h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Not a fashion question but a practical one.
Human hair is remarkable stuff, and loads of vitamins and lovely minerals must go into making it. I know every month or so when I shave my head clear of it there's loads and loads. It's far too short to do any cord-making, surely too prickly for cushion- or duvet-filling, but I can't believe it's entirely useless.
I don't suppose it composts very well, but perhaps if I chucked it in the garden birds make use it for nest building?
Do wig shops really buy it (or accept it donated), or is that a myth?
Anyone work in the hair cutting industry and know of any novel solutions practiced on a slightly bigger scale?

Any suggestions gratefully accepted - serious and otherwise
For what can I use my old hair?

Hair can indeed be composted. I've never done it though, so I've no idea how long it would take to break down.

Yes, birds use bits of hair to help build nests.

In the US there is an organization that collects hair to make wigs for children who have lost their hair due to disease or chemo treatments. They have very specific requirements, as noted here:

http://www.locksoflove.org/donate_hair.php

Oil will stick to hair, and so it could be used for clearing up oil spills in the sea. Not sure if anyone is collecting it for that purpose.

You can use hair as mulch, as mentioned in one of my entries. You might find someone to buy it, but probably not just from your head. I always put my dog's hair out into the garden, just make sure it's not long strands as that's not good for wildlife.

Isn't cut hair a good way of keeping slugs away from your plants as well?

RF

Yes, that's what I said in my entry. I did admit to not having tried it though.

That's probably how I knew that factoid then! (second floor flat with balcony)

RF

Someone read my entry! *faints*

Without reading the entry, (my bad), the mind boggles as to how hair deters slugs.

Do you set up hair trip wires?

Do you link the hair to land mines via the hair trip wires?

Do you use strands of hair as garrottes?

Do you make a hangman's noose out of a long hair, then hang the slugs? Do slugs have necks? Where do you put the noose then? I don't think this one will work.

So many questions.

I guess the easiest way would be to mix it with super glue

They apparently don't like crawling over it - cut hair has sharp ends. I haven't tested this though, so don't take my word for it.

Alternatively make some slug wigs and they'll be so impressed with their new hair-do that they rush off to show all their slug mates and leave your garden alone.

Cut hair has sharp ends? Slugs are able to crawl over razor blades, why would they care about sharp hair ends? Perhaps it is to do with the fact that the hair moves when they try to move over it, sort of like ball bearings for slugs.

Thanks everyone.

Locks of love is clearly a wonderful organisation, but I'd be curious how much they receive. Ten inch minimum - if mine would grow that long I'd never cut it...

"..Oil will stick to hair.." - I didn't know that, but it makes sense - I might have a try at it in the spirit of experimentation when next I'm next driven to the clippers...

Slugs I'm less sure about, but try it I will.

Let y know...

Wait - let's backtrack to post 1.

"I know every month or so when I shave my head clear of it there's loads and loads"

I shave my head every other day and there's nothing more than stubble, and I know that if I left it for a month it'd only be about a quarter of inch long.

So just how fast does your hair grow?

Tough one - I should guess from bald to about an inch in a month?
I have never acutally measured...

Is that a lot?

A little bit of Googling reveals that the usual growth rate is about half an inch a month, so that does seem like quite a lot.