Troy Polamalu -- I'm Not Cutting Off ALL My Hair ... Are You Nuts?

Badass NFL safety and hair god Troy Polamalu will NOT go full Samson for an upcoming charity event, and his biggest sponsor couldn't be happier ... TMZ has learned.

Stories have been circulating the Pittsburgh Steelers star had agreed to cut his legendary locks for something called the "Veterans of Foreign Wars Mane Event" on Veterans Day.

The reports were misleading (perhaps intentionally) ... giving people the impression Troy was cutting ALL of his hair, but that's not true.

A rep for Head & Shoulders -- which has a long-term endorsement deal with Polamalu, and even insured his mane for $1 million -- tells us the haircut will be more ceremonial than anything.

We're told Troy will only chop a few locks as a symbol of support for veterans, and H&S fully backs him taking a little off the top ... metaphorically.

Makes sense ... Troy's hair is not only a money maker, it's his trademark. Cutting it off would be like Carrot Top going blonde, or Jonah Hill losing weight.