How many hairs are on a human head?

By Prof. Dr. Soner Tatlidede 2021-11-05

How many hairs are on a human head? Surely, more than once you have wondered about this question, especially if you have observed that you have begun to lose hair density, or if your hair is falling out. The truth is that, beyond being curious about how many hair follicles are on human head, what really matters is the state of health of your hair and scalp, and detect possible hair loss problems in time.

One thing, however, is for sure: when someone starts looking for information about the cost of a hair transplant, the time has arrived where that person begins to count not how much hair remains... but how much falls out. And just as there are many causes that influence hair loss, there are also several factors that determine how many hairs are in a human head. Are you wondering “how many hairs do I have on my head?” Do you want to learn more about this topic? Then, do not miss what comes next!

How many hairs on head do we have?

So, how many hairs are on the average human head? Since we are mammals, actually our entire body is covered by a layer of hair in different shapes and sizes, that in total amounts to approximately 5 million hairs... That seems a lot, right? Well, luckily, not all of them can be seen with the naked eye: but yes, they are there, and they have a function, all of them.

However, of those 5 million... how many hairs are there on a human head? Regarding our heads, that number becomes considerably reduced. It is difficult to offer a specific figure, but if we have to give a number, we can say that there are between 100,000 and 200,000 hairs, depending on several factors that we will see later.

How many hair follicles are on the human head?

How many hairs per square cm are on a human head? Again, it is difficult to give exact figures, but we can say that in a human head we find an average of 250 hairs per square centimetre, although we will see below that this number may be lower.

And, do you know how many hair follicles are on your head? Well, the number is actually much higher than that of hairs: around 4 million, in an adult person. Why? Because not all follicles are producing hair at the same time... hence the difference.

Age and gender are important...

It is not easy to say how many average hairs are on the human head... because each person is different. But in addition, there are other factors that influence the number of hairs any person has on scalp. One of them is age: when we are born, we have more than 1,100 follicles for every square centimetre, which more or less maintain their activity until we are 20 years old. 

From then on, they stop generating hair and atrophy. For example, when we turn 80, we will only have about 400 follicles/cm²: that is, almost 3 times less than when we were born. But there is another factor that also influences on how many hairs are on the head: gender. 

And that is because it is not the same the number of hairs a man has on his head, than a woman. If you are a woman, we have good news for you: we do not know exactly how many hairs you have on your head... but most likely, they are more than those of a man, at least a man of your same age. Men, on the other hand, have more hair on other parts of the body than a woman. 

...But also hair colour

But age and gender are not the only things that influence on how many hairs a head has. Colour (natural colour, of course) also determines hair density and the number of hairs present on a person's scalp. And sorry about this... But redheads are those who occupy the last position in the ranking, since in a head of a red-haired person we only find between 75,000 and - at most - 90,000 hairs.

Those who have black or brown hair have some bigger hair density: between 100,000 and 110,000 hairs on their scalp; besides, black hair is usually thicker, and this increases hair volume. Anyway, those who have more hair on their heads, by far, are people with blond hair: it is estimated that on average, they have between 140,000 and 150,000; that is to say, practically twice that someone with red hair.

Is it normal for hair to fall out?

However, it doesn’t matter if we have blonde hair or not; there is something that, inevitably, all people worry about: hair shedding. Sometimes when we get up, comb our hair, or take a shower, we find hairs shed from our heads, worrying us. The question is: is this normal? Do I really have to worry about this?

Generally, the answer is yes: it is normal to lose some hair every day, because it is something that is part of the natural hair growth cycle. Interestingly, at this point women also have an advantage over men: in women, a hair has an average lifetime of between 4 and 7 years before it falls out; however, in men, normally the average lifetime of a hair is only 3 years.

And, how many hairs fall out a day? Well, again the number of hairs that fall out daily varies: it can be 50, 100, 150... even 200, if we are suffering from seasonal hair loss, especially in spring or in autumn. Normally, this hair loss should not worry us, since - even in times of seasonal loss - fallen hair grows back again, and shed hair is compensated by new born hair. However, if lost hair is not replaced, and areas with lower hair density begin to appear on our head, it is time to consult a specialist.

What happens if my hair does not grow back after shedding?

No matter how many hairs a person has on head, because none is exempt from suffering some type of alopecia: especially pattern hair loss (hereditary alopecia), which is behind the vast majority of baldness cases, especially among men. When it appears, and fallen hair does not recover, until a few years ago the only solution was to resign oneself, use prosthetic hair, or get a painful hair transplant using the so-called “strip method” (FUT/FUSS).

However, since the appearance of the modern FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction) technique, hair transplants have become very popular, and more and more people are getting hair surgeries using this method, in which follicular units are extracted from the donor area one by one, and then grafted in those areas where hair has disappeared. Unlike the FUT technique, FUE is painless, does not leave scars... and patient can go home once the surgery is over.

Yes, it may be interesting to know how many hairs are on a human head; but the point is to take care of our hair, every day, and go to skilled professionals as soon as we detect our first hair problems, in order to minimise the risk of losing our hair. Are you looking for a trustworthy clinic? Clinicana is the best hair transplant clinic. Request a free consultation, and ask us for a free, no obligation estimate for your hair treatment.