No, shaving does not make hair grow back thicker or darker since shaving only affects the hair strand above the skin which cannot affect hair growth or coloring which happens in the root. Only living hair cells can grow, and by the time they pass through the skin, the cells are already dead. The same goes for hair coloring which requires special cells called melanocytes, and the coloring process before the hair strand breaches the surface.
Curious about getting a nick while shaving? Good news, cutting yourself while shaving may hurt and damage the hair follicle, but shaving will not cause your hair to grow back darker or thicker. While shaving cuts are painful, the razor only cuts the top layer of your skin (the epidermis) and the bulb where your hair grows and gets colored is located deeper in the second layer of skin (the dermis).
While shaving making your hair come back darker or thicker is just another myth like brushing your hair 100 times a day for healthy hair or silicone being bad for your hair. But all myths have an origin and may have some basis in fact.
One way that shaving might make you "think" your hair grows back darker or thicker is if you try to shave with a very dull razor. Dull razors may end up plucking your hair strands versus shaving them. Plucking out hairs that are past the growth stage and about ready to fall out might cause your hair follicles to restart a new hair sooner than usual. Having more hairs where fewer would usually be could make it look like your hair is growing in thicker, even though the individual hairs are still the same thickness.
You might also hear this myth thanks to a rare disorder called “pili multigemini,” where several hairs grow from their own roots but emerge through a single opening in the skin. The double hairs could make a patch of hair look darker or thicker. And this can happen anywhere on your body whether you shave or not. This disorder is more common in males and is most common around the jawline, and it's often assumed shaving causes it.
Now you know the truth behind the myth if shaving makes your hair grow back thicker or darker. Did you find this post interesting? Subscribe to the TELETIMES blog below for more hair heath, styling, and nutrition tips.
