Shaving myths

[RocMills]

I searched and found some similar threads, but nothing which seemed to specifically address my query.

My husband has made a number of claims regarding shaving and hair growth which I find difficult to believe, but have been unable to firmly disprove. I'm hoping some of you wonderful users here can help me out.

1) If you shave your eyebrows, they will grow back aligned/pointed in the opposite direction.

2) If you shave your arms, the hair will grow back aligned/pointed in the opposite direction.

3) If a woman uses any kind of razor to shave the fine hairs on her face, they will grow back as a full-on "man beard".

He has no explanation for why this should be so, no reasoning as to why the hair on your arms and face should behave in any way differently from all the rest of the hair on your body. He is nonetheless certain these are True Facts because his grandmother told him so.

[erwins]

I'd say this is a good case of the positive claim needing to provide the proof. If he's making these claims and you doubt them, then the burden on him is to provide proof beyond "my grandma said so."

[Mad Jay]

Don't think 3) is true. I think this misconception arises because with men, the facial hair naturally becomes thicker and grows faster as they age. So, it appears that shaving makes facial hair grow faster

However, I kept a goatee for 5 years. After I shaved it off few months ago, I see that the hair on my goatee area grows differently. The hair stands up more than the other hair. If I don't shave for few days, you can make out the goatee. It doesn't grow faster, just different.

[RocMills]

I am in total agreement with you, erwins, but that's not the way my husband plays the game, LOL.

I admit, I've been tempted to shave my arm a time or two to demonstrate that granny was wrong, but I'm not sure I'm willing to shave my eyebrows. On the other hand, what he doesn't know is that I have been regularly running a razor across the bottom of my chin for quite some time now as I have a couple of rough hairs that bother me... and yet here I am, not the bearded lady he seems to think I should be. :-)

[Cervus]

Originally Posted by RocMills

3) If a woman uses any kind of razor to shave the fine hairs on her face, they will grow back as a full-on "man beard".

This sounds like it's just a variation of "if you shave your [legs, bikini area, whatever], it will grow back thicker and darker."

It's obviously false, because if it were true, we'd have a cure for baldness and greying hair. And none of us blondes would retain blonde body hair.

[erwins]

There have been times I've shaved my very light blond and very very fine facial hair--mostly in the side burn area, but I admit I've shaved my lip once or twice on a lark. I have never developed any kind of darker or thicker hair in those places. I also shaved a part of my eyebrows once as a teenager, and they did not grow back any differently from how they were originally. I've never shaved my arm hair, but I'm confident that it wouldn't change from shaving it once--you should do it in front of him and then show it to him when it grows back.

So no you have an imaginary person on the internet you can cite to refute Grandma-in-law.

ETA: To prevent confusion, I'll just mention here that I'm female.

[Lainie]

Based on ME with friends and relatives, I suspect there are a lot of women who shave to remove facial hair from their chin and upper lip. If it's more than one or two hairs, shaving is easier than plucking.

[lavender blue]

I had my eyebrows 'tidied up' using a razor during a makeup session once, but I never bothered to maintain them after that. I can't tell any difference in alignment between the part that was shaved and the part that wasn't.

Of course, my natural hair color is black, and the natural state of my eyebrows somewhat lush, so I'm not sure you could tell if the color/texture changed either.

[RocMills]

Thanks for the input, everyone! If nothing else, it assures me that I'm not deluded.

@erwins... I knew you were a she... I've actually been "lurking" here for, oh, 10 years now at the very least. I feel like some of you regulars are old friends.

[Ducky]

The reason why it may seem like it is growing in thicker or differently is that when it is first growing back in, you will feel the stubble part and because the hair is cut at an angle it LOOKS like it is darker.

As for the arm hair..ahem...I've shaved down my arm hairs once or twice when they start getting too long/itchy for my taste, they still grow in the same direction.

[llewtrah]

Originally Posted by RocMills

3) If a woman uses any kind of razor to shave the fine hairs on her face, they will grow back as a full-on "man beard".

I don't yet have a full on man-beard. I hate the way my once-fine chin and throat hair is getting coarser (age-related hormonal changes) and occasionally swipe it off with a razor. Some of it resists being waxed and the depilatory creams don't seem to work on the coarser hairs.

[quink]

I can answer the arm one, because I very occasionally shave my arms. The hair's not very thick at all (and I'm blonde, so what's there isn't noticeable), but sometimes it just bugs me for some reason, so I'll give it a few quick swipes with the razor when I'm doing my legs. That's why I say shaving is at least partly preference over pure societal norms for me, because not even my husband notices that my arms occasionally go bald.

It grows back just as fine and in the same direction. In fact, it takes months to get up to a thickness that I notice it again. I don't even get the blunt stubble that you get with leg hair.

[St. Alia]

As an ex-swimmer who shaved basically everything (that wasn't covered by a suit) twice a year for about 12 years I can say that my hair didn't do anything differently at all when it grew back. So, I can at least vouch for arm hair, leg hair, back hair, and neck hair. Facial hair I just pluck, so I have no evidence for that.

[erwins]

Originally Posted by RocMills

Thanks for the input, everyone! If nothing else, it assures me that I'm not deluded.

@erwins... I knew you were a she... I've actually been "lurking" here for, oh, 10 years now at the very least. I feel like some of you regulars are old friends.

Welcome to non-lurking!

[RocMills]

Originally Posted by erwins

Welcome to non-lurking!

Thank you kindly.

It actually feels a little weird to be participating after all this time. I think this is actually my third joining. First time around, never posted anything and I "expired" as a user. Second time, I think I posted once or twice and then let myself expire again. This time around, I hope to remain an active member.

And I'm pretty sure that I actually know, in the real world, at least two or three of you (or knew you in the past)... though I haven't seen recent posts from the two I'm absolutely sure I know/knew.

ETA: I seem to be in an "actually" mood today...

[erwins]

I joined years before my current user ID shows, but didn't post and "expired" as well. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get going, I guess.

ETA: This was my 5001st post. That's somehow appropriate.

[Dasla]

Originally Posted by llewtrah

I don't yet have a full on man-beard. I hate the way my once-fine chin and throat hair is getting coarser (age-related hormonal changes) and occasionally swipe it off with a razor. Some of it resists being waxed and the depilatory creams don't seem to work on the coarser hairs.

I can relate to that. I always say we are a hairy family and now due to those hormonal changes. I did find a lady who would do the facial waxing really cheap but havn't been able to get to her for a while. Even as a teenager those creams never worked for me (I my arms I hassen to add, didn't need it on a face.)

[Phantom]

Originally Posted by Lainie

Based on ME with friends and relatives, I suspect there are a lot of women who shave to remove facial hair from their chin and upper lip. If it's more than one or two hairs, shaving is easier than plucking.

I chose bleach for the upper lip hair and unibrow. This way there's no stubble, and I didn't want to take a chance on the canard about how the hair might regrow. I also don't have patience for plucking or waxing, and don't want depilatory creams on my face.

[Roadie]

I use my epilator on my top lip.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Phantom

I chose bleach for the upper lip hair and unibrow.

In my case, and the case of a number of other women I know, the problem is scattered hairs across the lower facial area that are not dark, but are coarse, and left to themselves grow fairly long. Bleaching would be a moot point and plucking is a pain once there are more than a couple hairs involved. Depilatories, leaving aside all the other issues with them, would be overkill when the hairs are widely scattered.