Hair-care advice often given spans a wide spectrum of opinions and beliefs—while one person tells you a certain product is good for you, another will tell you the exact opposite. How do we know what advice is reliable? What’s myth and what’s fact? 

Let’s take a closer look and set the record straight. The following myths are just that: myths. Here’s the truth. This knowledge may help you reinvigorate the quality of your hair and scalp health. 

“Color-Treated Shampoos and Conditioners Do Nothing” 

People tend to be weary of shampoos that state they treat certain types of hair, including dry shampoos, oily shampoos, and more. This includes color-treated hair shampoos, which are known to help hair that has been dyed. 

Truthfully, these products do work! Color-treated hair shampoos and conditioners help provide your hair and scalp with the proteins and moisture they most need helping to keep your hair strong, all while avoiding dryness. 

“Hair Should Be Washed Before Being Color-Treated” 

Some people believe that you should wash your hair before receiving color treatment, but it’s a bad idea. Instead, you should skip it the morning of your treatment. The natural oils in your hair will make it easier for your hair to accept the pigment; moreover, they will protect your hair from the more aggressive chemical components in colorants, including ammonia. 

“Fine Hair Doesn’t Need to Be Conditioned” 

Fine, thinner hair can become dehydrated just like thicker and curlier hair. To restore quality to dry, thin, or static hair, it’s best to use a densifying conditioner—a conditioner that will provide your hair with essential proteins to prevent tangling and promote the retention of hair moisture. 

“Dry Shampoo Is the Best Shampoo”

While there are claims that wet shampoos—the more common kind—do more damage to hair than dry shampoos, this isn’t true. Dry shampoos don’t clean your hair. Rather, they give your hair the outward appearance of being clean.  Washing your hair with common shampoos is a must, as they help to hydrate your scalp while cleaning it of unnecessary debris. 

“You Can Repair Split Ends” 

Split ends happen. Cuticles become damaged and the outer layer of the hair eventually ends up splitting. But while split ends regularly occur, they can’t be repaired—once a split occurs, it cannot be closed. If you’ve noticed split ends cropping up across your hair, it might be time to get a trim. This is the only sure method to remove split ends. 

“You Should Brush Your Hair Throughout the Day”

Too much brushing can cause serious damage. While it might spread natural oils more evenly across your hair and scalp, a poor hairbrush can lead to you putting too much tension on your hair throughout the day. Consider brushing your hair just in the morning, to both gently remove tangles and style it. Beyond that, only make minor fixes to your hairstyle throughout the day, as needed. 

“Get Regular Trims if You Want Your Hair to Grow Faster”

If you’ve been growing out your hair and are frustrated with the amount of time it’s taking, a close friend might tell you that you should regularly have your hair trimmed. After all, “regular trims help hair grow faster.”

Not true! The only difference that comes from regular trims are physical signs that make it appear as if your hair is growing faster. The lack of split ends and thinning ends helps your hair to look longer than it actually is. Unfortunately, it’s a matter of perception, not reality. 

“Cold Water Is Better for Your Hair” 

Cold water won’t give your hair the shine that many people have promised it will. The heat of the water you’re using to wash your hair won’t make a difference on how shiny your hair is. Either it’s shiny to begin with, due to the treatments you’re performing on it, or it’s not.

“Once You Begin Losing Your Hair, You Can Never Get It Back” 

While many people think hair thinning and balding make a losing game for your hair, with it never to return once it’s gone, this isn’t true. Recent advances in the field of medicine and technology have produced effective methods that treat hair loss by improving scalp health and regenerating thinning hair. Laser hair growth is the most common method employed by physicians, as it is a non-invasive, safe method that can easily restore your hair health in time. 

“Plucking a Gray Hair Causes More to Sprout in Its Place”

Hair loss often occurs as we age, but graying is the first sign many people see when aging. The old myth states that plucking a singular gray hair will lead to dozens more showing up in its place. This isn’t true. 

First, only one hair grows from each follicle, so multiple hairs will not show up in  place of one pulled out. Second, plucking hair will cause follicle damage, which will hinder future growth. Third, graying occurs as pigments die within hair follicles, so plucking and cutting won’t be an effective solution. Men, if your gray hairs are bothering you, consider trimming them down to make them less noticeable. 

“You Should Never Wash Your Hair” 

You should be washing your hair at least once a week and three times at a maximum. Your hair needs to have unnecessary debris and dead skin cells removed on a regular basis. These regular washes help to avoid product buildup and the accumulation of any potential irritants. Furthermore, avoiding all washing will lead to a buildup of natural oils, which can cause serious scalp irritation. So, it’s in your best interest to wash once every few days. 

Ignore the Myths

Hair health comes and goes by the decisions we make on a daily basis. But, with the right direction, you can effectively maintain the health of your hair, protecting it for the future.