You Soon May Be Able to Print Your Own Hair

Kristine Solomon
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You might soon be able to print out a wig just like this. (Photo: Getty Images)

The fascinating technology known as 3D printing has been used to make everything from toys to fashion accessories, but the latest breakthrough is a beauty game changer: Scientists have figured out how to 3D print human hair — a feat that could revolutionize the wig-making industry, according to the International Business Times.

Until now, recreating hair with a 3D printer has been a difficult and painstaking process, because strands are so thin and their textures are inconsistent. But new software developed by MIT’s Media Lab is helping to reproduce thousands of strands of “hair” in minutes! The strand-like structures can then be printed onto thin and curved surfaces.

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Photo: Tangible Media Group/MIT Media Lab

For the past few years, cosmetic companies have been plugging away at 3D printing to help advance their industry. Mink, a company launched in 2014, claims to have developed the first 3D printer for makeup, according to the Gloss. The printer would let you produce your own custom cosmetics at home. Another company, MODA by Foreo, offers a product that will apply makeup directly to your face using facial scanning and thousands of superfine nozzles. MODA’s website calls its device “the world’s first digital makeup artist ready to recreate the hottest makeup trends in an instant.”

But MODA is not the only company presenting the possibility of 3D scanners as virtual makeup artists. Adorn, a U.K. company, is creating a “fountain pen” that uses facial scanning to print custom-colored foundation directly onto your face.

And last year, L’Oréal kicked it up a notch by sharing plans to 3D print human skin so it could test its makeup without using people or animals, as Yahoo Tech reported. L’Oréal is partnering with a San Diego-based bioprinting company, Organavo, which is also experimenting with the technology to help revolutionize skin-grafting procedures for burn victims.

For now, MIT is focusing its 3D printing advancements on other hair-like materials, including bristles and fur. Scientists are hoping to create more practical things, like Velcro. But take heed, beauty lovers (and those struggling with hair loss): extensions, wigs, and more shouldn’t be too far behind.

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