Let’s say there were some light marks of facial hair on your chin. Would shaving this hair (or trimming any other hair) make it grow back quicker and thicker? Although this is a common belief, cutting your hair every week would not make hair grow back any quicker than cutting your hair every month. In the case of the hair on your head, while removing your split ends does promote healthier hair, it does not increase hair growth, which is predetermined genetically.
The myth might have originated from the observation of shaving facial hair during puberty. As many people start shaving at an early age, their hair is still lightly coloured or not growing at the rate it will eventually reach. Since hair is actually darker and rougher at its roots, removing the tips may give the look of coarser hair. As a result, this creates the illusion of faster growth and increased thickness.
Photo Courtesy of Flickr commons by Illusive Photography
If this myth were to be true, then getting regular trims, as suggested by your stylist, would be a sufficient method to ensure speedy hair growth. Paradi Mirmirani, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California contradicts this and says:
“Cutting the ends of your hair doesn’t affect the follicles in your scalp, which determine how fast and how much your hair grows. Hair grows an average of a quarter-inch every month—whether or not you cut it.
While choosing to shave or get that haircut more frequently might not affect hair growth rates, there are other factors that do have an effect. Elizabeth Cunnane Philips, a trichologist at the Philip Kingsley Clinic, supports this by saying,
“The rate of growth can be influenced by any number of variables, including general health, dietary habits, and endocrine function including thyroid, low iron or anemia. All of these have the capacity to influence hair growth and loss cycles.”
However, it does not mean one should not get a regular trim. On the contrary, such trims get rid of split ends, which reduces breakage and prevents hair from becoming frayed. This is important because getting rid of breakage makes hair to appear thicker and longer.
In short, cutting hair on any part of your body only makes it shorter, does not affect the future growth rate or even change its texture. So for you guys out there, shaving your facial hair won’t help you grow out your beard. For the ladies, cutting your hair regularly won’t help your hair get any longer faster either.
For a short clip that has Philip Kingsley himself summarizing everything:
Leticia Munoz
