your natural oils and makes hair shiny. The reality is that brushing your hair too frequently or too vigorously can actually cause damage, leading to breakage and split ends.

Instead, try using a wide tooth comb to gently detangle your hair, especially when it is wet. Never rip through knots. Priya switched to a wide tooth comb and only detangled when necessary. The amount of hair she was finding in her brush dropped dramatically within a few weeks.

#4: Shampooing your hair every day is necessary to keep it clean

Shampooing your hair every day can strip it of its natural oils and lead to dryness and damage. It is generally recommended to shampoo every 2 to 3 days, or as needed based on your hair type and activity level. If you have oily hair, you may need to shampoo more frequently, but use a gentle sulfate free formula.

Here is the twist though. If you have oily hair and you shampoo too frequently, you actually train your scalp to produce more oil. Your sebaceous glands sense that oil is being stripped away, so they kick into overdrive to replace it. That is why some people feel like the more they wash, the oilier they get. For more on finding the right schedule, read my blog on What Is The Best Shampoo For My Hair Type?

#5: Going to bed with wet hair will give you a cold

This is a common myth, but there is no scientific evidence to support the idea that going to bed with wet hair will make you sick. Colds are caused by viruses, not temperature or dampness.

However, sleeping with wet hair can lead to frizz, tangles, and breakage, so it is a good idea to let your hair dry before bed. Wet hair is fragile and prone to damage. When you toss and turn on a pillow with wet hair, you create friction and stress on strands that are already vulnerable. If you must go to bed with damp hair, braid it loosely or put it in a silk bonnet to minimize friction.

#6: It is better to air dry your hair than to blow dry it

This was Priya's biggest misconception, and it was doing real damage. She had not used a blow dryer in two years because she thought heat was the enemy. Her hair was constantly frizzy, took forever to style, and looked worse than when she used to blow dry.

Many clients tell me they air dry to prevent heat damage and believe their hair is healthier that way. The truth is that air drying and blow drying do not cause damage in the way people think. Blow drying with the right products and protection actually seals the cuticle and makes hair look shiny and healthy.

Here is what nobody tells you about air drying. When your hair is wet, the cuticle swells open. The longer your hair stays wet, the longer that cuticle stays swollen and vulnerable. That swelling puts pressure on the protein bonds inside your hair, weakening your hair structure over time. This is especially dangerous in cold weather if you leave with hair wet or damp.

A hot tip is to always use a concentrator nozzle and rough dry your hair 75 to 85 percent first. Then follow the hair strand as it grows and do not put the air too close to your strands. This gives you a healthy blowout with no damage. After Priya started blow drying with proper technique and Moroccanoil Perfect Defense Heat Protectant, her frizz disappeared and her hair looked healthier than it had in years.

#7: Wearing a hat or using a hair tie will cause your hair to fall out

Wearing a hat or using a hair tie will not cause your hair to fall out or become damaged. These can actually protect your hair from the sun or wind. However, it is important to be gentle when putting your hair up and avoid pulling it too tightly, as this can cause breakage.

Priya wore a tight high ponytail every day for work and had noticed thinning around her hairline. If you wear tight ponytails in the same spot daily, you can develop traction alopecia, which is hair loss from constant pulling.

Instead of regular elastics, try scrunchies or claw clips for gentle styling. Switch up your hairstyles to prevent tension on the same areas of the scalp. Once Priya started rotating styles and using gentler accessories, the tension stopped and her hairline started filling back in.

#8: Grey hair is caused by stress

Going grey is a natural part of the aging process and is not caused by stress. While stress may accelerate the rate at which hair turns grey, it is not the root cause. Genetics and natural aging play a much larger role in determining when and how quickly hair turns grey.

If you are struggling with the appearance of grey hairs, techniques such as glossing or highlights can help blend them beautifully. Remember, going grey is natural and normal, and there is nothing to be ashamed of.

#9: Dirty hair takes hair color better than clean hair

This is an old myth that will not die. Dirty hair is coated with oils and product buildup, which creates a barrier that makes it harder for color to penetrate and achieve even coverage. Additionally, dirty hair is more prone to tangles, which can lead to uneven or patchy results.

To achieve the best color results, use clean hair. If you are concerned about scalp sensitivity during processing, let your stylist know and we can adjust the formula. Wash the night before your appointment and come in with clean, dry, product free hair.

#10: Hair color is damaging

Hair coloring done properly is generally not damaging. Modern hair dyes are formulated with conditioning agents and bond builders that nourish and protect hair during the process. Damage comes from overprocessing, leaving color on too long, or using products too harsh for your hair type.

Priya avoided color for years thinking it would destroy her hair. At The Warehouse we use K18 and Loreal Metal Detox to protect hair during color services. K18 is a molecular repair system that repairs hair inside out in just 4 minutes. The spray is misted in the hair before processing, then followed with the mask before and after toning. Metal Detox removes metal buildup from hard water and the environment for an even canvas. Priya's hair actually looked healthier after her color appointment because of these protective treatments.

#11: Oily hair types should skip conditioner

I have been told by many women with oily hair that they skip conditioner to prevent that greasy feel. Priya had skipped conditioner for years and her ends were dry and breaking while doing nothing to control her oil production.

The truth is oiliness is not caused by conditioner. Oiliness is caused by the overproduction of sebum from your sebaceous glands, and some people simply have more active glands. The fix is simple: only apply conditioner from your ears down. Your scalp does not need it. Your ends do.

Priya started using Aluram Moisturizing Conditioner on her ends only, and within a month her ends were softer while her roots stayed the same. She had been punishing her ends for a problem that lived on her scalp.

#12: Cutting your hair makes it grow faster

This myth is so persistent it needs repeating. Cutting your hair does not make it grow faster. Hair grows from your scalp, and cutting ends has nothing to do with how your follicles work. Trims prevent split ends from traveling up the shaft and causing breakage, helping you retain length, but they do not accelerate growth.

Stop Following Bad Advice

It is important to be mindful of the myths surrounding hair care. Priya spent years following rules that sounded right but were actually hurting her hair. Once we went through each myth and replaced it with what actually works, her hair transformed. She blow dries now. She conditions her ends. She stopped over brushing. Her hair has never looked better.

If your hair is not responding to what you are doing, the problem might be that you are following advice that was never good in the first place. Book a consultation and tell me everything you have been doing. I will sort out what is helping versus what is hurting. Follow me on Instagram @themanebri for more tips.

Book at The Warehouse Salon in Fairfield at 1275 Bloomfield Ave, Building 1, Unit 3 by calling 973-500-4536.

Your hair does not need 100 rules. It needs the right ones.