ISS astronaut reveals how they give haircuts in space and it's blown our mind

An astronaut on the International Space Station has left us mind-blown after revealing how hair is cut in microgravity.

Sure, a fresh trim might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about space.

But with six-month missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts inevitably have to stay on top of their personal grooming.

And no, they don't send qualified barbers up there - instead, crew members must rely on the expertise of their fellow colleagues.

I certainly wouldn't be trusting any of my co-workers with a pair of clippers to my scalp...

Anyway, US Air Force major and NASA pilot Nichole Ayers is currently onboard the floating space lab, and appears to have taken on the role of crew barber.

She's part of NASA's Crew-10 Mission and has kept us updated with life on the ISS, sharing awe-inspiring sunrises and fascinating weather phenomenons.

And now, she's given us another insight into how her colleagues stay smart.

Taking to Twitter, Ayers reflected on saying goodbye to the Ax4 crew - Axiom Space’s fourth private ISS mission, which launched on June 25 in collaboration with SpaceX.

Its four‐person crew - commander Peggy Whitson, pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu - spent 18 days aboard before splashing down on Tuesday (July 15), marking the first government-backed human spaceflights in over 40 years for India, Hungary and Poland.

Anyway, Ayers posted a series of photos of herself trying her hand at barbering on some of the Ax4 crew. She wrote: "I was just reminiscing on the haircuts from last weekend! After a long quarantine, I think it was nice for them.

"We joked about how I might have a future in the haircutting business when I get back on Earth, but the reviews are still out."

Social media users responded with pure amazement - I never once considered the logistics of getting a haircut while hurtling around Earth at 17,500 mph (28,000 km/h).

Previously Lora Bleacher, a NASA spokesperson, explained to Reuters how haircuts in space actually work.

As is evident from Nichole's photos, they use a special set of clippers with a vacuum attachment 'to collect hair clippings which would otherwise float free'.

Bleacher added: "Any hair that is not captured by the vacuum will typically accumulate at one of the vent ports... which gets cleaned routinely by astronauts."

When it comes to shaving facial hair, astronauts use 'the same razors and creams that we use here on Earth', Bleacher said.

Fellow Crew-10 member Jonny Kim had his first hair cut experience - from Ayers, no less - back in April.

Sharing his experience via Instagram, Kim explained: "ISS is where we work, but it’s also where we eat, sleep, recover and work out.

"And one of the things we routinely do is cut our hair, which can present unique challenges in space.

"If the hair if not collected it will float and clog up our air filters so we connect a vacuum hose to clippers to collect the hair as it’s cut."

The more you know!