The evolutionary importance of hair and why brushing/combing is detrimental to your health

JamesGatz

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I was introduced to the Hair Grooming Syncope by users on another thread I made and also to the face that bothering the scalp (massaging, brushing, combing, etc) increases serotonin:

its a phenomenon where people faint, have migraines, have seizures while having their hair groomed:



"The hair follicle is almost completely embedded in a blood sinus and equipped with more than 2,000 sensory nerve endings."

The sensory nerve endings near the skin surface conduct signals to relay neurons in the dorsal root ganglia and then into the spinal cord where they course upward to relay neurons in the thalamus that terminate on sensory neurons in the primary somatosensory region of the cerebral cortex."

main-qimg-d18673622a21ef5913d04add81be5904-c.jpg



From my own experimentation with different combs and brushes - the effect is very serotonergic and induces hair loss in itself - the girl in this video is a good example


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abfZJAc-NM4&ab_channel=ASMRPsychetruth


If you notice her hair gets very brittle and flat. she looks stressed and disturbed towards the beginning of the video when the hair brushing picks up

This begs the question - clearly disturbing the hair follicles nerve endings in general (but especially with a brush/comb/scalp message) is very serotonergic - what is the evolutionary reason for the scalp sending serotonergic signals when hair is disturbed?


From what I've read on the forum it seems that Ray seems to believe that hair serves as insulation for the brain - which I completely agree with, I think insulation for the brain is important for ideal metabolic health.

But there are even more reasons why I think it is especially important:

- It is an electrical conductor



- It acts as a sixth sense - the sensory nerve endings in the hair follicle can detect movement of the hair, in a way having longer hair is like having the spider sense in spiderman

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In other words, in the wild if an animal sneaks up on another animal from the right and they don't hear it but the hair of the animal is ever so slightly disturbed in the right direction (if the hair moves at all - the nerves in the hair follicle react and send serotonin signals to the brain - the survival hormone)

-the animal will sense the animal sneaking up from the right without necessarily hearing it

- so then it seems when people say our hair is antennae - in the quiet literal sense it does detect movement and is a survival mechanism

By combing/brushing/scalp messaging - messing with your hair and scalp in any way - you are sending your body straight to survival mode and serotonin shooting up

I believe brushing/combing the hair can induce hair loss by itself by that serotonergic increase - I don't think these hair grooming activities are natural and should be avoided


Given the importance of hair and how bothering the hair/scalp has nerve endings send serotonin I think it is best for both men and women to:

- Have longer hair in general
(for both men and women)

- have hair tied - because if your hair is loose and moving around and being touched - your sensory nerve endings are sending serotonin to the brain -

I do think tying the hair or having the hair stationery does keep serotonin low for women and men with longer hair


 

Summer

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I’ve got shoulder-length hair and I absolutely need to comb my hair. Combing/brushing distributes the oils. If any sort of sensation on the scalp were to cause an increase in serotonin, wouldn’t laying your head down at night have the same effect?
 
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JamesGatz

JamesGatz

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I’ve got shoulder-length hair and I absolutely need to comb my hair. Combing/brushing distributes the oils. If any sort of sensation on the scalp were to cause an increase in serotonin, wouldn’t laying your head down at night have the same effect?​
I hear people say it distributes the oils but when people have their hair shiny after brushing it looks like that "Serotonin shine" that people have in their hair when their serotonin is high

When I see a woman with this type of hair after combing - brittle, thin, and shiny which looks like "serotonin shine" to me

DSCF7442.jpg


Women who dont tend to bother their hair that much I notice tend to have much thicker, volumous hair - I notice a womans hair flattens without exception when brushing/combing which seems to me to be a sign of how brittle the hair has that it is no longer able to stand

Volume/thickness of hair I think is a lot more important than shine

If we notice for bald men, they tend to have these shiny foreheads and shiny scalp that I relate to serotonin - I think many relate the shine to good health when I think it is more likely to be the opposit​
 

Demyze

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I think Peat mentioned it just helps insulate and regulate brain temperature

I think it also helps protect the brain and scalp from external damage such as the sun, etc.
 

tfcjesse

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How then would we increase/optimize scalp blood flow, , ie massaging/kneading the scalp, which plays a part in hair health/thickness?
 

Gânico

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Hahah, i agree! I feel kinda stressed when i brush/comb my hair, but for me it is a necessity, since i have shoulder lenght and very thick, wavy hair and they tangle a lot.
 

MCurtone

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These god damn schitzo posts on this forum sometimes.

Have you ever had someone gently play with your hair? It feels amazing. People who brush their hair or concern over their hair too much already had hair issues to begin with, which is why they are fixated on it and obsessive.

"If you notice her hair gets very brittle and flat. she looks stressed and disturbed towards the beginning of the video when the hair brushing picks up" - Do you even know what her diet is? What's her thyroid status and metabolism? This is such a schitzo post it's crazy.

To think brushing hair or touching hair leads to issues is ******* nuts, and I am pretty out-there to begin with.

Lay down, relax, and have someone gently play with your hair and run their hands through it, tickling you. It is one of the most relaxing things and likely hugely stress-reducing as well to do.
 

miquelangeles

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This is not a schizo thread.
Wooden combs are preferred because plastic combs generate a lot of static electricity.
The electric charge is probably what causes hair grooming syncope by interrupting certain brain circuits.
It’s been reported with trimmers and blow dryers as well, both of which generate powerful electric and electromagnetic fields. Especially blow dryers are notorious for that.
On the other hand the static electricity build up also gives volume to the hair.
 
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JamesGatz

JamesGatz

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I think Peat mentioned it just helps insulate and regulate brain temperature

I think it also helps protect the brain and scalp from external damage such as the sun, etc.
I definitely agree - I think it is good to explore these other benefits that I notice tend to be quiet common in animals as well

How then would we increase/optimize scalp blood flow, , ie massaging/kneading the scalp, which plays a part in hair health/thickness?
I'm not sure miss - last time I checked primates or any other animal don't brush their hair and they don't go bald in the wild. People living in villages/tribes don't seem to bother their hair too much either and their hair seems to be fine.

I think that elevated CO2 from ideal metabolism is optimal blood flow everywhere in the body including the scalp so I don't think it is really necessary

Hahah, i agree! I feel kinda stressed when i brush/comb my hair, but for me it is a necessity, since i have shoulder lenght and very thick, wavy hair and they tangle a lot.
Very true - I experiment with different brushes and its the same result each time - I'm trying to figure out the causes of hair tangling and seeing if it completely avoidable

These god damn schitzo posts on this forum sometimes.

Have you ever had someone gently play with your hair? It feels amazing. People who brush their hair or concern over their hair too much already had hair issues to begin with, which is why they are fixated on it and obsessive.

"If you notice her hair gets very brittle and flat. she looks stressed and disturbed towards the beginning of the video when the hair brushing picks up" - Do you even know what her diet is? What's her thyroid status and metabolism? This is such a schitzo post it's crazy.

To think brushing hair or touching hair leads to issues is ******* nuts, and I am pretty out-there to begin with.

Lay down, relax, and have someone gently play with your hair and run their hands through it, tickling you. It is one of the most relaxing things and likely hugely stress-reducing as well to do.
Hahaha me relax ? It sounds like you need to relax hahaha.

I am curious - what exactly is schizo about this thread ?

Look up any Youtube video on a girl getting their hair brushed - literally any one - I literally cannot find a single one of a chick not experiencing a serotonin increase and I've looked through many

It is confirmed that bothering the nerve endings in the scalp increases serotonin I don't see why this would be controversial

There are many different animal species who have hair to detect movement in their surroundings - in fact all mammals (except supposedly humans) and vertebrae use hair to detect movement in their environment


Hair cells are the sensory receptors of both the auditory system and the vestibular system in the ears of all vertebrates, and in the lateral line organ of fishes. Through mechanotransduction, hair cells detect movement in their environment.


In mammalian hairy skin all sinus and guard hairs and many vellus hairs are touch organs. The sinus hair is a typical example of a touch organ. All mammals except humans are equipped with these highly differentiated touch organs

If the hair is disturbed my movement in their environment - they detect it with their hair as a sensory organ

Given that people produce a serotonergic response when their own nerves of hair follicles are disturbed - I would say our scalp is sending these signals for a reason
 

shine

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This thread is the answer to the thread "Homeless guys have tons of hair".
 

Pistachio

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Compressing the skin releases PGE2. IN theory, brushing should help with hairloss.
 

Demyze

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I definitely agree - I think it is good to explore these other benefits that I notice tend to be quiet common in animals as well


I'm not sure miss - last time I checked primates or any other animal don't brush their hair and they don't go bald in the wild. People living in villages/tribes don't seem to bother their hair too much either and their hair seems to be fine.

I think that elevated CO2 from ideal metabolism is optimal blood flow everywhere in the body including the scalp so I don't think it is really necessary


Very true - I experiment with different brushes and its the same result each time - I'm trying to figure out the causes of hair tangling and seeing if it completely avoidable


Hahaha me relax ? It sounds like you need to relax hahaha.

I am curious - what exactly is schizo about this thread ?

Look up any Youtube video on a girl getting their hair brushed - literally any one - I literally cannot find a single one of a chick not experiencing a serotonin increase and I've looked through many

It is confirmed that bothering the nerve endings in the scalp increases serotonin I don't see why this would be controversial

There are many different animal species who have hair to detect movement in their surroundings - in fact all mammals (except supposedly humans) and vertebrae use hair to detect movement in their environment


Hair cells are the sensory receptors of both the auditory system and the vestibular system in the ears of all vertebrates, and in the lateral line organ of fishes. Through mechanotransduction, hair cells detect movement in their environment.


In mammalian hairy skin all sinus and guard hairs and many vellus hairs are touch organs. The sinus hair is a typical example of a touch organ. All mammals except humans are equipped with these highly differentiated touch organs

If the hair is disturbed my movement in their environment - they detect it with their hair as a sensory organ

Given that people produce a serotonergic response when their own nerves of hair follicles are disturbed - I would say our scalp is sending these signals for a reason
Have you considered why mammals have hair and reptiles and amphibians don't?
 

Summer

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This is not a schizo thread.
Wooden combs are preferred because plastic combs generate a lot of static electricity.
The electric charge is probably what causes hair grooming syncope by interrupting certain brain circuits.
It’s been reported with trimmers and blow dryers as well, both of which generate powerful electric and electromagnetic fields. Especially blow dryers are notorious for that.
On the other hand the static electricity build up also gives volume to the hair.
For sure. A wooden comb is a must.
 

CastorTroy

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One thing doesn't have to be contrary to the other. I agree with what you say about the hair being sort of sensitive antennas, and that tangling with the hair may cause minor disturbances in the scalp, serotonin and so. But its a very small price to pay to promote blood flow, irrigation, and descalcification to the scalp, which its out of doubt that it benefits the hair follicle while halting or slowing down the miniaturization process. My guess is if you value all pros and cons, the pros are greater.
 
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JamesGatz

JamesGatz

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Compressing the skin releases PGE2. IN theory, brushing should help with hairloss.​
This.. op’s data going against almost all Hair growth / thickening research​
I think it's better to do this quick experiment:

Let's see if a video exists on the internet of a girl getting her hair combed, massaged or her hair done that doesn't look stressed out.

This is what I find when I go on YouTube to find it:

A compilation of kids wincing and stressing from a scalp massager:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu0bqUcEVHM&t=59s&ab_channel=BaseThings


This girl crying during a haircut when it barely starts:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr5wCQGSvBc&ab_channel=HAIRASMRCEYHUN


Even in the video I posted - you can see how watery the girls eyes are in the first 30 seconds of the video - she looks as if she will burst into tears:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abfZJAc-NM4&ab_channel=ASMRPsychetruth


This girl literally crying when getting cornrows at 4:51:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDabC-zZJXA&ab_channel=Charles%26AlyssaForever


I cannot find a single video on the internet let alone YouTube that shows anything other than a stressed reaction:

I think if every instance we see of someone getting their hair/scalp messed with demonstrates a serotonergic/stressed reaction -
Should we still believe those studies? Because studies also say finasteride is safe and effective

Heres something I have even better


It seems generally accepted to people on this forum that girls dont experience hair loss compared to guys because of increased progesterone -

Lets look at girls before and after getting their haitcut - in every instance I can find on the internet with girls wearing the same clothes
- girls look significantly less healthy after they get their haircut

Their hair while short looks noticeably a lot less thick than the before photo without exception and you can even see a significant difference in their bone definition and structure - After they get their haircut they look about as healthy as your average boy

It seems to be based on what I can see with my own eyes -

that girls longer hair seems to be extremely advantageous in their health over boys

I do that the majority of men would experience better metabolism/health and hair in general if they:

A) avoided messing with it

B) Let it grew out


Women-risk-cutting-their-hair-and-realize-that-they-only-gained-from-it-5fec410111ce5__880.jpg


Women-risk-cutting-their-hair-and-realize-that-they-only-gained-from-it-5fec403a5bd80__880.jpg

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