The Purpous Of Hair?

[Guest Serene]

M'kay, I wasn't sure where to post this yet and had a lot of trouble determining whether it belongs in this part of the forums or not, but I think since it is relavent to so many people distaste for body and facial hair that it probably would be posted here. This is more of an explaination that actually discussing the removal of hair, so please correct me if I made a mistake with this post.

I've done a lot of research on hair when I finally decided to try and rid my face of the darn plague. From all I've learned and discussed with others I cannot determine any real purpous to body and facial hair. I've learned that hair on top of a persons head serves two purpouses; first to shield our bodies from harsh sunlight, and second it serves as a means of sexual arousal by means of petting(strange but that's what I've gathered XD I guess it's kinda like a mane for attraction).

However all other hair covering the skin of humans seems pointless and in many cases detrimental in this modern era. During the neolithic period and before I can understand its reason for being, however I can see much more problems as a result rather than benefits. The hairs, excluding that on the top of our heads, are coarse, itchy, greasy, irritating, and sometimes painful, expecially on those with sensative skin.

With some people whose skin is hypersensative or simply the size of their follicles can easily cause dermatitis, as is the case with me. In this situation the courseness and thickness of the hairs irritates the flesh causing follicular and parafolicular hyperplasia. In kings english; it means the body reacts to the irritation as if it were an infection, prompting the growth of an additional layer of skin in order to protect the follicles from external harm, and in doing so inadvertantly causes ingrown hairs and actually starts infections, doing exactly what the body was trying to prevent. Left alone it can possibly cause lymph nodes to swell in the constant battle to heal the skin.

I remember someone saying that the hairs actually provide oily lubrication to prevent skin from damaging in places where flesh meets, such as the armpits or crotch area where the hairs are thickest. However I tend to dissagree. In addition to simply being itchy, hair naturally absorbs oil. That's why there were donations of hair to help with the oil spill not too long ago. But this only seems to be more of a problem for the human body the way I understand it. Since hairs absorb oil it actually dries out our skin's natural oil supply. On exceptionally dry days our dead dry skin cracks and sheds, but it's most noticable, to me anyway, where body hair grows. But even if body hair is suppost to keep our skin from becoming irritated from rubbing against itself that still doesn't explain the prominant facial hair in males.

If hair grows in abundance in one area it has a greater need of maitenance. Many of us, if not all, are sure to pamper and clean the hair on our heads with shampoo and conditioner, sometimes more. It's basic hygene. But from what I've seen areas with hair become more likely to become dirty.

And those are only the physical aspects. For those of us who are MTF it's practically vital to be rid of the little devils.

While in others body and facial hair isn't a problem, but for many of us it is. It just seems like we should have evolved out of it by now. Please let me know what your thoughts are.

Love

Serene

[Guest ignota]

Silly phone seleted my first reply …

Anyway, interesting post

I've heard - and i'm no biologist but i think it makes sense - that body hair is supposed to catch sweat dripping off you. Oh isn't that lush...

It's coz sweats supposed to evaporate and take your body heat with it, which cools you down. But if it falls off, it's not cooling you down as well, so you have to sweat more, which uses more water and salt... and remember you're trying to run away from a tiger >.< So the hair traps your sweat and gives it more time to do its job. TMI?

I guess a feww thousand years isn't very long in evolutionary terms... but on the other hand we have come a long way since we were chimps And it's not an ideal solution re the infections, but evolution is a bit messy really. What are toenails for? That's all i can think of...

I think i'll also be getting rid of my icky sweat-traps as soon as possible...

Rhi

[Guest Elena]

What are toenails for? That's all i can think of...

I think i'll also be getting rid of my icky sweat-traps as soon as possible...

Rhi

Toenails are for painting pretty colors of course!

Body hair's purpose I think is something like everything both of you have said.

I think facial hair on men originally served the same purpose as the hair on our heads. As men are the more powerfuly built, they would spend the majority of their time out in the elements and need the same protection from the sun and wind on their face as on top of the head. It also adds to the Mane effect for mating appeal. (Shudders) Like you say though, we have evolved way past all of that now. So basically it is now just a nuisance, though some somehow consider it as decorative, that is totally beyond me however. I enjoy kissing a furry face about as much as I like having one. But hey, I don't have to kiss anyone I don't want to, and I am working on killing my own fur. So no more neanderthal torture devices for this girl soon.

<3

Elena

[Guest Donna Jean]

.

The Purpous Of Hair? Why is it there?

....to make us girls spend our money!

Dee Jay

[Guest Julie T]

So the barbers and hairstylist have something to do?

So there is something to find in your soup?

So your hat won't slip off?

So when you shave, there is something to rinse down the drain?

Julie

[Guest ignota]

Toenails are for painting pretty colors of course!

Of course!! *smacks head* Woo!

So there is something to find in your soup?

Eww!! But better than flies, I suppose.

[Guest Serene]

Hahah these replies make me giggle. Thanks It's good to laugh now and then.

But I suspect it is pretty much what we all seem to agree on; facial/body hair once served a boilogical function for survival aspects. IE: protection from the sun and elements, catching sweat to cool during high exertion, ECT... I've actually learned that typically living in cooler climates causes less facial hair since the sun is not quite so harsh. It certainly serves no purpous for warmth. Unlike so many animals our bodies function to shiver and get goosebumps to create heat through induces kinetic action. Or something like that.

As far as evolution goes nothing changes unless there's something detrimental to a species interaction with the environment. But while some people are not bothered by hair(I assume) many of us are for the reasons above. Since it is only a mild drawback and is not activly killing us off but still causing discomfort and occasional infection, I am inclined to assume that humans are in an ever-sluggish process of losing hair. After all we're not quite the fuzzy neolithic people we once were. Even so I wish we were boby hair-free.

The hair on my head I love, it's long, wavy, silky and apparently fun for others to play with. It certainly does still seem to play a subconscious role in attraction. Sadly the same cannot be said about the coarse, itchy spines growing elswere on our bodies. As far as I'm concerned, body and facial hair is a lingering plague.

Also, yes! Nails are for pretty pretty art! Also for opening cans and satisfying itches like such caused by evil hairs! But mostly pretty art!

*hugs*

Serene

[Guest Annaemo]

Don't forget that woman have hair in the exact same places we do. I was shopping one day and the cashier had a lot of arm hair! She was younger looking than me hehe. Another reason might be to protect us from rain, harsh weather. I remember my friend saying she shaved off her eyebrows. The water all ended up in her eyes and on her skin (painful). Think about why sea creatures and lizards don't possess body hair at all..

[Guest .Christine Elizabeth.]

Pheromones! at least for the armpits and groin regions. For the more stereotypical male sections lake arms, legs, and face it would serve as a good indicator of testosterone levels. More testosterone, at least as far your more primitive parts of the brain are concerned, is good in a mate. But seriously, you can tell a lot about a person from age, sex, health, sexual arousal, other emotions etc etc from pheromones, even if you only have a sweaty t shirt and don't know who it came from. It's cause the olfactory lobes wire directly into the part of the brain that deals with emotions and memories, so it doesn't get filtered.

[Guest thomasina uk]

I think that most animals have subtle differences to differentiate cis male from cis females. Male lions probably dont have much biological need for manes, but they have them anyway. They serve more as gender markers than specific functioning assets.

T

[Guest Serene]

All fantastic points I'd have probably not set upon.

It's true that the olfactory senses deal heavily in primal and carnal concepts, and perhaps hair may play a role in those arenas. I, however, have always be under the impression that it is the odorless scents our olfactory senses are keen to that induces such intimate knowledge of sensed individuals. While it make be true I can't be sure what role hair plays in that. The pheromones actually come from the subcutaneous glands right beneath our skin, right? So they are located in the same area the roots of hairs are located.

Maybe it's as a few of you already stated, that hair serves to hold fluid, both to keep out of our other senses and to allow it a larger window of opportunity to serve its function.

Although I doubt that is the case with all hair. Facial and body hair, still to my view, has outlived its evolutionary purpous. Humans, by virtue of superior and often dangerous intelligence, as compaired to other species on the planet, are majorly capable of functioning outside the laws of nature. We get ill, we use medicine. We are without shelter, we build houses. We need food, we plant crops. The elements are not a typical adversary to humans anymore, neither are predators nor are even most diseases. In fact humankinds greatest adversary now is infact humankind.

But digressing from an entirely different subject, I suspect there is still some purpous to some hair. Namely the hair on the top of our heads. The two maijor functions I can see in this is to block UV rays from burning skin on the head(and if long enough the shoulders) and also to serve as a method of attraction. Humans appear to have a vanity in their hairstyles and what makes them cute. Also, petting someones hair is a method to arousal. It may also have a similar function as animals with manes, like lions, in which their lengthy fur serves to distinguish them to females and warn them to other males. And the male lions better well live up to all the females expectations lol.

Whatever the case, body and facial hair to me is a curse and a plague I must be rid of. The only hair I want is my wavy blond on mty head.

*nods*

Serene

[Guest .Christine Elizabeth.]

Facial hair is probably an vestigial structure, and body hair helps keep you warm, to a degree. You see, even if it has outlived it's function, it has to be actively selected against to disappear. Also, since facial hair is maintained on the Y chromosome, what ever allele is there automatically is displayed.