Fascinating Hair Facts
At Nashville Hair Clinic, we love hair! Many people probably don’t think much of hair past styling it, however, hair has some remarkable attributes! From strength to elasticity, it's capable of performing some amazing feats. Below we've highlighted some of the most amazing facts about hair and tips to keep it healthy.
Hair Strength
Your hair can swell up to 20% of its diameter and stretch a third of its length. These attributes make your hair stronger than a piece of copper wire that is the same width. Damaged hair doesn't have the full breadth of these capabilities which will make it prone to breaking. Side-step unnecessary damage by deep conditioning once a week.
The oils on your hair are not what keep it hydrated, it's actually the water. Oil molecules are too large to penetrate the shaft. Instead, they just sit on top. They do provide a protective layer, but if you want to combat dry strands, wash your hair a little more frequently, and it will help reintroduce moisture. Just opt for something gentle, so you are stripping away too much of your protective oils.
Your hair can support 23 tons of weight! You read that correctly. By gathering a healthy head of hair together, it could support the weight of three African Elephants. You can maintain hair strength by limiting the amount of direct heat you apply to it with styling tools.
Hair Growth and Loss
Every month your hair grows, on average, half an inch. In a 12 month calendar year, you're looking at 6 inches. That would mean anyone with hair that is below their shoulders has ends that are over four years old. Ends can become brittle, so make sure you go in for regular trims!
On average, a person has roughly 120,000 hairs on their head. Natural blondes typically have more and redheads have less. The reasoning behind this is the thickness of the hair shaft. Blondes have finer hair which means there is more room on the scalp for more strands. Fine hair can easily look flat. Use a gentle shampoo and volumizing spray without alcohol for an added lift that won't damage your hair.
You will shed around 100 hairs every day. They do grow back, but just at different rates. It's said that your whole head of hair is replaced every four years. Because it grows back in unsynchronized cycles, you'll never notice.
Scalp Facts
Despite popular belief, dandruff is not caused by a dry, flaky scalp. Usually, it's a result of a yeast overgrowth traditionally referred to as "Malassezia furfur." With that being said, don't rub in oil in hopes to improve the condition of your dandruff. Instead, you'll need to opt for a product that targets the growth of the yeast specifically.
Each follicle found on the head has an oil gland. Fine haired individuals may carry more hair hairs on their scalp than someone with coarse hair, but they usually notice a greasier scalp. The size of the oil gland to the hair strand means fine hair will often lack volume as it struggles under the weight of the oil. The best option for fine hair and oily scalps is to shampoo with a product designed for your needs. "Clarifying" options are great, but limit to once or twice a week to ensure you aren't over stripping oils you need.
A History in Hair Styles
The "beehive" hairstyle popular in the 1950s got its name from the B-52 Stratofortress Bomber. The reason being the hairstyle closing resembled the B-52's round nose.
The "Bob" was created in 1915 and made its first appearance on ballroom dancer, Irene Castle. She cut it for the sake of "convenience."
Bobby pins were invented solely for the purpose of holding back the hair on these new shorter "bobs."
Coloring your hair was so rare, it was a pre-requisite to display this information on your passport. However, by the 1960's, the chemicals used received massive improvements and the requirement to articulate this on your passport became moot.