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Style July 11, 2017
How do I get rid of this hairline? And why is it called that?
When it comes to hair, you want your locks to make you feel flawless. But for the women with a widow’s peak, maintaining the frizz and dealing with the v-shape in your ponytail can be kind of annoying.
We’re here to help.
ENTITY breaks down where the term came from and how to deal with it.
A widow’s peak is characterized by a downward V-shaped hairline at the center of the forehead. While it can sometimes be the result of a receding hairline, that’s not always the case.
For some, the hairline style naturally forms from a young age, and it’s not necessarily indicative of early balding.
You may be familiar with having one, but you probably don’t know why the hell it’s called that.
This V-shaped hairstyle became known as the widow’s peak because its look mimicked the style of a widow’s hood. In the olden days, this meant you were most certainly going to be an early widow because you would outlive your husband.
And while silly superstition holds no actual merit, the ominous wives’ tale lives on today even though the widow’s hood style went out of fashion years ago.
Within the scientific community, there is some pretty heavy debate on whether a widow’s peak is genetic or not.
Some argue that hairline is a genetic trait. According to a study by John Hopkins University, “A pointed frontal hairline may be inherited as a dominant.” If hairline is determined by a gene, then the more common (dominant) trait is a widow’s peak, while a straight hairline is the recessive trait. A dominant trait means that if at least one of two alleles contains the trait, the phenotype (in this case, a widow’s peak) will show up on the person.
If this is true, a pregnant woman with a widow’s peak has a 50 percent chance of passing on the trait to her child if she has one dominant allele and one recessive allele for the widow’s peak trait. But if she has two dominant alleles for the phenotype of a widow’s peak, then she will 100 percent pass the trait to her child. In this case, her child will definitely be born with the widow’s peak hairline.
On the other hand, some experts think a gene-induced widow’s peak is as big a myth as the superstitions above. John H. McDonald from the University of Delaware, for example, believes it’s a myth. After viewing studies conducted on the subject, he feels skeptical of a biological linking to the hairline.
“It is hard to draw a firm line between widow’s peak and straight hairline, and there is no published evidence about whether it is influenced by genetics. You should not use widow’s peak to demonstrate simple genetics,” McDonald said.
If you feel like your hairline makes you look like an evil villain, then you’re probably searching for a way to get rid of it.
But in actuality, there isn’t an easy solution to this problem..
Your first option is shaving or waxing, but this isn’t really a great choice. Cutting off your widow’s peak will take major maintenance. After all, hair grows back. Thus, you’ll constantly be dealing with stubble, bleach and upkeep of the area.
Your second option is laser hair removal, but this can get pretty pricey. It can also take multiple sessions to remove your hair. Although this option is more permanent, it isn’t the best choice if money is a big factor.
The third option is to hide the prominence of your widow’s peak hairline, and the next section will tell you the safer, low-maintenance and cost-efficient options you can take.
There are plenty of celebrities rocking the widow’s peak nowadays. Here are some of the ways they’ve tamed the frizz and ditched the awkward ponytails to embrace their hairline.
Your new secret weapon is: bangs.
Finding new ways to part your hair, like Kourtney’s side style, will get rid of your unwanted hairline without all the mess and money.
Let some of your strands loose when you want to put your hair up. Not only does it prevent your widow’s peak from being more prominent, it also creates a very casual and flirty hairstyle.
Front bangs will solve your problem instantly because they’ll hide your forehead entirely. And you can also have some fun with the front bangs look by cutting them at an angle that makes your widow’s peak shape look edgy and stylish.
Now you know everything you need to know about your hairline and you have the proper tools and tips to making it look fabulous. Happy styling!