10 Hair Care Myths You're Still Falling For

This hair care myth may surprise you. You know how we've all been taught that color-treating our hair leads to damage? Well, it turns out that that's not entirely true. 

If you find your hair looking a bit fried, dyeing your hair darker will actually help it. Darker colors fill in your porous hair, which makes it look less damaged. By filling in the pores, it is also making your hair a bit stronger - not weaker. 

If you are bleaching your brunette locks to get a platinum blonde look, however, don't get too excited. Bleaching your hair strips it and can be incredibly damaging if you do not maintain a healthy hair care regimen.

We're all aware of the heat damage that blow dryers can cause, but does that mean that air drying is the healthy way to dry your hair? Not necessarily. 

One study from Korea found that air drying your hair can actually lead to more damage than heat styling. According to the study, hair that's wet is swollen with water, and the longer this "swollen" state goes on, the more pressure it puts on the hair. The proteins that make up the hair follicle can actually weaken, leading to more damage over time.

In reality, the healthiest way to dry your hair is with a blow dryer that minimizes heat damage, like the Dyson Supersonic. This heat styler self-checks its temperature 20 times every second in order to keep hair from overheating, which is pretty revolutionary. It also utilizes four heat settings (whereas most dryers have just two), and includes ionic technology to eliminate frizz.

While it would be pretty magical if something as simple as cutting your hair could lead to a Rapunzel-style mane, this myth has unfortunately been busted. 

"It is a myth that you need to get frequent trims to grow your hair out," says Kelly Rowe, an ARROJO cosmetologist, in an interview with Bustle. "Hair grows from the root, not from the ends, so a trim has no effect on the hair other than making it look healthier and shorter." 

So how did this rumor get started in the first place? It probably stems from the fact that unhealthy ends can break and split, making your hair appear shorter. When you keep the ends of your hair healthy with regular trims, however, they are less likely to break and split and, in effect, seem longer.

If you've been taking cold showers in the hopes of getting the shiny hair of your dreams, we have some bad news. Contrary to popular belief, that actually doesn't make your hair glossier. 

The reasoning behind this myth makes sense at first glace: chilly water is thought to seal the hair's cuticle, making it lie flat and reflect light. But according to a study from Princeton, warm water, not icy water, really boosts hair's shine factor.

Joel Coret, one of the study's lead researchers, tells Allure that's because, “Cold water may not rinse residue off strands as well as warm water can," which is honestly a welcome discovery.

It's long been thought that brushing your hair makes it healthier. In fact, one old-school rule of hair care was to brush your hair one hundred times before bed every night. But you can put down the hairbrush: this myth simply isn't true. Too much brushing can weaken your strands and lead to breakage - especially if your hair is wet. 

However, there's a little kernel of truth in every lie, right? The Atelier Emmanuel hair care team says brushing is actually good for your hair: it stimulates blood flow to the scalp to provide your strands with more nutrients, eliminates product buildup along with environmental dirt and dust, and distributes oil from your scalp from root to tip.

But there's a fine line between a healthy amount of brushing and an excessive amount of brushing. To be on the safe side, brush your hair only when it's dry (and keep it under 100 strokes).

One major hair care myth out there is that your hair can become immune to certain products the longer you use them. 

"A shampoo does not stop working because your hair gets used to it," says celebrity stylist Cynthia Alvarez to Marie Claire. So why does it seem like our hair care just suddenly stops working sometimes?

"If your shampoo stops giving you the results you want, the condition and needs of your hair have most likely changed, or the season may have changed - it's more humid, the sun is stronger, or the air is drier," Alvarez says. "Your state of health or hormone levels may also be different from a recent illness or your monthly cycle."

It totally makes sense: over time, your hair changes. It may be more heat-damaged than it was when you started using a particular product, or the winter cold may have dried it out - so your products don't seem to work as well. Instead of switching out your tried-and-true shampoo, try adding to your routine with a deep conditioner or a blow dryer that's proven to reduce heat damage, like the Dyson Supersonic.