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Curled hair tresses hanging in the science laboratory
Curled hair tresses hanging in the science laboratory

Video Transcript

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The science behind hair

Solving real hair problems with
innovative engineering.

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The hair lifecycle


  • Lifespan of a hair in years


  • Up to 100 hair strands are lost each day


  • There can be as many as 150,000 hairs on a human head

Female model with type 4 hair looking infront

Science, not guesswork

At Dyson, we want to know everything there is to know about hair. We're obsessed with the science behind hair and use it to engineer our technology. No guesswork, no gimmicks, just tried and tested science.

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Type 1 A, B, C

Straight to wavy hair. Straighter hair has a round cross-sectional area. This hair type can require washing more regularly than other types of hair to avoid a build-up of oils.

Type 2 A, B, C

Wavy to curly hair. Type 2 hair is often described as a wavy ’S’ shape with a round cross-sectional area, but is flatter than type 1 hair. This hair type also requires regular washing as oil can progress down the hair strand more easily.

Type 3 A, B, C

 Curly hair with tighter ringlets. Curly hair can suffer from dryness due to a lack of sebum across the hair shaft. It’s important not to use excessive heat when styling, and retaining as much natural oil as possible is crucial.

Type 4 A, B, C

Curly to coily hair. Type 4 hair has a flatter, more ellipsoid shape to form tight coils. These can tangle more easily, and be fragile when exposed to excessive heat. Type 4 hair can also be washed less regularly.

Line drawing of type 1 hair
Close up of hair strands growing from the scalp barrier

Hair density vs hair thickness

Hair thickness can be made up of two factors – density and strand width. Density is the amount of strands you have, while width is the thickness of the strand.

If you're not sure what strand width your hair is, take a piece and rub between two fingers. If it feels like cotton, your hair is coarse. If you can barely feel it, your hair is fine.

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A close animation of the scalp barrier

What is a healthy scalp?

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Three models using the Dyson hair care range to dry or style their hair

The Dyson Solution

At Dyson we strive to create machines which avoid excessive heat. By precisely engineering technology for your hair type, we can create the great styles while avoiding damage.

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Model with type 1 hair brushing his wet hair with the Dyson Paddle brush while drying with the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer

Avoiding mechanical damage

Using abrasive, physical tools on your hair can roughen cuticles and cause strand friction. Dyson has invested £100m into global hair laboratories to create devices which are specifically designed to avoid breakage.

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