Cockroaches May Save Your Hair, If You Can Stomach It

by Ramona Emerson

One time I walked into my room, saw a cockroach, and wouldn't go back in for three days. I'll probably never make my fortune raising roaches, but that doesn't mean other people aren't. That's right: Cockroach farming is officially a thing. In China, where dried roaches go for $20 a pound, there are over 100 known cockroach farms, according to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times.

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Not only are the creepy, crawly insects easy to raise--they eat anything and never get sick, as we well know--but they're also surprisingly lucrative. The price for roaches has increased tenfold since 2010.

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You may be wondering who is shelling out big bucks--or any bucks--for something that most people would pay any amount of money to get rid of. Turns out, roaches are increasingly being used in Chinese medicine and cosmetics. In fact, the uses for pulverized cockroaches may turn out to be quite diverse. Scientists are currently looking into their usefulness as treatments for AIDS, cancer, and, yes, baldness. One man interviewed credited a homemade roach spray for his youthful glow and full head of hair. I, for one, would rather be bald. Or dead.

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