hair
February 10, 2007 12:38 PM   Subscribe

my hair on the front of my head on my right hand side has always stuck up, it never ever goes down. why?
posted by randomizer to Science & Nature (5 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Cows lick?
posted by fire&wings at 12:46 PM on February 10, 2007


Yep. It's a cowlick. I've got three of them.
posted by (bb|[^b]{2}) at 12:48 PM on February 10, 2007


The cowlick "explanation" is a little tautological. Yes, of course it's a cowlick, but that's just a succinct label for the (weird) phenomenon. WHY does it happen?

Actually, there was an Ask Yahoo about this, which has a decent expalanation:

Each hair on our heads leaves its follicle at a "definite and predetermined angle." The characteristic patterns and swirls our hair forms are caused by these angles. A cowlick occurs when these hair "streams" form a spiral pattern, usually circling in a clockwise direction.

posted by synaesthetichaze at 1:33 PM on February 10, 2007 [1 favorite]


Lomazzo, translated by Haydocke, describes how to paint them: "the lockes or plaine feakes of haire called cow-lickes, are made turning vpwards."
posted by chudder at 4:29 PM on February 10, 2007


The stork brought you early, a cow licked the morning dew from your brow before your mother found you in the meadow.
posted by hortense at 7:33 PM on February 10, 2007 [1 favorite]


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