Hair is a significant part of our appearance and can say a lot about us. It can signal health, age and a sense of style. A full head of healthy, well-maintained hair is often seen as a sign of vitality and youthfulness. On the other hand, baldness is usually associated with loss of life and a sense of decrepitude.
Hair grows from small holes in the skin, called follicles. A follicle is shaped like a little cylinder with a rounded bottom and an open hole at the top. It has an oil gland, called a sebaceous gland (say: sib-uh-sis), which makes a waxy substance called sebum that helps keep the hair and scalp moisturized. Each hair cell starts at the follicle and gets nutrients from tiny blood vessels that run underneath it. As the cells grow and mature, they push the old cells up through the follicle into the surface of the skin. Once on the surface, the cells die and harden to form a hair shaft.
The color of your hair is determined by the amount of pigment, or dark coloring, in each hair cell. Your hair follicles produce two types of pigment: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Eumelanin gives your hair its natural, warm-looking color and pheomelanin gives it a more grayish or white look. As we get older, our follicles produce less melanin and our hair can start to turn gray or even white.
Your hair can be straight, curly or wavy. The texture of your hair comes from the shape of your follicles and the size and structure of each strand. It’s also affected by genetics, hormones and the environment.
In some cultures, hair is seen as a symbol of power and status. For example, in many societies, males with long hair are perceived as powerful and dominant. In the United States, until about 1967, most men wore their hair short. The counterculture hippie movement made long hair a fashion statement for males, but it wasn’t until 1980 that short hair became the prevailing style again.
When writing a story, describing your character’s hair can give readers a glimpse into their personality and lifestyle. Body hair descriptions are a way to immerse your reader in your world and add to their emotional connection with your characters. Using descriptive words to describe hair and its texture, color, thickness and shape can help your reader feel fully drawn into your world. So, whether your character’s hair is shiny and healthy or limp and greasy, let these descriptive words guide you as you write.