Hair Donor Mary Babnik Brown

[Kalamazoo]

Just stumbled across a fascinating hair donation story:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140103223130/http://digitalpublication.lifeinthedelta.com/display_article.php?id=635505

But Wikipedia says Mrs. Brown & President Reagan were misinformed about the use of her hair, because the "cross-hairs" were etched in the glass, not actual hairs.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Babnik_Brown

I wonder if perhaps early models of the Norden bombsight or other gunsights actually used real hairs, hence the term "cross-hairs"; but technological advances replaced the hairs with etched glass?

But her haircut produced trauma for Mary Babnik.

The Wikipedia article also mentions human hair as useful for cleaning up oil spills. Is there any way that LHC could influence that to happen more? No, it would NOT require anyone getting a haircut who wasn't already planning one. Just collect sheds & encourage beauticians to donate their customers' clippings.

It's amazing to see that our hair actually has some useful value.

[ZoeZ]

An interesting story. There are so many amazing stories buried in the pasts of so many ordinary people that we don't ever hear of, it's nice to see someone lauded for their quiet contribution.

[Ylva]

I remember hearing or reading about her in the past but I don't remember where.

I'd totally be up for collecting sheds if they were used for an important purpose.

[Kalamazoo]

An interesting story. There are so many amazing stories buried in the pasts of so many ordinary people that we don't ever hear of, it's nice to see someone lauded for their quiet contribution.

Yeah. Really.

[Kalamazoo]

I remember hearing or reading about her in the past but I don't remember where.

I'd totally be up for collecting sheds if they were used for an important purpose.

The trick is either finding a group that's already collecting hair to use that way, that would welcome donations, or else creating such an entity and making sure it had connections to people who would genuinely use it.

Does anybody know of anybody who collects hair to clean up oil spills?

[FrayedFire]

Or any other non-wig related purposes? I think hair salon trims would be more useful than sheds for cleaning up oil, but maybe there's other things that could be done with sheds? I usually just assume my hair ends up being used in some bird's nest.

[Kalamazoo]

Or any other non-wig related purposes? I think hair salon trims would be more useful than sheds for cleaning up oil, but maybe there's other things that could be done with sheds? I usually just assume my hair ends up being used in some bird's nest.

Hmmmm... Research needed!

[Kalamazoo]

I'll bet it could be used for rehairing violin bows, if long enough. What's usually used is horsetail hair, 150 hairs per bow. It might take more human hairs, since horsehair is coarser. But that would involve very longhaired people getting haircuts. Not good.

Maybe short hairs, about the length of sheep's wool, could be spun into yarn & then knitted/crocheted/woven into fabric. You could wear a sweater made of your own hair. (Of course, it would have to be washed & carded like wool first.)

And I saw an old ad, from about 100 years ago, the Flapper Era, that said something like "Miss your hair? Have it braided and made into a belt, so you can still wear it!"

Any other hair-recycling brainstorms out there?

Oh, wait! I just found https://recyclenation.com/2010/11/recycled-human-hair/

ETA: https://earth911.com/living-well-being/health/5-ways-to-recycle-your-hair/

[lapushka]

I remember hearing or reading about her in the past but I don't remember where.

I'd totally be up for collecting sheds if they were used for an important purpose.

On this very forum. I believe it has come up before... :hmm:

[lapushka]

I think I may have found the thread too:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=149378&highlight=babnik