10 Hair Myths You've Probably Believed

What’s true and what’s false?

We’re cracking some of the most popular hair myths.

Can anyone else remember their first experience reading and applying “beauty tips” from a magazine? 

It seems as if we were all somewhere between the ages of 10 to 11 years old, fully on a haircare and beauty rampage, and not at all aware that *sometimes*, those magazines get it completely wrong.

And I mean completely wrong. 

We’ve all done it - we’ve heard or read some beauty tip that sounded perfectly legitimate (albeit not at all backed by research or credibility), and we’ve given it a shot. We might have even figured, “hey, I don’t notice a difference to my hair, but they said it works. So I’ll keep doing it!”

As your resident hair expert and product lover, I’m here to clear up 10 hair myths you’ve probably believed, and might have even found yourself loving and living by.

 Because at the center of it all, we just want some really, really great hair. 

Let’s get started!

Myth #1: Don’t wash your hair before a color service.

False ❌

Is this true? Not at all! Yet, we hairstylists find that this might be the most commonly believed and followed advice. 

You might be wondering, “Michaela, if that’s not correct, where’d it even come from?” Well, years and years ago, chemicals that were used to formulate hair dye were incredibly harsh. Not washing one’s hair prior to a color service actually created a protective layer of build up and oils that rested between the scalp and color chemicals. Essentially, dirty scalps were the only way to increase scalp protection around hair coloring time. 

As with many things, color and dye formulations have progressed immensely, aiding in them becoming more gentle. So, dirty scalps can actually do more harm than good - if your hair is left dirty to the point where the oil is transferring down the hair strand, it can prevent the color from doing its work.

So, how do you properly maximize your upcoming color appointment? Don’t wash directly before your appointment - scrubbing your scalp can open the skin slightly and cause some irritation when color is applied. I always recommend washing 1-2 days prior to your salon visit!

Myth #2: “Quality” color work doesn’t need aftercare or treatment to last.

False ❌

The long and short of it is that only good hair care products can help to protect your investment. You’ll want to maintain the health of your hair by taking care of it at home, as well as coming in for regular gloss appointments to maintain your color.  

Myth #3: Plucking grey hairs will make more appear.

False ❌

Thankfully, plucking those stray grey hairs will not lead to the appearance of more grey hair. This myth may have been born from the fact that as those new (and obviously shorter) hairs grow in, they stick straight up. This makes them much more obvious, and can lead to the appearance of additional grey hair growth.

Keep in mind - I have nothing against plucking those pesky hairs if that’s the route you prefer to take. Just remember that if that hair is plucked or removed during a certain portion of its growth cycle, it can permanently damage the follicle, preventing it from growing hair properly in the future. 

Now, this might not be a big deal with a few greys, but as more begin to grow in over time (and with many women feeling concerned about hair loss with age), I would avoid this practice in order to keep the follicles functioning at their healthiest.

Myth #4: Once you start covering your greys, you can never go back.

True AND False ✅❌

This one’s a tiny bit more tricky - if you use a permanent, full coverage hair dye, there will be a definitive line when your hair grows, delineating your grey hair, from your dyed hair. This leads many women to continuing to color and cover their greys, although they might not necessarily “need” to.  

An alternative option for full grey coverage would be a semi or demi permanent color with a lower percentage of coverage. All of your greys would remain covered, but being that a semi or demi dye is being utilized, only a percentage of a tint is being put on each of your strands. The best way to think of semi or demi permanent hair color is to picture the dye as a slight tint on your otherwise white or grey hair (I like to reference the coverage of a red lip-gloss versus a red lipstick). Those grey hairs are certainly still there, but they’re a lot less noticeable - and as an added bonus, when they grow out, you’ll notice a far less harsh line of delineation and outgrowth. Many women opt for a semi or demi permanent color and regular glosses when transitioning to naturally grey hair as well, because of how much less noticeable the blending process can be! 

Myth #5: Coloring your hair as a teenager can (and did) change it permanently.

False (thankfully!) ❌

Okay, so this *might* be possible if you managed to cause drastic damage to your hair follicle (like, maybe repeatedly dunking your head in bleach). But as a stylist, I have never seen damage caused by dying hair during adolescence.

Hair dye is, of course, utilized on the hair that has already grown out of your follicle - meaning that when we color your hair, we’re coloring the part of your hair that is no longer alive. When that hair is grown out and cut off, you’re essentially starting fresh.

A little known fact is that our hair actually changes quite a bit over time. Hair color, density and texture can adjust slowly over the course of our lives, or in the case of big life events like pregnancy and medication changes, very quickly. 

So, don’t dunk your head in bleach! But also remember to have grace with changes you might experience in your hair - it’s constantly changing and having a mind of its own. 

Myth #6: Clarifying shampoo will strip all of your color.

True AND False ✅❌

Will cheap clarifying shampoo you purchase from a drugstore strip your color? Yes.

Will shampooing daily with a clarifying shampoo fade your color? Yes.

However, when you utilize a high quality clarifying shampoo in the way it is intended, you won’t experience a drastic loss in pigment or fade in color. As an example, I wash my hair once a week with my favorite clarifying shampoo to remove any environmental debris or product build up. I then follow up with my Boosta shampoo. My all-time favorite clarifying shampoo is The Weekender by Unite - it’s color-safe when used properly, gentle AND sulfate-free. I then use Boosta to cleanse once more while adding volume and a bit of lightweight moisture to my hair.  

Myth #7: I’m going to grow out my hair, so I shouldn’t cut it.

False ❌

Even if you’re growing your hair out from a bob to waist length, you’ll want to visit the salon at least 2-3 times a year for small trims. Trimming your hair will help to remove any ends that are beginning to split, right away. If you were to not trim your hair, those split ends would travel up the hair shaft, eventually causing breakage and essentially ruining all growth efforts. So, waiting 12-18 months to come in for a haircut can actually force the last 6-10 inches of hair to be extremely wispy, and in need of a chop due to extreme breakage that could have otherwise been avoided. 

A best practice is to schedule a regular appointment for .25”-1” trims (depending on your hair care, goals and needs), in order to keep and preserve that beautiful, quickly growing mane. 

Myth #8: Dry shampoo is bad for your scalp.

True and False ✅❌

*Sigh*

So, this technically isn’t true. But it does hold a tiny bit of truth. Did I confuse you yet?

Dry shampoo by itself is perfectly fine for your scalp, and a wonderful way to avoid washing daily! The problem with dry shampoo happens when you utilize dry shampoo every day for a week straight (stay with me here - I totally do this as well), and expect a quick shampoo and hair wash to properly clean off all of that product. 

Notice the emphasis on quick, my friends.

If you’re waiting more than a few days to wash your hair, you simply want to incorporate a deeper cleanse when you finally do shampoo. I recommend grabbing a clarifying shampoo (my favorite being The Weekender), as well as a second shampoo with your targeted product, formulated specifically for your needs. Once it’s time to shampoo your hair, leave your shampoo in for a solid few seconds to allow it to do its work, then rinse. 

Myth #9: Once you find the right products for your hair, stick with them forever.

False ❌

As we discussed before, your hair changes over time! With each of those changes comes a whole, entirely new set of needs. For example, three years ago you might have had your natural hair color, and noticed your hair was feeling dry. Back then, you just needed moisturizing products, right? 

Now, you might have an entire head of highlights, and you might be experiencing the same dryness you did before. Rather than a simple moisturizing product (picture a bandaid instead of medication), you need to implement strengthening products to rebuild the hair’s integrity before transitioning back to a moisturizing product. This will ensure that your hair has the strength to accept and hold onto that moisture. 

If you’re looking for personalized product recommendations according to your hair needs, just click here to email me!

Myth #10: Using coconut oil is great for your hair.

False ❌

This one might surprise you, but it’s also really easy to understand why coconut oil has been misconstrued as a product that helps grow and moisturize hair. 

Coconut oil might make your hair feel soft, and it might not be visibly causing any harm. But, the molecules found in several natural oils, like coconut oil, are far too large to penetrate the hair strand. Because of this, coconut oil merely coats the outside of the hair - this might make it feel nice, but there are no long-term benefits to applying coconut oil to your hair. 

In fact, utilizing a deep conditioning treatment and hair-specific oils and serums is a far better way to treat those moisture and hydration concerns. If you’d like to place a curbside pickup order of a deep conditioning treatment formulated by me, specifically for your hair, just click here to email me!

Phew! That was quite the exhaustive list, I know. But, I’d love to hear what other hair myths you’ve heard of, and help answer them for you! Feel free to send an email my way. 

As a side note, if you’re looking for monthly hair care tips, tricks, products and specials, you might want to join my email list. I’ll make sure to show up in your inbox every month, with *only* need-to-know details, promise. All you need to write is a quick little "hello" or "add me to the list" and I'll get you all set up!  Of course, if you have any additional questions feel free to leave them there as well.😉