We report results from laser-solid experiments at PALS using an x-ray laser probe with a pulse length of 0.1 ns and a wavelength of 21.2 nm. A laser with a pulse length of 0.3 ns, a peak intensity of up to 5 × 1013 W cm−2 and a wavelength of 1.3 µm was focused to a 0.15 mm wide line on 3 mm long zinc and 1 mm long iron targets and the probe was passed along the length of the plasma formed. The results show plasma 'hairs', or filaments, appearing only below the critical density, 0.1 ns before the peak of the laser pulse. The plasma around the critical density was clearly imaged and remained uniform. Magneto-hydrodynamic modelling indicates that this is caused by a magnetic field that diffuses from the critical surface, where it is generated, leading to a magnetic pressure comparable to the plasma pressure below the critical density. A dispersion relation is derived for density perturbations perpendicular to a temperature gradient in the presence of an existing magnetic field, which shows that such perturbations always grow, with the growth rate being the greatest for small wavelength perturbations and at low densities. These results indicate that the hair-like structures should be a typical feature of laser ablated plasmas below the critical density following significant plasma expansion, in agreement with numerous experimental results. The implications for x-ray lasers and fast ignition inertial confinement fusion are discussed.