Hair

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search
For other uses, see Hair (disambiguation).
"Hairy" redirects here. For the epithet, see List of people known as the Hairy. For the gene, see Hairy
(gene).
"Glabrousness" redirects here. For other uses, see Glabrousness (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Fur.

Hair

Cross section of a hair strand

 Scanning electron microscopy image of Merino wool
(top) and human hair (bottom) showing keratin scales.

Details

System Integumentary system

Identifiers

Latin capillum

MeSH D006197

TA98 A16.0.00.014

TA2 7053

TH H3.12.00.3.02001

FMA 53667

Anatomical terminology

[edit on Wikidata]

Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining
characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in
follicles which produce thick terminal and fine vellus hair. Most common interest in hair is focused
 on hair growth, hair types, and hair care, but hair is also an important biomaterial primarily
composed of protein, notably alpha-keratin.
Attitudes towards different forms of hair, such as hairstyles and hair removal, vary widely across
different cultures and historical periods, but it is often used to indicate a person's personal beliefs
or social position, such as their age, sex, or religion.[1]

Contents

 1Overview
 2Description
o 2.1Root of the hair
o 2.2Natural color
o 2.3Human hair growth
o 2.4Texture
 2.4.1Classification systems
 3Functions
o 3.1Warmth
o 3.2Protection
o 3.3Touch sense
 3.3.1Eyebrows and eyelashes
 4Evolution
o 4.1Human hairlessness
o 4.2Evolutionary variation
o 4.3Texture
 4.3.1Curly hair
 4.3.2The EDAR locus
 5Disease
 6Hair care
o 6.1Removal practices
 6.1.1Shaving
 6.1.2Waxing
 6.1.3Laser removal
 6.1.4Cutting and trimming
 7Social role
o 7.1Indication of status
o 7.2Religious practices
 8See also
 9References
o 9.1Citations
o 9.2Sources
 10External links

Overview
The word "hair" usually refers to two distinct structures:

1. the part beneath the skin, called the hair follicle, or, when pulled from the skin, the bulb or
root. This organ is located in the dermis and maintains stem cells, which not only re-grow
the hair after it falls out, but also are recruited to regrow skin after a wound.[2]
2. the shaft, which is the hard filamentous part that extends above the skin surface. A cross
section of the hair shaft may be divided roughly into three zones.
Hair fibers have a structure consisting of several layers, starting from the outside:

1. the cuticle, which consists of several layers of flat, thin cells laid out overlapping one
another as roof shingles
2. the cortex, which contains the keratin bundles in cell structures that remain roughly rod-
like
3. the medulla, a disorganized and open area at the fiber's center[3]

Description

Hair follicle of Felidae.

Each strand of hair is made up of the medulla, cortex, and cuticle.[4] The innermost region,
the medulla, is not always present and is an open, unstructured region.[5] The highly structural and
organized cortex, or second of three layers of the hair, is the primary source of mechanical strength
and water uptake. The cortex contains melanin, which colors the fiber based on the number,
distribution and types of melanin granules. The shape of the follicle determines the shape of the
cortex, and the shape of the fiber is related to how straight or curly the hair is. People with straight
hair have round hair fibers. Oval and other shaped fibers are generally more wavy or curly. The
cuticle is the outer covering. Its complex structure slides as the hair swells and is covered with a
single molecular layer of lipid that makes the hair repel water. [4] The diameter of human hair varies
from 0.017 to 0.18 millimeters (0.00067 to 0.00709 in).[6] There are two million small, tubular
glands and sweat glands that produce watery fluids that cool the body by evaporation. The glands
at the opening of the hair produce a fatty secretion that lubricates the hair. [7]
Hair growth begins inside the hair follicle. The only "living" portion of the hair is found in the
follicle. The hair that is visible is the hair shaft, which exhibits no biochemical activity and is
considered "dead". The base of a hair's root (the "bulb") contains the cells that produce the hair
shaft.[8] Other structures of the hair follicle include the oil producing sebaceous gland which
lubricates the hair and the arrector pili muscles, which are responsible for causing hairs to stand
up. In humans with little body hair, the effect results in goose bumps.
Root of the hair
 Root of the hair

Section of skin, showing the epidermis and dermis; a

hair in its follicle; the Arrector pili muscle; sebaceous
glands.

Details

Identifiers

Latin radix pili

MeSH D006197

TA98 A16.0.00.014

TA2 7053

TH H3.12.00.3.02001

FMA 53667

Anatomical terminology

[edit on Wikidata]

The root of the hair ends in an enlargement, the hair bulb, which is whiter in color and softer in
texture than the shaft, and is lodged in a follicular involution of the epidermis called the hair follicle.
The bulb of hair consists of fibrous connective tissue, glassy membrane, external root sheath,
internal root sheath composed of epithelium stratum (Henle's layer) and granular stratum
(Huxley's layer), cuticle, cortex and medulla.[9]
Natural color
Main article: Human hair color

A woman with dark blonde hair, the basal color appears brown due to higher levels of brownish
eumelanin.
All natural hair colors are the result of two types of hair pigments. Both of these pigments are
melanin types, produced inside the hair follicle and packed into granules found in the
fibers. Eumelanin is the dominant pigment in brown hair and black hair, while pheomelanin is
dominant in red hair. Blond hair is the result of having little pigmentation in the hair strand. Gray
hair occurs when melanin production decreases or stops, while poliosis is hair (and often the skin
to which the hair is attached), typically in spots, that never possessed melanin at all in the first
place, or ceased for natural genetic reasons, generally, in the first years of life.
Human hair growth
Main article: Human hair growth
Hair grows everywhere on the external body except for mucus membranes and glabrous skin, such
as that found on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and lips.
Hair follows a specific growth cycle with three distinct and concurrent phases: anagen, catagen,
and telogen phases; all three occur simultaneously throughout the body. Each has specific
characteristics that determine the length of the hair.
The body has different types of hair, including vellus hair and androgenic hair, each with its own
type of cellular construction. The different construction gives the hair unique characteristics,
serving specific purposes, mainly, warmth and protection.
Texture
Hair type 4c

Orange American shorthair cat.
Hair exists in a variety of textures. Three main aspects of hair texture are the curl pattern, volume,
and consistency. The derivations of hair texture are not fully understood. All mammalian hair is
composed of keratin, so the make-up of hair follicles is not the source of varying hair patterns.
There are a range of theories pertaining to the curl patterns of hair. Scientists have come to believe
that the shape of the hair shaft has an effect on the curliness of the individual's hair. A very round
shaft allows for fewer disulfide bonds to be present in the hair strand. This means the bonds
present are directly in line with one another, resulting in straight hair. [10]
The flatter the hair shaft becomes, the curlier hair gets, because the shape allows more cysteines to
become compacted together resulting in a bent shape that, with every additional disulfide bond,
becomes curlier in form.[10] As the hair follicle shape determines curl pattern, the hair follicle size
determines thickness. While the circumference of the hair follicle expands, so does the thickness of
the hair follicle. An individual's hair volume, as a result, can be thin, normal, or thick. The
consistency of hair can almost always be grouped into three categories: fine, medium, and coarse.
This trait is determined by the hair follicle volume and the condition of the strand. [11] Fine hair has
the smallest circumference, coarse hair has the largest circumference, and medium hair is
anywhere between the other two.[11] Coarse hair has a more open cuticle than thin or medium hair
causing it to be the most porous.[11]
Classification systems
There are various systems that people use to classify their curl patterns. Being knowledgeable of an
individual's hair type is a good start to knowing how to take care of one's hair. There is not just one
method to discovering one's hair type. Additionally it is possible, and quite normal to have more
than one kind of hair type, for instance having a mixture of both type 3a & 3b curls.
Andre Walker system
The Andre Walker Hair Typing System is the most widely used system to classify hair. The system
was created by the hairstylist of Oprah Winfrey, Andre Walker. According to this system there are
four types of hair: straight, wavy, curly, kinky.

 Type 1 is straight hair, which reflects the most sheen and also the most resilient hair of all
of the hair types. It is hard to damage and immensely difficult to curl this hair texture. Because
the sebum easily spreads from the scalp to the ends without curls or kinks to interrupt its path,
it is the most oily hair texture of all.
 Type 2 is wavy hair, whose texture and sheen ranges somewhere between straight and
curly hair. Wavy hair is also more likely to become frizzy than straight hair. While type A waves
can easily alternate between straight and curly styles, type B and C Wavy hair is resistant to
styling.
 Type 3 is curly hair known to have an S-shape. The curl pattern may resemble a lowercase
"s", uppercase "S", or sometimes an uppercase "Z" or lowercase "z". [citation needed] This hair type is
usually voluminous, "climate dependent (humidity = frizz), and damage-prone."[citation needed] Lack
of proper care causes less defined curls.
 Type 4 is kinky hair, which features a tightly coiled curl pattern (or no discernible curl
pattern at all) that is often fragile with a very high density. This type of hair shrinks when wet
and because it has fewer cuticle layers than other hair types it is more susceptible to damage.
Andre Walker hair types

Type 1: Straight

Straight Hair tends to be very soft, thin, shiny, oily, poor at holding curls,
1a
(Fine/Thin)  difficult to damage.

Straight
1b Hair characterized by volume and body.
(Medium)

1c Straight (Coarse) Hair tends to be bone-straight, coarse, difficult to curl.

Type 2: Wavy

2a Wavy Hair has definite "S" pattern, can easily be straightened or curled,
 (Fine/Thin) usually receptive to a variety of styles.

2b Wavy (Medium) Can tend to be frizzy and a little resistant to styling.

Fairly coarse, frizzy or very frizzy with thicker waves, often more
2c Wavy (Coarse)
resistant to styling.

Type 3: Curly

Presents a definite "S" pattern, tends to combine thickness, volume,

3a Curly (Loose)
and/or frizziness.

Presents a definite "S" pattern, curls ranging from spirals to spiral-

3b Curly (Tight)
shaped corkscrew

Type 4: Kinky

Hair tends to be very wiry and fragile, tightly coiled and can feature
4a Kinky (Soft)
curly patterning.

As 4a but with less defined pattern of curls, looks more like a "Z" with
4b Kinky (Wiry)
sharp angles

FIA system
This is a method which classifies the hair by curl pattern, hair-strand thickness and overall hair
volume.
FIA hair classification

Curliness

Straight
1a Stick-straight.
1b Straight but with a slight body wave adding some volume.
Straight with body wave and one or two visible S-waves (e.g. at nape of neck or
1c
temples).
 Wavy
2a Loose with stretched S-waves throughout.
2b Shorter with more distinct S-waves (resembling e.g. braided damp hair).
2c Distinct S-waves, some spiral curling.
Curly
3a Big, loose spiral curls.
3b Bouncy ringlets.
3c Tight corkscrews.
Very ("Really") curly
4a Tightly coiled S-curls.
4b Z-patterned (tightly coiled, sharply angled)
4c Mostly Z-patterned (tightly kinked, less definition)

Strands

F Fine
Thin strands that sometimes are almost translucent when held up to the light.
Shed strands can be hard to see even against a contrasting background.
Fine hair is difficult to feel or it feels like an ultra-fine strand of silk.

M Medium
Strands are neither fine nor coarse.
Medium hair feels like a cotton thread, but isn't stiff or rough.
It is neither fine nor coarse.

C Coarse
Thick strands whose shed strands usually are easily identified.
Coarse hair feels hard and wiry.

Volume
by circumference of full-hair ponytail
i Thin circumference less than 2 inches (5 centimetres)
ii Normal ... from 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimetres)
iii Thick ... more than 4 inches (10 centimetres)

Functions
Many mammals have fur and other hairs that serve different functions. Hair provides thermal
regulation and camouflage for many animals; for others it provides signals to other animals such as
warnings, mating, or other communicative displays; and for some animals hair provides defensive
functions and, rarely, even offensive protection. Hair also has a sensory function, extending the
sense of touch beyond the surface of the skin. Guard hairs give warnings that may trigger a recoiling
reaction.
Warmth

Polar bears use their fur for warmth and while their skin is black, their transparent fur appears
white and provides camouflage while hunting and serves as protection by hiding cubs in the snow.
While humans have developed clothing and other means of keeping warm, the hair found on the
head serves primarily as a source of heat insulation and cooling (when sweat evaporates from
soaked hair) as well as protection from ultra-violet radiation exposure. The function of hair in other
locations is debated. Hats and coats are still required while doing outdoor activities in cold weather
to prevent frostbite and hypothermia, but the hair on the human body does help to keep the
internal temperature regulated. When the body is too cold, the arrector pili muscles found attached
to hair follicles stand up, causing the hair in these follicles to do the same. These hairs then form a
heat-trapping layer above the epidermis. This process is formally called piloerection, derived from
the Latin words 'pilus' ('hair') and 'erectio' ('rising up'), but is more commonly known as
'having goose bumps' in English.[12] This is more effective in other mammals whose fur fluffs up to
create air pockets between hairs that insulate the body from the cold. The opposite actions occur
when the body is too warm; the arrector muscles make the hair lie flat on the skin which allows
heat to leave.
Protection
In some mammals, such as hedgehogs and porcupines, the hairs have been modified into hard
spines or quills. These are covered with thick plates of keratin and serve as protection against
predators. Thick hair such as that of the lion's mane and grizzly bear's fur do offer some protection
from physical damages such as bites and scratches.
Touch sense
Displacement and vibration of hair shafts are detected by hair follicle nerve receptors and nerve
receptors within the skin. Hairs can sense movements of air as well as touch by physical objects and
they provide sensory awareness of the presence of ectoparasites.[13] Some hairs, such as eyelashes,
are especially sensitive to the presence of potentially harmful matter. [14][15][16][17]
Eyebrows and eyelashes
Eyelashes and eyebrows help to protect the eyes from dust, dirt, and sweat.
The eyebrows provide moderate protection to the eyes from dirt, sweat and rain. They also play a
key role in non-verbal communication by displaying emotions such as sadness, anger, surprise and
excitement. In many other mammals, they contain much longer, whisker-like hairs that act as tactile
sensors.
The eyelash grows at the edges of the eyelid and protects the eye from dirt. The eyelash is to
humans, camels, horses, ostriches etc., what whiskers are to cats; they are used to sense when
dirt, dust, or any other potentially harmful object is too close to the eye. [18] The eye reflexively closes
as a result of this sensation.

Evolution
Hair has its origins in the common ancestor of mammals, the synapsids, about 300 million years
ago. It is currently unknown at what stage the synapsids acquired mammalian characteristics such
as body hair and mammary glands, as the fossils only rarely provide direct evidence for soft tissues.
Skin impression of the belly and lower tail of a pelycosaur, possibly Haptodus shows the basal
synapsid stock bore transverse rows of rectangular scutes, similar to those of a modern crocodile.
[19]
 An exceptionally well-preserved skull of Estemmenosuchus, a therapsid from the Upper Permian,
shows smooth, hairless skin with what appears to be glandular depressions, [20] though as a semi-
aquatic species it might not have been particularly useful to determine the integument of terrestrial
species. The oldest undisputed known fossils showing unambiguous imprints of hair are
the Callovian (late middle Jurassic) Castorocauda and several contemporary haramiyidans,
both near-mammal cynodonts.[21][22][23] More recently, studies on
terminal Permian Russian coprolites may suggest that non-mammalian synapsids from that era had
fur.[24] If this is the case, these are the oldest hair remnants known, showcasing that fur occurred as
far back as the latest Paleozoic.
Some modern mammals have a special gland in front of each orbit used to preen the fur, called
the harderian gland. Imprints of this structure are found in the skull of the small early mammals
like Morganucodon, but not in their cynodont ancestors like Thrinaxodon.[25]
The hairs of the fur in modern animals are all connected to nerves, and so the fur also serves as a
transmitter for sensory input. Fur could have evolved from sensory hair (whiskers). The signals
from this sensory apparatus is interpreted in the neocortex, a chapter of the brain that expanded
markedly in animals like Morganucodon and Hadrocodium.[26] The more advanced therapsids could
have had a combination of naked skin, whiskers, and scutes. A full pelage likely did not evolve until
the therapsid-mammal transition.[27] The more advanced, smaller therapsids could have had a
combination of hair and scutes, a combination still found in some modern mammals, such
as rodents and the opossum.[28]
The high interspecific variability of the size, color, and microstructure of hair often enables the
identification of species based on single hair filaments. [29][30]

Naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) in a zoo.

In varying degrees most mammals have some skin areas without natural hair. On the human body,
glabrous skin is found on the ventral portion of the fingers, palms, soles of feet and lips, which are
all parts of the body most closely associated with interacting with the world around us, [31] as are
the labia minora and glans penis.[32] There are four main types of mechanoreceptors in the glabrous
skin of humans: Pacinian corpuscles, Meissner's corpuscles, Merkel's discs, and Ruffini corpuscles.
The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) has evolved skin lacking in general, pelagic hair
covering, yet has retained long, very sparsely scattered tactile hairs over its body. [31] Glabrousness
is a trait that may be associated with neoteny.[33]
Human hairlessness
This article or section possibly contains synthesis of material which
does not verifiably mention or relate to the main topic. Relevant
discussion may be found on the talk page. (November 2010) (Learn
how and when to remove this template message)
The general hairlessness of humans in comparison to related species may be due to loss of
functionality in the pseudogene KRTHAP1 (which helps produce keratin) in the human lineage
about 240,000 years ago.[34] On an individual basis, mutations in the gene HR can lead to complete
hair loss, though this is not typical in humans.[35] Humans may also lose their hair as a result of
hormonal imbalance due to drugs or pregnancy. [36]
In order to comprehend why humans are essentially hairless, it is essential to understand that
mammalian body hair is not merely an aesthetic characteristic; it protects the skin from wounds,
bites, heat, cold, and UV radiation.[37] Additionally, it can be used as a communication tool and as a
camouflage.[38] To this end, it can be concluded that benefits stemming from the loss of human body
hair must be great enough to outweigh the loss of these protective functions by nakedness. [39]
Humans are the only primate species that have undergone significant hair loss and of the
approximately 5000 extant species of mammal, only a handful are effectively hairless. This list
includes elephants, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, walruses, some species of pigs, whales and
other cetaceans, and naked mole rats.[38] Most mammals have light skin that is covered by fur, and
biologists believe that early human ancestors started out this way also. Dark skin probably evolved
after humans lost their body fur, because the naked skin was vulnerable to the strong UV
radiation as explained in the Out of Africa hypothesis. Therefore, evidence of the time when human
skin darkened has been used to date the loss of human body hair, assuming that the dark skin was
needed after the fur was gone.
It was expected that dating the split of the ancestral human louse into two species, the head
louse and the pubic louse, would date the loss of body hair in human ancestors. However, it turned
out that the human pubic louse does not descend from the ancestral human louse, but from
the gorilla louse, diverging 3.3 million years ago. This suggests that humans had lost body hair (but
retained head hair) and developed thick pubic hair prior to this date, were living in or close to the
forest where gorillas lived, and acquired pubic lice from butchering gorillas or sleeping in their
nests.[40][41] The evolution of the body louse from the head louse, on the other hand, places the date
of clothing much later, some 100,000 years ago.[42][43]

The soft, fine hair found on many nonhuman mammals is typically called fur.
The sweat glands in humans could have evolved to spread from the hands and feet as the body hair
changed, or the hair change could have occurred to facilitate sweating. Horses and humans are two
of the few animals capable of sweating on most of their body, yet horses are larger and still have
fully developed fur. In humans, the skin hairs lie flat in hot conditions, as the arrector pili muscles
relax, preventing heat from being trapped by a layer of still air between the hairs, and increasing
heat loss by convection.
Another hypothesis for the thick body hair on humans proposes that Fisherian runaway sexual
selection played a role (as well as in the selection of long head hair), (see terminal and vellus hair),
as well as a much larger role of testosterone in men. Sexual selection is the only theory thus far that
explains the sexual dimorphism seen in the hair patterns of men and women. On average, men have
more body hair than women. Males have more terminal hair, especially on the face, chest, abdomen,
and back, and females have more vellus hair, which is less visible. The halting of hair development
at a juvenile stage, vellus hair, would also be consistent with the neoteny evident in humans,
especially in females, and thus they could have occurred at the same time. [44] This theory, however,
has significant holdings in today's cultural norms. There is no evidence that sexual selection would
proceed to such a drastic extent over a million years ago when a full, lush coat of hair would most
likely indicate health and would therefore be more likely to be selected for, not against, and not all
human populations today have sexual dimorphism in body hair.
A further hypothesis is that human hair was reduced in response to ectoparasites.[45][46] The
"ectoparasite" explanation of modern human nakedness is based on the principle that a hairless
primate would harbor fewer parasites. When our ancestors adopted group-dwelling social
arrangements roughly 1.8 mya, ectoparasite loads increased dramatically. Early humans became
the only one of the 193 primate species to have fleas, which can be attributed to the close living
arrangements of large groups of individuals. While primate species have communal sleeping
arrangements, these groups are always on the move and thus are less likely to harbor ectoparasites.
Because of this, selection pressure for early humans would favor decreasing body hair because
those with thick coats would have more lethal-disease-carrying ectoparasites and would thereby
have lower fitness.[citation needed]
Another view is proposed by James Giles, who attempts to explain hairlessness as evolved from the
relationship between mother and child, and as a consequence of bipedalism. Giles also connects
romantic love to hairlessness.[47][48]
Another hypothesis is that humans' use of fire caused or initiated the reduction in human hair. [49]
Evolutionary variation
Evolutionary biologists suggest that the genus Homo arose in East Africa approximately 2.5 million
years ago.[50] They devised new hunting techniques.[50] The higher protein diet led to the evolution
of larger body and brain sizes.[50] Jablonski[50] postulates that increasing body size, in conjunction
with intensified hunting during the day at the equator, gave rise to a greater need to rapidly expel
heat. As a result, humans evolved the ability to sweat: a process which was facilitated by the loss of
body hair.[50]
Another factor in human evolution that also occurred in the prehistoric past was a preferential
selection for neoteny, particularly in females. The idea that adult humans exhibit certain neotenous
(juvenile) features, not evinced in the great apes, is about a century old. Louis Bolk made a long list
of such traits,[51] and Stephen Jay Gould published a short list in Ontogeny and Phylogeny.[52] In
addition, paedomorphic characteristics in women are often acknowledged as desirable by
men in developed countries.[53] For instance, vellus hair is a juvenile characteristic. However, while
men develop longer, coarser, thicker, and darker terminal hair through sexual differentiation,
women do not, leaving their vellus hair visible.
Further information: Human evolutionary genetics
Texture
Curly hair
Yellow curly hair and scalp from body which had long black wig over hair. Parts of wig plait
remains. From Egypt, Gurob, probably tomb 23. 18th–19th Dynasty. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian
Archaeology, London

Man with curly hair (David Luiz)

Global hair texture map

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please

help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find
sources: "Hair" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August
2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Jablonski[50] asserts head hair was evolutionarily advantageous for pre-humans to retain because it
protected the scalp as they walked upright in the intense African (equatorial) UV light. While some
might argue that, by this logic, humans should also express hairy shoulders because these body
parts would putatively be exposed to similar conditions, the protection of the head, the seat of the
brain that enabled humanity to become one of the most successful species on the planet (and which
also is very vulnerable at birth) was arguably a more urgent issue (axillary hair in the underarms
and groin were also retained as signs of sexual maturity). Sometime during the gradual process by
which Homo erectus began a transition from furry skin to the naked skin expressed by Homo
sapiens, hair texture putatively gradually changed from straight hair[citation needed] (the condition of
most mammals, including humanity's closest cousins—chimpanzees) to Afro-textured hair or
'kinky' (i.e. tightly coiled). This argument assumes that curly hair better impedes the passage of UV
light into the body relative to straight hair (thus curly or coiled hair would be particularly
advantageous for light-skinned hominids living at the equator).
It is substantiated by Iyengar's findings (1998) that UV light can enter into straight human hair
roots (and thus into the body through the skin) via the hair shaft. Specifically, the results of that
study suggest that this phenomenon resembles the passage of light through fiber optic tubes (which
do not function as effectively when kinked or sharply curved or coiled). In this sense, when
hominids (i.e. Homo Erectus) were gradually losing their straight body hair and thereby exposing
the initially pale skin underneath their fur to the sun, straight hair would have been an adaptive
liability. By inverse logic, later, as humans traveled farther from Africa and/or the equator, straight
hair may have (initially) evolved to aid the entry of UV light into the body during the transition
from dark, UV-protected skin to paler skin.
Some[who?] conversely believe that tightly coiled hair that grows into a typical Afro-like formation
would have greatly reduced the ability of the head and brain to cool because although African
people's hair is much less dense than its European counterpart, in the intense sun the effective
'woolly hat' that such hair produced would have been a disadvantage. However, such
anthropologists as Nina Jablonski oppositely argue about this hair texture. Specifically, Jablonski's
assertions[50] suggest that the adjective "woolly" in reference to Afro-hair is a misnomer in
connoting the high heat insulation derivable from the true wool of sheep. Instead, the relatively
sparse density of Afro-hair, combined with its springy coils actually results in an airy, almost
sponge-like structure that in turn, Jablonski argues,[50] more likely facilitates an increase in the
circulation of cool air onto the scalp. Further, wet Afro-hair does not stick to the neck and scalp
unless totally drenched and instead tends to retain its basic springy puffiness because it less easily
responds to moisture and sweat than straight hair does. In this sense, the trait may enhance
comfort levels in intense equatorial climates more than straight hair (which, on the other hand,
tends to naturally fall over the ears and neck to a degree that provides slightly enhanced comfort
levels in cold climates relative to tightly coiled hair).
Furthermore, some[who?] interpret the ideas of Charles Darwin as suggesting that some traits, such as
hair texture, were so arbitrary to human survival that the role natural selection played was trivial.
Hence, they argue in favor of his suggestion that sexual selection may be responsible for such traits.
However, inclinations towards deeming hair texture "adaptively trivial" may root in certain cultural
value judgments more than objective logic. In this sense the possibility that hair texture may have
played an adaptively significant role cannot be completely eliminated from consideration. In fact,
while the sexual selection hypothesis cannot be ruled out, the asymmetrical distribution of this trait
vouches for environmental influence. Specifically, if hair texture were simply the result of
adaptively arbitrary human aesthetic preferences, one would expect that the global distribution of
the various hair textures would be fairly random. Instead, the distribution of Afro-hair is strongly
skewed toward the equator.
Further, it is notable that the most pervasive expression of this hair texture can be found in sub-
Saharan Africa; a region of the world that abundant genetic and paleo-anthropological evidence
suggests, was the relatively recent (≈200,000-year-old) point of origin for modern humanity. In
fact, although genetic findings (Tishkoff, 2009) suggest that sub-Saharan Africans are the most
genetically diverse continental group on Earth, Afro-textured hair approaches ubiquity in this
region. This points to a strong, long-term selective pressure that, in stark contrast to most other
regions of the genomes of sub-Saharan groups, left little room for genetic variation at the
determining loci. Such a pattern, again, does not seem to support human sexual aesthetics as being
the sole or primary cause of this distribution.

Straight black hair

The EDAR locus
A group of studies have recently shown that genetic patterns at the EDAR locus, a region of the
modern human genome that contributes to hair texture variation among most individuals of East
Asian descent, support the hypothesis that (East Asian) straight hair likely developed in this branch
of the modern human lineage subsequent to the original expression of tightly coiled natural afro-
hair.[54][55][56] Specifically, the relevant findings indicate that the EDAR mutation coding for the
predominant East Asian 'coarse' or thick, straight hair texture arose within the past ≈65,000 years,
which is a time frame that covers from the earliest of the 'Out of Africa' migrations up to now.

Disease
See also: Hair diseases
Ringworm is a fungal disease that targets hairy skin.[57]
Premature greying of hair is another condition that results in greying before the age of 20 years in
Whites, before 25 years in Asians, and before 30 years in Africans. [58]

Hair care
Main article: Hair care
Hair care involves the hygiene and cosmetology of hair including hair on the scalp, facial hair
(beard and moustache), pubic hair and other body hair. Hair care routines differ according to an
individual's culture and the physical characteristics of one's hair. Hair may be colored, trimmed,
shaved, plucked, or otherwise removed with treatments such as waxing, sugaring, and threading.
Removal practices
Depilation is the removal of hair from the surface of the skin. This can be achieved through methods
such as shaving. Epilation is the removal of the entire hair strand, including the part of the hair that
has not yet left the follicle. A popular way to epilate hair is through waxing.
Shaving

Many razors have multiple blades purportedly to ensure a close shave. While shaving initially will
leave skin feeling smooth and hair free, new hair growth can appear a few hours after hair removal.
Shaving is accomplished with bladed instruments, such as razors. The blade is brought close to the
skin and stroked over the hair in the desired area to cut the terminal hairs and leave the skin feeling
smooth. Depending upon the rate of growth, one can begin to feel the hair growing back within
hours of shaving. This is especially evident in men who develop a five o'clock shadow after having
shaved their faces. This new growth is called stubble. Stubble typically appears to grow back
thicker because the shaved hairs are blunted instead of tapered off at the end, although the hair
never actually grows back thicker.
Waxing
Waxing involves using a sticky wax and strip of paper or cloth to pull hair from the root. Waxing is
the ideal hair removal technique to keep an area hair-free for long periods of time. It can take three
to five weeks for waxed hair to begin to resurface again. Hair in areas that have been waxed
consistently is known to grow back finer and thinner, especially compared to hair that has been
shaved with a razor.
Laser removal
Main article: Laser hair removal
Laser hair removal is a cosmetic method where a small laser beam pulses selective heat on dark
target matter in the area that causes hair growth without harming the skin tissue. This process is
repeated several times over the course of many months to a couple of years with hair regrowing
less frequently until it finally stops; this is used as a more permanent solution to waxing or shaving.
Laser removal is practiced in many clinics along with many at-home products.
Cutting and trimming
See also: Ponytail
Because the hair on one's head is normally longer than other types of body hair, it is cut
with scissors or clippers. People with longer hair will most often use scissors to cut their hair,
whereas shorter hair is maintained using a trimmer. Depending on the desired length and overall
health of the hair, periods without cutting or trimming the hair can vary.
Cut hair may be used in wigs. Global imports of hair in 2010 was worth $US 1.24 billion. [59]

Social role
See also: Hairstyle

Portrait of a Woman, Alessandro Allori (1535–1607; Uffizi Gallery): a plucked hairline gives a

fashionably "noble brow"
Hair has great social significance for human beings.[60][61] It can grow on most external areas of
the human body, except on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet (among other areas).
Hair is most noticeable on most people in a small number of areas, which are also the ones that are
most commonly trimmed, plucked, or shaved. These include the face, ears, head, eyebrows, legs,
and armpits, as well as the pubic region. The highly visible differences between male and female
body and facial hair are a notable secondary sex characteristic.
The world's longest documented hair belongs to Xie Qiuping (in China), at 5.627 m (18 ft 5.54 in)
when measured on 8 May 2004. She has been growing her hair since 1973, from the age of 13. [62]
Indication of status
Healthy hair indicates health and youth (important in evolutionary biology). Hair color and texture
can be a sign of ethnic ancestry. Facial hair is a sign of puberty in men. White hair is a sign of age or
genetics, which may be concealed with hair dye (not easily for some), although many prefer to
assume it (especially if it is a poliosis characteristic of the person since childhood). Male
pattern baldness is a sign of age, which may be concealed with a toupee, hats, or religious and
cultural adornments. Although drugs and medical procedures exist for the treatment of baldness,
many balding men simply shave their heads. In early modern China, the queue was a male hairstyle
worn by the Manchus from central Manchuria and the Han Chinese during the Qing dynasty; hair on
the front of the head was shaved off above the temples every ten days, mimicking male-pattern
baldness, and the rest of the hair braided into a long pigtail.
Hairstyle may be an indicator of group membership. During the English Civil War, the followers
of Oliver Cromwell decided to crop their hair close to their head, as an act of defiance to the curls
and ringlets of the king's men.[63] This led to the Parliamentary faction being
nicknamed Roundheads. Recent isotopic analysis of hair is helping to shed further light on
sociocultural interaction, giving information on food procurement and consumption in the 19th
century.[64] Having bobbed hair was popular among the flappers in the 1920s as a sign of rebellion
against traditional roles for women. Female art students known as the "cropheads" also adopted
the style, notably at the Slade School in London, England. Regional variations in hirsutism cause
practices regarding hair on the arms and legs to differ. Some religious groups may follow certain
rules regarding hair as part of religious observance. The rules often differ for men and women.
Many subcultures have hairstyles which may indicate an unofficial membership.
Many hippies, metalheads, and Indian sadhus have long hair, as well many older indie kids.
Many punks wear a hairstyle known as a mohawk or other spiked and dyed
hairstyles; skinheads have short-cropped or completely shaved heads. Long stylized bangs were
very common for emos, scene kids and younger indie kids in the 2000s and early 2010s, among
people of both genders.
Heads were shaved in concentration camps, and head-shaving has been used as punishment,
especially for women with long hair. The shaven head is common in military haircuts, while
Western monks are known for the tonsure. By contrast, among some Indian holy men, the hair is
worn extremely long.[citation needed]
In the time of Confucius (5th century BCE), the Chinese grew out their hair and often tied it, as a
symbol of filial piety.
Regular hairdressing in some cultures is considered a sign of wealth or status. The dreadlocks of
the Rastafari movement were despised early in the movement's history. In some cultures, having
one's hair cut can symbolize a liberation from one's past, usually after a trying time in one's life.
Cutting the hair also may be a sign of mourning.
Tightly coiled hair in its natural state may be worn in an Afro. This hairstyle was once worn
among African Americans as a symbol of racial pride. Given that the coiled texture is the natural
state of some African Americans' hair, or perceived as being more "African", this simple style is now
often seen as a sign of self-acceptance and an affirmation that the beauty norms of the (eurocentric)
dominant culture are not absolute. It is important to note that African Americans as a whole have a
variety of hair textures, as they are not an ethnically homogeneous group, but an ad-hoc of different
racial admixtures.
The film Easy Rider (1969) includes the assumption that the two main characters could have their
long hairs forcibly shaved with a rusty razor when jailed, symbolizing the intolerance of some
conservative groups toward members of the counterculture. At the conclusion of the Oz obscenity
trials in the UK in 1971, the defendants had their heads shaved by the police, causing public outcry.
During the appeal trial, they appeared in the dock wearing wigs. [65] A case where a 14-year-old
student was expelled from school in Brazil in the mid-2000s, allegedly because of
his fauxhawk haircut, sparked national debate and legal action resulting in compensation. [66][67]
Religious practices
Women's hair may be hidden using headscarves, a common part of the hijab in Islam and a symbol
of modesty required for certain religious rituals in Eastern Orthodoxy. Russian Orthodox
Church requires all married women to wear headscarves inside the church; this tradition is often
extended to all women, regardless of marital status. Orthodox Judaism also commands the use of
scarves and other head coverings for married women for modesty reasons. Certain Hindu sects also
wear head scarves for religious reasons. Sikhs have an obligation not to cut hair (a Sikh cutting hair
becomes 'apostate' which means fallen from religion) [68] and men keep it tied in a bun on the head,
which is then covered appropriately using a turban. Multiple religions, both ancient and
contemporary, require or advise one to allow their hair to become dreadlocks, though people also
wear them for fashion. For men, Islam, Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Christianity, Roman
Catholicism, and other religious groups have at various times recommended or required the
covering of the head and sections of the hair of men, and some have dictates relating to the cutting
of men's facial and head hair. Some Christian sects throughout history and up to modern times have
also religiously proscribed the cutting of women's hair. For some Sunni madhabs, the donning of
a kufi or topi is a form of sunnah.[69]

See also

 Chaetophobia – the fear of hair

 Hair analysis (alternative medicine)
 Hypertrichosis – the state of having an excess of hair on the head or body
 Hypotrichosis – the state of having a less than normal amount of hair on the head or body
 Lanugo
 Seta – hair-like structures in insects
 Trichotillomania – hair pulling

References
Citations

1. ^ Sherrow, Victoria (2006). Encyclopedia of Hair: A Cultural History. Westport, CT:

Greenwood Press. p. iv. ISBN 978-0-313-33145-9.
2. ^ Krause, K; Foitzik, K (2006). "Biology of the Hair Follicle: The Basics". Seminars in
Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. 25 (1): 2–
10. doi:10.1016/j.sder.2006.01.002. PMID 16616298.
3. ^ Feughelman, Max (1997). Mechanical Properties and Structure of Alpha-keratin
Fibres: Wool, Human Hair and Related Fibres. UNSW Press. ISBN 978-0-86840-359-5.
Retrieved 27 January 2016.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b Hair Structure and Hair Life Cycle. follicle.com
5. ^ "Topic 2". Texascollaborative.org. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013.
Retrieved 18 February 2015.
6. ^ Ley, Brian (1999). "Diameter of a Human Hair". Retrieved 28 June 2010.
7. ^ Councilman, W. T. (1913). "Ch. 1". Disease and Its Causes. United States: New York
Henry Holt and Company London Williams and Norgate The University Press, Cambridge,
USA.
8. ^ Freinkel, R.K.; Woodley, D.T., eds. (15 March 2001). The Biology of the Skin. CRC
Press. p. 80. ISBN 9781850700067.
9. ^ Histology Guide | Skin Histology.leeds.ac.uk. Retrieved on 18 May 2016.
10. ^ Jump up to:a b "Curly Hair Gene". Bio.davidson.edu. Retrieved 28 January 2015.