This Fox News article covers the growing world market for human hair. China and India exported more than $154 million worth of human hair last year. It has many uses, ranging from the obvious, such as false eyelashes and wigs, to more obscure purposes.
One use is as a raw-material source for l-cysteine, an amino acid used in baked goods such as pizza dough and bagels.
One other new use is to make hair mats as a means of keeping out weeds, as a safer alternative to pesticides. Hair mats can also be used to help clean up oil spills.