The difference between wavy hair and curly hair may be difficult for most people to determine. Most times, these two different attributes get used interchangeably.

Despite having many things in common, there are some characteristics of curly hair and wavy hair that you should know in the instances that you could add something beneficial to your hair care regimen.

So, what’s the difference between curly hair and wavy hair, and what do you do to care for these hair types?

Wavy Hair Vs. Curly Hair

Curly hair has a complete 360-degree spiral making a complete circle. On the other hand, wavy hair has more of an S shape, which goes from side to side. You can have tighter waves that create loose curls, but they will not complete a circle at the same height.

These are the visual differences between curly and wavy hair. However, there is more to investigate since there are many traits that get confused in the discussion.

Nonetheless, the rule of thumb will come back to whether or not the curl pattern does a full spin or only goes from side to side to determine whether the hair is curly or wavy.

Although many people think that wavy and curly hair are the same thing, wavy hair happens to be a form of curly hair.

Furthermore, there are three main categories in the curly hair spectrum: wavy, kinky, and curly. Curly hair is thought to be coarse in texture, but in actuality, it’s soft. What’s more, it gets regarded as thick, and even though that can be true, curly hair can be fine as well.

Types

Curly hair will take on the shape of a corkscrew or a ringlet.

Wavy hair can appear to be ringlets, but ultimately they will settle into an “S” shape instead of tight curls. Wavy hair can also take on a zig-zag pattern.

Identification

Curly hair is thick in appearance. Moreover, curls will typically begin at the scalp and hold this shape all the way down to the tips. Curls also have a range of thickness that people can fall into.