Wave Pattern

The Wave Pattern of the hair refers to the shape of the hair strand, and is described as straight, wavy, curly, or extremely curly.

Natural wave patterns are the result of genetics. As a general rule Asians tend to have extremely straight hair, Caucasians tend to have straight to wavy hair, and African Americans tend to have extremely curly hair. But straight, curly, and extremely curly hair occurs in all races. This means that anyone of any race, or mixed race, can have hair with varying degrees of curliness from straight to extremely curly.

The wave pattern may also vary from strand to strand on the same person’s head. Individuals with curly hair often have straighter hair in the crown and curlier hair in other areas

Several theories attempt to explain the cause of natural curly hair, but there is no single, definite answer that explains why some hair grows straight and other hair grows curly.

·         One theory claims that the shape of the hair’s cross-section determines the amount of curl. This theory claims that hair with a round cross-section is straight, hair with an oval cross-section is wavy, and hair with a flat cross-section is curly.

·         At present, natural curl is believed to be the result of one side of the hair strand growing faster than the other side. Since the side that grows faster will be slightly longer than the slower-growing side, tension within the strand causes the long side to curl around the short side. Hair that grows uniformly on both sides does not create tension and results in straight hair. However, this theory is still unproven.