Weird & Wonderful Hair Facts

Introduction

I am a trivia buff, and love collecting tons of useful/less factoids. Give me a subject, and nine times out of ten, I’ll have some trivia on it. Did you know that there are loads of really weird hair facts? By far the yuckiest fact about hair is that our old pal, the wood roach, will happily eat all the hair he/she can find. Evidently, besides tasting yummy, it builds up the keratin in their shells. By the way, they also like a side of fingernail clippings as well…

And from our friends on the Hair Haare site (HAIR-:The Daily Fascination), these notable facts:

• Average number of hairs on the head: 100,000
• Red hair: 90,000
• Black hair: 110,000
• Blond hair: 140,000
• Maximum length of hair: 70 to 90 cm
• Annual growth: 12 cm
• Female hair grows more slowly than male hair (wouldn’t you just know it)
• Male hair is more dense than female hair (ditto)
• Lifespan of hair: 2 to 7 years
• Diameter of hair: 0.1 mm
• Load-carrying capacity: 100 grams (= one chocolate bar)
• Humidity stretches the hair
• Combing is less detrimental than brushing
• Correct shampooing will not dry out the hair
• Frequent washing does not increase loss of hair
• Hair grows faster in warm weather
• Elderly people have slower hair growth and diminished hair density
• Cutting hair does not influence its growth
• Spliced ends can not be repaired and need to be cut
• Wet hair should not be rubbed since hair is very sensitive

Natural Hair Colors

A person's genes determine the hair/skin/eye color since before his or her birth. The determinants for hair color are known as melanocytes. These cells form the natural hair colors, or pigments and distinguish between black, brown, and red. Depending on the percentage of each pigment, the person has blonde, brown, red or black hair. As the melanocytes decay during a lifetime, the hair becomes a dull gray and later on it turns into a whitish color.

The Human Hair

Hair covers the whole body, with the exception of soles of feet, palms of hands, mucous membranes, and lips.

The lifespan of a human hair is 3 to 7 years in the average.

For good hair health, try wholemeal products, eggs, liver, kidneys, vitamin D, herrings, salmon, carrots, green vegetables, and vitamin C.

Pigments give the hair its color. When we age, hair receives fewer pigments and turns gray or white.

And how about this?

Circus artists often display a spectacular trick: "hanging on a plait." A female artist is held up with her hair. High up in the circus tent, she swings upon her whole weight, often with another person or all sorts of circus paraphernalia, all hanging by her hair. Ouch….

Amazing facts from the Amazing Hair Facts site:

• Hair is the fastest growing tissue in the body, second only to bone marrow.
• 35 meters of hair fibre is produced every day on the average adult scalp.
• The average scalp has 100,000 hairs. Redheads have the least at 80,000; brown and black haired persons have about 100,000; and blondes have the most at 120,000.
• 90% of scalp hairs are growing and 10% are resting.
• It is normal to lose 100 hairs per day from the scalp.
• You must lose over 50% of your scalp hairs before it is apparent to anyone.
• Many drugs can cause hair loss.
• Thyroid imbalance and iron deficiency are reversible causes for hair loss.
• Over 50% of men by age 50 have male pattern hair loss.
• Forty percent of women by the time they reach menopause will have female pattern (hereditary) hair loss.

And all those are just a sampling of the many weird and wonderful hair facts out there. Be the first on your block to amaze (or bore) your family and friends!

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