What are baby hairs?
What are baby hairs?
Baby hairs are very fine, wispy hairs that frame your face and don’t grow to full length. Some people refer to baby hairs as ‘peach fuzz’, ‘edges’ or ‘vellus’, which means wool in Latin.
While not everyone’s baby hairs are the same, we all have them. Unless, of course, you’re Kim Kardashian, who lasered off her baby hairs in the early 2010s. Spoiler alert, Kim regrets this decision. In a past blog post on KimKardashianWest.com, she noted, “I thought I looked better without the baby hairs, but now I miss them. I think they look youthful!”
Baby hair or breakage? How to spot a baby hair
Are you noticing some fluffy action around your hairline? Curious as to whether it’s baby hair or breakage?
There are a few ways to identify a regular hair strand compared to a baby hair strand. So, grab a mirror, sit down somewhere comfy and follow our simple guide to see if it’s baby hair or breakage.
1. Location
Location is a key factor in identifying a baby hair. You will typically find baby hairs around the edge of your head and at the nape of your neck. Depending on your hair type and texture, they can appear in both females and males and can be mid-range, short, or even curly.
2. Look
Now we have spotted some shorter hairs that look suspicious; it’s time to analyse them. It is pretty standard for women to confuse hair breakage with baby hairs, and this can be determined by looking at the tip of the strand. If the hair strand is dry, coarse and has a visible split or fractured end, it is most likely damaged hair and not baby hair. If there’s no breakage and it’s just shorter than your other hair strands, you’re onto a winner!
3. Touch
The last identifying point is touch. Baby hairs are of a thinner consistency and are pretty delicate to touch. If you were to compare a “terminal” piece of hair to baby hair, you would notice the baby hair is softer and lighter.
How do baby hairs form?
People develop baby hair as a baby, hence the name, but these hairs continue to form and last through adolescence and late into adulthood.
In an interview with Elle Magazine, Trichologist David Salinger said, “baby hairs are produced when the growing (anagen) phase of the hair cycle becomes shorter”.
During this cycle, the sprouting of new hairs around the edge of the head doesn’t grow to full length and, as such, remain shorter and of a thinner consistency.
Baby hair growth is also very prominent in postpartum women. Once a woman has a child and her hormone levels return to normal, typically, 3-6 months after birth, hair starts to shred. Once this shredding phase is over, around ten months postpartum comes the growing phase, leading to uneven tufts of hair and copious amounts of unruly baby hairs. This type of baby hair growth has been coined ‘baby bangs’.
While these ‘baby bangs’ may seem unmanageable and out of control, our Wispy product range is the perfect solution. Within seconds, our products will leave your hair looking slick and tidy. Goodbye, baby hairs and hello gorgeous locks! To view the entire product range, please click here.
