Many people suffer from hair loss. However, when it starts to occur in droves, it naturally leaves people wondering about the number of hairs in the scalp.
Here, we’ll explain the structure of your hair, how it grows, how many hairs are on a human head, and the factors that influence a person’s hair count.
How Many Hairs Are On A Human Head?
On average, humans have 100,000 hairs on their heads. However, the number of hairs on your head doesn’t stay the same over time because you lose 50 to 100 strands every day — even if you don’t do anything to your hair.
Fortunately, losing hair doesn’t mean you’ll lose it forever since hair grows in cycles. Each day, your hair grows 0.3 to 0.4 mm, which equates to around 9-12 mm of hair in a month and 110 to 150 mm in a year.
Hair Colour
Research suggests that this number may range from 90,000 to 150,000, depending on a person’s hair colour:
- Blonde: 150,000 hairs
- Brown: 110,000 hairs
- Black: 100,000 hairs
- Red: 90,000 hairs
Ethnicity
According to a study, the number of hairs per cm2 (hair density) varies among different ethnicities. Not accounting for errors, it is as follows:
- Caucasian: 214-230 hairs/cm2
- Americans of Hispanic descent: 169-178 hairs/cm2
- Africans: 148-160 hairs/cm2
Therefore, the hair count can be the highest in Caucasians, followed by Americans of Hispanic descent and Africans.
Gender
The number of hairs on an individual’s head may not be greatly affected by their gender.
A 2020 study evaluating the hair densities of adults in the Thai population found no “statistically significant” differences between the men and women in the research. It was only noted that men had very slightly higher hair densities in different scalp regions than women.
Function, Structure & Growth Process Of The Hair
With the exception of lips, palms, and soles of feet, humans have hair all over their bodies, and it serves numerous functions.
By trapping heat, your body hair can help you warm up a bit. Hair on the scalp, for example, provides cushioning against trauma while also keeping it warm. Sweat from the forehead is prevented from entering your eyes by your eyebrows, while eyelashes also help keep debris away from the eyes. Even the nose hair helps in the filtering of the air entering your body.
Interestingly, the part of the hair that is visible to you is made up of dead cells — this is what’s known as the hair shaft. The hair itself is contained in a small tube-like structure called the hair follicle, which is present underneath the skin. New hair grows inside each follicle — new cells push out old ones, and the hair grows upwards from the base.
It’s also important to understand that hair growth takes place in a cycle, mainly consisting of four stages: anagen, catagen, telogen and exogen. In the first stage, the hair grows; this stage can last anywhere from 2-8 years for the hair on your head.
A transitioning catagen phase follows, lasting between 2-4 weeks, followed by a resting telogen phase in which the hair shaft does not grow. The hair is then finally shed in the exogen phase, however, the hair that falls away is replaced by a new one in a cyclic manner.
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Did You Know?
You have two types of hairs on your body: terminal and vellus. Terminal is the thick, long hair which can be found on your scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, pubic area, etc. In contrast, vellus hair is thin and short and can be found on your arms, legs, face, and other parts of the body. The vellus hair has a shorter growing (anagen) phase than the terminal hair.
How Can Your Hair Count Be Negatively Impacted?
The following factors can negatively affect the number of hairs on the scalp:
- Ageing
- Health problems
- Stress and/or unhealthy lifestyle
- Poor nutrition
- Medications and/or treatment therapies
- Trauma and/or injury
- Hair damage from excessive styling
Keep in mind that hair loss can be temporary or permanent. Some kinds of temporary alopecias can also become permanent. In any case, you must consult your doctor for a diagnosis.
Experiencing Hair Loss?
Longevita is a UK-registered facilitator of surgical and non-surgical treatments for hair loss. If you’re seeking a surgical hair transplant or non-surgical PRP or polynucleotide injections for your hair loss, feel free to get in touch with us.
Dr Cagla
Dr Cagla earned her medical degree at Trakya University’s Faculty of Medicine in Bulgaria and has almost 6 years of hair transplantation experience. She is a specialist in FUE, DHI and Sapphire hair transplants of the scalp, eyebrows and beard and has performed over 6,000 surgeries. Dr Cagla is multilingual, with fluency in English, Bulgarian and Turkish.
