Two elements of a hair’s structure determine the shape that it grows into.  These elements are the the follicle and the shaft. The shaft is the part of the hair that we can see – the strands that flow down from our heads. The follicle resides within the skin and it is where hair originates and is rooted, i.e. the hair follicle contains the hair root.  The hair follicle acts as an anchor, holding the hair in place.

The shape of the follicle plays a significant role in determining whether the hair is straight, curly or somewhere in between.  If the follicle is round, hair grows out straight; if oval, hair grows out wavy; and if hooked or elliptical, hair grows out curly.  This is universally true for all humans.

The angle at which the hair grows out of your skin also affects your hairs’ curliness.  Straight hairs tunnel vertically down into your scalp, while curly hairs tunnel in at an angle.  

The shaft of your hair affects how curly it is because of the way protein molecules build up.  Proteins such as keratins tend to build up unevenly in curly hair, collecting in the curve of your hair, make it curl even more.  This affects your hair less than the shape of the follicle, however.

Did you also know that the health of the follicle affects how well your genes express and look.  Follicle health depends on how well one cares for the scalp & hair at the cellular level, as the modern lifestyle seeks to destroy it.

M F L O R E N S products are specifically formulated to repair, rejuvenate, revitalize and regenerate follicular health. As such, we often hear from clients that their hair is curly or wavy again, like when they were younger (usually when cells were healthier because stressors and aggressors had not degraded cellular health). See following post for more.