How many times did your mum encourage you to finish your sandwich by telling you that your hair would become curly if you ate all your crusts?

It’s been a couple of decades now and we can say with absolute certainty that our hair is no curlier than it would’ve been had we not hoovered up our crusts. Curl cream and a diffuser go much further than crusts – sorry, mum! 

Over the years, we’ve all been given more tips and tricks than we can shake a stick at when it comes to our hair. However, many of us have come to realise that some of them are more fiction than fact! That’s why we’re here to debunk some common hair myths to save you some time and energy when it comes to looking after your tresses.

Hair Myths: Haircuts Make Your Hair Grow Quicker

This is probably the most common myth out there when it comes to hair. Getting your hair cut on a regular basis will definitely keep your locks healthy, but it won’t make them grow any faster! 

Here’s the thing about hair, it grows from roots near the very bottom of the hair follicle. These roots are made up of proteins and receive nourishment from the blood vessels in our scalp. This creates more cells that result in hair growth.

When new cells are created, hair gets pushed further and further up until it moves past the scalp. Along the way, your new hair passes oil glands that will facilitate its growth. These same glands can also make your hair greasy, but more on that later. 

As our hair is all technically ‘dead’ anyway, a haircut definitely can’t do any harm. In fact, a haircut is a great idea, especially if your hair is a little damaged. It’ll stop split ends from spreading further and breaking even higher. So, if longer locks are a priority, you’ll need to give your hairdresser a ring.

Hair Myths: Cold Water Makes Your Hair Shinier

This is a myth we all need to stop believing – a blast of cold water at the end of a shower does nothing except make us uncomfortable! 

What’s the logic here then? Well, it was once thought that cold water closes the cuticle, which is the protective coating on the outside of the hair shaft. A closed cuticle is a flat cuticle, meaning, in theory, that it should be able to reflect more light and therefore make your hair shinier. 

As we mentioned earlier, our hair isn’t technically alive so it won’t really react to water temperature. It can still react to the products we use though. Because of this, you should still rinse whatever products you choose to use with warm water in order to get the most out of them (in every sense). If you’re thinking about using incredibly hot water on your hair… please don’t. As we all know, too much heat is always a bad thing.

Our scalp, on the other hand, does react to temperatures, with cold water having an adverse effect on this part of the head. When you rinse with cold water, the capillaries in your scalp constrict, which means the vital nutrients your hair needs to grow might not be able to make their way down to the hair bulb. Long story short, skip the change of temperature to keep your hair and scalp healthy! 

Hair Myths: You Shouldn’t Use Conditioner If You Have Greasy Hair

See, we told you we’d get back to everyone’s least favourite eventuality! Contrary to popular belief, greasy hair doesn’t come about as a result of conditioners, so avoiding this product won’t necessarily do you any good. 

In fact, greasy hair is actually down to the scalp’s production of sebum, a perfectly natural process that moisturises this area and balances its pH. Unfortunately, too much of this substance can make your hair look shiny… and not in a good way.

Here’s the annoying bit: washing your hair too often to combat greasiness can make the situation a whole lot worse. That’s because our scalp is just like the skin on our faces in the sense that washing it more often can make it even oiler. When our natural oils are stripped away, our scalp panics and tries to make up for the lack of oil by producing more to try and compensate. This sends our oil production into overdrive. 

Finding the balance between too much and not enough is tricky but it’s important to pay attention to your hair and how it reacts to what you do. A little natural oil is perfectly normal but you might find that your hair still feels greasy to the touch the day after you wash it.  If you’re really struggling, stick to conditioning the lengths of your hair as they’re probably drier anyway. This is because the ends of your hair get more damaged over time, drying them out and making them more porous than the rest. 

How We Can Help

Sometimes, there’s no harm in faking it until you make it. So, if you want to make your hair seem fuller and healthier, our extensions could be perfect for you. After all, there’s only so much you can do on your own.

At Flip-In Hair, we can help you create any style you like, and if it’s length and volume you’re after, we’ve got you covered. Make sure you check out our colour match service so your hair can stay as seamless as possible.

To find out more about us, or to purchase our hair extensions, visit our website today! You can also call us on (0)1926 659 500 or email admin@flipinhair.com.