Hair facts

Hair facts you may not know

We all love our hair, and this is why we should learn more about it. All strands are gorgeous, no matter what colour and texture it is. Here are some interesting facts about hair:

1. Hair itself is non-living. However, its growth is controlled by a living follicle in your scalp, which needs to be healthy and clean for optimum growth.
2. On average, you shed around 50-150 strands of hair per day. This sounds like a lot, but it’s barely noticeable!
3. Hair is the second fastest growing tissue in the body after bone marrow, with an average growth of 1.25 cm per month.
4. A healthy strand of hair can stretch an additional 30% when it’s wet. 
5. A new hair begins to grow as soon as it is plucked from its follicle.
6. At different times, 90% of hair is growing, while the other 10% is resting. The resting phase lasts approximately 3 months.
7. A single hair has a lifespan of around five years.
8. A strand of hair is stronger than a copper wire with the same diameter! 
9. When we are cold or scared, goosebumps happen when the muscle, called arrector pili, for each hair strand contracts.
10. Hair is made up of mostly keratin, the same substance that makes up your nails.
11. Hair contains information about everything that has ever been in your bloodstream, including drugs, and is one of the most commonly used types of forensic evidence.
12. Hair can grow anywhere on the human body with the exception of the palms of hands, soles of feet, eyelids, lips, and mucous membranes.
13. Balding only begins to become visible once you’ve lost over 50 percent of the hairs from your scalp.
14. Black is the most common hair color. Red is the rarest and only exists in about 1 percent of the world’s population, with blonde hair found in 2 percent.
15. Hair grows slightly faster in warm weather, because heat stimulates circulation and encourages hair growth.