It may seem a little grisly, but human hair has traditionally been used for a number of purposes after finishing its job on the scalp.
Using Human Hair as a Garden Fertilizer
Once hair starts to break down it releases nitrogen into the soil, where it acts as a slow-release fertilizer for plants. Hair can simply be added directly to soil or the compost heap: some gardeners recommend putting a handful of hair in the hole when planting roses. Hair breaks down more quickly if it is chopped into short sections and kept moist.
Hair can also be woven into weed mats to surround plants; this requires a lot of hair, but little expertise.
Making a Hair Rat for Old-Fashioned Hair Styles
Old-fashioned hairstyles such as the Gibson Girl look require padding to achieve the desired fullness. Nowadays foam hair “rats” can be purchased, but the traditional method is to create a rat made out of shed hair. This way the rat perfectly matches the colour and texture of the hair, making it less noticeable if the hairdo slips. Usually hair is gradually collected from the hairbrush after brushing, but long strands from a haircut could also be used. The collected hair can then be stuffed into a hairnet or old stocking to create a kind of cushion the right size and shape for a particular hairstyle.
Human Hair in Birds’ Nests
Instead of throwing the long strands of shed hair from your hairbrush in the bin, throw them outside. Birds appreciate the insulating properties of hair in nest-building; what’s more, hair is strong and will eventually break down., unlike the synthetic fibres birds sometimes repurpose in their nests.
Using Hair in Art
Hair jewellery made from the hair of loved ones was popular in the Victorian era. Today many of the techniques are a dying art, but a few hairworkers continue to produce custom hair jewellery. These techniques include hair painting, in which hair is ground up and used as the colouring agent for paint; cutwork, in which hairs are glued to a backing and cut into shapes; and tablework, in which the hair is woven into braided lengths.
Locks of hair are still sometimes worn in lockets for remembrance. Hair can also be used to stuff plush toys. More daringly a few artists have used hair as the basis for some amazing artwork such as this hair fiberglass chair.
Donating Hair to Charity
Companies such as Locks of Love welcome donations of clean, long ponytails free of henna, dyes or grey hair. Few of these locks actually end up in wigs; most are sold to boost funds, but the cause is still noble.
Selling Hair to Wigmakers and Dollmakers
Long hair in excellent condition can sometimes be sold to wigmakers or dollmakers. Most wigmakers prefer “virgin” hair that has never been dyed. A wig usually incorporates hair from several people and is then dyed to a uniform colour; previously-dyed hair can take up the colour differently, resulting in a streaky wig. Healthy hair of ten inches or more can fetch hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Sarah Tennant - Sarah Tennant is a onetime English major who lives in New Zealand with her husband and two small children. Her interests range from ...
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