Eyebrows – who knew there were so many interesting facts about them!

How much hair an eyebrow has depends on whose eyebrow you are looking at – Angelina Jolie or Veerappan.

Having said that, an average person has approximately 250 hairs per eyebrow, according to Bosley the hair transplant company. According to other research, an ungroomed eyebrow can contain as many as 550 hair follicles, which would mean 1100 total hairs!

Your question made me have a good look at my own brows and this is what I found:

a) The direction of eyebrow hair changes dramatically in different parts of the brow. In the region of the eyebrow nearest the nose, the hair points upward. The hair across the top of the eyebrow points outward and downward. The hair in the lower part of the brow grows outward and upward.

b) The second distinctive characteristic of eyebrow hair is that the hairs emerge from the follicle at a very acute angle so that the hair grows flat to the skin’s surface. This is in contrast to scalp hair where the angle between the hair and scalp can be 45 degrees.

c) The third important feature of the eyebrows is that the hairs grow as individual strands, rather than in the 1- to 4-hair follicular unit grouping that are characteristic of scalp hair.

d) The fourth distinctive element of eyebrow hair is that the hair growth cycle is very short. This means that eyebrow hair will grow (in anagen) only for about 4 months before it enters the resting (telogen) phase and falls out. In contrast, scalp hair has a growth phase that can last 3 to 7 years, enabling the scalp hair to grow much longer.

Are eyebrows useful? Imagine a frown without an eyebrow. Or an expression of surprise or a question. A little twist in the little arch says it all.

Other than this, the eyebrow helps in keeping your eye protected from sweat and rain.

On record: February 1, 2008 Tokyo The current record for “Longest eyebrow hair” is: The longest eyebrow hair belongs to Toshie Kawakami (Japan) and was 15.1 cm (5.94 in) when measured at Guinness World Records Museum, Tokyo, Japan on 22 January 2008.

Yeh baat kuch hazam nai hui (That’s plain crazy!): There is a parlour in US that specializes in eyebrow art. The parlour has a six month waiting line and costs (hold your breath) $2000!!

P.S. Hold on to questions on nose hair please. Our team won’t be equipped any time soon to answer that one