Hair is an important component of your overall appearance. Hair is made of keratin, a protein that provides strength and elasticity. The hair shaft is made of dead cells that separate the cortex from the medulla. Cuticle scales help keep moisture in and prevent breakage. Moreover, hair growth is a process that occurs in the body naturally, and follows a normal cycle of hair growth and hair loss. When hair growth slows down or stops, the result is often hair loss. Hair loss or hair thinning can affect a person’s self-esteem and confidence, as well as be detrimental to their social life.
Furthermore, hair condition also represents your overall health, especially your diet. Therefore, you should take care of your hair well by following a healthy lifestyle. Knowing facts about hair may help you to raise your awareness of this little body part. Let’s take a look in this article below for more facts about hair that will blow your mind.
Table of Contents
- 1. One Single Strand of Hair Can Hold Up To 100 Gram Weight
- 2. Hair Contains Vital Information
- 3. Normal People Lose Up To 150 Strands Of Hair Per Day
- 4. Hair is The Second Fastest Growing Tissue After Bone Marrow
- 5. Hair Can’t Grow In Lips, Palm Hands, and Soles
- 6. Human Hair Can Absorb Oil Spills
- 7. A Wet Strand Of Hair Can Stretch Up To 30%
- 8. Red Hair Is The Rarest Natural Hair Color
- 9. Type of Melanin Determine Your Hair Color
- 10. Your Hair Dead As They Grow Out
- 11. You May Have Gray Hair At Young Age
- 12. Moisturized Hair Grow Longer
- 13. Different Race Affects The Rate of Hair Growth
- 14. A Strand Of Hair May Last Up To 7 Years
- 15. Goosebumps Stimulate Your Hair Growth
1. One Single Strand of Hair Can Hold Up To 100 Gram Weight
Did you know that your hair is stronger than you think? In fact, one strand of hair can support up to 100 grams of weight, according to Scientific American. Given that the average individual has about 100,000 hair strands on their head, your hair could hold 10 tonnes of weight, or the weight of four rhinos!
A hair strand seems to be an extremely thin string when viewed in close proximity. In actuality, it is typically only 0.1 millimeter thick. However, how can this happen? The three-layered design of the hair shaft accounts for this. This is also a result of the sturdy keratin fibers that make up the cortex, or middle layer, of the hair strand.
2. Hair Contains Vital Information
Hair is most frequently used as forensic evidence since it can include traces of anything that has been in your bloodstream, including drugs, alcohol, and minerals. It also includes sweat, the organic oils from your body, and any contaminants in the environment. Therefore, you can check your overall health based on your hair. For example, you may be more susceptible to developing specific health issues if your hair contains pollutants like mercury and arsenic.
In a hair analysis, your hair is examined under a microscope using specialized methods. Your behaviors and health status may be revealed in the results. However, your gender cannot be determined by your hair because the two sexes’ hair has a similar structural make-up.
3. Normal People Lose Up To 150 Strands Of Hair Per Day
On average, people have roughly 250,000 hairs on their head. Even some hair follicles have the potential to split into many strands. In fact, between 50 and 100 hairs fall out on average each day. People with long or thick hair may lose between 150 and 200 hairs on days when they wash their hair.
A person has excessive hair shedding when the body sheds a lot more hair each day. A few months following the stressful event, the majority of people become aware of their severe hair loss. Telogen effluvium is the name given to this condition in medicine.
4. Hair is The Second Fastest Growing Tissue After Bone Marrow
After bone marrow, hair is the bodily tissue that grows the fastest. Hair typically grows between 0.5 and 1.7 centimeters per month on average. This corresponds to between 0.2 and 0.7 inches according to The Trichological Society. Human hair grows on average 6 inches per year, according to an often stated statistic.
The rate of hair growth is, however, influenced by a wide range of circumstances. For instance, men could notice that their hair develops more quickly than women’s as men generally have higher levels of testosterone.
5. Hair Can’t Grow In Lips, Palm Hands, and Soles
The majority of a human’s body is covered in hair follicles. The lips, the soles of the feet, and the palms of the hands are the only places where hair cannot grow. Unless you have restricted hairy dysembryoplastic of palms, a very rare genetic condition, there are no hair follicles on your palms.
According to Penn researcher Sarah E., the reason why human palm hands lack hair is because a naturally-occurring inhibitor is blocking the pathway required for follicle formation. On human palms and soles, that inhibitor, a protein known as DKK2, successfully suppresses hair growth.
6. Human Hair Can Absorb Oil Spills
Human hair is a lipophilic substance, meaning it actively absorbs oil while repelling water. According to Berenger, human hair is a highly effective substance for cleaning up spills because one kilogram of it can absorb up to eight liters of oil. More recently, a study promoted the use of human and canine hair as an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic materials like polypropylene, according to a study published in the journal Environments.
Since 1970, scientists have been looking for a way for human hair to absorb the oil spill after more than 220,000 tonnes of oil leaked into the ocean. When Hurricane Ivan badly destroyed an oil platform owned by Taylor Energy in 2004, the method was once more employed.
7. A Wet Strand Of Hair Can Stretch Up To 30%
According to a study from the University of Melbourne, hair can be stretched by 30% of its original length while wet without suffering any harm. When hair is stretched between 30 and 70%, irreversible alterations take place. However, fracture results from stretching to 80%.
Hair retains its suppleness when it has enough moisture. When the hair is elastic, it can stretch somewhat without breaking and still keep its shape. Hair loses moisture when the cuticle protecting scales lift.
8. Red Hair Is The Rarest Natural Hair Color
Maybe you already know that black is the most common hair color in the world. However, do you know which color is the rarest? The most uncommon natural hair color is red. Only one to two percent of people worldwide, according to the BBC, have red hair.
Because red hair has recessive features that can be readily “covered up” by a single dominant gene for black or brown hair, they are extremely uncommon. For a child to have red hair, both of its parents must have the mutant red hair gene.
9. Type of Melanin Determine Your Hair Color
Melanocytes are specialized cells that produce the melanin pigment. These cells are found at the base of every hair strand. Your genetic makeup, or melanin, determines the color of your hair at birth. Your hair turns brown or black when these cells produce a lot of melanin.
Furthermore, your hair color is determined by the 2 types of melanin and its amount in your hair. Eumelanins are the type that give hair dark colors. However,, Pheomelanins are the one that give hair light colors
10. Your Hair Dead As They Grow Out
Did you know that all your hair you can see is already dead? You may realize that your hair grows from its roots. However, the cells inside the strand of hair are no longer active after it has reached the skin’s surface.
Tiny blood vessels at the base of every follicle feed the hair root to keep it growing. A hair bulb is located inside a hair follicle. As your blood vessels nourish the cells inside, this bulb is where living hair is created. So, the hair you see on every part of your body contains dead cells.
11. You May Have Gray Hair At Young Age
If you start noticing gray hair at a young age, it’s possible that your parents or grandparents did the same. Genetics cannot be altered. It could be poliosis if they are born with a patch of white or gray hair; or if they grow one out while still maintaining their natural hair color. Both adults and children may be impacted.
For both men and women, achromotrichia or the absence of pigment in the hair typically starts in the early to mid-20s, according to study from International Journal of Trichology. By the time they turn 40, more than 60% of Americans have some gray hair. The age at which graying starts to appear appears to be largely inherited. Sometimes the trait is inherited, resulting in gray hair being present at birth.
12. Moisturized Hair Grow Longer
According to Naturalclub, the key to longer hair and length retention is moisture. Hair that has been moisturized is more elastic, less likely to break, and less likely to tangle. It follows that moisture aids in maintaining hair length. Maintaining moisture in your hair will enable it to lengthen as it develops.
In addition, the type of hair that is most prone to dryness is curly hair. This is due to the fact that it takes longer for the sebum in your scalp to reach the rest of your curls. Deep moisturizing shampoos and conditioners can be used to treat dry, curly hair.
13. Different Race Affects The Rate of Hair Growth
A 2004 study in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology found a difference among races in the rate of hair growth. Of all ethnic groups, Asian hair grows the fastest. Asian hair grows 6 inches, or 1.3 cm, per year. Asians have hair that is less dense than that of other ethnicities. They have the longest growth cycle. The cuticle is the thickest, and their hair grows straight and nearly perpendicular to the scalp.
African hair grows 0.35 inches at the slowest rate per month, is denser than Asian hair, grows practically parallel to the scalp, and twists as it develops. Hair on Caucasians grows 1.2 cm, or 0.47 inches, per month. Of the three ethnic groups, it has the highest density.
14. A Strand Of Hair May Last Up To 7 Years
A human hair typically lasts between two and seven years. A single hair may grow for seven or more years in some people. It is known that it typically lasts 2-4 years for men and 3-6 years for women, according to Crlab. Although the process of hair growth and loss may appear to be straightforward, it actually consists of four separate phases which can be influenced by old age, diet, and general health.
The anagen, catagen, and telogen stages are all experienced by the hair on your scalp, covering the development and maturation of hair as well as the activity of the hair follicles. Later, the old hair sheds at the final phase, known as exogen, but often a new hair is preparing to take its place.
15. Goosebumps Stimulate Your Hair Growth
Humans have evolved to have very little body hair, but when it’s chilly, people still get goosebumps. Arrector pili muscles, which are small muscles found in the hair follicles of your skin, pull hair up, causing goosebumps. The hair will regrow more quickly after this constriction because the hair follicle is stimulated.
The theory put out by the researchers was that when people have goosebumps, the muscle cells act as a link between the nerve and the stem cells in the hair follicle, according to the National Institute of Health. Goosebumps may thus perform a dual effect, causing hair to rise in the near term and stimulating stem cells to produce more hair in the long run.