Why do some white people have curly hair? Curly hair is often an inherited trait. Additionally, it requires more frequent shampooing. How your follicles grow can also have an effect on its curliness; diagonal growth from your scalp tends to produce curlier locks than vertical growth.
Why do some white people have curly hair?
Curly hair is a fairly prevalent trait among all races and cultures, though certain groups and cultures tend to have less of it than others. Asians, for instance, are much more likely to sport straight or wavy locks due to the way in which their follicles grow their locks than Africans do – this being determined by hair follicle shape and length of growth.
Also read: “Are Kinks Hereditary? Kinks Differ from Fetishes.”
Though Caucasians with curly locks may be less common than Black women and other people of color with texture-rich locks, some do have it. Unfortunately, they too may face similar struggles as their counterparts in regards to having curly tresses; such as being discriminated against due to having curly locks; having it straightened; losing jobs/opportunities because of it.
Keep in mind, however, that having curly hair does not obligate someone to embrace the natural hair movement and all its ideologies or straighten it in order to be considered beautiful.
Be mindful when discussing hair textures of using appropriate terminology when discussing them. Referring to someone’s curls as an “afro” is considered hair appropriation as this term originated within Black culture and refers to a specific style of hair.
Curly hair is more common among white people
Curly hair is most often associated with people of African descent; however, it is also widely seen among Caucasians. People with curly locks can have wide-ranging curl patterns from loose to tight coils and their texture can vary considerably as well.
Curly hair is a genetic trait passed from parent to child. The more likely you are to inherit curly locks from them, the higher your chance is of having curly locks yourself. Furthermore, this gene does not discriminate based on race; therefore it can appear in all individuals regardless of ethnic or racial background.
Curly hair is defined by tightly coiling or kinky locks that are often difficult to straighten. Women often prefer curly locks as it provides greater versatility in styling options; however, it should be remembered that curly locks may be vulnerable to breakage when exposed to elements like heat.
Curly hair does not signal ignorance or represent something only white people should embrace; mixed-race influencer Hannah Beau is proud of her natural curls despite criticism and has used social media to spread the message that diversity in black hair matters. Unfortunately, women of color sometimes face bullying or pressure from society to straighten their natural locks in order to attain social acceptance and visibility in society.
The mutation that causes curly hair in white people
Curly hair is determined largely by genetics. An estimated 65-90% of people possess some form of curl, though this percentage varies across ethnic groups and races, such as being more prevalent among African populations.
Recent genome wide association research has identified a specific mutation within the TCHH gene that is linked to hair curliness. The mutation changes an amino acid from leucine to methionine within its protein, suggesting curly locks may be an ancestral trait.
Note that it is not unusual for Caucasians to have curly hair; in fact, it is quite widespread. Curls do not necessarily indicate African descent – they could simply be down to genetics and the shape of your follicles.
Women with natural-textured hair have often faced prejudice and discrimination throughout their lives, prompting the “natural hair movement,” which encourages women to love and accept their locks as natural. It aims to support and elevate all those women from all ages and backgrounds who choose to keep their locks natural.
Curly hair is a genetic trait
Genetics play an enormous role in your hair and many other physical traits, such as height, eye color, skin tone and hair texture. But not every gene plays the same role; multiple genes could be working together to shape your appearance and determine your traits.
People of various races often possess curly locks. This is determined by genetic inheritance: two curly genes will lead to curlier locks while having one curly and one straight gene could make your locks wavy or straighter.
Hair texture changes can occur throughout a person’s lifetime due to dormant genes activating when there are major hormonal shifts that activate curling genes and cause your locks to curl into waves or coils.
So while it may be true that certain racial groups tend to have more curly hair than others, Caucasians too can often possess this trait – in fact it might even be more prevalent than you realize! And if this describes you, take pride in the fact that having curly locks means your DNA contains some truly amazing DNA variants! If your hair turns out curly just remember that having it can only mean one thing – amazing genetic makeup awaits.
