cutting hair makes it grow

[Glamorous_chic]

i'm wondering how this myth started and why people still believe it. b/c if you really think about it, how does your scalp know that you cut your ends to cause your hair to grow faster?? sounds rediculous right?? i was thinking about this today. after visiting my local dominican salon, they had a sign that advertised cutting and trimming services. it said you have to trim your hair ever 6 weeks and if relaxed at every touch up, and this is the secret to growing your hair. i wouldnt have a problem if they didnt add the have to part and the part about thats what makes your hair grow. these are licensed cosmotoligist, they should know better. i understand trimming if/when u have split ends, which is why i dont agree with the every 6 weeks part either. but even if you have a head full of split ends, that wont make it stop growing.

i've also heard my friends say this nonsense and convinced another friend to cut her hair to make it grow. i tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't listen. anyways, just a random observation for the day.

 

[Ms.Christ3n]

I always thought it was because how fast your hair grows when you shave your legs or when men shave their beards. I think that is how the myth started.

ETA: It also could be that with the split ends and such, there is no retention because the ends are constantly breaking off. When your ends are healthy, there is less breakage and therefore your hair gets longer.

 

[Chrissmiss]

I think it has to do with retension and not actual growth from the scalp. If you are not trimming when needed then splits and breaking may become worse and you won't retain any length (or your hair won't "grow").

 

[song_of_serenity]

I noticed a friend's hair getting shorter and shorter...I BC and my hair is longer now than her relaxed hair. She says she gets it trimmed every touch up because it will "make it grow." I explained to her how it could be for splits etc, but cutting it won't "MAKE" it grow. She didn't believe me!

I asked her to explain how it works then, cutting at the ends "making" it grow. She couldn't. Just insisted on it because the hair dresser said so. :/ Yet in 10 months she's STILL neck length and even shorter NOW than it was then!! I asked her where the growth was then. No answer.

I also had a friend who insisted pulling her hair tight would make it grow faster because it was "pulling it out the root faster" This was in High School and even THEN I knew pulling your hair would do no such thing.

Yeah, it pulled it out the root alright.

 

[GeauXavi]

Exactly what the two ladies above said. Routine (not frequent) trims definitely keep your retention on point. Plus it looks better IMO. who wants to see nasty, uneven and chewed up ends?

 

[I Am So Blessed]

hey all i know is, cutting dont make hair growth. cutting evens your hair, and makes it look neater by getting rid of the splits. from now on untill forever, ill stick to just dusting and doing search & destroys. but NO CUTTING! *still mad at myself for cutting hair months ago!*

 

[SweetTea]

What made you cut your hair in the first place, Adora? The WL hair in your siggy looked nice and healthy.

 

[Glamorous_chic]

song of serenity, that is exactly how my friend is. her hair used to be longer than mine since i met her then suddenly it started getting thin and short. she decided to cut her hair to make it grow. the only thing now is that its just shorter and thin. the friend who convinced her to cut it still believes cutting and trimming is the only way to grow your hair.
i do understand trimming makes it look better and that split ends can break your hair off making it in essence shorter. what i dont understand is the belief that you have to trim every 6 weeks. that is what previously kept my hair the same length for years. until i decided to start questing and really thinking about it. if you dont have split ends every 6 weeks, why are you cutting. lol

 

[GeauXavi]

trimming your hair every 6 weeks keeps you at "maintenance" like if you are keeping a bob, or certain length...i like to dust every 12-16 weeks if I'm using heat, and I still have awesome retention.

 

[sleepflower]

I learned you cut it to make it grow for all the split ends that will travel up the hair if not taken care of.

It seems people who believe in this, if not out to make money by offering their "trimming" services, never bothered to learn how splits are made and how to protect against them...

 

[I Am So Blessed]

What made you cut your hair in the first place, Adora? The WL hair in your siggy looked nice and healthy.

thanks...
i dont know whyyyyyy!!!!!!!! *cries*

 

[13StepsAhead]

I've always wondered this. IMO it's just common sense that cutting your hair is not making it grow, it just looks better. I've argued down friends just behind the logic of it all.

 

[Tiye]

This is what was said when i was growing up. I don't know about the "making it grow factor" but I do know that if I cut my hair I have pretty rapid bounce back - i.e. say I cut 3 inches, before I know it the length is back and then some. But once that happens the growth will slow down to normal. So maybe I could utilize that idea - i.e. cut an inch to make my hair grow two but I never have. Maybe when I start wearing wigs I'll experiment with a swatch in the back or side of my head. As for how the scalp knows - our bodies are organic computing systems and we have sensors through out so in short don't assume your scalp is stupid.

 

[WriteCurl]

I remember when I was little, I thought that hair grew from the ends and not from the roots! Lol. But anyway, I agree that saying that cutting hair makes it grow. That's very misleading. It's definitely necessary for ur ends to be healthy in order to retain length, as many others have said, but it has nothing to do with how fast the hair grows out of the head! I will say though that sometimes when I get a good trim, I notice more length retention in the weeks directly after because my ends are so healthy and not breaking off. Just gotta learn how to keep those ends healthyonce you get them that way.

 

[silenttullip]

I have no clue on why people still believe it but my idea on how it started is for my hair if I don't cut my ssk's or split ends my hair kinda sheds more or just doesn't have as much growth BUT people took the necessity for some of us to trim and turned it all willy nilly.

 

[belldandy]

I know I get way better retention in the months following a trim

 

[FutureMD]

Yes, the issue is retention not growth. But trims are important, and we all have different preferences I guess but I've always been happiest when my ends are as thick as my roots and uniformly cut and the hair keeps so well...as in the only hair I lose is the hair that sheds. I mean, some people's hair can take more than other, and some people's hair does grow faster or is just thicker, but if you keep your ends healthy you will see more length add up but you have to figure out your own formula. I've had hair dressers who always cut my hair back to the same length (I think for their own sake), and some who gave me good deep trims every 6-8 weeks that still allowed me to see a lot of length quickly add up. So I'm happiest with regular trims or cuts from someone that I trust and that has always worked for me. I've never seen anyone with healthy hair not quickly grow it out after a major cut, but again, that hair that is growing is new and if it's not abused it is going to be retained nicely and the length will quickly add up. The people who see no retention are probably overdoing it with their relaxers, with heat, or something else. All of my friends who claim that they can't grow their hair refuse to give up the hot rollers or curling irons or frequent touch-ups, or aren't even good about conditioning or tying it up at night and won't accept that they need to find less damaging ways to keep a neat hairstyle.
there is a point when your cuticle is damaged and the hair is so weak that it will break off and you won't keep any length as your hair grows out from the root. Split ends will move up the hair shaft and snap off.

 

[Ms Lala]

I can't seem to keep the scissors out of my hair and it keeps me from reaching waistlength. I just bought a new pair of shears that I'm eager to try. It's like a disease or something and it definitely hasn't helped my growth or retention.

 

[Vshanell]

Cutting helps my hair retain, not grow.

 

[Bnster]

If I do not see evidence of spilt ends I am not cutting. Enough is enough with the SHS, I'll keep my old growth on my head and not on the floor.

 

[BostonMaria]

Whenever I'm on a diet I celebrate a lost pound by eating a hot fudge sundae. Somehow I can't lose any more weight and I'm stuck at 140 LOL I guess the same can be applied to cutting hair and thinking it's gonna grow LOL

 

[hillytmj]

Like everyone else says, I think it helps with retention but too much trimming will keep you from seeing progress. I think we can all agree with that.