Many Asians have naturally straight hair, but there is a significant group of us who do have naturally curly or wavy hair! However, because it's the norm to see straight and sleek hair, curly haired boys and girls tend to think that their hair is some kind of unruly straight hair that isn't behaving.
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.
In fact, many Korean people have curly or wavy hair textures — but this is often a well-kept secret as most Koreans opt for the widely popular Korean Magic Straight Perm as opposed to wearing their natural curls.
The majority of the Japanese population has naturally straight hair and many who do have some form of curly hair have it chemically straightened in order to fit in. It isn't surprising then that there are very few hair salons that will even attempt to work with curly hair, let alone excel at it.
genes and me » hair curl. 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.
Many Asians have naturally straight hair, but there is a significant group of us who do have naturally curly or wavy hair! However, because it's the norm to see straight and sleek hair, curly haired boys and girls tend to think that their hair is some kind of unruly straight hair that isn't behaving.
Less than 20% of people have naturally curly hair.
Yes, East Asians can have naturally curly hair.
The same study showed that Asian (East and West) hair shape is also mostly straight (46.7%) or wavy (41.3%), with some curly hair (12%) (n = 92). However, African hair shape is mostly curly (94.9%), with some wavy hair (5.1%) (n = 39).
Very dark brown hair, easily mistaken for black hair, can be found occasionally in parts of East Asia.
In the Philippines, most people have naturally thick, wavy or curly hair—a far cry from the Asian stereotype, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. That said, there are some who think that this type of hair isn't “ideal.” Society has taught us to think that straight hair is the beauty standard that we should strive for.
Ironically, wavy, curly hair is not a rarity in South Asia. In fact, it's quite the opposite, with many women having some sort of texture to their hair. Some embrace their curls, while many have been straightening their hair for years.
The story of human migration and evolution is written in hair DNA. In sub-Saharan Africa, genes favour tight, curly hair. But in east Asia, mutations have led to straighter, thicker hair. In Europe, other mutations brought wavy and straw-coloured hair.
Caucasian hair is generally straight or wavy and is the thinnest, while its cross-section is relatively elliptic. As for African hair, it is very curly, its thickness is intermediate and the shape of cross-section is highly elliptic.
Type 1A hair is very straight and fine, with no hint of wave or curl. As it is so straight and fine, when the natural oils travel to the ends, it tends to cause it to look like oily hair. It is the rarest hair type and is common among women of Asian descent.
Asian hair the most dominant hair type in the world out speeds the rest with a growth rate of 1.3cm per month, and despite an estimated 80,000 to 140,000 scalp hairs, it usually has the least density.
It is entirely unique and even has its own sub-varieties. Amongst Indians for example, South Indians typically tend to have thick, coarse and curly hair whilst North Indians generally have thick, fine and straight hair.
The cuticle is the outer layer that protects the individual hair. The many layers on an Asian hair are also more dense and wider and thicker than on Caucasian hair. That gives the hair an illusion of being really shiny and silky.
It's not uncommon but estimated to be 10% of the Chinese have wavy or slightly curly hair. It's a misconception propagated by ignorant people that Chinese only have straight hair. The predominant gene is straight hair but the recessive gene is slightly curly or called wavy.
There are plenty of blue-eyed Asians. This probably happens when the traditional blue-eyed allele comes into a family from a (possibly very distant) European ancestor. Blue eyes then resurface in a child generations later if they inherit the allele from both parents.
There have been 16 genes identified that contribute to eye colour. This means that no matter what colour eyes your parents have, yours can be pretty much any colour. All races, including Caucasian, African, Asian, Pacific Islanders, Arabic, Hispanic and the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas can have green eyes.
Blond hair has also developed in other populations, although it is usually not as common, and can be found among natives of the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji, among the Berbers of North Africa, and among some Asians.
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.
Coily Curls
The last, but most rare type of curl is the coily curl. This curl type is similar to that of an afro and when observed carefully, looks like the angular letter 'Z'. These curls require the most amount of moisture, as the hair type is much thicker than the other curl types.