Shaving Doesn't Make Hair Grow Back Thicker or Darker

If you've ever been told not to shave because "the hair will just grow back thicker," you've been fed one of the most persistent beauty myths of all time. Despite what your well-meaning aunt insists, shaving has absolutely zero effect on how thick, dark, or fast your hair grows. Science has proven this false repeatedly, yet the belief refuses to die.

The myth is so widespread that researchers have been debunking it since 1928. A landmark study published in the Anatomical Record that year found no measurable difference in hair regrowth after shaving—a finding that's been reaffirmed by dermatology research for nearly a century.

The 1970 Study That Should Have Ended This Forever

Five brave young men agreed to shave one leg weekly for several months while leaving the other leg untouched. Published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the results were clear: no significant differences in hair width, coarseness, or growth rate between the shaved and unshaved legs.

A 2017 study took it further, comparing shaving versus scissors cutting. Same result—no difference in regrowth rate or thickness. Shaving didn't make hairs thicker or more numerous.

So Why Does It Feel Thicker?

Your brain isn't lying to you—stubble genuinely feels different. Here's why:

• Blunt edges: A razor slices hair at the surface, creating a blunt, rigid tip instead of the natural tapered end. This makes regrowth feel coarser and more visible.
• Fresh pigment: Newly cut hair hasn't been exposed to sun or environmental factors that gradually lighten it, so it appears darker.
• Visible thickness: You're seeing the thick base of the hair shaft instead of the thinner, often lighter tip of longer hair.

It's an optical and tactile illusion—nothing more.

What Shaving Actually Does

Shaving is purely superficial. It cuts dead hair at the skin's surface and cannot reach the hair follicle buried beneath. Since the follicle determines thickness, color, and growth rate, and shaving never touches it, there's no biological mechanism for shaving to change anything.

As the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic both confirm: what you're experiencing is just the natural texture of regrowing hair, not a response to shaving.

The next time someone warns you about shaving making hair "worse," you can confidently ignore them. A century of dermatological research has your back—and your smooth legs, face, or wherever else you choose to shave.