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Finding out that shampoos didn't damage hair was one of them.
Also finding out that dandruff shampoos were harmless was revolutionary for me. Modern shampoos do not damage hair and actually contain conditioners. As I am not afraid to eliminate my dandruff problem now.
Or this one
You can go without shampoo and only wash in water and it will be just as good as without shampooing.
Truth is in Classical Europe they used to do this and they had to use olive oil and talcum powder to achieve the same clean effect. It was not uncommon to shake out your hair and have bugs fall out. Also not washing your hair contributes to seborrhoeic dermatitis a severe form of dandruff.
I think some of that depends on your hair texture. I'll agree shampoo doesn't "damage" it in the sense that bad handling will, but washing it every day can really dry it out. That's probably cause mine is a mixture of fine and very fine, and it might not afflict other types. Same with washing in only water, I tried it as both a once-off and long term, and on both mine was very greasy. It wasn't my method, as I found out how to do it from the LHC, but my fine hair gets stuck together very easily.
Haircare myths? Wow...I would say that after trying biotin supplements back in 2000 and seeing no results as to it speeding up my hair care growth (I was very meticulous about my hair back then and regularly measured my hair growth and charted it) that I found that to be a waste of money.
Marty
Well in classical Europe they had a life expectancy of 52 which was a dramatic improvement from Dark age Europe when you were lucky to hit 40. I imagine hair care has improved as well since the dark ages.
Kevin
I was told by a friend of mine that cutting the ends of your hair will make it grow faster.
I actually believed her at the time, too.
Yeah, I bought into that one too for a long time, even though it made no logical sense to me.
My other "favorite" is that there are vitamins/supplements you can take that will make your hair grow faster--nonsense!!
Pixie dust does wonders for hair growth I hear.
Kevin
I also believed that. I convinced myself that it made sense because the follicle is used to more weight on it, so when you cut it, it wants to grow faster to weigh the same as it used to. It was all false though.
You must shave your head if you want your hair thicker...
LOL!
Whether your hair is 'dirty' from dirt, oil and dust or just
from a build up of conditioners and other hair products,
the fact is that the hair can end up looking dry and straw-like
or very greasy-looking.
As people age, oil production goes down, but ask anyone who works in a nursing home and they will tell you that
even the elderly will begin to have bad odors about the head if they go
too long without shampooing.
Of course there are rare exceptions, but most people--especially guys who tend to sweat more--need to have a hair cleansing routine.
How many of you heard that you (ok, it was for women, but with long hair) should brush your hair X-number of strokes every night?
I actually did some damage by doing that, with the wrong type of brush.
There is some truth to this. If using a boar bristle brush, or something similar, it can be beneficial to brush quite a lot, as it helps distribute the oils of the hair evenly, which tend to build up at the roots and leave the ends dry.
Yes, you need to brush some, but the "rule" I heard was 100 strokes. It also didn't say what TYPE of brush, and over the years, boar bristle brushes have fallen out of fashion. To give each section 100 strokes with a plastic brush is damaging, and won't do the beneficial work, anyhow. And, even with a natural brush, that's a LOT of stress.
The idea that anything "natural" has to be best keeps going like the energizer bunny. The problem is that like a lot of ideas that never die, there's a kernel of truth to this, in the sense that in a few cases, natural really is better, but people who buy into the notion that everything natural is always better take it to an unthinking extreme. Yes, fresh fruits and vegetables are better than a Hostess Twinky. No, mineral motor oil is not better than synthetic. See? Some discernment has to be employed.
So, in hair care, we have the idea that never using any shampoo must be better because it's natural--people didn't bother with shampoo thousands of years ago so it must be good right? Interestingly, those who go this route never seem to be interested in not washing other hairy areas of their bodies--why the scalp deserves different treatment is something I've never been able to figure out.
Then there are the all-natural shampoos. I've tried some of them and they're close to awful. Some contain various mint extracts which have a scent and provide the user with a tingling sensation so you feel like something is happening, but these extracts are for some people, a scalp irritant.
Next is the idea that silicones in conditioners are harmful. I've never been able to figure out where this came from and how it got started, but it continues to get passed around unquestioningly, like all the other internet myths--the NASA Moon landing hoax, 9/11 Truth, etc. etc.
Anyway, it was a good question; thanks Kenneth for asking it.
The government is not telling the truth about 9/11 that is what we can be certain of.
Well, shampoo strips hair of sebum, and the hair and scalp counteract by producing more; so by shampooing you're causing oil buildup. Certainly, people have always had methods of cleaning their hair, but none as harsh as shampoo, which leaves it unmanageable and dry, and leaves your scalp overproducing sebum. While being _completely_ natural is not really beneficial, people do rely too much on drugs and synthetic products, when there are hundreds of more natural means of accomplishing a desired result.
Then these synthetic products have side effects which can be worse than what the drug was treating in the first place.
Modern technology and medicine are a little absurd. Cure any simple ailment with a pill that will cause twenty more ailments. Makes sense to the capitalist mind.. keep them buying more and more drugs, yet at the same time taking the taxpayers' money to lock up those who use the few drugs that the government does not allow. Such a double standard... but I digress, people assume that the most technological means of accomplishing a result is the best. That doesn't mean that going completely natural is the answer; however, following Occam's Razor, a simpler method is usually preferred. For instance, why go out and buy expensive shampoo when baking soda and vinegar suffice, as well as dozens of other methods that work equally well, and treat the hair better than shampoo? Or why go buy expensive heartburn medication when it can be remedied by countless herbs and bases? Consumerism, consumerism...
Well, keep in mind that the other hairy areas of the body tend to be incubated and prone to sweat, moreso than the scalp, anyway. In my opinion, people shampoo way too frequently. Most people I know shampoo their hair EVERY SINGLE DAY. To me that is absolutely nuts. Then again, many people shower every day (or even several times a day) even if they're not dirty, just as a routine. Personally, I shower when I feel I'm dirty, not being obligated to shower just for the hell of showering daily.
Maybe with the type of hair you have you don't have to wash it daily. Personally my hair appears greasy if not washed daily; it would be crazy to go around with dirty greasy hair just to say you don't wash every day.
Same with showering. Some of us are extremely active, and have to shower daily or even twice a day in the summer during extreme heat.
You have to do what is best for you. Others have to do what is best for them.
What is nuts is to expect everyone to match your habits.
Ok, well what I was really trying to say is that many people feel the need to comply to a social norm regardless of their own situation. For instance, if I tell people I don't usually shower daily they'll tend to think I'm revolting, when otherwise they would not have even noticed. As with shampooing, many people I know shampoo daily just because it's what they feel is expected of them, even if it makes their hair straw-like and dry.
Like how how people think of us longhairs as hippies and potheads just because we have long hair-- people comply with the normal ideology of society without any questions, and any deviation is considered disgusting or unsettling at least.
Of course everyone will have their own habits... I suppose I was a little too tired to get my point across fully when I wrote that first response, but many people's 'habits' are created by just doing what they are told and complying without question or reason, rather than by a real need to do so.
<<<: : So, in hair care, we have the idea that never using any shampoo must be better because it's natural--people didn't bother with shampoo thousands of years ago so it must be good right?
That's not true. There's no way a shampoo can directly stimulate oil gland production--topical surfactants do not do that.
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Not all do that.
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Well, this is a general statement and like most myths is based on a combination of facts and fiction. There have been many many double blind tests of natural remedies--none as far as I know have ever shown them to be effective.
<<<: Then these synthetic products have side effects which can be worse than what the drug was treating in the first place.
Do you have any sources for all of your statments? Here's one I have: http://www.quackwatch.com
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The original myth which you have lost track of was the idea that never cleansing the scalp (i.e. water only) is somehow a good thing.
<<<: : Interestingly, those who go this route never seem to be interested in not washing other hairy areas of their bodies--why the scalp deserves different treatment is something I've never been able to figure out.
I agree, but that's not what this is about. This is about never washing the scalp with anything but water. Perhaps I did not state that clearly before. I apologize for that.
Ok I don't know this for a fact, but I've heard it again and again, and I've noticed from my own observation that the more frequently I shampoo, the more quickly my hair will become greasy and chunky. It's like how a woman will produce milk as needed for her child; many women with babies will lactate upon even hearing a baby's cry. It's a similar concept to the oils of the scalp. I don't really have any scientific backing behind it, but it's what I've noticed from my own observation, and heard from numerous sources (though I'll be the first to admit that what's often circulated amongst society as truth is seldom actually true).
Well, most shampoos totally strip the oil from the hair, and then one must use conditioner to reapply artificial oil to the hair to manage it and keep it from frizzing and tangling.
I disagree. Modern medicine has only been around for so long. People have used natural medicine for millenia, with decent success. Certainly, for illnesses that require antibiotics and such, there is no real safe alternative, but people tend to buy all kinds of crazy unhealthful drugs just to cure a simple ailment like a cough, headache or sore throat.
Yes, watch television for five minutes. You'll see a drug commercial. It's pretty common to see a drug that will, for instance, help the pain of arthritis, but at the same time side effects could include lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes) or death, and who knows what else. I see so many drug advertisements every day which have some pretty horrible side-effects. This prompts people to go out and then use drugs to cure the side-effects, and so on.
Well, I do agree with this. Water cannot remove all of the dirt and other stuff that can get caught in hair, but people tend to cleanse more often than is necessary, and using harsh shampoos for even a regular cleansing, when they should really be reserved for a deep cleansing.
Right. I suppose my response was a little harsh and very rantful. I wrote it right before going to bed, during the small hours when I was very tired. I got lost in thought and travelled pretty far from the original statement. But yes I do agree that washing with only water is not an adequate means of washing the hair, however I stand by my argument that shampoo is overused, especially when something as simple as baking soda suffices, without all those chemicals, and leaving the hair with a natural and healthy oil coat, instead of being stripped bare of its oils.
Don't forget that ultimate internet myth....that men
should have short hair.
If you have curly hair and you cut it, it will grow back straight.