Do you know what is curly hair, and what is wavy hair? What is the difference between curly hair and wavy hair? This question always makes people confused. Lots of people think they are the same, but actually, they have several different characteristics. In this blog we will help you solve this question, so please keep on reading.

1. What Is Wavy Hair?

Wavy hair usually ranges from a loose loop to S-shape waves. Wavy hair is thicker than straight hair, and the texture falls in between straight and curly. They can be divided into several subtypes: 2A, 2B, and 2C. 

2A: This hair type has a wave that is slightly accentuated and can lose its shape easily. It has very subtle waves and a little volume.

2B: This hair type has a tighter S shape than 2A. The texture is still loose and easily weighed down, but it tends to maintain its shape better than 2A.

2C: This hair type is thicker and the S shape waveforms a tight curl. If you wear this type of wig, it looks like you wear a curly wig. It is the frizziest one in wavy hair types.

2. What Is Curly Hair?

Curly hair usually has a tighter S-shape. This hair type has curled into springs and corkscrew shapes. It can be divided into several subtypes: 3A, 3B, and 3C. 

3A: This hair type features the biggest and loosest stretched spirals of curls.

3B: This hair type has well-defined medium-size springs that look like corkscrews. 

3C: This hair type has springs that are smaller and more tightly packed than 3B.

3. What Is The Difference Between Them? 

◆ Follicles

The first major determinant difference between curly hair and wavy hair is that they have different shaped hair follicles, the shape of our hair follicle determines our hair texture. If you look at the hair follicles of someone with straight hair, you will see that it is a perfect circle. As a result, the more oval your hair follicle is, the more curled your hair will be. So wavy hair has an oval shape follicle. If your hair follicles tend to be more oval, they will give you more of that curly almost spiral appearance.  

◆ Shape

Another contributing factor is that wavy hair takes an S form, this is the defining attribute of wavy hair, it is a loose S shape and not a complete spiral, going from side to side. You will find a couple of spirals in your hair but generally, you'll find them halfway down the shaft to the very end, it is very rare to find a spiral from your root to the tip. If your hair makes full 360-degree spirals around, you probably have curly hair and not wavy hair, normally wavy hair is a full S-shape, none of these strands form a spiral, they all just look like an S. 

◆ Volume

Another characteristic that makes wavy hair different from curly hair is that wavy hair is usually very close to the scalp, and many of us have flatter roots because our hair does lay close to the scalp, even if we have very thick hair. You will find that your hair roots will be very close to your scalp, simply because most of our hair texture starts from the ears down. But whether it's the high density or low density, curls generally don't stick to the scalp, and unless you have oily roots, you'll find that your hair grows outward and is a little more voluminous than those with wavy hair.

◆ Porosity 

Porosity refers to the size of the gaps in the hair through which water and other substances can pass, and it also indicates how quickly moisture can move through the hair. Wavy hair is more likely to be low porosity than curly hair. Curly hair has more porosity than naturally straight and curly hair, high porosity hair has a raised and flared cuticle that allows it to absorb moisture quickly, while in low porosity hair, the cuticle is firmly attached to the hair, which makes it harder to absorb moisture.

◆ Pattern

The pattern is also a clear difference between curly hair and wavy hair. This is a major characteristic of wavy hair, which is that the pattern is very inconsistent and looks different every single day. But you can do whatever you want to make hairstyles you like, you can use curling products, you can blow your hair straight, it all depends on your decision.

There are probably more differences between curly and wavy hair wigs, for example, wavy hair tends to be more easily weighed down than curly hair, and has more natural oils. It also depends on the manufacturer. 

The differences between wavy hair and curly hair have been shown in this blog, are these distinctions useful for you? You can easily tell the differences between the two types of hair. Hope you choose your favorite hairstyles.