Apart from human vestigiality – for instance, the human tailbone, wisdom teeth and the inside corner of the eye – most human traits do serve a purpose.
When it comes to hair, you’d be pleasantly surprised to know that its function depends on which body part they’re placed at.
Have a go at this top-to-bottom examination of every type of hair that grows out of the follicles and why they exist in the first place.
Head Hair
Apart from adding an aesthetic appeal to one’s outer appearance, scientists have theorised that the hair on the head also has a few pragmatic and practical functions.
One of which is to insulate our head as well as serve as a heat protector. The large surface area, along with the constant flow of blood to our brains, allows the body to absorb and release heat, depending on the surrounding.
For our ancestors who had close to nothing to protect them from the severe environment, their excessive hair was a key biological trait that ensured their survival.
Another theory revolves around an evolutionary theory coined as homo aquaticus.
Unlike Charles Darwin’s theory of the evolution of ape to man, homo aquatics theorised that human evolution might have started from fishes instead of our primate counterparts.
As our ancestors depended on the sea for food, those that have less body hair have a natural evolutionary advantage as they don’t possess an extreme amount of body hair to restrict their movement in the water.
This may have resulted in the genetic extinction of the voluminous body hair, but the hair on the head may have remained simply because we can’t fully submerge in the water for a long time.
Eyebrows
Apart from being the facial feature that frames the face, its primary function is to simply protect our eyes from things, such as dust, dandruff and raindrops, that may fall into our eyes and hamper our vision.
Surprisingly, they are also ergonomically designed. The downward angle of our brows allows any moisture to run off the side of our faces, avoiding our eyes altogether.
Nose Hair
Elementary science has taught us the necessity for nose hairs. They act as a filler for our lungs, intercepting any dirt, bacteria and toxins from coming into our respiratory system every single time we breathe.
The nose hair also helps to humidify the air we breathe by collecting moisture from the environment. This prevents our respiratory system from drying out, which will only lead to cough-inducing irritation.
Armpit Hair
Whilst many of us have taken to shave, wax or opt for ipl permanent hair removal to rid of our underarm hair, they actually have practical functions even if they do impede our hygiene.
It absorbs sweat away from the skin to prevent excessive dripping from our sweat glands, prevent chafing caused by friction between our armpits and torso and lastly, acts as a pheromone diffuser (the irony!).
Pubic Hair
On top of being insulators, our pubes act as a cushion against friction; thus, effectively preventing any injury or skin abrasion.
Similar to our nose hairs, our pubes help to protect your genitalia from bacteria and pathogens from sneaking in.
Leg And Arm Hair
Our ancestors, unfortunately, didn’t have the privilege of having pants to keep them warm throughout the night and protect them from the scorching heat during the day.
What they had instead was leg hair! With the development of clothing, leg and arm hair naturally started to phase out of the gene pool.
It’s apparent that hair on certain body areas, such as leg and arm hair, have ceased to have a purpose as there are other replacements that do the job just fine. You now have the option to either enjoy it or get rid of it altogether!
If you’re for the latter, we are here to help! We are determined to offer you solutions to your unwanted body hair so that you can reach your desired bodily visual aesthetics. With our painless hair removal treatments, your journey towards a hairless future will be a breeze.