Thread: Why does shaving thicken hair?

When you shave hair it thickens, when you cut it with scissors it does not. What's the difference, technically? Does anyone have any explanation? Just curious.

If I thought this was true, I'd shave my freakin' head!

Originally Posted by nun2sharp

If I thought this was true, I'd shave my freakin' head!

Same here brother.. I tried it for a few months just to be sure. No luck.


Seriously though, shaving has ZERO effect on karatinocyte output or hormone levels. Thus... no effect on hair thickness.

SCIENCE!!!!1!

Yeah, I seem to recall another person posting this quandry a little while ago. I think that that's the general decision, that hair doesn't really thicken when shaved.

well, I have a friend who had the misfortune to have his barber remove the hairs on the back of his neck with a razor instead of a clipper a few times, and he grows thick hair there as a result. I mean come on, the effect is undeniably observable.
(BTW I was talking about hair in general, not hair on the head, and if the head is an exception it's all the more curious.)

Originally Posted by kuoytfouy

well, I have a friend who had the misfortune to have his barber remove the hairs on the back of his neck with a razor instead of a clipper a few times, and he grows thick hair there as a result. I mean come on, the effect is undeniably observable.
(BTW I was talking about hair in general, not hair on the head, and if the head is an exception it's all the more curious.)

Nope!

http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v5...s/5618137a.htm

Originally Posted by joke1176

Nope!

http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v5...s/5618137a.htm

page not found

Weird.. I can GIS it and it show up but the link is busted. Here is text. As far as I know, they closed the case on this question a loooong time ago. Hell, this article is from 1970!



"Journal of Investigative Dermatology (1970) 55, 170–172; doi:10.1111/1523-1747.ep12280667
SHAVING AND HAIR GROWTH

Yelva L Lynfield and Peter Macwilliams
Dermatology Section, Medical Service, Brooklyn Veterans Administration Hospital, Brooklyn, NY 11209
Received 20 March 1970; Accepted 10 April 1970.

Top of pageAbstract

The effect of repeated shaving on human hair growth was studied. Five healthy young white men each shaved one leg weekly for several months and left the other leg as a control. No significant differences in total weight of hair produced in a measured area, or in width or rate of growth of individual hairs, could be ascribed to shaving."

Originally Posted by joke1176

Weird.. I can GIS it and it show up but the link is busted. Here is text. As far as I know, they closed the case on this question a loooong time ago. Hell, this article is from 1970!



"Journal of Investigative Dermatology (1970) 55, 170–172; doi:10.1111/1523-1747.ep12280667
SHAVING AND HAIR GROWTH

Yelva L Lynfield and Peter Macwilliams
Dermatology Section, Medical Service, Brooklyn Veterans Administration Hospital, Brooklyn, NY 11209
Received 20 March 1970; Accepted 10 April 1970.

Top of pageAbstract

The effect of repeated shaving on human hair growth was studied. Five healthy young white men each shaved one leg weekly for several months and left the other leg as a control. No significant differences in total weight of hair produced in a measured area, or in width or rate of growth of individual hairs, could be ascribed to shaving."

This is way to funny. Back when that other thread showed up, I suggested the same experiment that these investigators conducted almost 30 years ago ;-). On the other hand, I doubt of the validity of the findings because of small sampling used, that is for the purpose of publication in a scientific journal (5 subjects... ) ;-). It seems awfully small to me.

Al raz.

Aww fiddlesicks! They stopped researching it because it's case closed.

I say my assertion stands, since I'm the only one with data to support my claim.

There's other stuff on pubmed, I just don't feel like lookin' it up.