Does shaving make your hair thicker?

While many people commonly believe that shaving makes body hair grow thicker, the truth is that it does not. According to Everyday Health expert dermatologist Dr. Jessica Wu, body hair is dead and cannot be affected by shaving.

Additional research from a 1970 study followed five men who shaved one leg one time a week for several months. When scientists compared the hair from the leg that had been shaved to the leg that had not, they found no noticeable difference in hair growth or texture. Shaving sometimes creates an illusion of thicker hair because the new hair is blunt and stubbly.