Here are some facts about hair that are both fascinating and useful—especially for anyone interested in hair care and hairdressing facts.
Hair is actually dead material when it leaves its root – otherwise, it would hurt very much when the hairdresser works with scissors. On a normal scalp, there are about 100,000 to 150,000 hair fibres. Hair consists mainly of keratin, which is also responsible for the elasticity of fingernails. A single hair has a thickness of 0.02mm to 0.04mm, so that 20–50 hair fibres next to each other make up one millimeter. Hair is as strong as an iron wire—it rips only after applying a force equivalent to 60kg, and only after stretching about 70%.
One of the little-known hairdressing facts is how much strength hair actually has despite its delicate appearance. The root of a hair fibre is embedded in a tiny follicle in the skin. Each fibre is pushed out of the follicle by about 0.35 mm per day, with an average monthly growth of just over 1 cm (or about half an inch). However, this growth rate and the hair’s life cycle can vary greatly depending on individual genetics, age, diet, and environmental factors.