Less than 20% of people have naturally curly hair. The percentage gets even smaller when you consider the scores of guys out there who don't embrace their curls. If you're looking for something to help you stand out—and look dashing while doing it—then it's time to go natural.
We believe one of the reasons is that super-straight hair — also known as type 1a hair — is so rare. In fact, it's the rarest hair type. Only 2% of the world's population has 1a hair. It's mostly found in people of Asian descent.
Lots of traits are statistically rare: Left-handedness (just 10 percent of the population!), curly hair (11 percent!), and blond hair (4 percent!), to name a few. But of the more than seven billion people on the planet, only 2 percent can claim to have this one special trait.
Over 60% of the world's population has curly hair, yet most research to date has clumped hair into three catchall types - African, Asian, and Caucasian.
Hair type and texture are determined by several factors, including genetics. The African hair is more coiled and drier; Asian hair (Korean, Japanese) is straighter and thicker; and Caucasian hair is somewhere in between with around 45% having straight hair, 40% having wavy hair, and 15% having curly hair.
Less than 20% of people have naturally curly hair. The percentage gets even smaller when you consider the scores of guys out there who don't embrace their curls.
Hair type 1A is super-straight. It doesn't even hold a curl! 1A is the rarest hair type. It is usually found on people of Asian descent.
The terms 'European hair' and 'Caucasian hair' are often used interchangeably and are taken to denote 'wavy' to 'straight' hair; 'East Asian' hair is taken to mean 'pin-straight' hair; and 'African' or 'ethnic' hair is taken to signify 'curly' or 'very curly' hair.
Individuals of African ancestry, for example, are more likely to have curly hair due to the oval shape of their hair follicles. Additionally, the Keratin Associated Protein (KAP) cluster genes, responsible for the structure of keratin fibers, have been found to have variations in many African populations.
Since curly hair is a dominant gene, there is a good likelihood that one or two curly-haired parents will produce a curly-haired cutie. But genetics are tricky, and there's a chance that two parents with curls could carry the straight hair recessive gene, and pass that onto their offspring.
Human hair comes with all sorts of colors, textures and shapes. Notably, African hair is more coiled and dry; Asian hair is straighter and thicker; and Caucasian hair is somewhere in between with around 45% having straight hair, 40% having wavy hair, and 15% having curly hair.
From genotyping results, European hair shape varies mostly between wavy (46.6%) and straight (40.7%), with some curly hair (12.7%) (n = 2138) [10].
An estimated 65 percent of the U.S. population has curly, coily or wavy hair, with a growing percentage of textured-hair women embracing their natural hair .
A general observation across experiments was that straight hair was perceived as younger, healthier, and more attractive than wavy hair and darker shades (medium copper and brown) were perceived more positively than blonde hair.
The rarest natural hair colour is red, which makes up only one to two percent of the global population. You commonly see these hair colours in western and northern areas of Europe, especially Scotland and Ireland. However, natural redheads may not exist for much longer.
Curls are thinner and more fragile.
Because of its texture, curly hair is more delicate and easily sensitizes. It tends to take more wear and tear from daily styling, braiding, and even sleeping. Exposure to the mechanical stress of brushing and detangling can lead to breakage.
African Americans have the lowest hair density, averaging around 130 hairs per square centimeter and about 60,000 hair follicles on an adult scalp.
Evolutionary Role of Curly Hair: Keeping Early Humans Cool and Hydrated. Researchers suggest that the evolution of curly hair in early humans was a crucial adaptive trait in equatorial Africa, offering effective protection from the sun's heat and minimizing the need for sweating.
Caucasian hair can be smooth, wavy or curly. Its colorimetry can vary from blond to dark brown. It grows obliquely, and grows about 1.2 centimeters per month.
The genes that you inherit from both your parents determine how curly your hair appears. Your hair's appearance is determined by many factors. If you have children, the way your hair appears at birth is a clue to what genetic information they will receive. The texture of your hair can change through your lifetime.
Ethnicity is not connected. Selection explains why different hair types exist at all, but for any given person, inheritance studies suggest that curly hair mostly follows the rules of Mendelian genetics. Curly hair is dominant, so someone is more likely to have curly or wavy hair if at least one of their parents does.
The rarest hair and eye color combination is red hair with blue eyes, occurring in less than 1% of the global population. This statistic is a powerful reminder of the uniqueness of the red hair and blue eyes combination.
According to an article by evolutionary biology professor Mark Elgar, PhD, of the University of Melbourne, blue-eyed redheads are the absolute rarest, with 0.17% of the population having that combination of hair and eye color. So if that describes you, you're most likely one in a million (or more!).
The least common hair type, 1A hair is extremely fine and perfectly straight. Consequently, it can look a bit flat and limp and might prove difficult to style.