The good news? Plucking one grey hair will not cause two more to grow back.
The bad news? Worry can leave your hair turning silver. These are just two of the hair questions that experts at a leading hair brand say they are regularly asked.
Here, FEMAIL grills specialists at hair brand Roots Double Effects Hair to sort out the old wives’ tales from the facts you really shouldn’t ignore.
Constantly worrying going grey might make you go grey more quickly! But plucking those silver hairs out not
Shaving a newborn’s head prevents baldness in later life: FALSE!
This is false as baldness is genetic, and usually inherited – and anything that happens on the surface of the head will not affect the hair follicles.
Shaving a newborn’s head is unlikely to stop them from going prematurely bald in adulthood if that is what nature intended.
Cutting hair according to the moon’s cycle speeds up growth? FALSE!
One common Brazilian myth suggests that the moon cycle has a physical impact on numerous things, such as cutting hair in the first half of the cycle (between full and quarter moon) makes it grow more quickly.
However, there is no scientific evidence to substantiate this. In fact, cutting your hair regularly will help it to grow as the dead ends are removed to encourage growth.
Hair growth slows in the winter: TRUE!
One thing that does affect hair growth is cold weather.
Experts explain that our circulation speeds up in the warmer weather which boosts the follicles and in turn speeds up the growth of the hair. As the chill in the air arrives, the opposite is true in winter.
Myth! According to one myth shaving a baby’s head prevents baldness – but cutting your baby’s hair won’t affect the follicles
Ponytails can make your hair fall out: TRUE!
It’s tempting to throw your hair into a ponytail for a quick fix but if your hair is consistently tied back too tightly, the tension can damage the follicles and can cause permanent hair loss (or traction alopecia).
Experts warn that to prevent hair loss and thinning hair wearing it down or in looser styles to give your hair a break.
Washing too often makes hair fall out: FALSE!
Washing your hair regularly actually stimulates the scalp and promotes a better environment to encourage healthy growth.
Making sure you take care of your hair will help keep it strong, ingredients like procapil – found in Roots products – stimulates growth
Worrying causes grey hair? TRUE!
Adrenaline, the stress hormone, can damage the DNA that produce melanin. As melanin is what gives hair its colour, a loss of melanin could make hair turn grey.
If you pluck a grey hair, two more will appear: FALSE!
This isn’t true. However, over-plucking can lead to thinning or loss of hair, as it can damage the root and create scarring.
You shouldn’t dye your hair when you’re menstruating: FALSE!
There is a myth that the change in hormones during your cycle can affect how well the dye takes to your hair, but there is little truth in this.
You can dye your hair at any time of the month!