Ever wonder whether those hair tricks youโve heard about really work or if theyโre just old wives tales? Weโve separated myths from realities.
One hundred nightly strokes with a hairbrush will make your locks healthier
Sleeping Beauty may have spent hours brushing her silky tresses, but in real life, excessive brushing causes split ends and hair breakage, says Mauricio Ribeiro, a hairstylist at B2V Salon in West Hollywood, Calif.
Donโt lay off the brush altogether, though; a minute of bedtime brushing distributes natural oils from roots to ends, helping you avoid an oily scalp and dry tips. Ribeiro recommends using a paddle brush with synthetic and natural boar’s hair bristles for optimal grooming. The nylon bristles grip the hair, and the natural ones impart shine.
A half-inch trim makes your hair grow faster
This is a common misconception, according to Allen Edwards, hairstylist to such celebs as Brooke Shields and Kirsten Dunst. A trim wonโt boost growth; however, it will eliminate split ends. And since the average head of hair grows at a rate of about half an inch a month, it won’t take long for the length to return.
Fresh lemon juice plus sun equals natural sun-streaked highlights
While the juice of a fresh-squeezed lemon will subtly lighten your locks in the sun, the combination of the lemonโs acidity and damaging UV rays will dry out your hair and may even make it brittle enough to break, says Ribeiro.
Instead, use an easy brush-in home highlighting kit or have your colorist add subtle highlights. A few streaks placed in the areas where the sun would naturally hit, like the bangs and small pieces around the crown, will create natural-looking sun-kissed tresses.
Mayonnaise can double as a great deep-conditioning mask
Yes, the oil, egg yolks and vinegar in mayonnaise will serve as an organic, natural conditioning treatment, says Diana Schmidtke, a Los Angeles-based hairstylist who has worked with George Clooney and Josh Duhamel.
Distribute the mayo evenly through your hair with a wide-tooth comb, cover your mane with plastic wrap and leave it in for 15 minutes. To help the mayo penetrate the hair shaft, run a blow-dryer over your hair for the last couple of minutes, making sure not to overheat the plastic wrap. Shampoo immediately afterward.
Sprinkling baby powder on thin, limp locks revitalizes a flat head of hair
“This is one of the oldest tricks in the book,” says Schmidtke. The powder will absorb hair oils and return a bit of volume to your mane. To avoid looking like Marie Antoinette, be sure to use only a pinch of powder. Or check out the aisles at your local beauty supply shop for colored powders.
Pull out one gray hair, and two will grow back
“The only thing that will make your hair more gray is worrying about the gray you already have,” jokes Edwards. In fact, gray hair occurs when melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells in your hair follicles, stop producing pigment. Genetics determine when this will begin to happen. Not a fan of gray? Apply a semipermanent color that lasts for six to 12 shampoos.
A cold rinse after shampooing leaves your hair shiny
Yes, you can shiver your way to shinier tresses, says Christopher Dove, co-owner of The Doves Studio in Santa Monica, Calif. Cold water flattens the hair cuticle, creating a smoother, more light-reflecting surface.
Sleeping on a silk pillowcase will decrease hair frizzies and keep your blowout intact
It can certainly help. โA silk pillowcase won’t absorb your hairโs natural oils or mat your hair while you sleep,โ says Schmidtke. โSo your style will have more staying power.โ
In addition, silk pillowcases can truly affect how many tiny creases your facial skin gets from lying on a pillowcase during the night hours. Natural silk decreases the formation of the fine lines on your face! Wow, double benefit from the silk alone โ hair and skin benefits! Who would have thought?!
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49 thoughts on “Learn About Hair Care Through These Top Hair Care Myths”
Good to know the truth now after all these years of hearing so many things about hair! Especially the one about gray hairs! I was told that for so many years! LOL
Wow, a plethora of cool tips, thank you! I’m going to get a silk pillowcase tomorrow!
a lot of things that I have heard over the years, couple of them I did not know Thanks
Thanks for the info
Cold water does not make hair shine. I read so many conflicting opinions because ideas change all the time. Do what works for you. All I know is that girl had a fake looking dye job. Keep away from extremes. It doesn’t look natural or good on anyone.
I love this post, very informative! I used to always put lemon juice in my hair when I was younger, never thinking about the damage it may have caused. I doubt I would ever want to try the mayo one though, yuck! ๐
I have used the baby powder trick and it definitely works! It’s a godsend for fine hair/oily scalp and helps me skip a shampoo.
This is very interesting – so many of the things that I thought were fact were wrong! But honestly, I don’t care how good it is for my hair, I’m not going to put it in my hair. Ewww.
I have heard mayo is good for you! LOL I never brush my hair that much, who has time for that! ๐
Wow! I’m surprised some of these are actually legit! Like the mayo- never wouldve guessed
I still always hear people say that regular trims keep your hair healthy & able to grow. Ironically, these people have hair that tends to get shorter over time. LOL
These are all great tips. I’m giggling about the 190 strokes. That’s a crazy amount of brushing!
lol, the myth about the gray hair is funny. Gray hair has nothing to do with growth and everything to do with gnees. You can’t stop it and frankly, should embrace it!
Thanks for separating the fact from fiction. The 100 brush strokes thing always reminds me of Marsha Brady ๐
Thanks for debunking these myths! I always wondered about a lot of them.
I have used mayo before as a hair mask. It really does work…the smell’s not so great, but it works! ๐
I definitely didn’t know about the cold water trick. That’s one I’ll try!
These hair tips are great. I got my daughter to read them too since she adores taking care of her hair so much. Thanks for sharing!
I just installed locs. I love my hair, when it was loose and now. However, I will not miss a lot of the fussing over it. LOL
This was super informative. I am going to try the mayo. I’d heard about it but wasn’t sure.
Thanks for breaking down the myths and misconceptions. I was one of those people who used to believe the half-inch trim makes your hair grow back faster – thanks for clearing that up for me.
So many great tips. I have naturally curly hair and it can be so vexing!
These are all great hair tips. I will have to try a few of these on my dry hair.
This is really helpful. I am glad to know that Mayonnaise can double as a great deep-conditioning mask, I remember seeing Julia Roberts do this in a movie once.
Good tips to have beautiful hair & to avoid hair loss. Very glad to know that some of these myths are not true! This is the first time I am hearing about this silk pillowcase tip. I am going to try this soon for sure.
This is interesting. A lot of things I heard growing up don’t seem to really be true, lol. Thanks for cleaning things up.
My aunt always used to tell me that for every gray hair I pulled, six would grow back. So far, not true *knocks on wood* that gray hair fairy needs to stay far away from me.
Thanks for the tips, my hair is super long and now I see some new things I want to try.
I have always wanted to try the mayo / coconut oil thing but have always been too scared. I have heard of most of these but a few opened my eyes! Thank you for sharing.
Love this!!! I predominantly use a boar’s hair bristle brush, but I do have one that has synthetic along with boar’s hair, perhaps I should use that one. I use coconut oil rather than mayonnaise, but I might give that a try. I really need the deep conditioning.
I hope the pulling of grey hair isn’t true. I sure do have a lot considering it’s supposed to be false. Can I blame the myth? lol
Wow, now these are the best tips I have read about taking care of my hair! My grandma told me about mayo so I knew that was true, and a friend of mine uses baby powder in her hair, but I had no idea about the cold water to make my hair shiny. Also I may have tried the lemon trick when I was a teen, LOL Foolish kid.
Hey, I still believe in some of those. Specially about the greys! lol
Thanks for these tips I always thought some of these were hocus pocus
My stylist always tells me that a trim will make my hair grow faster and it does seem like whenever I get a cut, it come back in no time.
This is the first time I’ve heard of the silk pillowcase tip. I will try it one time.
This is the first time I’ve heard of the silk pillowcase tip. I will try it some time.
I actually have heard of that lemon trick for lightening the hair, haha! I never tried though but I guess its worth a shot.
Great tips. I remember my mom used to brush my hair at night. She said something about brushing it 100 times made it soft. I don’t do this any more though.
Thanks for this tips. I would love to recommend this to my mom and friends.
I’ve heard about the mayonnaise before but haven’t tried it yet. I will soon. Great tips.
Beyond fabulous hair tips! Thank you for sharing!!!
My mother said that I should rinse my hair in cold water and each time I think of doing it, I stop… I hate cold showers.
Those are some great tips. I have always wanted to try mayo in my hair but don’t think I can stand the smell.
I always do the mayo thing. It actually works!
In high school I tried lemon juice. Never worked for me.
Well I’m glad that plucking out gray hairs won’t make even more come back, otherwise I would have almost a full head of gray hair by now ๐ I do try to use a satin pillowcase if I straighten my hair the night before – seems to help!
One time lmao an old friend of mine decided to do an egg mask but her water was too hot and she made scrambled eggs in her hair LOL!
I personally like sticking to good hair products. I can’t do the mayo thing it just sounds yucky to me.
The natural stuff I like is argan oil or coconut oil as a serum. Works very well but a tiny bit goes a long way! ๐
Good to know that some of these are not true! I do always trim my ends every 6 months though!