Getting a head shave and sporting a bald look serves more as a style statement than a move to boost hair growth. Sporting a shaved head has been popularized and glamorized by pop culture to no end. While for some people it is also a great cover to conceal their hair woes by camouflaging it as a fashion makeover, getting a head shave will not ensure that you get a head full of thick and luxurious new hair!
An age old common belief is that shaving off all your hair results in healthier and thicker hair when they grow back. Very often toddlers have their heads shaved in the hopes that the new hair that will replace their peach fuzz hair will be thick and strong.
If you want to know whether there are any head shave benefits and if it really does make sense to get one, we bring you facts that will help you decide.
Read on!
Understanding How Hair Grows
Each human hair is made up of a hair shaft and a root. The root of the hair extends below the surface of the skin while the shaft extends itself above the skin’s surface. Around the root under the skin, the continuous blood flow leads to the formation of new cells. These cells combine and harden and push themselves above the skin’s surface forming a strand of hair.
When you get a head shave, you are eliminating only the part of the hair that is in its shaft and not the portion that goes through the root. Whatever is done to a hair strand outside of its follicle (the opening in the skin through which the shaft of hair emerges) does not alter the way it will grow back or its texture and color. A head shave will not give you thicker hair than before as your hair will still grow at the same rate and in the same way as it is conditioned to by your DNA.
Myth Busted: Shaving Head Does Not Lead to Hair Growth
When you get a head shave and the hair starts to grow back, you tend to notice it more carefully and closely. This makes you think that hair that is growing back is healthier and is growing at a faster rate. Due to the shorter length of hair, each millimeter of hair growth makes a dramatic difference in the appearance of the hair and thus, the misconception.
Moreover, the newly emerging hair will have a coarse and thick base which is much different from the softer tips of the hair you shaved off. This adds to the misconception. But this coarseness is temporary, and your new hair will soon resume the texture of your earlier hair.
Newly growing hair may look dark too. But this because it hasn’t been exposed to sunlight and pollution which tend to slightly lighten the color of your hair.
Hair growing after a head shave is definitely eye-catching but not really thicker or stronger. The only way in which the new hair growth can be considered healthy is because of the fact that it is brand new and thus not weathered or damaged making it look shinier and healthier.
Conclusion
No matter the reason behind you getting a head shave, sporting the shaved head look can be an interesting experience. What you need to keep in mind at this time is the practicality behind the move. If you want to notice the benefits of head shave in terms of thicker hair, then getting one will disappoint you. Despite the advancement in the field of medical science, there is no medication that can ensure a healthier hair growth post a head shave. A head shave should only be done for reasons like maintenance or style and not in the hopes of a thicker hair growth.
