Hair — the stuff that grows on our head and all over bodies no matter what your diet, stress levels, or daily habits look like. 

Hair is one of the most resilient defining characteristics of humans and mammals in general and can survive under immense strain. 

But what exactly is hair and what is made from? How has it evolved to become so resilient and what makes it so different from one person to the next?  

Learn more about your hair with these interesting hair facts in this blog!

5 Weird and Wonderful Hair Facts 

Each individual strand of hair on your head is known as a protein filament, comprised of a material called keratin. 

If you’ve ever visited your hairdresser who has recommended a nourishing Keratin Treatment for your luscious locks, now you know why. Basically, this treatment works to restore and replenish the natural keratin materials that your hair is made from. 

Keratin is also a material that animal hooves, horns, claws, feathers and beaks are made of! 

Now let’s get into a few weird facts about hair… 

1. Hair Color Is Determined By Recessive Genes 

Ever wondered how two naturally blonde parents produce a dark-haired baby? It all boils down to recessive, not dominant, genes. 

In a relationship of dominant and recessive genes, a child must inherit two copies of a recessive allele (a gene variant) — one from each parent. When this happens, this ultimately determines hair color. 

One would think that dominant genes determine hair color, but in this case, it’s quite the opposite. This is how blonde parents bare dark-haired children and vice-versa!

However, this model does not account for all hair color variations we see today. Experts believe this boils down to evolution and sexual selection. 

2. Most of Your Hair Is Actually Dead 

Well, not quite. But it depends on your interpretation of dead — and in this case, we mean ”not living.” 

Basically, the only part of your hair that is really alive is the hair follicle which houses up to eight strands of hair at one time. This follicle reaches deep into the scalp and skin for much-needed blood flow and nourishment. 

The strands of hair which extend past your hair follicle don’t receive blood flow and can, therefore, be considered ”dead.” 

3. It’s Healthy to Shed Hair 

That’s right, you’re not going bald! No need to stress if you notice hair fall or a rather congested hairbrush. 

The average human sheds approximately 50-150 strands of hair each day. But never fear, your hair grows back at an even faster rate.

Hair is comprised of some of the fastest-growing cells in the human body and can regenerate faster than you can clean your hairbrush! 

4. Your Hair Could Compete in a Muscle Man Competition 

Well, this is definitely a weird one, but your hair is far stronger than it looks. On average, each strand of hair on your head can support about 100 grams in weight. 

If most humans have between 100,000 and 150,000 strands of hair, this means that your mane could support the weight of two adult elephants!

5. Blondes and Gingers: A Sight To Behold 

As the saying goes: ”blondes have more fun,” well, apparently redheads do too.

These two hair types are the rarest in the world and are a sight to behold in many third-world countries where blondes and redheads are rarely seen.

Redheads make up only 1% of the global population, while only 2% sport naturally blonde locks. 

Looking for More Weird Facts? 

If these interesting hair facts weren’t enough for you, explore the rest of your site, offering weird and wonderful facts on all topics imaginable. 

Explore more in our Weird Health section for insane facts about the human body…