Balding? Greying? 14 hair questions you always wanted to ask

Balding? Greying? 14 hair questions you always wanted to ask

Oil is never a reason for dandruff formation.

Split-ends cannot be treated.

The frequency of haircuts does not affect hair's thickness.

Celebrity hairstylist Jawed Habib busts popular hair myths.

Does diet have anything to do with the quality of hair?

Does hair grow faster with oil massages?

Do frequent haircuts make hair thick?

Early balding, greying, dandruff are just some of the many hair problems we face in India.

In the pages to follow, we bring you excerpts from celebrity hairstylist Jawed Habib's book Hair Yoga in which he answers the 14 most frequently asked hair-related questions.

1. Shampoos make hair weak

Shampoos make hair weak and it starts falling. Not true. In fact, shampooing is healthy for hair as it washes away all the dirt and oil from the scalp and makes it clean and fresh. But if you leave shampoo in the hair, it can be harmful. So thorough rinsing is very important.

2. Oil massages causes dandruff

Oil is never a reason for dandruff formation. An oil massage only works as a lubricant and a conditioner for hair and improves blood circulation. Oil massages are generally done for relaxation.

It can only cause dandruff if you don't wash it off properly.

You need to shampoo your hair correctly otherwise the leftover shampoo along with the oil in the hair will attract dust and pollution and will give birth to dandruff; but it never directly causes dandruff. So, it's wrong that oiling hair is a reason for dandruff.

Also read

Jawed Habib: I didn't want to be be a personal barber to the stars

Excerpted from Hair Yoga by Jawed Habib (Rs 250) with kind permission of Random House India

3. Diet has no relation with the quality of hair

Many people believe that hair becomes healthy and strong by using good hair care products and regular styling which is not true.

Styling and hair care products are important but actually good hair health is an internal process.

Your diet plays a very important part in the quality of your hair. If you have a balanced and nutritious diet, your hair will surely become healthy and strong.

Fruits, vegetables, lots of water, and other essential nutrients are a part of a good diet and should be had regularly to have healthy and strong hair.

4. Hair grows fast with oil massages

There is a strong misconception that the use of oil helps the growth and development of hair. Oil doesn't feed hair. It never helps it to grow.

Oil conditions hair. It works like a lubricant to the hair, making it soft for some time.

When you massage your hair with oil you feel relaxed and think it's going inside the scalp but actually the scalp doesn't absorb oil. It's just an external hair care process and has no relation with hair growth.

In fact, after an oil massage you generally end up washing your hair way too much to take it out and your hair becomes dry again. 

5. Hair colour on henna-coated hair lasts longer

If you apply hair colour on henna-coated hair it won't last longer. In fact, henna gives a permanent coat to hair and doesn't allow hair colour to penetrate through it.

Also, henna can make hair rough and dry as too much coating of henna and colour spoils the original texture of the hair.

So, you should use either henna or colour on your hair. Clubbing both can never have good results.

6. Frequent haircuts help hair grow faster

It is false that hair becomes stronger and grows faster with frequent haircuts. Haircuts merely shape the hair, giving it a neat look.

The benefits are that it takes out split-ends from hair. Growth is an internal process and has nothing to do with haircuts. Haircuts are for styling not the growth of the hair.

7. Split-ends can be treated

Split-ends cannot be treated. There is only one way to remove them and that's by cutting the affected area. No kind of conditioners or other treatment can help them.

8. Hair can turn grey overnight

Hair cannot become grey overnight. It's always a slow process. In some cases, hair greys faster and in some it's slow but it still can't grey overnight. Generally, the cause of grey hair is ageing.

9. You grow four to five strands of grey hair if you pluck one

If you pluck one grey hair you will grow four more. This is completely wrong and baseless. Plucking has no connection with greying of hair. It is an internal problem and any external process doesn't affect it. So, if you will pluck one grey hair you will only grow one grey hair, your other strands of hair will not get affected by it.

10. Grey hair can be treated with medicines

It is not true that greying of hair can be treated with medicines.

Grey hair occurs due to age or bad lifestyle. You cannot do anything about your age but you can improve your lifestyle.

Eat a well balanced diet with lots of fruits and green vegetables, and avoid junk food and drink lots of water.

Sleep is also very important for good, lustrous hair. Medicines cannot treat grey hair but your healthy lifestyle can.

11. Dry scalp and dandruff are the same things

Dandruff and dry scalp are two different problems though in both the cases the symptoms are dry flakes on the scalp which people mistake for dandruff.

A shampoo meant for dry hair followed with a conditioner can treat a dry scalp whereas a special anti-dandruff shampoo is required for hair that is affected with dandruff. Also if you apply conditioner on dandruff affected hair it can be harmful.

12. Hair with split-ends doesn't grow

Hair grows from the scalp not from the ends. Split-ends make hair dry and rough but it has no relation with its growth. Hair growth is completely dependent on your health and lifestyle.

13. Frequent haircuts make hair thick

The frequency of haircuts does not affect hair's thickness. The structure and texture of hair is a natural process and you can never change it with any treatment or procedure. Regular haircuts definitely gives a healthy look to hair because the rough ends of hair get cut off but it has no relation with the growth of hair.

14. Hair cannot be immediately washed after a chemical treatment

Chemical treatments have no relation with hair wash as they are generally permanent like colouring, perming, straightening, etc. Just use the right shampoo and handle your hair gently. You can always wash your hair after a chemical treatment without having any scares. Proper timing, however, is necessary after application of chemicals on the hair in order to have the desired results.