Does Cutting a Baby's Hair Make It Thicker?
Cutting or Shaving a Toddler's Hair to Make Hair Grow In Thick
Nov 8, 2009
Some babies are born bald and can remain so for a worryingly long time. Particularly with a baby girl, parents can find themselves nervous that the child's hair will never grow in! One oft-suggested solution is to cut or shave the baby's hair – and indeed, sometimes it appears to work. However, the nature of hair growth proves this advice to be dubious.
Why Cutting or Shaving Hair Does Not Make Hair Thicker
The thickness of a person's hair is largely determined by genetics. The number of follicles on a person's head and the thickness and texture of the individual hairs are determined before birth. There are a number of factors which can block or weaken hair follicles, such as sensitivity to sodium lauryl sulfate. Physical damage can also occur to hairs at any point down the hair shaft, many damaged hairs leading to a head of hair that looks thin or tapering. Use of hair products that coat the hair may also give the impression of thicker hair.
Cutting or shaving, however, does not affect the number of follicles on the head or the thickness of the individual hair. Hair cannot sense at the root whether it has been snipped at the bottom – it is dead and nerveless. Hence, cutting and shaving hair do not affect the thickness of hair in the slightest.
Why Cutting or Shaving Hair Appears to Make Hair Thicker
When babies are born their hair has obviously never been cut, so the tips of the hairs we see are in their natural state. Excepting people who never trim their hair, most adults are accustomed to seeing hairs that have been cut. Cut hairs are blunt-ended, whereas uncut hairs naturally taper into a point at the tip.
Because babies' hair is so short, the fine tips of the hair are what we see. (A similar phenomenon occurs in cancer patients whose hair grows back after chemotherapy – the “baby-fine” hair that grows does not mean the hair will always be finer than before chemotherapy, but simply that the fine hair-tips are emerging from the scalp.)
Cutting the tips off the hair, whether by a small trim or a dramatic shave, makes the hair appear thicker simply because the new ends are thicker than the old. The eye is drawn to the edges of the hair and notices they are blunter and less wispy, thereby perceiving the hair in general to be thicker.
Why Cutting or Shaving Hair Appears to Make Hair Grow Faster
Another optical illusion caused by cutting and especially shaving hair is rapid growth. Again, there is no physiological reason why cutting the shaft of hair would affect the root. The appearance of growth simply reflects the fact that on short hair, growth is more obvious. The difference of a few millimetres' length is far more visible on a number 1 buzzcut than a midback-length head of hair. This is also the reason women find their bangs need cutting more often than the rest of their hair – the growth of bangs can be easily observed against “landmarks” such as eyebrows and glasses, and so appears to be rapid.
Why Cutting or Shaving a Baby's Hair May Make Curls Disappear
People who go through life with stick-straight hair are often curly-haired babies. This is again related to the tapering ends of new growth, which curl more easily as they are lighter and finer than the rest of the hairs. As these babies grow, the curls tend to droop and remain only at the tips of the hair. Later in life, new growth after the previous hair has shed out may still look curly, particularly in humid weather – this explains the frizzy look people with otherwise straight hair experience in the rain.
If curly hair does not run in the family, parents should be aware that cutting off the baby curls may mean they are gone for good! So don't let myths about lush, thick hair force you into giving the baby a premature haircut. A better way to ensure thick hair is to practice good nutrition and gentle hair care techniques from a young age. For older children and adults, supplements can help to ensure strong, thick hair.
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