plucking hair

[Ant]

Can plucking hair (from any part of your body) cause an increase in growth, i.e. plucking a single hair from your eyebrow causing a forest of growth. This theory being based on your parents telling you not to shave certain hair else "you'll only make it worse". If it does, which parts of the body or hair types are more likely to increase in growth? If anyone is wonderring, this is a general query, i'm not a big hairy gorilla!

[sweetheart]

From personal experience, yes I do think that 'plucking' makes you more hairy in that certain area eg eyebrows. I think it encourages more growth. However, other techniques like waxing and threading seem to have the opposite effect especially waxing. I have heard/read somewhere that the more you wax, the less the growth in the future? Sorry to drift away from your question!

[Ant]

Thanks for your reply sweetheart. But isn't waxing just a quicker method of plucking anyway, i.e. more hairs removed in one go?

[snarfgirl]

Nope, it's a myth that it incourages growth. It arrises from the fact that shaving your legs leaves the ends stubbly and blunt, which makes them appear darker and possibly thicker. However, sometimes you will get more than one hair growing out of the same hair follicle - if you look at your legs, you'll probably find this. But it's not likely to make a huge difference to the appearance. As you say, waxing does sometimes leave hair follicles damaged and so they don't grow back, leaving the hair thinner. Really, however, this will make such a small difference that what you probably notice as less growth is just the difference between shaving and waxing - hair just *appears* less thick. Essentially, you have the same number of hair follicles whatever happens, and new ones can't be created. Apologies for length - I read way too many magazines!

[sweetheart]

Emmm, I think waxing as opposed to plucking is better because waxing pulls it out from way down? Excuse my English!

What the hell. I think it's just personal experience Ant, so ignore what I say!

[Ant]

Thank you both for your replies. Keep up the magazine reader snarfgirl, you're obviously read the right ones. Thanks

[CarolG]

No, it doesn't increase hair growth. its like when people say "if you pull out 1 grey hair, 7 grow in its place" if that were the case, wouldn't people who had very thin hair, take out the greys and colour it. As for waxing/plucking i'm sure its the same, you're taking the hair out from the root.