Hairlick
A: No, shaving your head will not change how your hair grows back, provided you do not severely injure or scar your scalp while shaving. Shaving simply cuts the hair shaft at the surface of the skin. It has no effect on the underlying follicle where growth and direction are controlled. The main things that alter hair growth patterns are physical trauma (like burns or deep scars), genetics, hormonal shifts, and aging.
Why this Happens
What you describe as a 'hairlick' is more commonly known as a 'cowlick.' It is very common for hair behavior to shift later in life due to aging:• Changes in the Shape of the Hair Root: As you grow older, your scalp naturally loses collagen, fatty tissue, and flexibility. As a result, the hair follicles beneath the skin can become squeezed, shrink, or tilt at a different angle. This distorts the strand's cross-sectional shape and direction, causing straight hair to curl, wavy hair to straighten, or new cowlicks to form.
• Changes in Texture and Density: Aging reduces natural oil (sebum) production, making your hair drier, lighter, and more prone to sticking out rather than lying flat under its own weight. At the same time, normal age-related thinning means there are fewer surrounding hair strands to help hold an unruly section in place.
• Hormonal Changes: Gradual hormonal fluctuations alter the hair’s growth cycle. This can cause new hair strands to sprout finer, coarser, or with a completely different curl pattern than before.
Solutions
It is worth checking whether outside factors are making the problem worse. Is it possible that your sleeping habits are contributing to the wild sticking-out hair?Many people discover that their hair becomes much harder to control because of the way it rubs against their pillow and bedsheets overnight. As hair thins and grows drier with age, overnight friction easily bends strands at awkward angles. Additionally, if you let your hair air-dry after washing, it will lock into whichever direction it dries. This means that resting your head against a surface or letting a cowlick dry naturally will lock that unruly direction into place.
These friction and styling issues can usually be managed with a few minor adjustments:
• Change Your Pillowcase: Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase, which has smooth, low-friction fibers that don't snag or bend fragile hair overnight.
• Blow-Dry the Problem Area: While the hair is still wet, blow-dry the stubborn section using a brush to direct the hair in your preferred direction before it sets naturally.
• Moisturize & Style: Use a light leave-in conditioner, hydrating oil, or styling cream to add moisture and weight, helping to hold the stubborn section where you want it.
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See also:
Get rid of a cowlick
How to wrap a perm for a cowlick
How to protect your hair while you sleep