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In an attempt to part the bald truth of healthy hair from follicle fiction, we’ve investigated the myths surrounding the dreaded male pattern baldness to expose the truth behind the urban legends.

So, is it a case of hair today, gone tomorrow for these 11 hair-loss myths? Let’s find out.

Myth 1 - Smoking stunts your hair growth

Image by cgandolfo

True or False?

True.

There is no question that smoking is bad for you, so it comes as no surprise that smoking does indeed destroy hair follicles, interferes with blood and hormone circulation in the scalp and increases production of hair-shrinking oestrogen. On top of that, smokers are four times more likely to have grey hair than non-smokers.

Myth #2 - Standing on your head makes your hair grow

Image by depressiverealism

True or False?

False.

Alternative health practitioners advised headstands to increase bloodflow and combat baldness back in the 80’s but there is actually no proof whatsoever that a rush of blood to the head will restore your glorious locks. Unless, of course, you’ve dropped your toupee on the floor.

Myth #3 - There is no cure for baldness

Image by mattybusiness

True or False?

False.

“Take lime seeds and black pepper, grind them together into a fine paste and….” The same internet marketing scammers that claim to have the cure for a hangover are touting potions, pills and scalp-weaves to bald men the world over. There is hope, however, as around 80% of men using the new drug finasteride retained more hair than those taking placebos, and two thirds of the men in the trial actually re-grew hair.

Myth #4 - Baldness is a sign of intelligence

Image by gr33ndata

True or False?

True.

Apparently, the higher your levels of brain growth protein, the more susceptible your hair is from removing itself from your head. The research in Berlin is the first evidence that suggests growth factors for the development of brain cells are also important for the growth of hair follicles.

Myth #5 - Pull out a grey hair and two come back

Image by chicanerii

True or False?

True. Kind of.

Pulling a hair out can rupture the follicle. The replacement hair that grows back takes longer to regenerate, by which time another grey hair is beginning to grow next to it. It’s not the end of the world though, Gandalf. Chicks dig the distinguished gentleman look anyway.

Myth #6 - Cutting makes your hair grow back thicker

Image by TIO…

True or False?

False.

All hair above skin level is actually dead and cutting it has absolutely no affect on the volume of regrowth. Pre-pubescent boys have struggled with this concept for years when trying to get a handlebar ‘tache going and, although short bristly hair may create the impression that it grows back thicker, the reality is that there is no more hair growing back than you had in the first place.

Myth #7 - Eating bread crusts puts hairs on your chest

Image by jenandjohn

True or False?

True.

Once again, German scientists (do they have a baldness problem over there?) found that bread crusts have eight times more antioxidants than the rest of the loaf. Research shows that antioxidant intake is crucial to improving scalp circulation and creating melanin - the hormone that makes your hair thicker and richer.

Myth #8 - Baldness comes from your mothers side

Image by brian_houlihan2002

True or False?

False.

That old adage, “If it’s not one thing, it’s your mother” doesn’t ring true in this instance. Genetics do play a major part in male pattern baldness, but the gene can come from either parent. So next time you look at your father and see Britney Spears in bald-breakdown mode, don’t forget to look at your mother; she might be looking like Demi Moore in G:I Jane.

Myth #9 - Baldness is a sign of other health problems

Image by pedrosimoes7

True or False?

True.

A Harvard study found that men with frontal baldness had a 9% increased risk of heart disease. Worse still, those with a shiny crown had a 36% greater risk compared to men with a full head of hair. Research shows that a build-up of fatty deposits from eating too much fat and salt could be the cause.

Myth #10 - Stress causes dandruff

Image by Simon-Pais-Thomas

True or False?

True.

If your shoulders are starting to look like the Alps, you might be working too hard. The fungus that causes dandruff is present on all scalps but dandruff becomes a problem when your immune system is weakened. Since stress is a key reason for low immune function, it stands to reason that stress is making your head snow.

Myth #11 - Bald men are more virile

Image by mkmabus

True or False?

False.

We’re not sure where this myth came from (perhaps a bald man made it up) but it just isn’t true. Despite what bald people tell everyone it isn’t because their bodies are spilling over with testosterone! The amount of testosterone has no impact, so next time you see a bald men telling anyone who will listen that he’s ‘too manly for hair‘ you can put him straight on the matter.

If you’ve heard a ridiculously ludicrous hair loss myth, leave it in the comments. Also, if you’ve got any photos of bald people doing the funniest things, drop us a link to them too. Laughter might not make our hair grow back, but at least there is always someone worse off than us!

Have you ever committed an act of road rage? Like many people, I thought it was something that just happened to someone else. Then, suddenly, one day I found myself hurling abuse as a little old lady cut me up on my way to work! Looking back on my encounter with rage, it is even more astounding to learn that although she was driving incredibly slowly, I arrived at work a mere five minutes later than usual! Hardly worth running her off the road for I’m sure you’ll agree.

I was actually quite shocked to learn that the UK has the second-worst road rage in the world after South Africa with over 80% of drivers being involved in road rage incidents. 25% have committed an act of road rage themselves and men are three times more likely to commit an aggressive act than women. In America, more than 1,000 people die as a result of a road rage incident every year!

These startling facts got me thinking about simple measures which we can take to reduce the number of incidents we are involved in. As men, we are much more likely to commit such an act and for that reason it is down to us to acknowledge our involvement and take the appropriate steps to fight road rage.

Fact – Road Rage Increases Your Stress Levels

It’s no secret that driving aggressively and reacting to other drivers on the road increases your stress levels. What you may not know is that up to 60% of all absences from work are caused by stress. That’s about 270,000 people in the UK alone that take time off every day because of stress.

So we know that driving causes stress and forces us to take time off work. We know that stress makes us depressed and affects our relationships, our social life and our health. How can we reduce this?

Stopping Road Rage Dead

I’ve come up with 5 tips which I think can help men (and women) to reduce their stress while driving which will avoid confrontation with other drivers that could ultimately lead to road rage.

Tip 1

Change the music you listen to in your car. This tip is the most effective for me personally and it’s actually quite simple. I listen to a classical music radio station when I’m driving for longer than 30 minutes. Classical music is soft and soothing and it can lower stress levels considerably. If classical music isn’t your thing, don’t fret. You can reduce stress levels by listening to any type of music which you consider soothing. Acoustic rock or jazz for example. Avoid heavy rock or aggressive music if you know that you’re susceptible to road rage.

Tip 2

Manage your journey time. If you leave barely enough time to get where you’re going, then you are more likely to speed and become more aggressive with drivers that get in your way. Add 15 minutes to your journey time so that delays such as stopping for fuel or slow moving traffic are less likely to make you late. More time means calmer driving and less chance for a road rage incident to occur.

Tip 3

Relax and breathe. Whenever you feel your temper rising (you can usually tell from the death grip you have on the steering wheel!) loosen your hold on the steering wheel and take a few deep breaths while counting to ten. This is a simple breathing technique that will release your stress and put you back into a more stable state of mind. If you’re driving for long periods of time (longer than 2 hours) take a break so that you can get out of the car and stretch your legs.

Tip 4

It’s not personal. Believe it or not, when that guy in the white van cut you up in busy traffic, he wasn’t doing it with the intention of making you mad! Chances are that unless you’re flashing your lights and honking your horn, they don’t even know that your stress levels are going through the roof! Isn’t it possible that they made a mistake and were simply in the wrong lane? Or they didn’t know where they were going? Whatever the reason, you need to realise that it’s not directly related to you. Don’t take it personally. It’s not a big deal. You need to learn to be a man and let it go.

Tip 5

Get forty winks. We’re all cranky if we haven’t slept well! If you’re not getting enough sleep before you drive then it goes without saying that you are a ticking time bomb. Lack of sleep leads to annoyance, resentment and anger. Getting yourself a good 6-8 hours sleep every night can reduce your stress and reduce your risk of causing a road rage incident.

To put road rage in perspective, is it really worth getting a criminal record and risking your career for causing a scene just because somebody cut in front of you in a line of traffic? I didn’t think so.

We’re all prone to losing our temper from time to time, but using these tips to plan ahead and keep things in perspective, we can put the brakes on driving stress to ensure not only our own safety, but the safety of those around us.

For more information on overcoming stress you can sign up to our RSS feed and get the latest posts. Also, you might want to check out Kill Stress for further tips on reducing your stress levels.