Monday, January 26, 2009

Double Cowlick


I have a wierd hair pattern. As a baby I was called "javelina," the Spanish word for wild boar. My hair stood up off the scalp as if I had constant static pulling it away from my head. It didn't lay flat until it was long enough that the weight of it pulled it down. Now, as an adult woman I wonder how many cowlicks I have. My hair seems to lay the same way all time and it's contrary to any hairstyle I'd like to attempt. It simply doesn't go any other way. The majority of it goes forward, but then between my ears it's as if I've parted it straight across to make a front and back. And then the swirls... 2 at the nape of my neck and at least 2 on the crown. If I ever have to shave my head (for whatever reason), I'm having someone take a picture of my stubbly head to see what's going on up there.

Unfortunately, my son inherited an obnoxious hair pattern of his own. And because we've kept it short, it's been quite obvious. We get comments from barbers and complete strangers with a keen eye. As a baby, his hair stood on end like mine... a long, soft fuzz. People we didn't know would touch it and ask how we got it to do that. I couldn't imagine a parent do this on purpose. Well, after we first had it cut, we had to keep it short. Not because it was cute, but because if we let it go, it would just get taller and taller. It never laid down.

The Issue: A Double Cowlick

Most people's hair grows in a circular flattened pattern from a central point. The cowlick is the point where the hair changes direction. It can be in the center of the head or off to the left or right. People tend to have two hairwhorls with one being dominant and clearly visible while the other is less obvious. In the center you can see the hairs protruding from the scalp. When combed against the grain, the hair in the center of the cowlick will stand up straight. When left too long the cowlick will create a flat spot, when left too short it will stand up.

If you think one cowlick is bad... imagine having two. Or more! My son's double cowlick is quite hard to deal with. Since we had a few weeks off from school in December, we decided not to have it cut in November or December and to see what we could get it to do if it were longer...like other 5 year old boys.

For most people, a combination of the right hairstyle, length, hair products, and styling technique can manage an embarrassing cowlick. But as DT's hair grew, it got more and more out of control. It stuck up above his cowlicks and between them. Finally we needed to have the back and sides trimmed. So we took him in. And it still looks crazy. We're just still hoping that as his hair grows, the cowlicks will flatten, and be less of a hassle. But here's what he have to deal with til then.

11 comments:

David Bergeron said...

Hi Val, I have the same thing, two crowns. I usually cut my hair short or let it grow long..Or spike my hair up with gel.

When I was growing up my brother would always call me alfalfa and said I have a fin..lol

One barber I talked to said there is a myth that if you have 2 crowns then you were suppose to be a twin..

Another person I talked to said if you have two crowns, it means you are bisexual..

Pretty Eyes Photo and Mua said...

I really believe the twin thing. My husband has it, his mother, my son, and 1 of my daughters, only one other grandchild out of 29 has it. When I was pregnant with my daughter and son that both have it, both times they thought I was pregnant with twins. My hormone lvls, tripled when they were supposed to just double, and so on. So I was rushed in to see how many babies I was pregnant with, since at the time I had taken a low dose fertility pill. It was only one of course. They also said my husband was born with two placentas. I knew that before I got pregnant. They said he must have been twins also. I heard on TLC one time, that 1 in 7 women actually get pregnant with more than 1 child but it's absorbed within the first 2 weeks. Pretty cool.

Pretty Eyes Photo and Mua said...

oh btw I wasn't taking those pills in the other pregnancies.

Daniel the pally said...

um fyi i have a double cowlick same exact spots. my hair stands up like a goof in the class when kids call me wierd but theny the y beg me for test answers since having a double cowlick means ur sneaky extremely high level of inteligence(proven by scientists), u can easily get into harvard with that brain, double proccessing speed for learning. so u and i and some ppl are lucky to have cowlicks because i cant stand single cowlicks becuz they are retarded and opposoite of the master race

Anonymous said...

i have five cowlicks.
it's weird and it makes my hairstyle such a nightmare; hard to manage especially on bad hair days.

one myth i heard is that if you have more cowlicks, you're prone to danger....

i'm 23 and that idea scares me so much that i haven't been in an airplane... or i try to stay well awake during long travels.... woooh!

:(

JR from Philippines

Anonymous said...

I have double cowlick too. I am also immune to HIV and the plague due to a, in my doctor's words, "one in a million desirable genetic mutation". I am also related to nobles. My family has stated that cowlicks are a sign of nobility in a family tree.

Elle said...

One of my 14 month old sons has double cowlick. He has very thick hair and we shaved it because it is so hot. It’s growing back and I am thinking it’s going to stick up and not lay like it had since birth. He IS a twin, not identical, and his brother has completely different head of hair. I know this thread is ten years old but wondering if anyone ever found a solution!

Ryzot said...

I really hope you got smarter these past 10 years, because looking at this it seems you may have overestimated yourself.

Anonymous said...

Is it true about being bisexual?

Anonymous said...

I have identical twin boys, one has double cowlick the other has normal hair. Don’t know what that means lol

Anonymous said...

They are now 26 years old and manage their hair just fine!

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