Cut Hair Short to Make it Straighter

Back view of a woman with short curly hair — Photo: Depositphotos

Q: My question is about curly hair. If you cut curly hair short enough, will it not be curly anymore?

A: No. The hair grows in its determined wave pattern according to your genetic encoding (barring some form of damage done to the follicles). No amount of cutting will alter the wave pattern in which your hair forms as it grows.

There are cases where people become confused over this issue because they will get a very short haircut and the hair will appear to grow differently afterward. The actual cause of the change in wave pattern, however, is invariably something other than the fact that the hair was cut (hormonal changes, growing stages, etc.).

If your hair has very large curls, cutting the hair can allow you to shorten it to a point where the hair isn't long enough to form a full circle, and thus appear straighter. The likelihood of this being possible depends on the size of your wave pattern.

For those individuals whose hair is tightly coiled, cutting the hair short enough to create the appearance that the hair is straight may require nearly shaving the head.

Be aware however, that if your curly hair is long, the weight of the hair may have stretched out the curl of the hair nearer to the scalp area, and will give you the sense that the hair nearer the scalp is actually straighter. This isn't the case. Once the hair is cut and the added weight is removed, the hair will spring back into its natural wave pattern, often becoming even curlier than it appeared to be while long.

©Hairfinder.com

See also:

Hair straightening

How to maintain curly hair

Is it true that curly hair goes away as we age?