There’s only one hair museum in the world and it’s located in Harry Truman’s hometown of Independence, Missouri. Leila’s Hair Museum (named after hair art collector and former hair dresser Leila Cohoon) houses more than 600 hair “wreaths” and 2,000 pieces of jewelry made out of human hair. Intricately (and tightly!) braided hair made for hard-wearing bracelets, ring bands, and tear-drop earrings, especially during the Victorian period.
Mrs. Cohoon first opened the museum in 1986 in the front of her Cosmetology school, Independence College of Cosmetology. She continues to scour estate sales for anonymous hair art and buys at auction strands of celebrities including Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.
Bracelet and ring made of hair // Leila’s Hair Museum // photo: Adam Green
