You floss twice a week (on a good month), rinse with whatever minty blue liquid your dentist pushes, and scrub with a toothpaste that promises “enamel repair.” But enamel doesn’t repair. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Unless, researchers say, you brush with hair.
A new study out of King’s College London claims that keratin—the tough protein found in your hair, skin, nails, and wool—can actually help regrow enamel. Not fill it. Not protect it. Regrow it. In lab tests, keratin bonded with minerals in saliva to form a dense, crystal-like layer that mimics the structure and function of real enamel. The team believes this could eventually stop cavities before they start.
“We may soon be growing stronger, healthier smiles from something as simple as a haircut,” said Dr. Sherif Elsharkawy, senior study author and prosthodontics consultant, in the university’s press release.
Toothpaste Made from Hair Could Put Fluoride Out of a Job
The research, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, focuses on using keratin as a kind of scaffolding. When applied to a tooth’s surface, it attracts calcium and phosphate from your saliva, giving your body the ingredients to build an enamel-like coating. Unlike traditional dental materials, which can crack or wear down over time, this process encourages your own mouth to do the rebuilding.
Researchers hope to roll out a keratin-based toothpaste or dentist-applied gel within two or three years.
And while the study used keratin sourced from wool, human hair could technically work the same way—meaning that fresh, glossy tube in your future medicine cabinet may be closer to a barbershop byproduct than a minty lab creation.
“This is about more than dental hygiene,” said co-author Dr. Sara Gamea. “It’s a sustainable, biocompatible alternative to synthetic resins that are less durable and more toxic.”
Tooth decay affects almost 90% of U.S. adults and nearly half of children. Common triggers include sugar, acidic foods, age, stress, and genetics. But the biggest factor by far is enamel erosion. Once that layer thins, bacteria can reach the sensitive tissue underneath. Cavities, pain, and other dental unpleasantries could ensue.
If these researchers are right, your next cavity fix might not come from a drill—or a whitening strip—but from the same stuff clogging your shower drain.
Gross? Maybe. But if it regrows enamel and keeps your molars intact, who cares what it’s made from? I’ll brush my teeth with hair toothpaste if it means I can avoid the dentist chair for anything other than a cleaning.
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