Researchers found that curls have an invaluable advantage in the heat | life & knowledge

2023-06-26 11:45:20

The sun bangs from the sky, the temperatures rise above 30 degrees. In this heat, a hairstyle is particularly suitable. Even scientists have worked on it!

And the result is surprising: curls are THE top hairstyle for the summer. Anyone who has them should be surprised, because curls are often difficult to tame and get in shape. But they have an invaluable advantage right now in the hot summer.

BILD explains the background:

The University of Southern California (USA) investigation conducted a series of laboratory experiments using a dummy. The topic: What influence does human hair have on the thermal regulation of the head?

Perfect for summer temperatures: curls keep your head cool

Foto: Getty Images/Westend61

The puppet’s head surface was maintained at a constant temperature of 35 degrees Celsius using a power supply. That corresponds to our scalp. The doll’s head was then irradiated with a heat lamp. Like an artificial sun.

In addition, the doll’s hair was different: smooth, slightly curly, heavily curly, bald. And: Sometimes the scalp was dry, sometimes it was damp.

The power requirement was then used to calculate how much the artificial skin heated up or cooled down under the different hair and laboratory conditions.

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The best head protection from the sun

A damp scalp always gave off heat. On the other hand, if the head is dry, there is a risk of overheating. But: dense curls created the best protection from the sun, under them the artificial scalp hardly warmed up.

The research team concluded that our African ancestors had a clear survival advantage with their curly hair under the strong sun. The dense curls helped early humans survive longer periods without water.

Maurice Klostermann is a master hairdresser in Berlin and wears curls himself

Photo: Dag von Boor

And what does the master hairdresser say about it?

Hair stylist Maurice Klostermann (Berlin) to BILD: “The result of the study does not surprise me. Curls protect the head from the strong sun, but also from the cold. In addition, the scalp is better ventilated. Now in summer the ideal look for women, but also for men. Anyone who has any can count themselves lucky.”