If you thought it was enough that you could curl AND straighten your hair, you're completely underestimating your tresses. Human hair actually makes up a huge business and is used in more ways that I'll bet many of us would like to know.

Food
It might sound unappealing, but human hair can actually be used as an additive in food. Hair is rich in an amino acid called L-cysteine that can be extracted and used as a flavour enhancer in dough or synthetic meat-like products. Before you freak out, the use of L-cysteine in food today mainly comes from chicken and duck feathers or is manufactured synthetically.


Photo Cred: Vegetarians

Clothes
Fashion designer Charlie Le Mindu makes entire outfits out of human hair and predicts that in several years, wearing human hair will be considered a luxury equivalent to wearing fur. Human hair is now commonly used to thicken the pile on fur coats to reduce the cost.


Photo Cred: BBCNews

Mopping Up Oil
Hair follicles can be used to mop up crude oil because they have have a large and "spiky" surface that oil will stick to. The hair is stuffed into nylon tights to make a sausage like contraption called a 'boom' and that is used to mop up the oil.


Photo Cred: BBCNews

Hair Extensions
Hair extensions make up a lucrative business - no shocker there! Most hair is imported from India and China and salons will charge anywhere up to $3,000 and spend up to 4 hours to insert the extensions. You know something is popular once you starts seeing knock-offs, and that's exactly what's happening with hair extensions. Crooks are selling extensions make of yak wool to cash in on the trend.


Photo Cred: HealthyHair

Did you know hair has so many uses?