How do I know if my hair is starting to curl?

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Want to know if your hair is naturally curly? Here are 5 hints that you might have curly hair (and how to find out for sure!)

I was 35 years old when I discovered I had naturally curly hair.

So, recently…

Which is crazy because I thought I was going to be stuck with a mane which could only be managed with high heat, lots of hair products, or in a messy bun for the rest of my life. 😩

But as I have helped my daughter manage her naturally curly hair, I started noticing a few familiar hints of curls of my own.

Maybe you’ve noticed them, too:

1. You have some wave or an occasional curl

Your hair isn’t stick straight but it’s not curly, either.

Now, you can’t expect a full head of ringlets if you’ve never cared for your hair like it was curly, but a great hint to look for is wave in your hair.

There is a Curly Girl saying, Where there’s a wave, there’s a curl!

And that’s true.

2. You have out-of-control hairs all around your hair line.

Baby curls, baby hair, stray hairs, fresh growth, frizzies, new growth, tendrils, wisps…

Whatever you call them – if these hairs refuse to lie flat to your head and curl or wave out – it might be a hint you have curly hair!

Those adorable hairs lost their charm in middle school, didn’t they?

No matter how much spit, hairspray, or gel you used, they would not stay down. (In fact, those things made the tiny, now-crunchy strands stick out worse, didn’t they?) Eventually, you were forced to use Goodie clips to snap-trap those little curls flat to your head…

Can you tell I was a tween in the 90’s?

3. You have volume in all the wrong places.

Cowlicks, crazy bedhead, and giant unmanageable poofs are often a hint that you have naturally curly hair…

Though the natural instinct is to control those wild spots, on my own noggin, I noticed that these hot spots are where curls are fighting to pop up. 

Rebellious little things, aren’t they?

4. You don’t control your part – your part controls you.

No matter where you want that part to lie, your hair determines that.

If this doesn’t happen, it could be because your curls start at the midsection of your hair rather than at the scalp.

If you have sorta wavy hair, you’ve probably noticed that your part falls where the natural volume is…

Don’t fight it.

5. Your hair frizzes out when it dries naturally or when it’s humid.

Your frizz is real.

Which reminds me: the coveted “beach wave” look…

If you do a quick Google image search, you are going to see photo after photo of beautiful, smooth, blond wavy tresses and pouty lips that say, Oh, I just went to the beach, and my hair just dried like this…

Which I find offensive.

If I went to the beach and let my hair dry naturally, I would have a frizz halo which would make me feel absolutely less than angelic…

Has your hair been sending you most of these hints?!

No… It’s okay, you have fabulously straight hair!!! Which means you have an empty slate, clean canvas, room for change!!!

Embrace whatcha got, friend!!!

Your hair is going to require completely different techniques to stay healthy and well kept. In fact, I saw some great tips for naturally straight hair in this post!

YES! *hyperventilating* Oh, goodness – you might have curly hair!!! 😍 Keep reading!

How to Tell For Sure For Sure

Want to find out if you REALLY have naturally curly hair?

Maybe your hair is sending these signals, but other than a little wave and spring here or there, you have not seen any real curls.

Want to know a secret???

A LOT OF CURLY GIRLS DO NOT KNOW THEY HAVE CURLS!!!

Many curly wonders have been brushing the spring out of those curls for so long that the curls went into hiding! 😢

Poor curls….

This is how to draw those possible curls out of hiding:

  1. Wash and condition your hair upside to watch what your wet tresses do.
  2. Gently drag only your fingers (no combs or brushes!!!) through your hair.

If you see ANY wavy spring of life in your wet strands, YOU HAVE CURL!!! 🤩

Oh, goodness, friend, I can’t even right now…

Listen, there are tricks to treating those little babies right – surprisingly it has a lot to do with product AND your health!!! I’m still learning, but – my goodness – what a difference it has made.

Ready to get started?!

First grab this book – it’s a solid start to get you treating those curls right!

To dig in today, read this next! 👉 Curly Hair For Beginners

Hi, I'm so glad you're here! I am Katie, the wife of my handsome bearded man and mama to my 4 fantastic children. I love the life the Lord has given me and want to encourage mamas like you while I share about frugal homemaking, relaxed homeschooling, healthy eating and community living. For His Glory. View all posts by Katie

What triggers curly hair?

Follicle Shape- The shape of your hair follicle largely determines your curl. Oval follicle shapes produce curly hair while round follicles produce straight hair.

How do I know if my hair is curly or frizzy?

“It can be tricky! But the best way to tell is by looking at the shape of your hair closer to the scalp. Hair that is wavy tends to have S-shaped strands, either tight or loose, and usually lays closer to the head. Curly hair has more corkscrew pattern and the curls have more 'lift' from the scalp.

Can hair turn curly by itself?

Others have curls and straighten them out. But for a few people, their hair actually changes shape and texture on its own — and not just because of the weather. Scientists don't know exactly why this happens, but it probably has to do with a combination of genetics, hormones and body chemistry.

What does it mean when your hair starts to curl?

Hair changing from straight to curly often indicates a hormonal shift within the body. Factors like menopause, pregnancy, puberty, and even taking birth control, can have a drastic, switching effect on your hair's texture. Hormonal changes alter how your genes are expressed, so changes here can make a big difference.