Interesting Hair Facts

When I first journeyed into cyberspace a few years ago, my mind was flooded by the possibilities of the Internet. There were so many things to see and to do, I wondered if I was ever going to get bored. Well, unfortunately, instead of using the Internet to mingle with people from different lands and cultures or using it to network with other hairstylists, my favorite online hobby became visiting those random facts and useless knowledge sites. I can't say the Internet has really enriched my life, unless I become a contestant on a game show. I know more about the lifespan of a gnat and the mating habits of a catfish than any person should. So I've decided to devote this column to some interesting but useless facts about hair. Hopefully someone will find this trivia as fascinating as I do. Enjoy!

Hair is composed of 50.65% carbon, 20.85% oxygen, 17.14% nitrogen, 6.36% hydrogen, and 5.0% sulfur. Hair also contains trace amounts of magnesium, arsenic, iron, chromium and other metals and minerals.

Darker hair contains higher levels of carbon than blonde hair.

The fine, downy hair that covers the cheeks and other parts of the face is called lanugo hair.

Hair grows approximately one-half inch per month. Hair growth occurs fastest between the ages of 15 and 30, and grows faster on women than men.

The average life span of a strand of hair is between 4 and 7 years.

Hair's natural part is caused by the condition known as a hairstream. Hairstream refers to the effect that is created when the hair follicles slope in the same direction, thereby determining the directional flow of the hair. When two hairstreams slope in opposite directions, a natural part occurs. In other words, hair follicles on one side of the part slope differently than the follicles on the other side of the part.

Hair is shed on a daily basis. It is normal to shed between 75-150 hairs per day.

The numbers of hairs on the head vary with the hair's natural color. Redheads have about 90,000. Black, 108,000. Brown, 140,000. And blondes not only have more fun, they have more hair too. They have about 140,000.

There is an average of 1,000 hairs per square inch. I guess that means the bigger your head is, the more hair you have.

Normally, dry hair can be stretched one-fifth of it's length before breaking. Wet hair can stretch between 40-50% of it's length.

Canities is the technical term for gray hair. Trichoptilosis is the technical term for split ends. So next time you go to the salon, ask your stylist to color your canities and trim off your trichoptilosis.

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