# Question about hair whorl



## tatsu15 (Dec 18, 2009)

I wasn't sure where to post it so I hope it's not off subject. I was wondeing what is the significance of hair whorl direction? It seems the most common is clockwise, but my two daughters have counterclockwise hair whorls? What could this mean? Thanks in advance


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## Tjej (Jan 22, 2009)

Well, are you left-handed? Hair whorl direction can be associated with handed-ness, and the counterclockwise is associated with left-handedness.

Tjej


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## tatsu15 (Dec 18, 2009)

No I am right handed and so is my husband. Our hair whorls are clockwise. My oldest seems to be right handed, but my youngest may be left handed. She reaches first with her left hand and she is 8 months so not sure if it's too soon to say.


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## zinemama (Feb 2, 2002)

It has a significance?


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

I guess I don't understand the question. What do you mean? I wasn't aware it meant anything at all, other than that each child has a unique genetic makeup and that human beings are wondrously diverse.


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## eepster (Sep 20, 2006)

If you give them a side part, you will want to do it on the opposite side from where most people do it.


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## karne (Jul 6, 2005)

Well, one of my kids has a double whorl, clockwise, and I was told that it connotes strength of character!


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## Delicateflower (Feb 1, 2009)

Well, mine has a triple whorl, neener neener neener


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## Dandelionkid (Mar 6, 2007)

Cool question!!! I just found out that hair whorls are actually intricately linked to brain development in the uterus. There have been some studies that link different types of hair whorls to diseases such as mental illness. It is really, really interesting. My son has two whorls so that's why I went looking. A GP I know told me about this when I asked.


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## Dandelionkid (Mar 6, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *karne* 
Well, one of my kids has a double whorl, clockwise, and I was told that it connotes strenght of charcter!

My son too- this fits well for him







Thanks for posting.


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## Abraisme (Mar 8, 2009)

My son also has two whorls, going in opposite directions.. Does this mean that he's confused?


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## Tjej (Jan 22, 2009)

Here's a list of some articles on pub med about it. It seems there has been research into "handedness" and homosexuality and hair whorl association. Some studies show links, some don't.

Tjej

ETA: This article goes into the handedness aspect - counterclockwise is much more prevalent among lefties (apparently scientifically known as "non-right-handers"







).


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## eepster (Sep 20, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tjej* 
ETA: This article goes into the handedness aspect - counterclockwise is much more prevalent among lefties (apparently scientifically known as "non-right-handers"







).

Non-right-handers is a more inclusive term that includes lefties, ambidextorous people and people that schools forced to use their right hands for writing but tend to use their left hand for other stuff.

Now I'm wondering, if there would be an association between hair whorl and dyslexia since there is an association between non-right-handedness and dyslexia (says the dyslexic woman with the counter clockwise hair whorl, who was naturally ambidextorous but was forced to only use her right hand to write in school.)


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## Jackies Ladybug (Jun 19, 2008)

my husband has (well, had) a counter clockwise whorl, and is totally dyslexic. he is a natural righty, but has a right dominant foot which is not common for righties.
cool to think about this stuff.


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## Pavlovs (Dec 25, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tjej* 
Here's a list of some articles on pub med about it. It seems there has been research into "handedness" and homosexuality and hair whorl association. Some studies show links, some don't.

Tjej

ETA: This article goes into the handedness aspect - counterclockwise is much more prevalent among lefties (apparently scientifically known as "non-right-handers"







).

I remember hearing about a study on whorl and finger length in relation to homosexuality. Very interesting! It seems that there is a tendency for homosexuals to have their hair whorl go counter clockwise. Also, there is a norm for women to have their index finger be longer than their ring finger (easiest to spot when looking at the palm of the hand, not the back of it) and for men to have the opposite - ring finger longer than index finger. This tended to be the opposite in homosexuals. My older son has clockwise hair whorl and my baby has counter clockwise hair whorl and "backwards" finger length, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when they grow up.


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## HarperRose (Feb 22, 2007)

My friend has taken her daughter to a geneticist in the past and was told that hair whorls *can* be an indication of various genetic issues. (That means, not always.)

During our son's diagnosis (he has asperger's), his doc told dh & me the same thing. His hair whorls, however, have no bearing on his ASD.


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## eepster (Sep 20, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pavlovs* 
I remember hearing about a study on whorl and finger length in relation to homosexuality. Very interesting! It seems that there is a tendency for homosexuals to have their hair whorl go counter clockwise. Also, there is a norm for women to have their index finger be longer than their ring finger (easiest to spot when looking at the palm of the hand, not the back of it) and for men to have the opposite - ring finger longer than index finger. This tended to be the opposite in homosexuals. My older son has clockwise hair whorl and my baby has counter clockwise hair whorl and "backwards" finger length, so it'll be interesting to see what happens when they grow up.









I thought the finger thing only was indicative in women.

ETA: I was tired when I wrote this, now that I've been up and going for a bit, I suddenly remembered that it's some kind ear structure that is associated with gay women.

What I had actually been thinking about with the finger thing, was that people often get confused that a short ring finger in women is associated with being gay, when it is actually the norm.


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## kalimay (May 25, 2005)

I read something awhile ago that suggested that left handedness might have to do with placement in the womb. The research they were looking at showed a much higher rate of lefties in twins and even higher in triplets. I wonder if the swirls could also have something to do with that.


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## cloe (Jul 22, 2004)

My index fingers are way longer than my ring fingers and I have 2 whorls, one of which is counter clockwise. I am right handed, not dyslexic, currently pg with my third child and married to a wonderfull man whom I am very much in love with. All these studdies are interesting but definatly not a stamp of any thing.


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## sewchris2642 (Feb 28, 2009)

It means that you'll have to part her hair on the other side. All my kids have double crowns. Their hair doesn't know which direction to go. It makes for some interesting parting of the hair when making pigtails.


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## Jenifer76 (Apr 20, 2005)

Wow, interesting thread. I will have to check my kids heads when they get home. Both are left handed and my DS has autism.


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## Tjej (Jan 22, 2009)

I remember reading when I was pregnant that the # of ultrasounds increased the liklihood of non-right-handedness.

Tjej


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## Jenifer76 (Apr 20, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tjej* 
I remember reading when I was pregnant that the # of ultrasounds increased the liklihood of non-right-handedness.

Tjej

That would fit for my DD but not my son. Plus my FIL and DH are both non-right handed (DH is a leftie and my FIL was forced to become a rightie).


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

My memory of reading about this is that clockwise swirls are pretty much guaranteed to be right-handed and counterclockwise is split about 50/50.

Lina's got a counterclockwise swirl and seems to be tending towards being right handed. She'll try doing stuff with her left hand frequently since I carry her mostly on my left hip (so her left hand is forward







) but it works out a lot better when she uses her right hand.


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## MamaChicken (Aug 21, 2006)

This is an interesting exercise. I'll look as DS1's head when he gets home.

DD has a clockwise swirl right in the middle of her forehead and a counter-clockwise one on the back of her head.

The twins both have clockwise swirls on the back of their heads, but one is on the left side and the other is on the right side.


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## azmomtoone (Aug 30, 2008)

old-wives-tale probably, but my DS has two whorls (one each direction) and my MIL says that means he should have been twins.
Just for another take on it....


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## nextcommercial (Nov 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jackies Ladybug* 
my husband has (well, had) a counter clockwise whorl, and is totally dyslexic. he is a natural righty, but has a right dominant foot which is not common for righties.
cool to think about this stuff.

I am the same way. I write with my right hand, but do most things equally well with my left. I still read magazines and catologs from back to front. Never from front to back.

I have a counterclockwise "cowlick".

My daughter is right handed, not dyslexic, very musical, math oriented, and has two cowlicks. One clockwise, one counterclockwise. The only problem was that it made her hair grow up into what people called a peacock butt in the back.


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## leavemealone (Feb 16, 2005)

Does the side of the head the whorl is on make a difference? I have one boy with a whorl on the right side of his head and one boy with the whorl on the left side of his head. The one with the whorl on the right side seems to go clockwise. I am not sure of the one with the whorl on the left side of his head. He's sleeping and I'm not about to wake him up for this, though it is tempting.









On another subject mentioned here, my index finger is shorter than my ring finger. I never thought anything of it until I heard about the sexual orientation tendencies a number of years ago. Then again, maybe it's just a coincidence.


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## Funny Face (Dec 7, 2006)

This is really fascinating to think about!


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## Kidzaplenty (Jun 17, 2006)




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## chfriend (Aug 29, 2002)

What the heck is a hair whorl? Off to google...


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## goldfinches (May 15, 2008)

I was told that double cowlicks were hereditary? My mil says they run in their side of the family.

My oldest dd has one, the right is counter and the left is clockwise, thus creating quite the "bumpit" in the back of her hair. It is so hard to style, have to be concious of which way the hairs curve.

My twin nephew has a double cowlick, also. He is dyslexic, but so is his mother, who married into the family.

So far, my dd shows no signs of dyslexia, although she is not reading yet.


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## frogautumn (May 24, 2007)

My DS #1 has a double hair whorl and we just discovered that his newborn cousin does too. Just one of those genetic things, I guess.
I hear ya on the crazy hair though...it is totally unruly and refuses to be tamed









DS #2 has just one clockwise whorl.


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