Poll: The shaving myth

[Undercover]

I shave about every week or so, but my beard isn't that thick except in the goatee-moustache area, so what I've been wearing since I was about 17 is the "Van dyke" goatee style, just because its always just... worked.

Apparently I can pull off the scruffy look, which is a good thing because even if I couldn't I still wouldn't shave.

As far as how the whole shaving=thicker whiskers debate goes, I think PhiMed pretty much nails it. Personally I've been shaving my head for years and the hair is just as thin as it always was, but then again my baldness is partly due to mother nature, partly due to a 6 inch gash from a biking accident killing about a billion hair follicles...

 

[Macgyvercas]

I think it's mostly determined by genetics more than anything else

 

[Ph33nix]

everytime for me

 

[Ammadessi]

What it actually does is blunt the hair that's already there.

When hair begins growing, it starts thin and thickens as it grows until it fills the entire mature follicle. This is why "new" (i.e. hair never grew there before) hair has sort of a tapered appearance.

When you haven't shaved before, the hairs are in various states of maturity. Some are mature, with thick bases and tapered ends. Some are young, with thin whispy hairs. Some are almost at their end, and will eventually fall out spontaneously.

If you cut it short (shaving), all the hair follicles that were already growing at full thickness continue to grow at full thickness. Thus, the appearance of being thicker develops, because all the hairs are full thickness, as opposed to being freshly-developed follicles. In addition, they are all more or less the same length, and this uniformity adds an additional thickening optical effect.

So no, shaving does not make it thicker. It makes it look thicker

This isn't based on personal experience or opinion. This is based on a knowledge of cutaneous histology and physiology.

/thread.

Hair growing back thicker and faster is simply an old wives tale. Can you imagine how quickly women would get underarm and leg stubble by the time they were 30 if that was true?

 

[redsoxfantom]

No for me. But then, I really don't grow much of a beard in the first place.

 

[Necrofudge]

Yeah I've noticed that I had to shave more often then I did a year ago.

 

[TheBarefootBandit]

No idea.

 

[BigEaZyE]

How exactly does your body know the difference? It's not like you're taking the hair out at the root... I can see this explaination for waxing but as hair is dead it makes no sense. That's like saying your hair grows thicker if you cut it.

Your hair grows the same amount but it does get thinner near the end of the strand, which is why if you cut off the end through shaving/getting your hair cut, it seems like it's thicker than before. The root itself is no thicker.

The body itself is not directly aware of the length of the hair (I explained it a bit poorly). Basically the root hair cell itself is aware that it has been damaged and this causes it to adapt and grow back more rapidly and with more "ferocity" (read the hair is thicker).

So what you're saying is... if I want a full head of thick hair I just need to get a lot of haircuts. Or even shave my head for a while, because that will fix it as the roots say 'oh crap I better grow more badass'

Excuse me while I go patent a new baldness cure

 

[Woodsey]

Its like normal hair isn't it? That's why if you want to grow it, you trim it - because the hair is then fresher and grows faster or something.

 

[Socken]

Doubt it. I think it's just about time.
I tried to grow a beard like 4 years ago (I was 16) and it didn't come out too well. Now I am proud owner of the finest goatee in town.*

*Disclaimer: No I'm not.

 

[Zaksav91]

I don't think so. Then again I don't grow much facial hair so i never have to worry. All my hair grows on my legs .

 

[Katherine Kerensky]

I'm pretty sure it grows back faster. it's annoying. I need some kind of chemical to cleanse my face of life. That'll stop it.

-snip-
Also, I have a bridge to sell you.

what kind of bridge would you be selling? this could be very useful.

 

[slipknot4]

i pressed the wrong button and ended up on yes. I fail.

 

[Treblaine]

Yes.

Or at least I will say that to get those idiots with fuzzy facial hair to shave that ugly crap off.

 

[Ryuk2]

It grows faster when it been shaved lately, but after a while it keeps growing normally, then slower. At least i think that is that way.
In school i wanted to punch a guy who never shaved, because he thought the hair would grow back faster and he though i was the dumb one because i shaved my stupid mustache.
I had pretty long facial hair, which had almost stopped growing, i shaved it, at first it started growing very fast and i thought it had started growing because i shaved it, but after a week it almost stopped growing and was at the same lenght as before.
So... NO!

 

[slackbheep]

No, but there are other oddities associated with your facial hair.
For example some advice to a younger man(who can still maintain a beard): Your stubble is much rougher after repeated daily trimmings. If you have time before a date grow out your facial hair a little and then trim, she'll appreciate the lack of sandpaper.

Edit: I have found after shaving off a few months beard your facial hair will grow much faster for a few weeks.

 

[Aac18]

So what you're saying is... if I want a full head of thick hair I just need to get a lot of haircuts. Or even shave my head for a while, because that will fix it as the roots say 'oh crap I better grow more badass'

Excuse me while I go patent a new baldness cure

Again that's a really simplified version of how it works but yeah that's the basics (although it won't cure baldness as the roots are usually dead when you go bald so they can't grow new hair follicles).

 

[Zenn3k]

It does, its a medical fact

 

[mugetsu37]

They're bodies. Trying to pin down a way of growth for every single person is stupid and reeks of poor forethought. There are plenty of people who grow facial hair quicker after shaving it off and plenty of people who have the same rate of growth and the same amount no matter what. It's the same with hair anywhere else on a body. Try shaving for yourself and find out. Unless you have some reason to never shave it's going to happen eventually, so you may as well get it on and find out.

 

[Sisyphus0]

No it does not, there have been a few studies done on this which were published in journals. If you want just do a little searching on the net and I'm sure you'll find it.