Cut Curly Hair

Girl who is cutting her own curly hair
Photo: Space Cat/Shutterstock
Q: What happens when you cut naturally curly hair shorter? Does it become less curly or more curly? Or does it stay the same?
 
A: There’s a common misconception that the actual structure of curly hair changes once you cut it. This is completely untrue. Reducing the length of a hair strand has absolutely no effect on the actual structure of the hair. I assume that the fact that the hair looks different (more or less curly) after it has been cut is the reason behind this mistaken belief.
 
Curly hair has the potential to look different after it has been cut due to the effect that the hair’s weight has on the downwards pull of the curl. Basically, when curly hair is long, its curl looks more relaxed because of the weight of longer hair that “pulls” the curl downwards.
 
When you cut this type of hair and consequently decrease the weight of the hair, you’re also decreasing the downwards pull on the curl. This means that the curl “springs” up, making the structure of the hair look more springy or tight and in fact also making the hair look shorter than it actually is. The tighter the curls are, the shorter the hair will look.
 
This is also the main reason why lots of stylists prefer to cut really curly hair while it is dry. This way the stylist can judge the fall of the hair more accurately while it is in its natural form and keep the hair from being cut too short.
 
Women or men with curly hair often complain about the fact that stylists usually cut their hair too short. This is because wet hair is much heavier than dry hair, thus the curl is pulled down. After the hair has been dried and is left to curl in its natural form, the curls spring up much higher than when the hair is wet, and then the hair looks very short.
 
©Hairfinder.com
 
See also:
 
How to cut hair
 
How to maintain curly hair
 
Ways to make the most of curly hair
Shop