Why does hair grow back thicker after you shave it?

Answer 1

It doesn't "grow back" per se. It just keeps growing as it did before, you just chopped the top off of it.

Think of it this way, suppose you have a new plant sprouting in your yard, it starts off thin, then gets thicker as it grows, perhaps to a diameter of 1cm. Then you "pluck" it. Now this plant you have is rather robust and is able to grow back from the root matter underground. But it has to effectively start anew with a new, thin sprout.

Second time around, instead of uprooting it, suppose you just chop it off at ground level. It again starts to grow back, but since you just chopped off the top part, it's already 1cm thick as it emerges from the ground. This is what happens when you shave.

Answer 2

This does indeed smell like a myth, but consider this angle: Before the shave, your hair would be composed of many different length since hair sheds at the end of its cycle and then a new one begins to grow in its place. Since you'd have many shorter hairs, the overall thickness of your hair would be less than if it were all the same length. Now that each hair is starting from one length, it looks thicker. The cycle of each of those hair is still prigrammed though, so I doubtt hat this effect will last for long; your hair will shed as if nothing has happened.
To further naysay the myth, it -is- just like what happens when you shave: hair can't weight itself donw yet and seems thicker because it is young and has not tapered at the end yet (which makes it thinner towards the ends and thus softer).

Answer 3

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Other hair removal techniques, such as shaving, plucking, and waxing provide temporary relief. Plucking and waxing actually cause the hairs to grow in coarser and thicker. Until now, the only semipermanent way to remove hair has been with electrolysis, which can be painful and extremely time consuming. Years of electrolysis treatment have been reported to yield 50%-70% reduction in hair counts. In some patients five or more laser treatments at intervals of one month or longer have produced up to 90% hair loss that has persisted for years.

Answer 4

This is actually a myth. The hair does not grow back thicker....it is just the way it appears because of the way it grows in.

Answer 5

it actually doesnt grow back thicker, if you notice the hair that hasnt been cut or shaved (say your leg hairs) it has an end & their soft. so hair that is shaved appears to look thicker because its cut a has no end... kapish??

Answer 6

what Arlana F said is true... and also cos it feels kinda rough u might think its thicker