Currently Full Moon · waning
What each phase is traditionally used for — and, for each one, whether there is any evidence behind it.
Waxing. Traditionally the time to cut for growth — hair is said to grow back faster and thicker.
Waning. Traditionally the time to cut for slower regrowth, favoured for maintaining a shape between salon visits.
There is no evidence that lunar phase affects hair growth. Hair grows roughly 1.25 cm a month regardless of the sky.
Waxing. Plant crops that fruit above ground — the rising sap theory holds that moisture is drawn upward as the Moon fills.
Waning. Plant root crops, prune and harvest for storage, as growth energy is said to move downward.
This is the one lunar practice with a plausible mechanism — moonlight does affect some plant behaviour — but controlled trials of lunar planting have not shown reliable yield differences.
Waxing. Favoured for nourishing treatments: masks, oils, anything meant to add.
Waning. Favoured for removal: waxing, exfoliation, detox routines.
Folk practice. The logic is symbolic — adding while the Moon fills, removing while it empties.
Waxing. The traditional choice, especially the days just before full. Growth, increase and abundance.
Waning. Traditionally avoided, on the reasoning that a marriage begun on a shrinking Moon shrinks with it.
Widely observed across European folk custom, and echoed in the Hindu and Chinese calendars, which pick dates by lunar reckoning for the same reason.
Waxing. Traditionally for launching, signing and investing — anything intended to grow.
Waning. Traditionally for closing accounts, ending contracts and clearing debt.
The new moon is conventionally used for setting intentions and the full moon for reviewing them, which is a scheduling habit rather than a claim about markets.
Waxing. Traditionally avoided for elective procedures — folk belief held that bleeding increases as the Moon fills.
Waning. Traditionally preferred for elective surgery and dental work.
Studies looking for a lunar effect on surgical bleeding and complications have found none. Schedule by your surgeon's calendar, not the Moon's.
Emptying toward new — traditionally the half for finishing, clearing and removing.
The whole system rests on one analogy: the Moon fills and empties, so do things. Anything you want to grow goes in the waxing half; anything you want to reduce goes in the waning half. It is consistent, easy to remember, and entirely symbolic.
That does not make it useless. A calendar that tells you when to prune, when to clear out and when to start is a scheduling tool, and the arbitrariness of the trigger matters less than the fact that it gets acted on. Just do not schedule surgery by it.