A pluck here, a trim there: What happens to your hair when you cut it?

The question: Does cutting or shaving hair make it grow back faster, darker or thicker? What about tweezing or waxing?

The science: Shaving will not make sparse facial hair grow into a thick beard, or armpit or leg hair become darker and coarse.

Trims will not make scalp hair grow faster.

Yet these myths, which have been dispelled by science since at least the 1920s, persist.

Many people start shaving during adolescence — a time when hair is naturally changing because of hormones. Hair, particularly body hair, may have started out lighter and finer, but during puberty, may become darker, thicker and more coarse, said Alan Bauman, founder and medical director of the Bauman Medical hair transplant and hair loss treatment center.

Shaving often “gets the blame,” he said, “because these natural changes happen around the same time someone begins shaving. In reality, the hair would have matured and become darker and thicker regardless of whether a razor ever touched it.”

Hair growth can be affected by various factors, including genetics, age, hormones, particularly testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, and overall health.

Fluctuating hormones during pregnancy and menopause or hormone disorders also can affect growth, said Natalie Attenello, a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and hair restoration specialist.

While shaving and trimming does not influence hair color, texture or growth cycle, it may not seem that way.

When shaving, the hair shaft is sliced above the skin and the razor does not touch the follicle beneath, but recently shaved hair may appear darker and coarser as it begins to grow back, experts said.

“When the hair grows naturally, the tip of each individual hair is tapered or thin, like a candle. When the hair is shaved, the tip becomes blunt and will look and feel more coarse,” said Paradi Mirmirani, a dermatologist with Kaiser Permanente in Northern California.

Similarly, trimming has no bearing on the hair follicle or the growth rate. It can, however, help reduce split ends that cause breakage, said Delila Foulad, an assistant clinical professor and a dermatologist focusing on hair and scalp disorders at UCLA Health.

“When hair is fragile and prone to splitting, it can break off before it reaches its full length. In those cases, patients may feel like their hair isn’t growing when, in reality, it is growing normally but breaking off along the way,” she said.

Regular trims remove split ends and “help preserve length, reduce breakage and make the hair look healthier and fuller, even though they don’t directly speed up the biological growth process,” she added.

What else you should know

While shaving and trimming will not affect hair color, texture or growth rate, some practices can, experts said.

• Tweezing. Occasional plucking or tweezing does not typically remove hair permanently. But repeatedly or aggressively pulling out hair from the root, particularly in sensitive areas such as the eyebrows, can damage the hair follicle over time, causing scarring, Bauman said. With this scarring, a condition known as traction alopecia, the follicle may stop producing hair indefinitely, he said.

• Waxing. Long-term waxing can also affect hair texture and density, Bauman said. “Each time hair is pulled from the root, there is a small chance of weakening or damaging the follicle. Over years of regular waxing, some follicles may stop producing hair altogether, while others may grow hair that is thinner or lighter,” he said.

The bottom line

Cutting or shaving your hair will not affect its color, texture or growth rate because there is no stress put on the hair follicle, unlike with tweezing or waxing, which can have an effect.