An impressive 550+ Beauty Brains in training responded to the fake hair facts quiz. Unfortunately, only 16% of you were able to separate fact from fiction. Were you one of them? Read on to find out.

Brushing hair helps it grow - FALSE

Only 9% of you thought this was real, but it’s a myth. Brushing your hair has either no effect on the growth rate or a slight negative effect. Since brushing actually tugs on the hair fibers you could be in danger of getting traction alopecia which could lead to permanent hair loss. Frequent brushing is damaging to the hair so we recommend…

Don’t brush more than needed to get your hair style

Excessive hair washing causes hair loss - FALSE

This one seemed like believable beauty science to 17% of you. However, the truth is that hair washing is unlikely to have any effect on whether you keep your hair or not. The primary problem with excessive hair washing is that it will irritate your scalp and can cause itching and redness. There is really no reason to wash your hair more than once a day. Most people can get away washing less often which is why we say…

Most people should only wash their hair 4 -5 times a week

Sulfate shampoos strip hair color the most - FALSE

This is the one that fooled most people. A whopping 35% of you think sulfate shampoos are bad for your color. The truth is that sulfate shampoos are no better or worse for your colored hair than any other type of shampoo. This is because it’s water that is the primary cause of hair color removal during the washing process. If you want to keep your color longer use the “for colored hair” version of your favorite shampoo but and it less frequently.

Wash less often to keep your color longer

Smoking is a cause of gray hair - TRUE

Congratulations to the 16% of Beauty Brainiacs that figured this one out as the only true one in the bunch! Smoking has been shown to be related to the early onset of gray hair. In this study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers found that people who smoked were more than 4 times likely to have premature gray hair. No one has yet shown definitively how smoking is causing the gray hair but one thing is clear…

If you want to delay the onset of gray hair, don’t smoke

Blow drying causes hair loss - FALSE

Just a few of you (8%) thought this could be true Beauty Science but it isn’t. Blow drying is not related to hair loss at all. It is certainly related to hair damage. Split ends and broken hairs could be a result of heat damage. If you want to minimize the negatives of hair damage you’ll want to minimize the amount of heat you expose your hair to. That’s why we recommend…

Some days, let you hair air dry

Conditioners repair split ends - FALSE

This one makes me smile. It demonstrates that only 3% of you have been taken in by the fake split ends marketing claims of the hair care industry. No hair conditioner can repair split ends. In fact, the only way to “repair” split ends is to get rid of them with a fabulous hair cut. Conditioners will certainly improve the condition of a split end and some products can even temporarily glue the split ends together. However, this effect won’t last through your next shampooing.

The only repair for a split end is a hair cut

Cutting hair makes it grow faster - FALSE

It seems that 10% of you have bought into this old wives tale. Unfortunately, cutting your hair will not make it grow any faster. Hair growth happens in your scalp at the hair follicle. The cells inside your body have no way of knowing whether you got a hair cut or not. So cutting it has no effect on growth.

Hair grows about half an inch a month whether you cut it or not

Salon products work better than store brands - FALSE

This is the most encouraging result in this poll. Only 2% of you thought it was true that salon products work better than store brand products. Clearly, you are not falling for the marketing tricks and gimmicks that salon products throw at you. The truth is salon brands use the same chemical raw materials that store brands use. In fact, it’s often the case that the same companies that make store brands also make salon brands. For example, P&G owns Frederick Fekkai. L’Oreal owns Pureology.

Save money by buying store brand hair products instead of salon

So, were you able to figure out the Beauty Science from the BS? Leave a comment below and let everyone else know why you picked what you did. And stay tuned for the next installment of Beauty Science or BS coming soon.