Curly Hair Growth

Bi-racial boy
Photo: Harm Kruyshaar/Shutterstock
Q: I have a 3-year-old son, who is bi-racial, he's had curly hair since the day he was born. Well, yesterday, his aunt decided to get his hair cut to a very low taper and cut off all his curls.
 
I was wondering if there was anything that I could do so that when his hair grows back, it will grow to the way it used to be? Or is there anything that you could do to help to promote the growth of the curly hair the he once had?

 
A: There is good news and bad news in your situation. The bad news is that there’s really nothing you can do to force the hair to grow in a specific wave pattern.
 
The good news is that this includes cutting off the hair to remove curls. The hair is going to grow according to its own genetic programming. The texture and wave pattern may change over the years as the child grows and ages, but the hair is going to do what the genes dictate.
 
If your son’s hair is meant to be curly, then when this short haircut grows out, the curls will come right back. His hair may start to change as he matures, particularly around the time when he starts puberty. The hair will likely become thicker, coarser, and may change in its wave pattern, becoming kinkier or straighter as his genes dictate.
 
The only thing to do right now is to keep his hair and scalp clean and healthy. This means shampooing the hair with a gentle shampoo when it’s dirty, and using a conditioner every day. If you’re concerned about the products you use on your child’s hair, make a trip to your local beauty supply shop and look at all the varied natural products available now for caring for African-American hair.
 
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See also:
 
Is my hair texture changing because of genetics, environment or wrong products?
 
Changing hair texture
 
Hair and hormonal changes