Hillary Clinton dyes her hair and Rand Paul cuts his own. Welcome back to the politics of hair.

We learned a lot about our 2016 presidential candidates' hair Wednesday. Here's what we know, just the facts:

The former was told by Clinton at campaign event in South Carolina, the latter by Paul in an interview with Us magazine. On the surface, the tidbits seem pretty inconsequential -- the kind of candidates-as-celebrities "news" decried as distracting from real substance and ruining our national discourse. But hair is a topic that frequently pops up in our politics. John Edwards' $400 haircut became a campaign issue, Mitt Romney's hair was once listed as a liability in a PowerPoint presentation about his strengths and weaknesses prepared by advisers, and graying presidents' hair is often pointed to as proof of the stress of the job.

The role of hair in informing the public about a politicians's identity is more visible in entertainment than politics. Think Miley Cyrus erasing her Disney past and rebooting her image when she cut off her long hair in 2012. The short hair look was less traditional, a little rebellious, and prepared us for the twerking to come. In a way, it said more than any interview answer or tweet could have.

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You won't see radical hair changes in Washington like you do in Hollywood. Politicians go for stately and dignified, not young and sexy, but it still sends a message.  The wildest hair in the 2016 campaign belongs to perhaps its two most maverick candidates, the "libertarianish" Paul and former Socialist Bernie Sanders. And a 2012 study on the effect candidates' appearance had on voters' perception of them found candidates with hair that was short and either parted on the side or combed back was more "able looking," as was a slight widow's peak.

Paul saying he cuts his own hair fits with his image as an unconventional Washington outsider, someone who won't be putting down several hundred dollars for a visit to the barber. Marco Rubio is positioning himself as a fresh, young candidate, and although his still-dark hair could just be because he turned 45 on Thursday, it's a visible reminder of his #brand when he's standing beside his grayer fellow Florida man, Jeb Bush. Rubio has also talked about losing his hair, while Scott Walker has clarified that his bald spot is from an accident rather than male pattern baldness. And the previously mentioned Romney mane, conservative and expertly coiffed with distinguished white temples, sure made him look presidential. But as his advisers worried, it also made him seem too stiff. Occasionally a hair or two would be out of place, prompting analysis of whether Romney was finally cutting loose and living dangerously.

[Washington's secret to staying relevant: a little Botox here, a tuck there]

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Clinton's admission that she dyes was said in the context of the graying of our presidents. "Now let me tell you, I'm aware, I may not be the youngest candidate in this race, but I have one big advantage: I've been coloring my hair for years," she said. "You're not gonna see me turn white in the White House."

It was surprising confession from Clinton, considering for years politicians have mysterious maintained vibrant color late into life and some have even magically grown hair back, all without explaining themselves. While female politicians undoubtedly face more undue scrutiny for their appearance, admitting they dye their hair might be one area in which they can get away with something the men can't. As Donnie Deutsch said in 2012 about whether Romney dyed his hair, "If he does, can we trust the guy? ... Do you want a president of the United States who colors his hair?" (For the record, Romney's stylist said in 2011 that he doesn't). As a society, the act of a man dying his hair is considering emasculating, something male candidates should avoid.

A politician's hair doesn't have anything to do with their stance on the NSA or money in politics or foreign policy, but it does play a role in how we view them, which when it comes to winning elections, is important.

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