Why Each Person Has a Maximum Length for Hair

the Hebrew Bible's book of Judges tells the story of Samson and how his flowing locks of uncut hair imbued him with immense strength Samson falls in love with a woman named Delilah and he tells her that because a razor has never touched his head his God gave him superpowers turns out Delilah was a spy for Samson's enemies and cuts off his hair robbing him of his strength huh obviously hair can't give us superhuman strength right right but what would happen if like Samson we never cut our hair ever again [Music] we should start by talking about what hair actually is and how it works human hair is composed of three different parts the cuticle the cortex and medulla the cuticle is the outermost layer of hair and is made entirely of shingle like dead cells next is the cortex which is made up of a fibrous protein structure called keratin that gives hair most of its strength keratin is also the protein that makes up horns feathers claws hooves and nails the cortex is also where we find melanin which determines the color of the hair depending on how much or how little is present lastly the medulla is the soft semi-hollow centre of the hair shaft interestingly enough it isn't present in fine and blond hair conversely thick and coarse hair usually has a medulla but there are exceptions to the rule hair grows out of the follicle and is formed at the base in the hair bulb cells multiply and divide inside the bulb creating the hair shaft pushing up through the follicle and out into the open air where we can brush dye or style it however we like so what would happen if we simply decided one day to stop cutting it all together would it keep growing forever I'm sure that hairdressers would recommend frequent trims to maintain hair health but they keep trying to upsell me on charcoal hair mousse so they're not exactly impartial what are the claims from hairdressers then stylists Harry Josh says that if you feel your hair looks damaged or broken at the ends I'd recommend a cut every six weeks but he continues saying that trims are not going to make your hair grow faster you should cut your hair to maintain healthy strands but you can go a few more months if you're trying to grow it out that's a pretty reasonable answer if you don't cut your hair you can develop split ends which are as the name suggests the dry and brittle ends of hair strands that have broken down the middle there is no way to repair split ends but there are treatments to prevent them skipping shampoo in lieu of just a conditioner every so often can help as can the use of all-natural hair products that don't use any harsh chemicals like bleach or artificial dyes which permeate the entire structure of the hair and damage the cuticle in the however the most effective way to prevent split ends is well getting a regular haircut so other than split ends there isn't really any other detriment to not cutting your hair and if that isn't a problem for you there's nothing stopping you from letting your mane grow out Samson style that isn't to say that your hair will continue growing unchecked forever though not all of us can be a modern-day Rapunzel like Shh Oh King with her Guinness world record holding 18 feet of flowing raven locks which she spent 31 years growing know the length of our hair is determined by your genetics and I'm afraid no matter how much time we give it our hair might not reach that biblical length it comes down to the three phases of hair growth antigen catagen and telogen the antigen phase is when the cells in the hair bulb multiply it push out through the follicle how long your hair can grow in this phase is encoded in your genes on average hair grows about half an inch per month next during the catagen phase the root of the hair is cut off from your circulatory system and over an average course of three weeks the living tissue in your hair dies leading into the final phase of hair growth the telogen phase at this time the strand of hair is entirely dead to the root and will fall out naturally typically you shed anywhere from fifty to a hundred hairs per day according to the American Academy of Dermatology shedding significantly more than this might be an indicator of natural hair loss or a condition like alopecia that being said at any given time there are new hairs growing to replace ones that we lose naturally this shedding is the reason why our hair won't necessarily grow out forever it's also the reason why shaving or cutting your hair won't speed up its growth the maximum length of your hair depends on the antigen phase the longer this phase the longer it will grow to but it's not indefinite even if you decided to never cut your hair again you won't necessarily grow long Sephiroth length locks this is the same reason why the hair on our bodies and faces don't grow to be as long as the hair on our heads the three phase cycle is distinctly shorter for hair not on our heads and their growth is triggered by hormonal changes in puberty for some of us growing out our hair is a representation of our commitments specifically for members of the Sikh faith a religion from the punjab region of india refraining from cutting one's hair is a visual cue for those around them of their commitment to their culture and faith called kesh one of the founders of the Sikh faith Guru Gobind Singh gave his followers cash uncut hair and the turban as a uniform of their religion Sikh men usually wear their hair in a topknot or a bun under their turban Sikh women are also called to wear turbans for cash but many Sikhs practice different level of commitments to their faiths and may cut their hair or choose not to wear a turban moving north to China after the Manchu army defeated the Ming Dynasty and captured Beijing the newly appointed Emperor Shunzhi ordered all ethnically Han Chinese men wear their hair in a queue style that is shaved save for a section of hair at the back of the head which was worn in a long braid to signify their fealty to the new regime under threat of beheading this was scandalous at the time not only because the new emperor was threatening to kill them but also because the Han people believed that hair was a gift from one's ancestors so cutting it was a decision not taken lightly many indigenous cultures across North America also choose to let their hair grow out as well of course how hair is worn varies from tribe to tribe but they include braids painted dreads free flowing and sometimes tied back with wool but regardless of style long hair is seen as a representation of power and connection to the land sadly throughout Canadian and American history indigenous peoples hair have been the locus of horrible discrimination starting in the 1870s thousands of indigenous children were removed from their homes and put into schools where they were cut from their culture their families and by extension their hair in an effort to civilize them it doesn't matter why you choose to grow out your hair be it on your head or anywhere else what does matter is that you choose to do it of course your hair won't grow out forever there's a point for all of us when our hair will reach its maximum length and fall out only to be replaced by new strands of hair but whether we decide to see what that length is or if we want to cut it down to the scalp is up to us and only us we don't need a religious or cultural explanation why we like our hair to flow long free like the wind in fact we don't need any explanation at all a good friend once said this to me and it really stuck as long as you like you I like you so go for it friends let's see how long we can get you know what I think I'm gonna take the plunge I'm gonna finally get me some bangs yeah do you want help I've been cutting my own hair for years and it took me a long time to get really good at it yeah your hair does look great bro but but I think I might stick to online tutorials and I guess I'll see what they say okay well feel free to give me a shout if you want help sure bro I'll do that definitely do that oh wait I just remembered no oh no chill not not his tutorials I didn't think you meant [Music] I checked the internet for ways to cut bangs and I think I have everything I need

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Keywords: what if you never cut your hair, what happens if you don't cut your hair, never cut your hair, never cut your hair again, never cut your own hair, why you should never cut your own hair, what would happen if you never cut your hair, never cut hair since birth, what happens if you never cut your hair, hair growth, hair length, max hair growth

Id: 6-AkCBCZtPU

Length: 8min 20sec (500 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 03 2020