As I am
sure you have heard, if you
cut your hair frequently your hair will grow in faster, longer, and
healthier.
Gobbledygook!
This myth came
from the observation of men's facial hair. As they shaved, the
facial
hair would indeed grow in thicker. Its called, 'puberty.'
This is
because certain male hormones
affect facial hair in that manner. They do not affect the hair on
the head in the same way.
Advertising
To the
contrary. Male hormonal
activity is what leads to hair thinning and loss on certain parts of
the
head, but not all. Hence the familiar balding pattern known as 'male
pattern baldness.' This same hormonal activity also affects
women,
but not until much later in life, and in a different pattern.
Cutting your
hair only makes it shorter,
does not affect the growth
rate one iota, and cannot determine the length that your hair will
grow to. Maximum hair length is determined by the shape and width
of the hair shaft, and that is determined genetically and is not
alterable
with current technology.
Lastly, hair
is neither healthy or
unhealthy. It is in fact, dead. Else, it would really hurt
to cut it. It is the health of the hair follicle below the outer
skin that requires nutrients for good health, and deminished adverse
hormonal activity.
So, unless
you have split ends or
chemically damaged hair, the only need to cut your hair is for the look
that you want.
A few things
that you can do to ensure
that your hair follicle remains healthy and your hair is undamaged, are:
1. Take
an inexpensive daily
multi vitamin such as 'One-A-Day' or even 'Flintstones.' Your
hair
likes zinc and biotin and both of the above mentioned vitmins contain
ample
amounts of these. Don't waste your hard earned money on 'super
vitamins.'
Your body only requires so many vitamins per day and simply discharges
the excess. You can't put twenty gallons in a ten gallon
tank.
In some instances, over dosing on supplements can actually be fatal.
2. Do
not over brush your hair.
With every stroke you damage your hair more. Brush only as much
as
you need to style your hair, then stop.
3. Buy
a good quality brush
or comb without sharp plastic or metal ridges. This is one of the
common factors leading to split ends, as is over brushing.
4.
Don't be penny foolish.
Buy good quality salon
products. The chemicals used in many if not most over the
counter
shampoos and conditioners, contain very harsh ingredients such as
'ammonium
laurel sulfate' which can actually dry your hair out, and cause
breakage
and split ends. Even worse, many contain a form of silicon, and
that
can be very bad for your hair.
5.
Don't constrict your hair
with tight bands, hats, braids and the like. These also lead to
split
ends and hair breakage.
