How the hair grows out of the follicle influences the distribution of its proteins. So a straight follicle produces straight hair and a curved follicle produces curly hair. The less evenly distributed the squiggly proteins are, the curlier the hair.
You see, hair curl is controlled by genes, inherited from your parents. Those genes determine the shape of follicles. If a follicle is symmetric the hair would be round, and grow straight; otherwise, asymmetric follicles produce oval hairs and grow curly.
Your hair may become curly with age if you inherited both straight and curly hair genes from your parents. Some of these genes can be inactive at birth but then become turned on by hormones, aging, or other factors including medication, nutrition, stress, illness, or pollution.
Genetics: Curly hair is often a hereditary trait. If an individual has parents or grandparents with naturally curly hair, they are more likely to inherit this trait, regardless of their ethnicity. Ancestry: Hair type can be influenced by the mix of genes from different ethnic backgrounds.
Individuals of African ancestry, for example, are more likely to have curly hair due to the oval shape of their hair follicles. Additionally, the Keratin Associated Protein (KAP) cluster genes, responsible for the structure of keratin fibers, have been found to have variations in many African populations.
Type 1A: The rarest hair type, this one is very straight and fine with a “wispy” appearance. It's very difficult to get it to hold a curl. Type 1B: Though still straight, this type has a medium (rather than fine) texture and a little more volume.
Human hair comes with all sorts of colors, textures and shapes. Notably, African hair is more coiled and dry; Asian hair is straighter and thicker; and Caucasian hair is somewhere in between with around 45% having straight hair, 40% having wavy hair, and 15% having curly hair.
Hormones and hair texture
Hormones are the main culprit responsible for such drastic hair texture changes. During puberty, menopause and pregnancy, many people will find their will go from straight to curly or vice versa over a period of months.
Irish Curls are curls that are wavy or curly underneath but straight on top. This hair pattern is not only fascinating but also quite common among people with mixed hair textures, especially among those with Irish or Celtic roots.
Fluctuating Estrogen Levels Can Bring About Changes in Your Curly Texture. Estrogen levels often fall for curl changes as estrogen is key for maintaining those helical hair follicles. During menopause, plummeting estrogen is linked to the onset of mixed curl patterns and gradual straightening of previously curly hair.
Curly hair is often associated with a fun-loving, warm hearted and outgoing personality. If you have curly hair you are perceived as being courageous, outspoken, and spontaneous. You are probably someone who likes to challenge perceptions and norms.
If you have straight hair, your hair may become slightly curlier as you age. This is because the shape of hair follicles changes over time.
Naturally curly or coily hair can feel overwhelming to care for. Thick, curly hair is more prone to breakage and dryness than other hair types. However, with the right routine and hair care products, you can keep your curls healthy and looking good.
Men often find curly hair alluring for its unique texture and volume and how it frames a woman's face. Women may also find it attractive because it can be styled in a multitude of ways using a hair curler brush and other tools, from simple and natural looks to extravagant and glamorous styles.
Researchers suggest that the evolution of curly hair in early humans was a crucial adaptive trait in equatorial Africa, offering effective protection from the sun's heat and minimizing the need for sweating. This passive cooling mechanism likely allowed for brain growth by conserving water and reducing heat.
As we've briefly covered before, they most certainly do. Hormonal changes in the body can affect and change the shape and pattern of your hair follicle. Your hair follicle can cause curly hair when it has a slight curve and forms straighter hair when the tube or follicle is straight.
Another possible cause for curling of the hair is hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a medical condition that can lead to dry, thinning and coarse hair due to a hormonal disbalance [11]. Hair follicles are direct targets of thyroid hormones.
So now you know, your hormones are constantly working behind the scenes to influence how curly or straight your hair turns out. Fluctuations in estrogen, testosterone, and other hormones during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause can lead to changes in your hair texture and curl pattern over time.
Curly hair is most common amongst people with African, Mediterranean and Native American ancestry. There's a specific gene that helps shape the hair shaft and determine hair texture, and it's called trichohyalin. Curly hair is caused by a variation in the gene that determines the shape of our hair follicles.
Nature's Rarest Palette: Red Hair Standing at the apex of rarity, natural red hair occurs in just 1-2% of the global population. This striking shade results from a specific genetic variant of the MC1R gene, requiring both parents to pass on the recessive trait.
How the hair grows out of the follicle influences the distribution of its proteins. So a straight follicle produces straight hair and a curved follicle produces curly hair. The less evenly distributed the squiggly proteins are, the curlier the hair.
A general observation across experiments was that straight hair was perceived as younger, healthier, and more attractive than wavy hair and darker shades (medium copper and brown) were perceived more positively than blonde hair.
The rarest eye colors are red and violet, which are primarily found in individuals with albinism. Excluding those affected by albinism, green and gray eyes are considered the most uncommon.
1. INFJ. INFJ, also known as the advocate, counselor, or idealist, is the rarest type of personality in the general population. It represents about 1.5% of the general population in the United States.