Diary of My Hair Sheds
This is an ongoing collection, diary, data, ritual, observation, journal, and examination of the natural shedding of my hair, a sustainable material.
In terms of resources, human hair is very valuable. It is so precious to us both sentimentally and monetarily that I believe it is also one of the most controversial resources/materials in human history. And possibly why I get so much pushback about examining it.
Currently, in our American culture, we spend a lot of money on our hair while it's on our heads or to put it back on our heads. Just take a look at the worldwide human hair trade for wigs and extensions - we're talking billions of dollars annually. But as soon as it falls off our heads, it's worthless and goes directly into the garbage or down our drains. And unfortunately, if it's forcefully removed or taken without our consent, it becomes priceless. So many dichotomies in hair lure me in, and this is one of them.
What is hair's value to us beyond our heads, and why? Why do we consume more than we contribute? Why is it ok for us to purchase other people's hair of unknown origin but considered weird to collect our own? Is there a use for hair beyond wigs? Also, how much hair waste are we talking about?
This collection process began this summer with my 40 days of sheds display at my 40th bday party. I read we naturally shed between 50-100 hairs from our heads every day, and I was curious to know if this was true for me.
So I started saving and counting the long strands that fell when I combed or ran my fingers through them. As you can see on the chart below, this lovely little average was true for me at first. But then, I kept it going, and in September, something rather curious happened. I started to lose a lot of hair. And it peaked in October. One day alone I counted 917 strands.
After a bit of digging around, I learned that our hair shedding is seasonal, and just like the trees lose their leaves when the weather gets cooler, we also lose more of our strands during the autumn. But this much? I have to admit I'm still surprised at the amount. I know a lot of things can factor into why we shed our hair, and I can’t say for sure what’s happening. I can only sit back and observe and try to organize the chaos.
Also, the actual numbers are more than this; I can't literally collect them all. I have a routine, but it's not a perfect system by any means and I don't know anyone else who has attempted to collect and count their sheds in any matter, so take it for what it's worth. The best numbers for comparison in the chart below are the daily averages, which indicate my shedding is slowly backing off. Hopefully, that's the case. I keep joking that if I go bald, I haven't really lost my hair because I know exactly where is it.
No need to cut (or buy) hair for material if you are able to collect it.
Stay curious, friends 🖤
I will write more details another time after I've had time to think more about what I’ve been feeling through this whole process and how to express it. Is there anything you'd like to know specifically?
