What’s the difference between Straight Hair and Curly Hair?

This showdown is a unique one in that the curly haired among you want straight hair while the straight haired among you want curly hair.

If both the types of people were in a conversation with each other, both would say “No you don’t! Trust me!”

That is a similarity between the two crowds.

On average, girls in their lifetime spend $50,000 on their hair (as per this report). However, what really makes the two hair types different and distinct looking?

There are quite a few distinctions between straight hair and curly hair. To understand why they are what they are, we have to go down all the way into the molecular level and talk a little a bit of science.

Before we go deep into the reading about each hair type, feel free to watch this video and then move ahead.

 

Straight Hair vs. Curly Hair: Hair Structure

Let’s a take mental venture and look at the cross section of a hair. Almost 90% of your hair made of keratin which is a natural fibrous protein. Keratin can also be found in skin and nails. Each hair keratin unit is bound with each other to from long threadlike structures called filaments.

One of the most important chemical bonds that hold the hair structure together is the disulfide bridge. Disulfide bridges are the primary cause of hair curliness. The bad smell when your hair burns comes from the formation of sulfur.

So basically, everyone has keratin in their hair. Then why do we have different hair textures?

If you have curly hair and want it to be straight use these tools to straight your hair.

Straight Hair vs. Curly Hair: Hair Shafts

Everyone has the ability to grow hair with the same keratin filaments. These filaments from disulfide bridges near the shaft to form the curls in hair. The first difference between curly hair and straight hair is that shape of the shaft.

Straight hair has a circular follicle shape so disulfide bridges can form evenly around the cuticles forming no coil like shapes.

On the other hand, curly hair grows out of a more oval shaped follicle. From there, it is all about the physics and gravity doing its magic. The bigger the follicle is, the thicker a hairline growing out of it will be.

The flatter the hair follicle you have, the more curly hair you will grow.

In essence, if you take a straight hair and cut it in half, the cross section will be a more round shape while that of a curly will have an elliptical shape.

Straight Hair vs. Curly Hair: Texture

Once again, keratin is the main factor here. After all, they make up almost all of your hair. The texture of the hair depends on the surface of each hair strand, otherwise known as the cuticle.

The cuticle is the hard covering of the hair and consists of scales that lie flat over one another all over the hair strand.

If those scales lay completely flat, your hair will look completely healthy and will feel soft and silky to touch. Since the surface is smooth, the hair shines brighter.

This is what straight hair looks like and why it looks so appealing to curly haired folk.

On the other hand, curly hair does not look as shiny because the scales on their surface do not lie as flat as those in straight hair.

This is why curly hair looks and feels rougher, but has more volume and can be styled more easily.

If you want to curl your hair instantly use these tools.

 Straight Hair vs. Curly Hair: Which one is better?

Unfortunately, there is no clear cut winner. This is more of a personal preference than a universal fact that one must triumph over the other.

Of course, there are ways of changing your hairstyles if you are not happy with the way you naturally look. The key to looking good is to understand your hair type so that you can learn how to work with it.

No matter what type of hair you have, whether curly or straight hair, one great product is good for both all, i.e. hair straightener (interchangeably referred as Flat Iron).

If you have straight hair you can curl it with hair straightener, or if you have curly hair then it’s a must have tool in you fashion accessories.

We have compiled a list of best hair straightener go and check it out here.

How to Flat Iron your Curly Hair –  First timers

We are ending this article with a humor video where a curly hair guy wanted to straight his hair with a flat iron and the result was hilarious – watch it out.

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