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Hair

"I certainly don't understand the obsession with hair the women around here seem to have."

Hair was a part of the anatomy that grew all over the body on many creatures and beings, mostly mammalian (like the Zabrak or the Bothan) and reptomammalians (like the Falleen or the Abyssin) species. Humans, the dominant sentient species in the galaxy grew hair in all manner of places except for the soles of their feet and the palms of their hands. Other species like the Wookiees were fully covered with a thick coat of hair.

Hair came in a great variety of thicknesses, lengths and colors, but usually lost its hue with old age. As they were made of a living material, all hairs would grow and fall when their cells died. In younger beings, soon after the cells died, new ones grew again in the same place, making a new hair. But this regrowth process became less efficient with old age, eventually leading to baldness.

1 Function
2 Social role
3 Appearances
4 Sources
5 Notes and references
6 External links

FunctionEdit

Hairedness seems to have been a mammalian trait. Many mammals had hairs or fur that served different functions. Hair would notably provide thermal regulation, which was necessary on icy planets like Hoth or Toola, which was why the Wampa and Whiphid sported fur all over their bodies. Sometimes, hair also had defensive functions. The Thisspiasian species would grow thick beards to deter the local cygnat bites.^[1]

Many species (most reptavians, birds and reptiles) were normally hairless. The Hutts, for example, were typically hairless, but some would grow beards or locks, due to a rare mutation.^[2]

Somewhere between the two extremes lay certain reptomammals share the mammalian species' hairedness. Amongst them were the Falleen from the eponymous planet or the Abyssins from Byss. Other reptommmals like the Rodians and the Clawdites were completely hairless.^[1]

Social roleEdit

Soldier: "I notice most of the human miners here shave their heads. Why is that?"

Dessel: "We don't shave. Our hair falls out."

―Dessel and an unidentified soldier^[src]

Haired species would often cut or arrange the hair on their head in a way considered aesthetically pleasing or acceptable. For example, on Naboo, the queens had very intricate hairstyles. Some of those hairdos necessitated wigs or hair extensions.^[3] Young Princess Leia Organa used to think the women of Alderaan had an obssession with their hair, yet she didn't share that fixation.^[4]

Some humans, like Andronikos Revel or Mace Windu chose to shave the hair from their head completely. At the time of the Cold War, it was quite common in the Sith Empire military, even amongst female officers.^[5]

During the time of the Galactic Civil War, many male officers of the Empire would grow long sideburns (as exemplified by Moradmin Bast or Pol Treidum).^[6] This was considered fashionable amongst the Imperial officer class at the time.^[7] Wookiees like Merumeru or Guanta also tended to fashion their hair into several braids that were held in place by metal fastenings.^[5]

In the Jedi Order, hairstyle was also used as an indicator of status. While Padawan apprentices of the haired species would often wear short cropped hairstyles, their masters would have long hair worn tightly back to keep vision clear in action.^[8]

AppearancesEdit

Hair appears in almost every Star Wars work, and is referred to in virtually every Star Wars novel and many short stories. In addition, hair is also referred to in the following visual media: