A chemist explains how the structure of your hair follicles, your genetic code and environmental factors like humidity influence how hair behaves on a day-to-day basis.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Hair
Displaying 1 - 20 of 43 articles
We’ve known about dandruff for thousands of years. Here’s how to get rid of yours.
Keeping warm in winter and cool in summer is down to more than the length of your hair.
In the 17th century, the mullet was written about with imperial and racist overtones.
Historically, baldness was treated with neutrality, as a regular part of daily life. Ancient Egyptians had different balding hairstyles
Uncombable hair syndrome is a condition where the hair is dry and frizzy and cannot be combed flat.
Until Black women can wear their hair how they want without risk of ridicule, reprimand or termination, a joke targeting Black hair is no laughing matter.
The joke that sparked a violent reaction from actor Will Smith at the Oscars centered on his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss. A dermatologist explains the causes and treatment for alopecia.
Researchers had suspected that chemical hair relaxers might be behind racial disparities in breast cancer diagnoses. A new study narrows in on lye as a possible cause for that link.
Nail salons, tanning, waxing and most beauty services have been forced to close – but hairdressers have been deemed ‘essential’ and are still operating.
With the fairly recent launch of an ethnic corporate product line, Pantene’s Gold Series Collection, are black women feeling the love?
Long before Netflix’s Cheer documentary and JoJo Siwa, big huge hair bows were a thing. And it wasn’t always girls who wore them.
Nigerian men who wear their hair in knots are not a new phenomenon, but the hairstyle’s spiritual heritage sparks fear in the hearts of many.
Could hairdressers hold the key to tackling climate change?
New research suggests ultrasound could make henna-based hair dyes more effective.
Finding a mate is of course essential to produce the next generation. And feathers and fur play key roles in making sure that happens.
Your hair can reveal how much you drink, whether you smoke or take drugs, and perhaps even how stressed you are.
In Asia, human hair is sold and recycled into products, but in the West it is treated with either disgust or veneration. A new exhibition explores our bizarre attitudes to hair.
Stigma about black or African hair reflects deep-seated politics around race and history.
In New York City, hair salons are one of the few cultural spaces for Dominican women to bond. But they also perpetuate legacies of racism and colonialism.
Top contributors
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Professor of Dermatology, The University of Melbourne
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Conjoint Clinical Associate Professor, Deakin University School of Medicine and Specialist Pain Medicine Physician, Deakin University
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Research Psychologist, Health Behaviour Research Centre, UCL
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Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor, Biology, Zoology, Animal Science, Western Sydney University
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Senior research fellow, University of Ibadan
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Professor of Tissue Development and Regeneration, University of Southern California
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Professor of Sustainable Practice, University of Southampton
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Reader in Forensic Biology, University of Huddersfield
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Visiting Researcher in Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, Cardiff University
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Adjunct professor of psychology at Roskilde University, Roskilde University
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SARCHI Ocean Cultures and Heritage, Nelson Mandela University
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Principle Lecturer, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
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Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biology, Adjunct Associate Professor of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology
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Kristen Barber is a Friend of The Conversation.
Associate Professor of Race, Ethnic and Gender Studies, University of Missouri-Kansas City
