diff --git a/src/client/request.rs b/src/client/request.rs
index 38aeaf7c..fc1e6844 100644
--- a/src/client/request.rs
+++ b/src/client/request.rs
@@ -58,8 +58,12 @@ impl Request<Fresh> {
 
         let stream: S = try_io!(NetworkStream::connect(host.as_slice(), port, url.scheme.as_slice()));
         let stream = ThroughWriter(BufferedWriter::new(stream.dynamic()));
+
         let mut headers = Headers::new();
-        headers.set(Host(format!("{}:{}", host, port)));
+        headers.set(Host {
+            hostname: host,
+            port: Some(port),
+        });
 
         Ok(Request {
             method: method,
@@ -188,32 +192,3 @@ impl Writer for Request<Streaming> {
     }
 }
 
-
-#[cfg(test)]
-mod tests {
-    use header::common::Host;
-    use method::Get;
-    use net::MockStream;
-    use url::Url;
-    use super::Request;
-
-
-    #[test]
-    fn test_host_header() {
-        fn check_host(url: &str, host_header: &str) {
-            let request = Request::with_stream::<MockStream>(
-                Get,
-                Url::parse(url).unwrap(),
-            ).unwrap();
-
-            assert_eq!(
-                &Host(host_header.to_string()),
-                request.headers().get::<Host>().unwrap()
-            );
-        }
-
-        check_host("http://www.example.com/path", "www.example.com:80");
-        check_host("https://www.example.com/path", "www.example.com:443");
-        check_host("http://www.example.com:8080/path", "www.example.com:8080");
-    }
-}
diff --git a/src/header/common/host.rs b/src/header/common/host.rs
index 64a0d4e2..d1d13888 100644
--- a/src/header/common/host.rs
+++ b/src/header/common/host.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 use header::Header;
+use Port;
 use std::fmt::{mod, Show};
 use super::util::from_one_raw_str;
 
@@ -10,7 +11,12 @@ use super::util::from_one_raw_str;
 /// Currently is just a String, but it should probably become a better type,
 /// like url::Host or something.
 #[deriving(Clone, PartialEq, Show)]
-pub struct Host(pub String);
+pub struct Host {
+    /// The hostname, such a example.domain.
+    pub hostname: String,
+    /// An optional port number.
+    pub port: Option<Port>
+}
 
 impl Header for Host {
     fn header_name(_: Option<Host>) -> &'static str {
@@ -18,12 +24,71 @@ impl Header for Host {
     }
 
     fn parse_header(raw: &[Vec<u8>]) -> Option<Host> {
-        from_one_raw_str(raw).map(|s| Host(s))
+        from_one_raw_str(raw).and_then(|mut s: String| {
+            // FIXME: use rust-url to parse this
+            // https://github.com/servo/rust-url/issues/42
+            let idx = {
+                let slice = s[];
+                if slice.char_at(1) == '[' {
+                    match slice.rfind(']') {
+                        Some(idx) => {
+                            if slice.len() > idx + 2 {
+                                Some(idx + 1)
+                            } else {
+                                None
+                            }
+                        }
+                        None => return None // this is a bad ipv6 address...
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    slice.rfind(':')
+                }
+            };
+
+            let port = match idx {
+                Some(idx) => from_str::<u16>(s[].slice_from(idx + 1)),
+                None => None
+            };
+
+            match idx {
+                Some(idx) => s.truncate(idx),
+                None => ()
+            }
+
+            Some(Host {
+                hostname: s,
+                port: port
+            })
+        })
     }
 
     fn fmt_header(&self, fmt: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
-        let Host(ref value) = *self;
-        value.fmt(fmt)
+        match self.port {
+            None | Some(80) | Some(443) => self.hostname.fmt(fmt),
+            Some(port) => write!(fmt, "{}:{}", self.hostname, port)
+        }
     }
 }
 
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::Host;
+    use header::Header;
+
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_host() {
+        let host = Header::parse_header([b"foo.com".to_vec()].as_slice());
+        assert_eq!(host, Some(Host {
+            hostname: "foo.com".into_string(),
+            port: None
+        }));
+
+
+        let host = Header::parse_header([b"foo.com:8080".to_vec()].as_slice());
+        assert_eq!(host, Some(Host {
+            hostname: "foo.com".into_string(),
+            port: Some(8080)
+        }));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/header/mod.rs b/src/header/mod.rs
index 938c41d7..5c56b123 100644
--- a/src/header/mod.rs
+++ b/src/header/mod.rs
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ mod tests {
     fn test_headers_show() {
         let mut headers = Headers::new();
         headers.set(ContentLength(15));
-        headers.set(Host("foo.bar".into_string()));
+        headers.set(Host { hostname: "foo.bar".into_string(), port: None });
 
         let s = headers.to_string();
         // hashmap's iterators have arbitrary order, so we must sort first
diff --git a/src/net.rs b/src/net.rs
index 6473e586..9465bd53 100644
--- a/src/net.rs
+++ b/src/net.rs
@@ -211,3 +211,4 @@ fn lift_ssl_error(ssl: SslError) -> IoError {
         }
     }
 }
+