# Suppose I Take A Razor and Shave My Palms and Soles. Will Hair Grow? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 7, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778 "2015-10-07T02:42:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/1 "2015-10-07T02:42:22Z")
We all know hair does not grow on the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet. Yet I have been wondering if I were to hypothetically take a razor and every few days simulate shaving, actually simulate is incorrect, actually shave them, will hair eventually grow? The skin in those areas lack follicles and without follicles hair can’t grow. The skin tends to thicker than elsewhere and much lighter in color. This always kind of fascinated me, but is it possible that after a while hair would grow or will my imaginary efforts(I’m not crazy to try nor I do I want)prove to be in vain? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/2 "2015-10-07T02:46:28Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > We all know hair does not grow on the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet. Yet I have been wondering if I were to hypothetically take a razor and every few days simulate shaving, actually simulate is incorrect, actually shave them, will hair eventually grow? > > The skin in those areas lack follicles and without follicles hair can’t grow. The skin tends to thicker than elsewhere and much lighter in color. > > This always kind of fascinated me, but is it possible that after a while hair would grow or will my imaginary efforts(I’m not crazy to try nor I do I want)prove to be in vain? I’m not following your logic. How would shaving your follicleless skin cause hair follicles to form? ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/3 "2015-10-07T03:13:52Z")
Shaving doesn’t stimulate hair growth. And shaving hairless skin is just going to scrape off a few outer skin cells. After a while, you might get calluses, but you won’t get hair. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/4 "2015-10-07T03:20:51Z")
I think a large number of bald guys who shave their heads have already proven it doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/5 "2015-10-07T03:22:38Z")
What would you do with hairy palms? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/6 "2015-10-07T03:29:54Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > What would you do with hairy palms? Make introductions very awkward? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/7 "2015-10-07T04:04:40Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > What would you do with hairy palms? Well, we know what he was doing with his palms to make them hairy. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/8 "2015-10-07T06:05:02Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Well, we know what he was doing with his palms to make them hairy. :eek: We can quote him: > [@](#): > > hypothetically take a razor and every few days simulate shaving, actually simulate is incorrect, actually shave them, will hair eventually grow? Seriously though, my guess is that it would not work. Why would it? ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/9 "2015-10-07T10:02:51Z")
No. SMH. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/10 "2015-10-07T10:46:47Z")
No. The only thing that shaving does (to hair) is cut the end off, creating a thicker end than the naturally tapering end. That’s why areas of skin that have previously been shaved appear to have more hair. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/11 "2015-10-07T11:05:49Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > The skin in those areas lack follicles and without follicles hair can’t grow. OP: You typed these words, so you obviously know it. What’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/12 "2015-10-07T17:22:51Z")
What’s wrong with you people? We are a board of Science and we should be encouraging Scientific Curiosity. \*\*Nema98 \*\*, I say you experiment for 90 days and chart and journal your findings and then report back to us. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/13 "2015-10-07T17:31:00Z")
The hairy feet of Lynx enable them to move on top of snow easier and hunt more stealthily. So there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/14 "2015-10-07T19:16:08Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > The hairy feet of Lynx enable them to move on top of snow easier and hunt more stealthily. So there’s that. But it doesn’t grow out of the pads. The pads are hairless the way human palms and soles are, with the same result: dry friction for secure grip/traction. Also, Maine Coon cats have fuzzy pawprints like a lynx, and they’re adorable. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/15 "2015-10-07T23:39:14Z")
I’m not agreeing with the OP, but I read porphyria victims, in extreme cases, grow hair on the palms. Howzat work? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/16 "2015-10-07T23:48:59Z")
I retract the above statement. I misread [Cecil’s column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/431/did-dracula-really-exist), which did not specify the palms. Looks like Unca Cecil got skunked, too. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/17 "2015-10-08T21:13:39Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > OP: You typed these words, so you obviously know it. What’s the problem? I was just curious if there was slight, off chance that hair growth could occur. But I guess not. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/18 "2015-10-08T21:14:40Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I think a large number of bald guys who shave their heads have already proven it doesn’t work. Yes I guess this makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![G0sp3l](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@G0sp3l](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G0sp3l)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/19 "2015-10-08T21:30:12Z")
Oh, please! Nema is clearly a werewolf and is trying to create plausible deniability prior to a full moon. Once the nubile young cheerleaders are found torn to shreds no one will suspect him. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778/20 "2015-10-08T21:33:04Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > The hairy feet of Lynx enable them to move on top of snow easier and hunt more stealthily. So there’s that. > [@gnoitall](#): > > But it doesn’t grow out of the pads. The pads are hairless the way human palms and soles are, with the same result: dry friction for secure grip/traction. > > Also, Maine Coon cats have fuzzy pawprints like a lynx, and they’re adorable. That is all. [![](http://paradoxoff.com/files/2011/06/angry-ocelot.jpg) ](http://paradoxoff.com/files/2011/06/angry-ocelot.jpg) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suppose-i-take-a-razor-and-shave-my-palms-and-soles-will-hair-grow/733778.md?page=2)