hair facts

What Your Hair Says About You

You may think you’re a strange person that no one will ever understand, but give a scientist one strand of your hair and this much will be known about you: your ethnic origin, what you eat, if or what you smoke and even your lifestyle.

Researchers from London’s Natural History Museum say our hair — even though it’s just dead cells — acts like an Arctic ice core, trapping within its physical and chemical structure an accurate record of whatever has been ingested or applied to it externally. “Your hair tells what you eat, where you live, your lifestyle, and habits,” Emma Freeman from London’ s Natural History Museum explained to Reuters. “Your hair is what you do.”

Since your hair only grows 0.3 to 0.5 millimeters each day, it keeps this life diary for a long time — months or even years. Your hair can tell if you smoke, drink, or if you take drugs. It can even tell your ethnic origin since different races have different hair structures.

Some facts about hair:

  • The average person has up to 150,000 hairs on her or his head.
  • A single strand can support 100 grams in weight. That means, a whole head of hair could (in theory) support the weight of two elephants.
  • African hair grows more slowly and is more fragile than European hair.
  • Asian hair grows the fastest and has the greatest elasticity.
  • Africans and Europeans are more prone than Asians to balding.
  • There is one thing about you that your hair cannot reveal: Your gender.

Amy - Teen's Health Expert

By Amy - Teen's Health Expert

Discover the dedicated author behind Teen Health Secrets, an experienced expert committed to providing in-depth knowledge and guidance on various aspects of teen health, ensuring young individuals lead healthy, informed lives.