As a child grows, the size of the hair, by diameter, changes and grows as well. Therefore, babies may start off with fine, straight hair, or even thick, lush locks, and after just a few months or a year, their “inherited” curls may begin to pop up!
Parents often ask her about the texture of their child's hair and how it might change, often lamenting the loss of those cherubic curls. “Just because a baby has curly hair in his first years doesn't mean it will stay that way through adulthood,” she explains. “Hair changes all the time.”
Baby locks at this stage can be wavy but normally stay straight until after puberty when hormones start becoming active again. Babies often have vellus hairs on their head and body. Such hair will account for up to 25% of a baby's scalp hair, depending on the current stage of growth.
Round Follicles – If your baby's follicles are perfectly round, she'll have straight hair. Oval Follicles – The ovular shape of a follicle will cause the hair strand to grow in a “spiral” effect, resulting in curly hair.
Your baby's permanent hair will likely begin to appear around the six-month mark. However, your little one may grow their childhood hair as early as three months or as late as 18 months. Every child is different. It's considered healthy and normal for babies to grow their big-kid hair any time before two years of age.
Curls look the best when they have plenty of moisture and natural oils! Each washing session should be followed up with a leave-in conditioning treatment that restores moisture to their curls. Coconut and shea oils are great baby-safe options that won't irritate the skin on their scalp.
Infants go through so many stages with their texture and appearance as they grow. But if you keep your child's hair healthy, and wait patiently, it's possible those curls will stick around.
Your Hormones are changing
Hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy, puberty and menopause can alter your curl pattern dramatically. Your hair follicles' shape is what determines your curl pattern and texture.
Newborns are born with varying amounts of hair. The baby hair of many newborns falls out during the first 6 months of life. Hair loss peaks at 3 months old. The mother may also lose some of her hair at this time.
As a child grows, the size of the hair, by diameter, changes and grows as well. Therefore, babies may start off with fine, straight hair, or even thick, lush locks, and after just a few months or a year, their “inherited” curls may begin to pop up!
One popular myth is that hair loss in men is passed down from the mother's side of the family while hair loss in women is passed down from the father's side; however, the truth is that the genes for hair loss and hair loss itself are actually passed down from both sides of the family.
Less than 20% of the world's population is born with naturally curly hair, so in terms of pure numbers, it's fairly rare.
Lanugo is soft, fine hair covering a fetus while inside the uterus. It helps protect them and keeps them warm while they grow. Some newborns have lanugo covering their bodies at birth, especially if they're born prematurely.
Genetics play a role in how much hair babies have at birth. 23andMe looks at 26 places in your DNA that influence how much hair you had at birth. There are other factors that may influence hair growth as well.
You may notice that your straight hair is gradually turning wavy or even curly. Genetics, hormones, and the environment can all play a role in the change in your hair texture. The most common reason for your hair changing in texture is hormones.
Curly hair is dominant, so someone is more likely to have curly or wavy hair if at least one of their parents does. Recent research points to trichohyalin, a protein in hair follicles, as having primary influence over hair curl. However, there are many genes contributing to hair curliness, most of them unknown.
Others have curls and straighten them out. But for a few people, their hair actually changes shape and texture on its own — and not just because of the weather. Scientists don't know exactly why this happens, but it probably has to do with a combination of genetics, hormones and body chemistry.
Lots of traits are statistically rare: Left-handedness (just 10 percent of the population!), curly hair (11 percent!), and blond hair (4 percent!), to name a few.
If you must brush, brush curly hair when wet. Plus, brushing dry curls will instant loosen them out of shape. Use a wide-tooth comb to detangle – Wide-tooth combs are ideal for curly hair because they don't break up the curls.