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Society

Good hair day — why our locks matter

42:34

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November 25, 2025

Our hair doesn't just provide protection from sun and cold, it also says a great deal about us. In a society that's predominantly focused on outward appearance, hair wields huge social capital. It can either elicit admiration — or turn into a problem.

A full, glossy head of hair is synonymous with beauty, youth and vitality. But what happens when that hair loses its shine? As we age, our hair gets thinner, alters its structure or falls out. Can anything be done to address these changes? How do we learn to be content with the hair we have — or with no hair whatsoever? Are hair transplants worth the bother? This documentary observes people for whom hair is of particular importance: an actor who is happy to be bald, a man who decides to have a hair transplant and a hair artist whose hair can do incredible things, such as supporting her entire body weight. This is due to the structure of hair: each individual strand consists of numerous protein spirals linked together by chemical bonds. That makes it incredibly elastic and highly stable: a single hair can hold up to 100 grams without breaking.

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