The pill that gives you straighter hair

A new treatment could spell the end of hair straighteners after scientists discover the ‘curly hair gene'...

A 'curly hair gene' has been discovered by scientists, paving the way for a pill that could perform the same function as hair straighteners.

The discovery will also make it possible to predict whether a baby will have straight or curly hair.

And the new information will also allow detectives to use DNA to produce more accurate efits of their suspects. Researcher Professor Nick Martin said: ‘The most immediate application is likely to be in forensics.' The groundbreaking research identified the trichohyalin gene as the one that is mainly responsible for creating curls.

Research suggests that 45 per cent of European people have straight hair, 40 per cent have wavy hair and 15 per cent have curly hair. Studies also show that the chances of inheriting curly hair is around 90 per cent.

Prof Martin revealed that it may now be possible to come up with treatments to make hair straighter, saying: ‘Potentially we can now develop new treatments to make hair curlier or straighter, rather than treating the hair directly.

‘That is one angle we will be working on and which I will be discussing with a major cosmetic company in Paris in January.'

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