We all have hair, but did you know there’s more to it than just what grows on our heads? Hair is an intriguing topic, and there’s a lot we still don’t know about it. Here are 15 fascinating facts about hair that everyone should know.
1. Rarest Hair in the World’s Population
I bet you knew that natural red hair is the rarest hair color in the world. But did you know less than 2% of the world’s population has it! While blonde hair is a close second in rarity, the most common hair color is black hair.
Want to Join the Club?
Coincidentally, red hair is also the most difficult color to maintain with hair dye! This is because to get vibrant hair color like red, you have to lighten the hair which opens the hair follicle. Once the follicle is opened, it’s able to accept color, but like an open door, the color also leaves with each wash.
Red hair is tangible through hair dye, but just know that the upkeep is higher maintenance than most hair colors.
2. Your Hair Has Got You Covered
Excess body hair is often considered a nuisance, but did you know that the average head of hair has between 100,000 and 150,000 follicles just on its head! Imagine how many hair follicles are on your body, which is 95% covered in hair.
Almost Full Coverage
The only parts of your body that aren’t covered in your hair are the bottoms of your feet, your palms, and your lips! Luckily, all the body hair, excluding your scalp, has a short growth phase, causing it to stay short.
3. Gone but Not Forgotten
Speaking of hair follicles, did you know that hair loss is quite common, affecting nearly half of all men by the age of 50? There are many ways to restore hair, however, so don’t fret if you start to see a few more hair follicles in your brush than usual.
Don’t worry guys, at least men’s hair grows slightly faster than women’s!
4. Back From the Dead
Did you know that hair is a string of dead skin cells? That’s right – each strand of hair is made up of dead skin cells. Not the prettiest image, but your hair can support its length with its build-up of those cells. You wouldn’t be able to make your hair grow without them!
Keep Those Strands Healthy!
To protect your hair strands that are working hard to stay strong, it’s important to regularly get hair cuts. When a strand of hair develops split ends, the split can travel up the hair follicle causing it to split all the way up the hair strand.
Trimming your hair once every 4-6 weeks will keep your hair happy and healthy.
5. Hair is Always There for You
Hair also serves an important function in the body, and it works in many ways. Your hair pushes dead skin cells off of your body to keep regenerating new ones. It also helps to protect against cold temperatures and UV rays.
Giving Me Goosebumps!
When our bodies get cold, our hair follicles do their best to keep us warm. The follicle itself pulls upwards, causing the little muscles around each follicle to activate and protect the body. After years of evolution, humans share this trait with other mammals with little body hair. Read more about the study of goosebumps here.
6. Show Us What You’re Made Of
Hair is made in the bone marrow, and it is composed of a protein called keratin. Keratin is also what makes up your skin and nails.
7. Are You Losing It?
We just learned that the average person has around 100,000 little strands of hair that cover just their head. However, people can lose anywhere from 50 to 100 strands of hair per day. It may seem like a lot each day when you’re looking at it in your hairbrush, but it’s perfectly natural!
8. Don’t Have a Falling Out
When you wear your hair in a ponytail or a tight style for a long period, you might find that when you finally brush your hair that you’re losing a lot of strands. Don’t worry, when your hair is tied up, so are all of the little strands that should have fallen out if your hair was loose.
9. Wig Out!
Human hair can also be used to make things like wigs and extensions. Most wigs and extensions are made from human hair because they are much easier to style with hot irons and hair dryers.
10. No Need to Dye!
Grey hair is caused by a loss of pigment in the hair follicles. As we age, our hair follicles produce less and less melanin, which is the pigment that gives hair its color.
Many people try to hide their grey hair, but over the past few years, women have begun to embrace their new color.
11. Strength in Numbers
A single strand of hair can hold almost 7 pounds! If you think about the strength of your whole head of hair, that’s around 2 tons!
12. Dust Yourself Off
You hate to see the little white specs on someone’s dark shirt, but did you know dandruff comes from a fungus?
It’s not as bad as it sounds. This fungus produces skin cells at a much quicker rate, causing them to flake off. Fortunately, medicated shampoos and other hair products can help combat your infection to make you flake-free! Read more about dandruff here.
13. Do Blondes Have More Fun?
Back in the 1950s, only a small amount of women dyed their hair, just about 7%. Today, you will find that over 60% of American women dye their hair!
14. Well Groomed
A man’s facial grows faster than any other hair on his body. If a man went his whole life without shaving, his beard could grow up to thirty feet in his life!
15. Beauty Takes Time
Once you start coloring your hair, it becomes quite the time commitment! On average, women will spend almost two months of their lives getting their hair colored, cut, and styled.
So there you have it – some hair facts that you may not have known before! Now go out and impress your friends with your knowledge of all things hair-related!
