hair
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise a mammalian hair covering, assess its distribution and condition, and identify appropriate care or modification within the owner's or keeper's authority.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
It can be Map and compare hair coverage within the same body region using repeatable observations.; Inspect or sample shafts to characterise length, diameter, shape and visible damage.; Clean, dry, comb or detangle the covering using methods appropriate to its condition and bearer.; Cut, style, colour or remove hair when authorised and appropriate to its location and role.; Protect the covering from identified damaging exposures and monitor the result.; Flag unexplained coverage changes or associated skin observations for assessment by an appropriate professional..
Distinguishing features
Establish whether the covering consists of natural mammalian hair shafts associated with a body region; threadlike appearance alone does not distinguish hair from plant hairs or synthetic fibres.
Distinguish natural hair from attached extensions or a wig by recording attachment and provenance; natural hair used in an added product does not make that product the bearer's own growth.
Treat fur, wool, bristles and specialised mammalian hairs as potentially within this entry rather than excluding them because their everyday names differ.
Distinguish an attached covering from a detached sample or clipping collection by checking whether the recorded object remains on its bearer.
Do not require dense coverage or a demonstrated insulating role for every local patch; record sparse and specialised hair without assuming the registry definition describes every instance equally.
Scope
+ Whole coats and local hair coverings, including scalp hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, facial hair and specialised hairs
+ Hair-shaft length, diameter, shape, colour and surface condition
+ Coverage, density, orientation and variation within a defined body region
+ Observed shedding, breakage, tangling and changes in coverage
+ Care, cutting, styling, removal and exposure histories relevant to the covering
- The bearer's overall anatomy, health, identity and demographic classification
- Skin and follicle anatomy, disease diagnosis and medical treatment
- Feathers, scales, plant hairs and manufactured hair-like fibres
- Wigs, extensions, brushes and textiles as manufactured products
- Detached hair collections managed as samples, waste or raw material
Characteristics
- Bearer and body region
- Bearer reference, species if known, anatomical region and patch boundary Establishes which covering is being assessed and supports region-appropriate comparisons.
- Hair origin
- Naturally grown on bearer | added natural hair | mixed | unresolved Separates the natural covering from associated products and prevents misleading coverage assessments.
- Hair role or type
- Region- and species-specific designation, with identification basis or unknown Prevents scalp hair, coat hairs and specialised hairs from being treated as interchangeable.
- Shaft length
- mm or cm; distribution, sampling location and relaxed or extended measurement Supports assessment of coverage, cutting needs and change over time.
- Shaft diameter
- µm; sampled distribution and measurement method Distinguishes shaft fineness from covering density and informs handling.
- Hair density
- Shafts/cm² within a specified sampling area, with counting method Makes comparisons of local abundance more reliable than visual fullness alone.
- Coverage pattern
- Mapped covered, sparse and bare areas with date and observation conditions Locates changes and separates patch-level variation from whole-covering descriptions.
- Shaft shape and lay
- Observed curvature, curl pattern and growth or grooming direction under stated conditions Helps interpret apparent length, tangling and coverage.
- Colour and colour origin
- Observed colour distribution; natural, treated, mixed or unknown Supports recognition and distinguishes appearance changes from changes in coverage.
- Shaft and covering condition
- Observed breakage, split ends, tangles, matting and surface deposits, each with location and extent Identifies concrete care needs without converting appearance into a diagnosis.
- Shedding observations
- Collected shaft count per defined collection event or interval, with protocol and uncertainty Supports longitudinal comparison while keeping collection differences visible.
- Treatment and exposure history
- Dated links to washing, cutting, removal, colouring, chemical treatment, heat and environmental exposure Provides context for present condition and constrains subsequent interventions.
Analytical facets
- substance
- living
- origin
- natural
- agency
- inert
- mobility
- not-applicable
- scale
- not-applicable
- affordances
- observable
Also called
+63
Where this came from
oewn:2024 · CC BY 4.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 5 bundles · 10 layers · 10 findings · 21 questions.
Hair identity and boundaries Establishes what hair covering is being modelled and where it begins and ends.
Hair can be confused with added fibres or divided inconsistently into patches, making later assessments refer to different things.
Bearer and patch
Anchors the covering to a bearer and a reproducible body region.
Covering reference
Record the bearer, anatomical region and boundaries used for observation.
- Whose covering is this, and which body region and patch boundaries identify it? boundary
- Does this record represent a whole coat, a local patch or a specialised group such as eyelashes or whiskers? definition
Natural and added hair
Separates naturally grown hair from additions and detached material.
Origin and attachment
Record the evidence for natural origin and attachment, including mixed coverings.
- What observation or history establishes that these shafts grew on this bearer? provenance
- Which visible fibres belong to extensions, a wig or detached material and therefore need a separate linked record? boundary
Shaft form and appearance Describes the physical features of individual hairs and their variation across the covering.
Apparent fullness and manageability depend on shaft form as well as the number of hairs.
Shaft geometry
Characterises length, diameter and curvature using explicit observation conditions.
Geometry distribution
Record representative ranges and distinguish relaxed dimensions from dimensions measured under extension.
- What length and diameter distributions occur in the sampled region, and how were shafts selected and measured? measurement
- What curvature or curl pattern is observed, and was the hair wet, dry, styled or extended? measurement
Colour and lay
Records visible colour patterns and how shafts lie across the body region.
Appearance basis
Describe appearance while preserving the distinction between natural features and treatment effects.
- How do colour and shaft direction vary across the patch under documented lighting and grooming conditions? measurement
- Which appearance features are known to result from colouring, straightening, curling or other styling? provenance
Coverage and change Tracks local abundance, spatial pattern and observed changes over time.
A single view cannot reliably distinguish sparse growth, short cutting, breakage and changing coverage.
Density and distribution
Maps coverage and measures abundance within defined areas.
Coverage baseline
Establish a dated baseline with enough measurement context for repeat comparison.
- Which areas are covered, sparse or bare, and what shaft density is measured in each sampled area? measurement
- How were patch area, hair parting and observation conditions controlled so later comparisons refer to the same coverage? measurement
Length and loss history
Separates observed length change and collected hairs from assumptions about growth or loss mechanisms.
Change evidence
Record changes alongside cutting, grooming and collection histories, leaving unresolved mechanisms explicit.
- What changes in length or coverage are documented between comparable observations, and what cutting or removal occurred between them? measurement
- What evidence distinguishes shed hairs from broken shafts in the collected material, and what remains unresolved? definition
Hair condition and function Connects observable shaft and covering condition to the role of this particular hair patch.
The significance of damage or removal depends on location and role; insulation alone is insufficient for every hair type.
Damage and entanglement
Locates shaft defects, tangles, mats and material on the hair surface.
Condition map
Record visible issues by location and extent without diagnosing their cause.
- Where are broken shafts, split ends, tangles or mats present, and how extensive are they? measurement
- Which observations concern the shafts or deposits on them, and which concern adjacent skin and require a linked skin record? boundary
Role-dependent assessment
Identifies relevant insulating, protective, sensory or appearance roles without assuming they apply uniformly.
Functional context
Record the supported role of the covering and the evidence needed to assess whether its condition affects that role.
- Which roles are supported for this species and body region, and what evidence supports each role? provenance
- What observations would justify concluding that the present coverage or condition interferes with one of those roles? measurement
Hair care and modification Records relevant intervention history and supports authorised decisions about grooming or modification.
Hair interventions depend on prior treatment, shaft condition, anatomical location and the bearer's preferences or welfare.
Treatment and exposure
Maintains the history needed to interpret condition and assess a proposed treatment.
Intervention history
Record products, processes and exposures with dates, treated regions and observed effects.
- What washing, colouring, chemical processing, heat styling, cutting or removal has this hair undergone, and when? provenance
- Which exposure or treatment details remain unknown and materially affect the proposed next intervention? action
Authorised care decision
Connects a specific objective to an appropriate action and observable outcome.
Care plan and review
Record the desired result, authority to act, relevant constraints and criteria for stopping or reviewing the action.
- What result does the bearer or authorised keeper want, and what limits follow from consent, welfare, hair condition and anatomical location? action
- Which care or modification is appropriate, and what observed discomfort, damage or unexpected result would require stopping or specialist assessment? action
- How will the covering be reassessed after the intervention to determine whether the intended result was achieved? measurement
What the second pass must settle
- Does the registry intend this entry to include all mammalian hair types, including sparse and specialised sensory hairs, despite its emphasis on dense insulating coverage?
- Which density, shaft-shape and condition assessment methods are sufficiently repeatable across different species and body regions?
- What evidence and comparison intervals reliably distinguish shedding, breakage, cutting and regrowth in routine agent observations?
- Which species- and region-specific findings support functional assessments and constrain cutting, removal or chemical treatment?
- Where should follicle-cycle observations and detached samples be owned so that linked models remain authoritative without duplicating the hair-covering record?