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A serious experiment

BlacknTan

Well-Known Member
I always have trouble with the HHT! It's no secret, and I've bemoaned the fact many times in the past. I watch videos on youtube of hairs popping seemingly as soon as they touch an edge, so the fact that mine never pass without herculean efforts has always bummed me out a bit.
So, today it struck me. I was a Tool & Die Maker in my productive life, and I recall measuring the hair on my head on more than one occasion. I remember it always being .004 inch.
So, since I'm tired of pulling so many hairs out of my head, and since I know that hairs from other regions of my body are a bit more coarse... Why not?
Now, all the hair on my head is gray. My Dad was prematurely gray, and my hair started turning at about 15 years old. However, I've still got a few brown hairs in my groin area, so I yanked one. WOW!! The current test razor popped the groin hair just by touching it! I could feel it catch and hear the pop! This has never happened with a hair from my head!
So, out comes the trusty Etalon micrometer to find out why. The groin hair? .004 inch just like the hairs on my head used to be. So, yank another hair from my head... Surprise... .002 inch! I've always noticed that the hair from my head was "wispy," try to do an HHT and even the slightest motion of air would move it.
Now, the question... Why? Does the lack of melatonin (?) or whatever gives the hair it's color cause the hair to decrease in diameter and become more "wispy?" Is groin hair stiffer and coarser our entire lives? And, am I cheating an evaluative test by harvesting the "other" hair for the HHT test?

I realize that this entire post will be ridiculous to some, and maybe it is, but I mean it in all seriousness. Maybe it will get a few laughs, and that's OK! I do not take myself too seriously. But I do have an analytical mind, and when a question puzzles me, I seek an answer that makes some kind of sense.

In any case, it works, saves me constantly pulling hairs from my head, and gives a gratifying POP during the HHT.

I'm interested in comments..
 
So Bill your using Pubes!
Hahahaha

Regards
Ralfson (your friend)
Oh and this is an offer that I will not let you refuse, I have a large bag of hair from my wifes hairdresser that is spot on for the hht. So I will send you some. If nothing it will save having to explain to Mrs Bill just what you were doing when she caught you with your hands in pants and a razor on the table :scared: hahaha
 
Any and all female hairs are gladly accepted, Ralfy... For scientific purposes, of course! I'm possessed by a clinical mind, albeit a mad one!

And, I'm quite sure that, at this point in time, nothing would surprise the Mrs. anymore!:D
 
tat2Ralfy said:
So Bill your using Pubes!
Hahahaha

Regards
Ralfson (your friend)
Oh and this is an offer that I will not let you refuse, I have a large bag of hair from my wifes hairdresser that is spot on for the hht. So I will send you some. If nothing it will save having to explain to Mrs Bill just what you were doing when she caught you with your hands in pants and a razor on the table :scared: hahaha

The HHT is all about using a hair source that responds well to the test, and eventually correlate those results to how a well a razor can be expected to shaves. I use hair of my youngest daughter, because my own is thiner. It works well enough for post stropping HHT, but not for testing straight off the hone. My daughters hair is better suited. I have asked a small strand 3 years ago or so, and I stored the hairs in a small container. It's important that the hair is freshly washed when the strand is cut.

Maybe we should start to welcome each new member with a small supply of our own Coticule.be standardized HHT hairs. Somehow, I have this hunch that Sandra Bullock's pubic hair would be perfect for our cause. Maybe she could be persuaded to let it grow and consider a donation? :D

Kind regards,
Bart.
 
Good thread!! I am afflicted with super fine, soft, hair. I wasted a lot of hone time trying to accomplish the, for me, impossible! Even my body hair is too soft. I shall speak to a local barber that is aware of my proclivities.
Keep this one going!!
Respectfully
~Richard
 
I personally cannot get my hair to pop unless the razor is at the keenest level possible and has been properly stropped as well. Even then it usually doesn't pop. My wife and daughter's hair is the same way, but my corgi's hair will pass perfectly at the point where I like to shave. My biggest problem here is that it is only his guard hairs and they are short and sparse. I only get one or two per hair and even then it it a pain to capture him and start searching. If others started offering testing hairs that would be awesome.
 
It would be nice if there were a material that could be replicated, and remain a constant. This way, all tests would be repeatable and intertchangeable from one person to another.
I didn't even realize until today that my own hair varied so much!

But, I see Bart's point that the HHT is a correlation to what we're feeling on our face.

BTW, I spent at least 3 hours honing yesterday trying to get the latest test razor to pass HHT. This A.M. it passed with flying colors just using different hair. I don't consider the time with the stone time wasted, but this time of year I have lots to do.
 
I know that many have tried monofilament and have found that it too had varied too much, but what of a higher quality monofilament or fluorocarbon used for tippet material. Lord knows that after spending the money that they do, flyfisherman will not tolerate inconsistencies. I wouldn't. especially in the cases of higher quality stuff like frog hair.
 
So, I had this truly brilliant idea... I went to a beauty supply store, and bought "real human hair weave." The problem is, the hair doesn't respond well to HHT (at all). My normal supply works very predictably, and it is a tremendous help. I'm not sure if they infuse the hair with something to keep it looking healthy long term, or what, but my "brilliant idea" turned out to be a dud :thumbdown:
 
Thanks for letting us know that, Paul; I was going to do exactly that too as my sample was a little too fine to show much response off the stone.

Have you tried washing it?
 
wdwrx said:
Thanks for letting us know that, Paul; I was going to do exactly that too as my sample was a little too fine to show much response off the stone.

Have you tried washing it?

No, I guess I should try that. I assumed that they had it nice and clean before selling it. The hair looks substantially thicker than anything I've used before as well (almost like monofilament fishing line or something)
 
I have no doubt it was clean, but if i were to guess, I'd say that it's been conditioned to within an inch of it's life. I wouldn't be surprised if it's had all kinds of treatments done to it, and that may affect the way it behaves.... but what the hell do I know? I had to ask my teenage daughters what a hair extension was....
 
wdwrx said:
I have no doubt it was clean, but if i were to guess, I'd say that it's been conditioned to within an inch of it's life. I wouldn't be surprised if it's had all kinds of treatments done to it, and that may affect the way it behaves.... but what the hell do I know? I had to ask my teenage daughters what a hair extension was....
I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was not human hair. If it felt like mono....Denny
 
mono...? I had that once... but we called it something else:D :D

Kidding. I never had mono.:p

Paul, don't you have a microscope? A quick peek under magnification would tell ya wether or not it was real.
 
I don't have a microscope. I think they are for losers :p

If it weren't real hair, I'd be surprised. It was marketed as such at a beauty supply store... Who knows?
 
The majority of hair that is harvested for weaves comes from India. Once each year the Bud-ah followers donate their hair to the temple. It is then sold and processed for resale on the open market. It then makes its way to the US for sale in salons for as much as $3000.

I would think the hair you have is most likely real hair, even though I am sure you didn't spend that kind of money on it.

Ray
 
nope, it was on sale for $16 down from $45. There were some $100 plus options that I avoided. I came away from there prepared to go berserk if my wife ever told me she was off to get hair extensions :D
 
richmondesi said:
nope, it was on sale for $16 down from $45. There were some $100 plus options that I avoided. I came away from there prepared to go berserk if my wife ever told me she was off to get hair extensions :D
Take a sharp Double Duck with you next time. Scare the shit out of all those Korean girls. Denny
 
richmondesi said:
I don't have a microscope. I think they are for losers :p

If it weren't real hair, I'd be surprised. It was marketed as such at a beauty supply store... Who knows?
Wait a minute. You're buying human hair from a beauty store, and people with microscopes a LOSERS?!? :lol: :lol:

Sorry - I couldn't resist. ;)
 
Woodash said:
richmondesi said:
I don't have a microscope. I think they are for losers :p

If it weren't real hair, I'd be surprised. It was marketed as such at a beauty supply store... Who knows?
Wait a minute. You're buying human hair from a beauty store, and people with microscopes a LOSERS?!? :lol: :lol:

Sorry - I couldn't resist. ;)

I'm glad someone caught that :lol:
 
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