Fun, Interesting and Random Hair Facts – Post #1

Did you know that hair is the fastest growing tissue in your body or that hair can absorb its weight in water?  My guess is that you didn’t know that and I’m assuming you’ll never need to, but hair gurus like us at Ovation think facts like these are kind of cool!  In fact, there are so many cool and interesting hair facts out there that I’ve broken up this post into two parts.

While today’s Hair Fun Facts Post #1 may not fill you with a ton of useful information on hair health, it may provide a little entertainment and/or some fun conversation starters. Check them out:

• The average person has between 100,000 and 150,000 strands of hair on their head.
• A natural blonde usually has more hair strands then dark or red hair. Towheads generally have 120,000 strands; brown/black-haired people 100,000 strands, and redheads average about 80,000 strands.
• Hair is the fastest growing tissue in the body. The only thing that grows faster is bone marrow.
• Everybody sheds between 40-150 strands of hair per day.
• Hair is made up of mostly keratin, which our outer layer of skin and fingernails are made out of.  In animals, horns, hooves, claws, feathers, beaks, quills (porcupines), and baleen (whales) are all also made of keratin.
• On an average adult scalp, 25 meters of hair fiber is produced every day.
• At any random time, 90% of the hair on a head is in a growing phase, while the other 10% is in a resting phase.
• Hair can absorb its weight in water.
• The hair follicle contains its own muscle, nerve and blood supply.
• Hair grows the fastest during the summer, sleep, or between the ages of 16 to 24.
• The process of removing unwanted body hair dates back to the ancient Egyptians.
• At one time, in Russia, there was a random tax for wearing a beard.
• Humans have the same amount of hair follicles per square inch as a chimpanzee.
• The first African-American hair products were created by Madam CJ Walker, the first American black woman to become a millionaire.
• Body hair is generally shorter because the growing phase is a lot shorter than the growing phase of hair on the scalp.
• Human hair and fingernails continue to grow in death.
• Scientists have discovered that people with a higher IQ, have more zinc and copper in their hair.
• The purpose of hair is to act as a thermal protection, since our head lacks the thermal insulation fat layers.
• Less than 4% of the world’s population has natural red hair.
• Research shows that hair becomes drier with age.
• Gender is one thing that cannot be identified by a hair strand.
• Stress can make dandruff worse.
• The average American woman spends between 10-23 thousand dollars in a lifetime on unwanted hair removal.
• The color of hair depends on how much melanin each strand has.
• Men without hair on their chests are more likely to get cirrhosis of the liver than men with hair.
• The human body has approximately 5 million hair follicles.
• Alopecia is the medical term for hair loss.
• The longest documented hair was measured in 2004. It belonged to Xie Qiuping from China, and measured 18.5 feet long.
• For it to be apparent that you are balding, you would have to lose 50% of your hair.
• Humans are born with all of their hair follicles and there is no possible way to increase the amount of hair follicles you have.
• Hair turns grey as a result of the pigment cells in the hair follicle not working properly. The hair bulb slows melanin production as a result of age or stress.
• A whole head of hair could support up to 2 tons.
• The length of the growing phase of hair shortens as you age.
• When you are born, you have about 1000 hair follicles per square centimeter. This number drops as you age.

Whether you’re one of the 4% natural redheads, have a head of hair that grows slower than others, or are looking to beat the world record in hair length, Ovation products can make the hair you have, the best hair it can be.
Enjoy and stay tuned for part #2!
-          Emily

weirdfacts.com
dermatology.org