Rigby woman runs a business that makes jewelry from human hair

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She has a compulsive hair pulling disorder and is currently creating hair artwork

IDAHO FALLS – Zen Hansen would be the first to tell you that she was an eccentric person who was always interested in strange things. One of her “weird hobbies” is currently venture investing.

The 41-year-old Rigby woman runs a hair jewelry business called Hair Anthropology. The business makes bracelets, rings, and other trinkets from human hair provided by customers. The purpose is to give her friends and family a keepsake in memory of their deceased loved one. It could also be a sentimental item from someone who is still alive.

Launching in January 2023, she explores how hair has been used throughout history to make items like art, religious relics, rope, fertilizer, and more, and how it relates to today's world issues. I've spent a lot of time researching how it can be used to solve problems.

“When I started researching to find out how hair jewelry is made, I realized how endangered this art form is. There are people who still practice it. Instruction manuals exist, but they are very old and outdated. I taught myself how to do it and have created my own tools to do the job,” Hansen told EastIdahoNews.com I'll tell you.

She currently teaches classes teaching people how to create their own hair art.

Her interest in hair dates back to childhood. Because Hansen has a condition called trichotillomania, she says she has always had a “complicated relationship with her own hair.” She explains at the Mayo Clinic that this is a mental health condition that causes her to have an uncontrollable urge to pull her hair out from her scalp, eyebrows, or other parts of her body.

As a child, her aunt gave her an antique portrait with basket-braided hair attached to it. It was a photo of Belia Fitch, a whaling captain from Nantucket who lived in the 1700s. The remains of her hair belonged to him, piqued her curiosity.

She has since discovered the lost art of hair work and it has become her way of dealing with her symptoms.

“If you're working with your hair tactilely, like a piece of art, you're not touching your hair or pulling it out,” she says. “It's been therapy for me and there are so many things that I love and so many things that have led me to where I am today.”

Making hair wreaths, rings, chains and cords has been a common practice throughout history, Hansen said. Ancient Egyptian wigs still exist, she says, and their history dates back more than 4,000 years.

RELATED | A mobile doctor's bicycle and a wreath made of human hair are two overlooked items at the Museum of Idaho

Related | Online business owner makes jewelry from breast milk

The tradition of making hair rings and wreaths was popular in the 1800s. Queen Victoria created jewelry from Prince Albert's hair after Prince Albert's death and made it fashionable. Hansen said Victoria had been mourning her husband's death for nearly 40 years, and the jewelry was a symbol of her memory.

Hair jewelry began to go out of fashion around 1920, but interest in hair jewelry was revived in the 1990s.

Hansen hopes to maintain business momentum.

“Sweden is the only place in the world where[hairwork]never died. They continue this practice, but they don't teach it to non-Swedes. We have to learn from older sources in America. However, I actually want to go to Sweden this summer,” Hansen explains.

She is writing a book on table hair braiding and will present her research at the Wadsworth Atheneum Art Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, in August.

Her biggest goal with this venture is to educate people about the various uses of hair. She pointed to one company of hers in the UK that recycles hair waste from salons to make various products such as compost and fertilizer.

It is also used to clean waterways by absorbing oil and pollutants. According to the group's website, hair mats are used to cover storm drains. Particleboard, insulation panels, yarn, potting felt, wigs, and clothing are also made from human hair.

“You can add hair to mud or concrete to make the structure stronger,” Hansen says. “I made the cord and fishing line (with hair) myself. It's a material that may have uses that we're overlooking.”

For more information, please email [email protected]. Also check out her website and Instagram page.

Business trivia

Fall River Propane expands bulk storage space for customers

ASHTON – Fall River Propane, a subsidiary of Fall River Electric Cooperative, just completed the installation of an additional 60,000 gallons of bulk propane storage.

Driggs has 30,000 gallons and Ashton has another 30,000 gallons, for a total storage capacity of about 400,000 gallons.

General Manager David McKinnon said having more propane on hand will allow utilities to better serve customers and keep prices low.

“Our financial success has resulted in $1.5 million in rebates to the owner-members of our parent company, Fall River Electric Cooperative,” McKinnon said.

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