New parents are always curious to figure out how their baby will look over time. It is not uncommon to see them fret over their little angel’s hair. Among everything else on your plate, your baby’s hair texture can be an enquiring concern. If you are curious to know about the signs that will indicate your baby having curly hair, this article might be for you. I will explain 9 of those signs to you.
Your baby’s curly hair will be determined genetically. Your baby will most likely have curly hair if both the father and mother have curly hair.
Genetics might be the most dominant sign of your baby having natural curls. But that is just one sign. Several other ones can tell you if your baby will have curly hair. You might also be curious if your baby’s hair can turn curly later. I will address 9 signs your baby will have curly hair. Also, those little matters that might pique your curiosity about your lovely baby’s hair.
What Are the Chances My Baby Will Have Curly Hair?
New parents wait eagerly for the arrival of the newest addition to their family. As you wait for the arrival of your dear little one, there will be a lot of concern over how your baby might look. If they will have dad’s hair or mom’s eyes is just a common concern among many. If you are one of those soon-to-be parents, being curious about your baby’s hair type is nothing if not normal.
Curly locks are the most adorable look for your baby. So if you are hoping for a baby with cute curly locks, the chances will be mostly determined by genetics. Genetics is an interesting but complex subject as it determines all the traits your baby will get. Modern science still hasn’t gotten that far to determine what traits the baby might get.
So, it is mostly unpredictable which genes your baby might inherit. But if there is anyone with curly hair in your family, your baby might get this trait. Genes can be either dominant or recessive. Dominant genes are most likely to appear as they tend to mask or suppress other traits from appearing.
If you are wondering whether curly hair is dominant or recessive, it is a dominant trait. The curly hair gene is said to have incomplete dominance over the straight hair genes. If one of the parents has curly hair and the other has straight hair, that curly hair gene will most likely dominate the other gene. So the baby will end up with either curly or wavy hair.
If both parents have curly hair, then your baby will most probably end up with curly hair. However, even if the parents do not have curly hair, the baby might get the traits from another ancestor that had it. The dominance of the curly hair genes can carry over generations. So even then the chance exists for your baby to get beautiful luscious curls.
How Can You Tell if Your Baby Will Have Curly Hair?
Parenting is a beautiful experience for every mom and dad. This experience is even more special for a first-time mom and dad. During this phase, parents love to watch and fuss over every little thing about their baby without a tire. It is not surprising for parents to start imagining what their baby would look like or get which one of its parents features.
If you are a new parent and are also going through this wonderful phase, you might be wondering if your baby will have curly hair. Everybody loves to see their newborn bear curly locks as they are just adorable. But managing them can be difficult for new parents. So, it is best to be aware of the hair-type of your newborn.
There will be some significant signs that can tell you if your baby will have curly hair. I will tell you 9 of those signs.
1. The power of genetics
Researchers have said that genetics has the most say when determining the physical characteristics of your baby. So the many physical traits like skin, eye color, hair color, and even hair texture are determined by the genes your baby carries. If both of the parents have curly hair, your baby will most likely receive those curls.
One parent might have straight hair while the other has curly locks. The dominance of the gene will determine the hair texture your baby will possess. But it is not possible to control whose genes the baby might inherit. However, it is commonly seen that the dad’s genes have a stronger say in this. If the parent has a curly head, it is a sign your baby will too.
Even if both parents have straight hair, there is a chance the baby will have a curly head. The baby you are expecting could have curly hair if there is an ancestor with curly hair in the family. The ancestor’s curly hair gene can pass down through generations. The parents may be carrying the gene. So there is a chance for those curly hair genes to manifest in your baby. Also, do not forget to care about a mummy.
2. Influence of the environment
Genes aren’t the only thing that will determine your baby’s hair type. The influence of the environment exists even when determining your baby’s hair texture. Baby’s that are born in humid and warm areas tend to have different hair types than those born in colder climates.
Humidity and warmth of the environment can make hair frizzy or curly. On the other hand, a colder climate can make your baby’s hair dry and straight. So if you are living in a warm area with a humid atmosphere, it is a sign that your baby’s hair can turn out curly.
It is a possibility that moving from an area of colder climate to an area of warmer climate will change your baby’s hair texture. Your baby’s straight hair can turn into wavy or curly locks due to environmental change.
3. Heartburn during pregnancy
Everyone has heard of old wives’ tales to determine their baby’s potential traits. There is a particularly popular odd saying that tells heartburn during pregnancy means your baby will have a thick head full of potentially curly hair. This may sound like just some phony tale to anyone who hears it. But studies have proved otherwise.
Researchers at John Hopkins University conducted a study that surveyed a group of mothers to put this theory to test. Surprisingly, contrary to every researcher’s beliefs, the study ended up confirming that this old wives’ tale is true.
Among the mothers, 82 percent of the women who had moderate to severe heartburn during their pregnancy gave birth to a baby with an average or above-average crop of hair. The women who had no heartburn had babies with little or no hair.
Other studies have found that the hormones that influence fetal hair growth can cause heartburn for the mother. So it is best to look out for heartburn during your or your wife’s heartburn during pregnancy. This might potentially mean your baby will be born with a head full of curls.
4. Frizzy hair
When your baby has only little fuzzy hair, it can be hard to tell if it will be curly or not. The best sign that you should look out for is most probably how your baby’s hair is growing. Check out your little one’s hair close and see if they look frizzy. Frizzy hair is the best sign for curly locks. Most of the time that frizzy or wavy-looking small hair can grow into curly locks later on.
So if you can be excited to see some frizzy hair on your baby’s head. Fizzy and small wavy hair is a possible sign for them to turn into curly locks. In the 18 to 24 months after your baby is born, you might see curls growing from those frizzes.
5. Out of control hair along the hairline
The size of the hair will start changing and growing with your baby’s growing years. As your baby starts growing up, signs of curly hair will start to become more visible. When you manage your baby’s hair, there might be baby curls, baby hair, stray hairs, fresh growth, frizzes, and new growth all along the hairline.
These small hairs sometimes have the most persistent nature to never lie flat. No matter how much you comb, they will always wave out or curl up. This out-of-control hair can indicate that your baby will have curly hair. If your baby’s hair along the hairline seems impossible to manage, it is a sign your baby’s hair is naturally curly.
6. Impossible to manage volume
Babies with curly hair just always have that cute bedhead. Such a voluminous mass of hair can be hard to manage for the parents. The curly-haired little ones will also always have that cowlick sticking on their head. Unmanageable poof of hair is just another one of the traits of these cute curly heads.
Volumes are the most obvious trait of curly hair. When managing your baby’s hair, volumes can be hard to manage. It might be that you have noticed the cowlick or bedhead ever-present on your little angel’s head. Try to notice if you are having a tough time managing down your little angel’s hair. This is a sign your baby’s hair will grow into beautiful curly locks.
7. Wet hair feels frizzy and wavy
Curly hair will always become more frizzy and curly when it is wet. Curly hair always has issues of dehydration so they reach out for any moisture they find. So when the hair is damp, the curls will get more volumes and frizz. Look out for how your baby’s hair reacts to humidity. If it gets more frizzy and curly, it is a sign your baby has curly lushes.
Water can reset hair to its original state. So it is an easy way to determine your baby’s hair type. If you are looking for any signs of your baby having curly hair, go ahead and get it wet. If the hair gets into curls and ringlets, your baby has natural curls.
8. Impossible to part
As a parent, you might want to do many hairstyles for your precious little one. Seeing those cute hairstyle tutorials on the internet might have made you want to try them out at least once on your little angel. But sometimes following those tutorials might just not work. It is very possible if your baby has curly hair, the hair won’t listen to you.
Some parents can find parting their little one’s hair a tough little task. The parts are just not controllable sometimes. The hair itself determines where the parts will lie. With these kinds of curly hair, you just have to let the part fall where the volume is. So, following that cute hairstyle to dress up your cutie becomes tough.
But do not worry as this just means your baby has adorable luscious curls. They will look adorable and beautiful just as they are.
9. Hair dries in a curl or loop
The natural shape or patterns of your baby’s strands can tell you a lot about the texture of your baby’s hair. Usually, it is not visible when the hair is dry. So if you are curious to see the type of your baby’s hair, take a look at the hair after a bath. As it is drying, the hair will show its natural texture.
If your baby’s hair dries straight without any bend or curl, the baby has straight hair. If it dries with a slight bend or curl, then the baby has wavy hair. Drying in a curl or loop pattern means your baby has curly hair. So lookout for this curl or loop pattern when you’re drying your baby’s hair. This is a sign your baby has curly hair.
Can A Baby’s Straight Hair Turn Curly?
A baby’s body is constantly growing and developing. The hair along with the baby’s body will also go through changes. Some of these changes can be brought under control. But the others are not manageable and will happen naturally. Even science doesn’t have an answer as to why a baby’s straight hair can turn curly later.
Due to the constant changes a baby’s body goes through, hair is also bound to change. Hair is constantly going through changes. It is possible for a born straight-haired baby to later develop curls. This can happen because their inherited curly hair genes suddenly decided to pop out. These sorts of physical changes are not uncommon. So straight hair can turn curly. But it will be an unpredictable change.
How Do You Care for Your Baby’s Curly Hair?
Having a beautiful curly-haired baby is something to rejoice for. Their ringlets can be adorable to look at among other straight-haired babies. But taking care of a baby’s curls is important as it is not easy to manage them. You have to be careful with many things when you are taking care of your baby’s delicate curls. You must remember some tips:
- You must make sure to never brush those curls.
- Always comb those curls with wide tooth combs or fingers when it is wet.
- Dry their hair with something soft like T-shirts. Drying the curls with a towel will cause frizz so it is best to avoid that.
- Don’t shampoo the curls every day. It might even be better to skip the shampoo and only use the conditioner.
- Trim the curls regularly so they can stay even. This can help tame down any tangles.
- You should use plenty of conditioners. You can also use leave-in conditioners.
- It is best to keep the baby’s hair short. You can keep the baby’s hair shoulder length to let it grow out properly later.
Do Baby Curls Go Away?
A baby can get natural curly, thick locks. But then with time, those curls might not stay. Sometimes baby’s curls can go away when you cut them. But there are also instances when the curls just grow tighter. There isn’t any specific reason as to why this could happen. But hair is a mystery even for scientists. How it will grow over time cannot be determined.
With time, your baby will grow up. Growing up brings many changes to a baby’s body. This means changes for your baby’s hair as well. Since hair is constantly changing, it isn’t unusual to see baby curls go away.
Conclusion
Having a baby with adorable curls and ringlets is a desire of many. It is not determined if your baby will have curly hair. But many signs can indicate the coming of those curly locks. I have provided 9 signs that show your baby will have curly hair.
Now that you are aware of those signs, you can check if your baby’s hair shows those signs. Your baby will probably have adorable curls if the signs have matched. I am wishing all the best for you and your lovely little one.
Thank you for reading this article.