If you shave your head, does it grow back thicker?

I've heard that if you shave your head, the hair will grow back thicker. I'm not sure how this would work...does it work? My best friend's family shaves all of the children's hair when they are about 5 years old--even the girls.

Does this really work?

No, shaving hair does not make it grow back thicker--on any part of the body. Not legs, not face, and not your head.
It seems thicker because it's all brisly when it grows back. Think about it, how would cutting the hair (which is what shaving does) make it grow thicker? Why would that happen?

It wouldn't, and it doesn't.

Huh?

I know that if you shave hair it can grow back thicker, but no guarantees. Does your friend's family REALLY shave their little girl's heads when they're 5? That's so unusual. Poor kids.

Yes, they really do. I didn't know my friend when she was five, but I remember when they shaved her sister's head.

I have been living in Spain for 6 months and the one thing I am always envious of is the girls with thick hair!! Nearly every girl I walk past has thick hair too. This is because the majority of girls when they were baby's had their hair shaved when it was long enough to shave away. So a lot of parents in Europe choose to do this for their kids and its obviously been going on for a long time.