Unicorn hair

Unicorn tail hair
Potion ingredient information
Taken from	Unicorns
Properties	Can bind bandages
Physical characteristics	Silver in colour
Used in	Beautification Potion Wand cores

Firenze: "Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?"

Harry Potter: "No. We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions."

— A very serious question

Unicorn hair is a powerful magical substance with a variety of uses, originating on the body of a unicorn. It is frequently shed from the creature that it comes from.

Wandlore

Unicorn hair can be used in wand-making as a wand core. These wands with these cores produce the most consistent magic, are least subject to fluctuations and blockages, are most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts, and are the most faithful of wands. However, they do not make the most powerful of wands (unless the wand wood compensates) and are prone to melancholy if mishandled. The Wandmaker Garrick Ollivander made wands with unicorn hairs, and sold them in his wand shop Ollivanders.

Known uses

• Unicorn tail hairs are also used in potions, though their exact uses and properties are unknown. This was commented on by Harry Potter during conversation with Firenze. They are however, known ingredients in the Beautification Potion.
• Rubeus Hagrid found that unicorn hairs can be used to bind bandages.

Wands with unicorn hair cores

Ron Weasley's first wand

Ronald Weasley's second wand

Neville Longbottom's second wand

DracoMalfoyWandNN8409.jpg

Draco Malfoy's wand

Remus Lupin's wand

Cedric Diggory's wand

Sybill Trelawney's wand

• Penny Haywood's wand

Behind the scenes

• Unicorn hair is worth ten Galleons for each hair, according to Horace Slughorn. However, this may be inaccurate as he was drunk at the time, and a wand (which may contain such a hair) only costs seven. Although, as this seven Galleon price for a wand was established in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and unicorn hairs being ten Galleons was mentioned during Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it is possible that there was an inflation in the price of unicorn hair during the intervening years.

See also

• Wand
• Wand core
• Wandlore

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (First appearance)
• Pottermore (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Wonderbook: Book of Potions
• Harry Potter: The Wand Collection (Mentioned only)