Why is African hair tight and curly ?

Answer 1

Firstly, it is NOT racist to discuss and celebrate the obvious physical differences between races. For many years, I have had to battle against prejudice when I have stated that different skin types require different treatments. A fair-skinned Nordic skin type is of a differing structure from a freckled Celtic skin just as much as one type of Caucasian skin and hair is different to some types of “Black” skin and hair.

The science is somewhat inexact in that we know the structure of hair but still are unsure about the reasons for its formation. You only have to look at a child born with curly blond hair that gradually changes, as the child matures, to often much darker and straighter hair. On your own body, the hair on your head is much different from the hair on your arms and different again from the hair in your pubic region.

The world’s most common hair type is Asian. The structure is circular in cross section and the keratin dense. Caucasian hair is oval in section and the keratin less dense. Afro-Carribbean hair tends to be bean, or kidney shaped, in cross section with dense keratin.

The question is why is African hair tight and curly?

It is a factor of evolution. In hot sunny climates, those with a skin with a high concentration of Melanin (The skin colouring protein and pigment) survived better than fair skin. There was greater protection from harmful radiation. Unfortunately, the darker skin absorbed more heat energy, about 30% more, therefore those individuals with a larger number of sweat glands, used to cool the body, survived better. Sebaceous glands that produce sebum, an oil that regulates the skin acidity and hydration, are increased as sweat glands are produced. This increase in sebum secretion increases the acidity of “Black” skin.

Hair is produced in modified sebaceous glands called follicles. The type, and density of keratin laid down in the hair is influenced by the type of keratin and the acidity of the skin, lower PH (more acidic) tends to cause denser keratin formation. Increased sweat glands within the skin tend to misalign the hair follicles and cause then to be misshaped. They push against the follicles as they produce sweat causing kinked follicles. Although all of this is an over simplification of the science, the net effect is that the hair produced tends to have more kinks and is coarser than it would be in fairer less acidic skin with fewer sweat glands and less sebum production.

Just think of your self. Is your hair thicker and curlier where you sweat more, in the armpit and groin? Is it curliest when you produce more oily excretion? E.g. the pubic area.

I would be happy to give information that is more technical to anyone interested.

Answer 2

It's just how God made us. By the why not all African have tight curly hair or dark skin. Moroccan, Egyptian, Algerian, Tunisia and Ethiopian people usually have soft hair either straight or curl and some have fair skin.

Answer 3

If you take a cross section of someones hair you will find a variety of shapes

for straight hair it is practically round in crossection whereas for more curly hair the shape is flatter in a more oval shape

for very frizzy hair (including afro style) the shape is very flat hence allowing the hair to curl and frizz

Answer 4

african hair is v curly, n big looking but it is actually has lessthan half the hair strands that caucasian hair, the hair is thin because of hot african weather, but it also needs to cover the head so not to cause sun stroke. african hair also needed to aid perspiration, as hair follicals relese water to cool the body, black hair also reflects heat, to keep heat from the head, weras lighter hair will absorb head, (this is why most people from northern countries are blonde). i no it not 2 do with hair, bt africans have bigger lips to help relese sweat from the body aswell

Answer 5

Genetics is the basic cause of the tight and curly hair.

Answer 6

cos of our genetic make up, don't u like ur kinky hair?

i think it's cool, we can straighten our hair with relaxers whenever we want to but other races cannot imitate our hair texture.

how cool is that!!!

meanwhile i prefer to use the word kinky rather than tight to describe my hair.

Answer 7

It's genetics.

Answer 8

Because there is less water that makes up the hair then there is in Caucasian hair (so i've heard)

Answer 9

To protect the head from the overhead ,low sun, also to grow afros and look cool in discos

Answer 10

It's a genetic trait. There is no "reason".