Reecie
Active Member
Ladies, I found this amazing article dealing with hair care myths/tips. Do you agree with the posting? Also, if you have other myths to add/solve...or even questions... please feel free to post!!!
Excessive Washing of Hair Causes Hair Loss/dryness
FALSE: Frequency of washing doesn’t harm hair. Wash it as often as you like, although the recommendation is three times a week. The right shampoo for your hair type and texture will actually add moisture, body and beauty to your hair.
More Shampoo = Cleaner Hair
FALSE: Don’t waste your shampoo! A dollop of shampoo, about the size of a quarter is usually enough for long hair. Very long hair may take a little more.
Conditioner Helps Repair Split Ends
FALSE: No conditioner can "repair" damaged hair. What it can do is smooth down the cuticle and make hair seem in better condition. A good conditioner can also prevent damage from occurring in the first place.
Blow-drying Produces Hair Loss
FALSE: Blow-drying can damage, burn or dry hair, which can cause it to fall, but the hair will grow back immediately. This is not permanent hair loss.
Sleeping with Wet Hair Causes Scalp Fungus
FALSE: Scalp or fungal diseases can’t be caught from sleeping with wet scalps. Scalp infections require prior involvement with infected sources such as humans, tainted hair care tools or animals. Scalp fungus (tinea capitis) mainly affects children, whose immune systems make them more susceptible to skin infections.
Cutting Hair Makes It Grow Faster and/or Thicker
FALSE: This common misconception comes from the fact that hair is thicker at the base than it is at the tip, so shorter hair appears thicker at first. Cutting your hair does not affect its normal biologically determined growth rate or overall texture. Thin, limp or fine hair will not ever grow thicker in response to a haircut. Plump up your hair by using volume enhancing hair care products, experimenting with a hair fattening blunt cut or getting a texturizing perm or color treatment.
Color Treatment Causes Hair Loss
FALSE: Most hair coloring products contain chemicals that can do serious harm to the hair itself if not properly used, but it wont instigate hair loss.
Salon Products are Identical to Drugstore Products
FALSE: Although there are exceptions, salon products generally contain higher quality, more expensive ingredients that are designed to consistently provide more intensive cleansing, moisturizing and conditioning results. The quality ingredients found in salon products are not usually found in drugstore brands. If in doubt – read the labels.
Long Sun Exposure Favors Hair Loss
FALSE: Your hair acts as a shield against the sun. Hair loss appears at the follicle level and so the sun would have to penetrate at this depth to do any damage.
Diet is Related To Hair Loss
TRUE: it's important to eat right in order to be generally healthy. However, no individual food has been proven to be beneficial or detrimental to hair.
Stress Causes Hair Loss
TRUE: Severe stress (e.g. surgery or a death in the family), can shut down hair production, causing temporary hairloss (alopecia areata). The scalp usually recuperates, though, and hair grows back.
Wearing Tight Braids, Ponytails or Buns Causes Baldness
TRUE: Traction alopecia is a very real hair loss condition that is quite common amongst older African American women. It results from wearing tight ponytails, cornrows or buns over an extended period of time. Over time, hair breakage or loss as the result of tight, stressed styles, can become permanent. Avoid this potential problem by opting for looser styles that minimize scalp tension.
Smoking Causes Gray Hair
TRUE: According to J. G. Mosley of the Leigh Infirmary in Lancashire, England in an article in Science News (January 11, 1997) smokers are four times more likely to have gray hair than non-smokers. Even worse, smoking has been conclusively linked to accelerated hair loss.
Dry Hair is Damaged By Too-Frequent Washing
FALSE: Hair is more likely to be damaged if it's left too long between washes. Not washing can cause the scalp's natural oil to be blocked, and unable to lubricate the hair shaft. As a result, hair can become dry and brittle. Things that damage hair include bleaching, coloring, styling and brushing when wet.
To Stop the Frizzies, Use Shampoo Only Twice a Month. The Rest of The Time, Rinse Daily With Conditioner
FALSE: Oil becomes rancid when it stays on the surface of the scalp, so regular shampooing is required to keep hair and scalp clean and healthy. Avoid frizzies by conditioning after every shampoo and try a leave-in conditioner, too.
A Rinse Out Conditioner Does Not Provide Benefits Because It is Rinsed Out
FALSE: Rinse out conditioners applied to your hair after washing will leave a deposit of moisturizing proteins and other ingredients on the hair shaft giving hair that is softer, shinier and better conditioned.
Blow-drying Hair Can Cause It To Smoke
FALSE: This strange myth has circulated in different variations for many years. On the rare occasion that hair “smokes” it is due to the evaporation of condensation on the hair from styling gels or similar hair care products.
Brushing Thinning Hair Makes it Fall Out Faster
FALSE: Although, brushing can damage hair (see above), as long as you use a good brush, normal daily brushing will not accelerate the normal loss of hair from the scalp. If your hair is suffering from a hair loss condition like alopecia brushing will only cause you to lose hair that is already ready to fall. Excessive brushing is always discouraged under any circumstances.
Gray Hair Can Only Be Covered With Permanent Color
FALSE: Depending on the percentage of gray hair that you have, you may be able to blend or cover the budding gray with a semi-permanent or demi-permanent blend that does not contain harsh chemicals.
Excessive Use of Hair Products Causes Hair Loss
FALSE: There are no known, (professionally produced) hair care products that cause hair loss. You may sculpt your locks with as much gel, mousse or spray as you desire. However, be careful of home-made remedies, or any product that you don’t know the contents of.
Eating Jell-O Will Make Your Hair Grow Faster
FALSE: According to dermatologists, there is no evidence that Jell-O will do anything for hair growth. Syncronized swimmers use Gelatin on their hair to protect against chlorine damage), but there's no evidence that it will stimulate growth.
Stress Causes Your Hair to Thin
FALSE: Everyday stress won't cause your hair to thin. The problem may be hormonal or nutritional in nature.
Standing on Your Head Cures Hair Loss
FALSE: Hair follicles need more than blood flow to grow hair. Standing on your head to increase blood flow to your scalp, may be great for your gymnastic skills, but will have no effect on your hair.
Split Ends Will Travel
TRUE: Uncut split ends can travel up the hair shaft towards the roots. Hair that is not tended to, over time, may develop splits that migrate and split all or part of the entire hair. Some ends can actually tear multiple times so that your split ends have splits.
Hair Will Always Remain the Same Texture
FALSE: Although you may be born with straight, curly or wavy locks, there are many circumstances under which your hair’s ultimate texture can be permanently altered. Pregnancy, medication, chemotherapy, age and other variables can cause your texture to be temporarily or permanently altered.
Excessive Washing of Hair Causes Hair Loss/dryness
FALSE: Frequency of washing doesn’t harm hair. Wash it as often as you like, although the recommendation is three times a week. The right shampoo for your hair type and texture will actually add moisture, body and beauty to your hair.
More Shampoo = Cleaner Hair
FALSE: Don’t waste your shampoo! A dollop of shampoo, about the size of a quarter is usually enough for long hair. Very long hair may take a little more.
Conditioner Helps Repair Split Ends
FALSE: No conditioner can "repair" damaged hair. What it can do is smooth down the cuticle and make hair seem in better condition. A good conditioner can also prevent damage from occurring in the first place.
Blow-drying Produces Hair Loss
FALSE: Blow-drying can damage, burn or dry hair, which can cause it to fall, but the hair will grow back immediately. This is not permanent hair loss.
Sleeping with Wet Hair Causes Scalp Fungus
FALSE: Scalp or fungal diseases can’t be caught from sleeping with wet scalps. Scalp infections require prior involvement with infected sources such as humans, tainted hair care tools or animals. Scalp fungus (tinea capitis) mainly affects children, whose immune systems make them more susceptible to skin infections.
Cutting Hair Makes It Grow Faster and/or Thicker
FALSE: This common misconception comes from the fact that hair is thicker at the base than it is at the tip, so shorter hair appears thicker at first. Cutting your hair does not affect its normal biologically determined growth rate or overall texture. Thin, limp or fine hair will not ever grow thicker in response to a haircut. Plump up your hair by using volume enhancing hair care products, experimenting with a hair fattening blunt cut or getting a texturizing perm or color treatment.
Color Treatment Causes Hair Loss
FALSE: Most hair coloring products contain chemicals that can do serious harm to the hair itself if not properly used, but it wont instigate hair loss.
Salon Products are Identical to Drugstore Products
FALSE: Although there are exceptions, salon products generally contain higher quality, more expensive ingredients that are designed to consistently provide more intensive cleansing, moisturizing and conditioning results. The quality ingredients found in salon products are not usually found in drugstore brands. If in doubt – read the labels.
Long Sun Exposure Favors Hair Loss
FALSE: Your hair acts as a shield against the sun. Hair loss appears at the follicle level and so the sun would have to penetrate at this depth to do any damage.
Diet is Related To Hair Loss
TRUE: it's important to eat right in order to be generally healthy. However, no individual food has been proven to be beneficial or detrimental to hair.
Stress Causes Hair Loss
TRUE: Severe stress (e.g. surgery or a death in the family), can shut down hair production, causing temporary hairloss (alopecia areata). The scalp usually recuperates, though, and hair grows back.
Wearing Tight Braids, Ponytails or Buns Causes Baldness
TRUE: Traction alopecia is a very real hair loss condition that is quite common amongst older African American women. It results from wearing tight ponytails, cornrows or buns over an extended period of time. Over time, hair breakage or loss as the result of tight, stressed styles, can become permanent. Avoid this potential problem by opting for looser styles that minimize scalp tension.
Smoking Causes Gray Hair
TRUE: According to J. G. Mosley of the Leigh Infirmary in Lancashire, England in an article in Science News (January 11, 1997) smokers are four times more likely to have gray hair than non-smokers. Even worse, smoking has been conclusively linked to accelerated hair loss.
Dry Hair is Damaged By Too-Frequent Washing
FALSE: Hair is more likely to be damaged if it's left too long between washes. Not washing can cause the scalp's natural oil to be blocked, and unable to lubricate the hair shaft. As a result, hair can become dry and brittle. Things that damage hair include bleaching, coloring, styling and brushing when wet.
To Stop the Frizzies, Use Shampoo Only Twice a Month. The Rest of The Time, Rinse Daily With Conditioner
FALSE: Oil becomes rancid when it stays on the surface of the scalp, so regular shampooing is required to keep hair and scalp clean and healthy. Avoid frizzies by conditioning after every shampoo and try a leave-in conditioner, too.
A Rinse Out Conditioner Does Not Provide Benefits Because It is Rinsed Out
FALSE: Rinse out conditioners applied to your hair after washing will leave a deposit of moisturizing proteins and other ingredients on the hair shaft giving hair that is softer, shinier and better conditioned.
Blow-drying Hair Can Cause It To Smoke
FALSE: This strange myth has circulated in different variations for many years. On the rare occasion that hair “smokes” it is due to the evaporation of condensation on the hair from styling gels or similar hair care products.
Brushing Thinning Hair Makes it Fall Out Faster
FALSE: Although, brushing can damage hair (see above), as long as you use a good brush, normal daily brushing will not accelerate the normal loss of hair from the scalp. If your hair is suffering from a hair loss condition like alopecia brushing will only cause you to lose hair that is already ready to fall. Excessive brushing is always discouraged under any circumstances.
Gray Hair Can Only Be Covered With Permanent Color
FALSE: Depending on the percentage of gray hair that you have, you may be able to blend or cover the budding gray with a semi-permanent or demi-permanent blend that does not contain harsh chemicals.
Excessive Use of Hair Products Causes Hair Loss
FALSE: There are no known, (professionally produced) hair care products that cause hair loss. You may sculpt your locks with as much gel, mousse or spray as you desire. However, be careful of home-made remedies, or any product that you don’t know the contents of.
Eating Jell-O Will Make Your Hair Grow Faster
FALSE: According to dermatologists, there is no evidence that Jell-O will do anything for hair growth. Syncronized swimmers use Gelatin on their hair to protect against chlorine damage), but there's no evidence that it will stimulate growth.
Stress Causes Your Hair to Thin
FALSE: Everyday stress won't cause your hair to thin. The problem may be hormonal or nutritional in nature.
Standing on Your Head Cures Hair Loss
FALSE: Hair follicles need more than blood flow to grow hair. Standing on your head to increase blood flow to your scalp, may be great for your gymnastic skills, but will have no effect on your hair.
Split Ends Will Travel
TRUE: Uncut split ends can travel up the hair shaft towards the roots. Hair that is not tended to, over time, may develop splits that migrate and split all or part of the entire hair. Some ends can actually tear multiple times so that your split ends have splits.
Hair Will Always Remain the Same Texture
FALSE: Although you may be born with straight, curly or wavy locks, there are many circumstances under which your hair’s ultimate texture can be permanently altered. Pregnancy, medication, chemotherapy, age and other variables can cause your texture to be temporarily or permanently altered.
For the most part I agreed with it, and it's pretty the same stuff that I read here on the forums. 
My hair line has gotten noticeably WORSE and thin over the years. I don't know if that's due to stress, or always pulling my hair back into buns. 
I don't think I pull my hair back tightly, but you know....after years and years of wearing buns, I can only imagine what effect it might be having on my hair. 
erplexed
