Unicorn hair

"But my dear chap, do you know how much that's worth?"

- Horace Slughorn commented to Hagrid upon seeing bunches of Unicorn hair hanging around Hagrid's cabin

The hair from a unicorn can be used to comprise the core of a wand. It is also very strong and useful. Rubeus Hagrid collected it from the forest where it got caught up in trees and bushes and used it to bind bandages. As of early 1997, Unicorn hair was worth 10 Galleons a hair, according to Horace Slughorn.

The tail hair can be used in Potions.

Wandlore
Unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner, irrespective of whether he or she was an accomplished witch or wizard.

Minor disadvantages of unicorn hair are that they do not make the most powerful wands (although the wand wood may compensate) and that they are prone to melancholy if seriously mishandled, meaning that the hair may ‘die’ and need replacing.

Known uses

 * In Garrick Ollivander's Wand Shop, the owner Mr. Ollivander was known to use unicorn hairs as one of his three cores; the others being dragon heartstring and phoenix feather.
 * Hagrid collected stray hairs from the forest for use in bandaging magical creatures, due to its strength.

Known wands
The following wands have a unicorn hair core:


 * Mary Cattermole's wand
 * Cedric Diggory's wand
 * Neville Longbottom's second wand
 * Draco Malfoy's wand
 * Quirinus Quirrell's wand
 * Ron Weasley's first and second wand

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Pottermore