4 hair myths that you shouldn’t believe

We’ve all grown up being told all sorts of fibs about what we should and shouldn’t do with our hair, by parents, grandparents, and family friends. On top of that, there are the hair myths that were passed around the school playground as a fact, which we never even thought to question as children. But which of these myths were nothing but that- a myth? We’ve taken a look at the most popular hair “facts”, to find out the truth.

Myth 1: Eating crusts makes your hair curly

FALSE

There is, unsurprisingly, no medical evidence to support the myth that eating bread crusts will make your hair grow curly. Where this crazy idea came from, we don’t know. There is higher concentration of nutrients in the crusts of bread, so they’re definitely worth eating purely for health reasons, but if it’s curly locks you’re after, it would probably be a wiser idea to get the curling tongs out or get plaiting.

Myth 2: Brushing your hair 100 times a day makes it healthier

FALSE

How many of us actually believed this to the extent that they would sit in front of the mirror every morning, meticulously counting to one hundred with every stroke of their hairbrush? Looking back, this was probably just a plot by our parents to get us to brush our hair properly every day, because brushing excessively can actually pull out hair that wasn’t ready to fall out naturally, and is damaging to the scalp. Hair brushing should be for styling only.

Myth 3: Cutting your hair every 6 weeks makes it grow faster

FASLE

Although there is some logic in this myth, the frequency of your trims has nothing to do with how fast your hair grows (which happens at the roots, remember). Cutting your hair more often would only ensure that your ends were tidy and even, and prevent split ends and breakage, which would hinder hair growth.

Myth 4: Stress gives you grey hair

FALSE

“You’re making me go grey with the stress!” is one we’ve probably all heard our mums say at some point during our childhood (or if you are a mum, you might even be guilty of saying it yourself). The truth is, stress doesn’t affect your hair colour in the slightest- graying is determined by genetics and aging. As you age, you produce less melanin, which is responsible for the natural colour of your hair, hence the gray.