10 Hair Myths: DEBUNKED
Did you ever play “Telephone” as a kid? If you haven’t, it’s a game where you sit in a large circle, and someone whispers a sentence to whoever is sitting beside them. That person then whispers what they heard to the next person, and so on and so forth until it gets to the last person. The original sentence almost always ends up turning into some wonky phrase that makes no sense. What started as a touching quote by Mother Teresa ends up being a dirty pun that you don’t want to hear around your grandma. It gets lost in translation. “Telephone” is basically a metaphoric way of showing how rumors get started.
We all know that rumors and myths run rampant, especially on the internet. You’ve probably heard one or two here and there. So, we’re going to debunk some of the most common hair myths out there!
Air drying is better than blow drying.
TRUE
Heat is drying and damaging. Forcing your hair dry with heat removes the moisture on the surface of your hair, as well as its natural moisture. This can cause the hair cuticle to become dry and brittle, resulting in breakage.
To save your hair from heat damage, allow more time between blowouts by using high quality products before styling. Save the Day by Bumble + Bumble is a heat protectant that also saves your hair from UV rays as well. Using dry shampoo is a great way to prolong your blowout another day or two. When you can’t squeeze anymore life out of your style, give your hair a bonus rest day by styling with a cute braid or bun like this!
*If you have extensions, blow drying is recommended for a sleek, smooth feel, and helps to blend your natural hair with the extensions.
Hair extensions are damaging
FALSE
There are damaging methods out there, but Platform Hair Extensions is not one of them. See our earlier post, Why are hand-tied extensions the best? for an in-depth comparison of extension types.
Hair extensions tangle easily
TRUE + FALSE
All hair extensions are not created equal. There are three main causes to tangled extensions:
- The hair is cheap.
- The hair is not properly taken care of.
- Incompatible/lack of hair product.
To ensure you don’t wind up with nasty matted hair, be sure to invest in good extension hair, and take care of it by following these instructions.
*Pro tip— Try using a water filter on your shower head to use the best possible water to maintain moisture.
Extensions thin out your natural hair
FALSE
Getting your extensions removed can cause the illusion of thinner hair, but rest assured, your hair is doing great. Possibly even better than it was before, thanks to your extensions protecting it from heat and weather. The illusion of thinner hair is caused by two things:
- All the natural hair that comes out when the extensions are removed. Everyone loses about 100 strands of hair per day on average. This is normal. The reason it seems to all come out at once when your extensions are taken out is because when they shed, they had nowhere to go. So they just chilled until the extensions came out.
- You got used to extra hair on your head. Taking all that luscious hair out at once can be a shock, and it can certainly trick you into thinking you’re basically bald. But nah... you’re good.
Trimming your hair every 6-8 weeks makes it grow faster
FALSE
This is a myth. But you’re not off the hook! Trimming your hair may not make your hair grow faster, but it prevents split ends and damage. Each strand of your hair is like a piece of thread. When thread frays at the end, it begins to separate and then it becomes a weak strand of nothin’ that breaks easily. Who wants that for their hair? To prevent this from happening, continue to get it trimmed every 6-8 weeks! Your hair will thank you.
Hair color is damaging
FALSE
We can only speak for professional hair color, which is usually fortified with conditioning oils and applied by a professional. Permanent hair color opens up the hair’s cuticle just long enough for the hair to change colors. The cuticle then closes back up and the hair is brought back to a normal, balanced pH level.
On the other hand, lightener can be damaging if not used properly. This is why it’s extremely important to have your hair lightened by a licensed professional who has access to conditioning additives such as Olaplex while taking you on your journey to a blonder you!
Moral of the story: ALWAYS GO TO A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL FOR HAIR COLOR
Not washing your hair is good for it
FALSE
You should wash your hair. Not washing it results in build up at your scalp which can block follicles and affect hair growth. Plus, you’ll probably stank.
That being said, there is a limit to how often you should wash your hair. Washing it too much can be damaging. It strips the hair’s natural oils which can make your hair frizzy and dry. Those with thick, coarse hair can generally go anywhere from 3-7 days without washing. People with finer textured hair can usually only go 2-3 days (unless they’re really lucky!)
Drugstore shampoos are just as good as professional shampoos
.
FALSE
SO false! There’s a reason drugstore hair products are so much cheaper. They use harsh chemicals, and they’re very watered down. They leave a big fat layer of crappy buildup all over your hair. They use harsh ingredients, like cetyl alcohol, which turns into waxy white flakes when it’s at room temperature.
You don’t need to spend a fortune on professional hair products. There are super expensive ones out there, yes, but there are reasonably priced ones as well. Professional shampoos may cost a bit more, but they will help to maintain the investment you made in coloring your hair, help to keep it healthy, and because they’re concentrated, they’ll last longer.
Pure coconut oil is good for your hair
FALSE
It’s not necessarily bad for it, but it’s not really beneficial either. If your hair is damaged, coconut oil will seep into your hair’s pores and just sit there like a bump on a log preventing water and good, restorative products from getting in.
If you’re looking to give your hair a little TLC, Masque Therapiste by Kerastase is a great hydrating, nutritive mask to try out.
You can repair your split ends with product
FALSE
Nah, girl. Once the hair is split, it’s split. You can sort of stick it back together to try to prevent it from getting worse by using products like Repair Blow Dry by Bumble + Bumble, but the only way to truly get rid of split ends is to cut them off.