Cut Off Dead Ends Of Hair

[Carl Fredrik Ahl]

Hi,

I have got that long as long hair as my neck and when I got so long hair, it got very curly. I have heard that if you cut of dead ends of the hair the hair will grow longer and get less curly. Is this true and if so, why?

[StringJunky]

Ask yourself: how do the hair follicles know how long your hair is when it's got dead ends? There might be a slight curve in the hole where the hair comes out, such that when it's short, it looks straight but if the you have it any longer then the spiral starts to show.

[Sensei]

Quote from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair

"Hair growth begins inside the hair follicle. The only "living" portion of the hair is found in the follicle. The hair that is visible is the hair shaft, which exhibits no biochemical activity and is considered "dead". "

 

What you called "dead ends of hair" would be more appropriate to call "damaged tips of hair" (as entire visible hair is dead).

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichoptilosis

"There is no remedy for split ends beyond trimming the affected hair."

 

Natural curling of hair is result of internal structure of protein molecule and disulfide bonds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disulfide#In_hair_and_feathers

"In hair and feathers

Over 90% of the dry weight of hair comprises proteins called keratins, which have a high disulfide content, from the amino acid cysteine. The robustness conferred in part by disulfide linkages is illustrated by the recovery of virtually intact hair from ancient Egyptian tombs. Feathers have similar keratins and are extremely resistant to protein digestive enzymes. Different parts of the hair and feather have different cysteine levels, leading to harder or softer material. Manipulating disulfide bonds in hair is the basis for the permanent wave in hairstyling. Reagents that affect the making and breaking of S−S bonds are key, e.g., ammonium thioglycolate. The high disulfide content of feathers dictates the high sulfur content of bird eggs. The high sulfur content of hair and feathers contributes to the disagreeable odor that results when they are burned."

 

Edited June 14, 2018 by Sensei

[dimreepr]

2 hours ago, StringJunky said:

Ask yourself: how do the hair follicles know how long your hair is when it's got dead ends? There might be a slight curve in the hole where the hair comes out, such that when it's short, it looks straight but if the you have it any longer then the spiral starts to show.

Indeed, not to mention the 'half-life' of the follicles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_hair_growth

Quote

Hair follows a specific growth cycle with three distinct and concurrent phases: anagen, catagen, and telogen phases. Each phase has specific characteristics that determine the length of the hair. All three phases occur simultaneously; one strand of hair may be in the anagen phase, while another is in the telogen phase.

 

[StringJunky]

18 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

Indeed, not to mention the 'half-life' of the follicles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_hair_growth

 

Interesting. Learnt something today.

[John Cuthber]

My understanding is that curly hair is oval in cross section and straight hair is round.

It's not clear how cutting the ends off would affect this much.

[Carl Fredrik Ahl]

Thx for the answers!