Cowlicks can impact your hair's appearance, but they aren't harmful or a sign you're starting to develop hair loss.
While a cowlick can sometimes create extra work when styling, they aren't all bad. And if you're a stylist, sometimes you can use them to your advantage, especially if they are in right place that accentuates a client's haircut. Cowlicks can, at times, serve to make the hair appear fuller and have more body.
Cowlicks are caused by the way hair grows out of the follicle. Hair follicles grow in a spiral pattern, but some follicles may have a stronger spiral than others. That's how you get cowlicks.
In conclusion, while cowlicks themselves do not necessarily get worse with age, the changes in hair density, texture, and health can make them appear more prominent or behave differently. By understanding these changes and how to manage them, individuals can maintain their desired appearance and confidence.
First, a cowlick is a natural, normal feature of your scalp that occurs as a result of your genes. Most people are born with a specific hair whorl, meaning this feature rarely changes over time.
Cowlicks are extremely common, but they can range from unnoticeable to glaringly obvious.
Cowlicks result from the hair follicle's angle, causing hair to grow in a spiral pattern. While they can be a styling challenge, cowlicks don't indicate hair loss or balding. The most common characteristics of cowlicks include: Visible spiral or circular hair growth pattern.
Though cowlicks can sometimes mimic thinning hair, they aren't an early sign of balding.
When you compare normal hair crown vs balding, you'll notice that a healthy crown has thick, dense hair coverage with a barely visible spiral pattern. In contrast, a balding crown begins to show more scalp visibility and a widening of this spiral pattern.
In >95% of humans, there is a single hair whorl on the scalp, and in the rest of humans there are two whorls (Figure 1); more than two whorls are extremely rare.
You can't fix how your hair grows out of your scalp, but you can disguise most cowlicks with the right combination of haircut and styling techniques. The key is understanding your hair's natural growth pattern and adjusting your cut and styling habits to tame those rebellious hair follicles.
A slicked-back ponytail is not just a classic hairstyle, it can also help conceal a cowlick. If you really want to make sure nothing sticks out, opt for face-framing strands, which will help to cover your temples and the sides of your face.
As someone moves around, the hair does not move with them, causing hair to bend. Someone sleeping can also crush their hairs under the weight of their head, creating cowlicks.
The Science of Hair Growth Patterns
Hair growth patterns are largely determined by genetics, but they are also influenced by various factors throughout our lives. Cowlicks are the result of the hair growth angle and direction from the follicle, which can create a spiral or whorl pattern.
"If you can't stand your cowlicks and don't have time to tame them, longer lengths are best because the weight of long hair pulls them down, making them less obvious," says Rourk.
Common signs that you have a balding crown include: hair thinning on the top but not around the sides, hair at the crown becoming more brittle, and/or if you have a receding hairline.
Cowlicks, the small tufts of hair that stick out from the crown of the head, are usually genetic. They can also be caused by an injury or scar. These mostly endearing traits are most common in young children and tend to get better with age, but sometimes appear later in life when hair begins to thin.
The most common type of female hair loss — androgenetic alopecia or female pattern baldness — typically begins between 20 and 40 years of age. About 40% of women have some form of noticeable hair loss by the time they turn 50.
This circular crown pattern is sometimes referred to as a “whorl”. Crown hair can grow in a clockwise, counterclockwise, or diffuse pattern. While around 95% of men have one crown, 5% can have multiple crowns (known as a double crown or triple crown).
Many start to notice the early stages of male pattern baldness by their 30s, but they may begin as early as your late teenage years or early 20s. Hair loss on your crown usually appears in a circular shape.
Definitely not! That said, because some cowlicks expose skin on the scalp, you may mistake it for bald patches. This can happen depending on the direction of the cowlick and the form it takes.
Scientists have found an interesting connection between cowlicks and handedness. Right-handed people tend to have cowlicks that have a clockwise spiral pattern. On the other hand (pun totally intended!), left-handed people are more likely to have counterclockwise cowlicks.
Thinning hair at the crown is a common sign of male pattern baldness. It is caused by genes and male hormones. male pattern baldness begins with a receding hairline and often causes a crown bald spot. If you are suffering with temple recession and crown thinning, then this is indicative of balding.
In men, hair often begins to recede at the hairline on the forehead. Women typically have a broadening of the part in their hair. An increasingly common hair loss pattern in older women is a receding hairline (frontal fibrosing alopecia). Circular or patchy bald spots.