Are you curious about when your baby’s hair texture will change? As a parent, it’s normal to obsess over even the smallest details when it comes to your child’s development, including when does the baby hair texture change.
But rest assured, changes in hair texture are perfectly normal as your baby grows. Whether your baby has curly or wavy hair, there’s no need to worry as long as their hair is healthy.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about your baby’s hair health, so you can put your mind at ease and enjoy this special time with your little one.
What Is Baby Hair Texture?
The natural surface of a baby’s hair is known as baby hair texture. It might be wavy, curly, or silky and smooth. Babies frequently have very fine hair when they are born, which later gets coarser as they get older and their follicles develop.
What Determines Baby Hair Texture
Naturally, your baby’s hair texture is determined by genetics. The texture of your baby’s hair will depend on when the scalp’s follicles fully develop.
Both parents’ genes determine what type of hair texture their baby gets. The color, size, texture, and height are all dependent on the baby’s parents.
However, because of the various genetic combinations that might occur during pregnancy, a baby’s hair can be unpredictable, and it’s not uncommon for a kid to have curly hair while the parents have straight hair.
When Will My Baby’s Hair Texture Change
Babies typically have fine, downy hair on their heads when they are born, but by the time they reach two years of age, their hair texture will have changed to straight, wavy, or curly. Even if your child is born completely bald, hair follicle development begins at around week 14 or 15 of pregnancy, paving the way for future hair growth. However, it’s important to note that not all babies will have a full head of hair at birth. Most newborns are born with little to no hair, and the sparse hair that does grow in the first few weeks and months may fall out between two and three months of age.
Textural change is different for every newborn. Some babies have a full head of hair in just six months, while others wait two or three years. And even if those hairs are thin now, your child’s hair won’t necessarily be thin later on.
Within the first 24 months of life, your kid should experience three changes in the texture of their hair, some of which you might not even notice.
Stage 1: Lanugo Hair
Your unborn child starts developing lanugo hair, which is a fine, soft, and unpigmented hair that covers the head and body and grows to protect and warm the baby, around the fifth month of gestation.
All newborn babies lose hair during the first few months, but it grows back fairly rapidly. During this initial phase, which lasts about three months, the baby’s hair strands are thin because there isn’t much of it at this stage of their development.
During the final stages of pregnancy, babies usually shed their lanugo hair. Although lanugo is usually absorbed into the amniotic fluid, it may remain when your child is delivered. At birth, typical telogen hairs are present, and the majority of them fall out during the first few weeks.
Stage 2: Vellus hair
Around six months of age, your baby will enter the second stage of hair development, which is the growth of vellus hair. During this stage, your baby’s hair will start to thin out and lose density.
Vellus hairs are more commonly found in areas with a lot of sebaceous glands, such as the scalp, as they help regulate body temperature through evaporation. The Latin word “vellus” means “thin,” so the follicles produce very fine hair that easily falls out.
While baby hair may be wavy during this stage, it typically remains straight until puberty, when hormonal changes can affect hair texture.
At this stage, most of your baby’s hair will be either terminal or lanugo, with only about 25% being vellus hair.
Stage 3: Terminal Hair
This final stage of hair transformation occurs around the time your baby turns 1, but the timing may vary depending on factors such as gender and individual development rate. This stage lasts until about 24 months old.
During this stage, your baby’s hair goes through the final transformation and will consist mostly of long, dark, and thick hairs called terminal hairs. These hairs come from follicles in the skin and give the appearance of having more hair overall.
Your baby’s hair texture may change as they progress through these three stages. It may become straighter or curlier, and they may experience these changes at different times during their first two years of life depending on hormone changes in their bodies.
It’s also worth noting that your baby’s hair goes through four phases of growth, which contribute to its overall texture and appearance.
Anagen phase
It is important to note that the duration of the anagen phase varies from person to person, with an average of two to seven years. During this stage, the hair strands grow in length and produce color at varying rates, depending on the hormonal levels in your baby’s body. The anagen phase is responsible for the production of color in the hair and its growth rate is dependent on the body’s hormonal development.
On average, the hair on the scalp grows about 1 centimeter every 28 days. However, the length of the anagen phase may vary depending on the length of the hair. Short hair has shorter anagen phases, while people with long hair have longer ones.
Catagen Phase
After the onset of anagen and before the start of telogen, there is a transitional period called catagen.
During this stage, the hair shaft undergoes keratinization and becomes strong. However, since the hair is in a dormant phase before it grows again, you may not notice a decrease in hair growth during this time.
Typically, only about 3% of your baby’s hair will be in this phase, which lasts between two weeks and 21 days.
Telogen Phase
During the telogen phase, the hair follicle is resting and no new hair growth occurs. Instead, the hair remains in place until it is pushed out by a new hair that is growing in the anagen phase or sheds during the exogen phase. It’s interesting to note that the duration of the telogen phase can vary depending on factors such as age, gender, genetics, and overall health. Typically, about 3 to 9% of hairs on the scalp are in the telogen phase at any given time.
Exogen Phase
Exogen is the phase during which the hair sheds can last for two to five months. As the old hairs fall out, new hair follicles develop.
The hair will regrow stronger and longer than before, especially as your baby gets older. This hair loss is completely normal.
Can You Predict Your Baby’s Hair Texture And Hair Color?
It is possible to predict your baby’s hair texture to some extent based on the genes inherited from their father. If the father has straight or wavy hair, likely, the baby will likely also have a similar hair texture. However, it is not always possible to accurately predict the texture of the baby’s hair. Babies with curly hair tend to develop straight hair during the first few months of life, and vice versa.
The color of a baby’s hair is determined by pigment cells that leave the uterus and reach the skin’s surface. By the time the baby is a year old, their scalp will typically be covered in hair, even if it is sparse initially. Hair color genes can be inherited from either parent, and each hair strand contains melanin, the pigment that determines the color of hair. There are two types of melanin – eumelanin and pheomelanin – which combine to produce a range of hair colors. While family members’ hair color can provide some clues, the genetic makeup of the baby ultimately determines their permanent hair color.
Straight Or Curly? What Will My Baby Have?
The shape of the hair follicle determines the texture of the hair. Hair follicles that are flat and curved produce curly or wavy hair, while those that are round produce straight hair.
Tips On How To Care For Your Baby’s Hair
Straight or curly, the important thing is that you make sure they maintain healthy hair as they grow.
Caring For Your Baby’s Hair Texture
You can try to improve your baby’s texture with these tips
1. Ensure a nutritious diet
Along with promoting hair growth, providing your baby with a variety of nutrients can also help to improve the texture and sheen of your baby’s hair.
If you are nursing, be mindful of your nutritional requirements because your baby depends on you for nutrients.
Ask your pediatrician about giving your infant foods containing the following nutrients if they are 6 months or older
2. Massage almond or coconut oil into the scalp.
Vitamin E is abundant in coconut oil and almond oil, which helps hydrate hair and prevent dryness.
Additionally, massage encourages blood flow to the scalp, which may support hair growth. Two to three times each week, massage coconut oil or almond oil into your baby’s scalp and hair. After 20 minutes, wash.
3. Shampoo frequently
Two to three times per week might assist in keeping your baby’s scalp clean by shampooing their hair. The buildup of grime and grease can give your baby’s hair a harsh texture. Pick a tear-free, baby-friendly shampoo.
4. Use conditioner on your baby’s hair.
Apply a baby-friendly conditioner to your baby’s hair after shampooing it for two minutes, then rinse. Because smooth hair becomes tangled less frequently, conditioners help replenish hair moisture and prevent hair damage.
Before you locate shampoos and conditioners that work best for your baby’s hair, you might need to test out a few different products.
Your child’s hair will go through several stages as they develop. downy hair, at birth. Within the first few months following delivery, hair often sheds.
You might observe that your baby’s hair gets thicker and coarser once lanugo sheds. It’s reasonable and important to be concerned about this texture change.
If you’re unsure about how to take care of your baby’s new hair, these should help.
- When brushing their hair, use a comb or brush with soft bristles.
- When shampooing their scalp, be gentle. You can make use of a gentle baby shampoo designed for a delicate scalp.
- Unnecessary products with strong chemicals or scents should be avoided.
- Try to avoid styling their hair with excessive heat. Use a low setting and a serum or oil to protect their hair if you must use heat.
Conclusion
Babies’ hair texture is highly unpredictable, and it depends on the genetics of their parents. Usually, a baby’s texture changes between six and twelve months old and continues until they are three. During this time, the keratin protein, which provides hair its strength and structure, first appears in a baby’s hair. As the baby’s hair creates more keratin, it will get thicker and curlier. However, not all infants will go through this texture change, and some people may have fine soft hair far into their youth.
It’s important to note that the texture of a person’s hair can change over time due to a variety of factors, so it might not always stay as curly or wavy as it was when they were born. Therefore, you shouldn’t worry too much about your child’s hair.
Babies typically have silky, smooth hair, but due to hormones or genetics, some adults with naturally straight hair may develop curls later in life. If you have concerns about your child’s hair, it’s always best to speak to your pediatrician. They’ll be able to assist you in navigating your worries and provide the best advice for your child’s specific situation.
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