You’ve probably been told that shaving or waxing makes your hair grow back thicker, quicker, and darker, well, you're not alone. It's a myth that has been passed down from generation to generation. But the truth is, it's just that - a myth. So, let's break it down and figure out the truth. Since you and your skin deserve the best, we wanted to rewrite this narrative and start with the sciency bit.
Our hair is smart - here’s how:
To start with, let's figure out how our hair grows. Hair on our body grows from a single hair follicle beneath the surface of the skin, and it grows at different rates for every person.
There are three phases of natural hair growth: anagen, catagen, and telogen. The hair follicle produces new hair during the active growth phase (anagen), the hair stops growing during the transition phase (catagen), and the old hair falls out during the resting phase (telogen). After the old hair falls out, the hair follicle re-enters the anagen phase and begins producing new hair. This cycle repeats itself throughout our lives. Pretty incredible behind the scenes work right there.
Now, let's talk about shaving. When you shave, the razor cuts the hair off at the skin's surface, making it grow back with a blunt edge. This can make the hair appear thicker, darker, or coarser than before, but it's only a temporary effect. The thickness or coarseness of the hair doesn't actually change. The regrowth of hair may appear to be faster after shaving because the hair is starting from a shorter length, but the rate of hair growth also stays the same. It’s a crazy an optical illusion.
Waxing, on the flip side, removes the hair by the root, which means yes, you'll stay smoother for longer, sure. But just like shaving, waxing won't change the thickness, color, or speed in which the hair grows back.
One last thing to note - the rate at which your hair grows back depends on the area you choose to shave or wax. For example, facial hair tends to grow back quicker than leg hair.
So, basically we’ve busted a generational myth in one post… We hope we’ve cleared up a couple of ingrown hair woes, but as always, having a super sharp razor will make your entire shaving ritual 10/10 and leave your body feeling smoother for longer. Now, there’s no myth in that.
