One tale that just doesn’t seem to go away is that eating your bread crusts will turn your hair curly–huh?

photo courtesy of alexandrschevchenko – getty images

Not all old wives’ tales are false.

It’s been proven that cheese actually can give you weird dreams and researchers at Johns Hopkins found that pregnant women who experience heartburn actually are more likely to have a hairy baby. Guess Granny was right, huh?

One tale that just doesn’t seem to go away is that eating your bread crusts will give you curly hair. Huh? Where and when did this start and why would anyone believe this? Let’s get into it.

About 300 years ago, Europe was devastated by The Great Famine.

Millions died and starvation and malnutrition were rampant. We all know that the health of our hair is connected to proper nourishment. So, as can be expected, many Europeans suffered hair loss as a result.

Food like bread was reserved for the upper class, and because of their accessibility to various food and beauty items their hair was healthier. Over time, mothers started encouraging their children to eat their bread down to the crusts to get healthy, natural hair that resembled the rich.

While bread crust is the most nutritious part of bread, there is actually no scientific evidence that it will give you curly hair–your hair type is determined solely on genetics. No need to burst Granny’s bubble, though.

Bread is awesome–right O?

What about the grey hair one?

Has anyone ever scolded you for plucking a grey hair? Didn’t Samantha on Sex and the City say that if you pluck one gray hair, three will come to its funeral? That is not necessarily true, either.

Over-plucking can ruin your hair follicle and if you start graying in one concentrated area, you are at risk for creating a thin area (a bald spot”>. Sounds a bit worse than a few more greys, doesn’t it?

Just don’t pluck.

Dye it, hide it, or leave it alone, you silver fox, you.

Before you call Granny and accuse her of lying to you all these years, take note of a few age old adages that have been proven to be true: carrots really do help with vision, chicken soup actually does fight colds, and since apples have been linked to fighting off cancer and strokes, an apple a day might actually keep the doctor away. 

You might even want to tell her that even when making the silliest of silly faces, you’re in no danger of it actually getting stuck that way. If Granny knows how to FaceTime, you may want to take that route to prove your point.

Which old wives’ tale have you heard about hair?

Do tell. Drop us a note on the NaturallyCurly Facebook.

This one may be based on truth, but here are 4 naturally curly myths to stop believing now

Follow me on Instagram @jascmeen or @NaturallyCurly for more inspiration.

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