British Curlies

Curl Chat

Why do we have Curls?

by British Curlies

Curly hair has a different biological structure than straight hair.

It is often dry and tricky to manage and sometimes frizzy.

The amount of curl in the hair depends on the shape of the hair follicle and shaft. Hair follicles in curly hair often have a hooked shaft and the more they have the curlier the hair on the person is.

Another explanation for curly hair is that hair is made of protein. In the proteins are sulfur atoms called sulfides. When two atoms come together they form a bond that bends. These bonds are called disulfide bonds and the more you have the curlier your hair is.

Hoorah curly hair tangles less than straight hair. It has been established that straight hair tangled twice as much as curly hair. 

Curly hair has a looped S pattern or coil because the cuticle layer does not lie down as straight as wavy hair. It can be fine, medium or coarse textured. Often it has less shine than wavy hair.

Wavy hair has an S pattern too and coiled kinky hair is very tightly curled. It is better to let hair dry naturally or use a Curl-ease towel because excessive blow drying dries out hair.  Don't brush your curls it is best to use a wide tooth comb to detangle your curls while doing your shampoo and conditioning routine. Only use your wide tooth comb when your curls are loaded with conditioner to protect your hair from breakage.

 You can use your fingers to separate curls as it dry’s and you style your hair. There are different types of curly hair read more in our Curl Type section.