Wurlies are somewhere in between a curly and a wavy

Written by on Mar 08, 2010

Community member blueroses79 shows off her wurly locks

Ever feel like you can’t be categorized? Your hair isn’t quite curly. But it’s not wavy either.

Now there’s a word for you: Wurly! And you’ve created it right here on NaturallyCurly!

On CurlTalk, one reader identifies herself as a “first-week wurly.” Another says “By the way, the way you describe your hair – 2C-F-iii – is probably accurate for my hair too, since I also seem to have a fine, ‘wurly’ and thick hair thing going on.”

So what is the definition of wurly? It varies, but the general consensus seems to be that it’s:

  • Between curly and wavy
  • A 2c+ or a 3a-
  • Wavy Curls
  • Not exactly spirals, and definitely not straight

Just fyi: The official definition is an Australian indigenous shelter made from small branches with leaves still attached.

“I didn’t realize the term “wurly” had really caught on,” says CurlTalker WavyCurly40+. “I hope it has. It’s a very useful word, and I think there’s also a bit of wordplay—it sounds like “whirl,” which to me implies the sort of wacky, inconsistent, changing-shape-and-direction tendencies of this curl pattern.”

“There are a bunch of us in the sometimes-frustrating category,” she adds. “Perhaps we are finally learning to embrace it!”

Wurl Power!


This entry was posted on Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 5:00 am and is filed under Curly Hair (Type 3a), Wavy Hair (Type 2a). You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment.

6 comments for “Not Wavy? Not Curly? You’re Wurly!”

  1. redcelticcurls Says:
    March 8th, 2010 at 5:09 pm

    I first learned the word over at the Long Hair Community, and it seems to have migrated here from there.

    It is a useful word for those in between wavy and curly.

  2. wild~hair Says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 1:43 pm

    I guess I’m part wurly — I never thought about it before. Some sections of my hair don’t corkscrew, they are more wavy. Sometimes these waves do a corkscrew at the end, sometimes they don’t They’re wurls!

  3. Jessica Gibson Says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 1:48 pm

    I’m totally wurly. Yep, completely wurly.

  4. shanwizz Says:
    April 1st, 2010 at 9:13 pm

    I am pretty new here and have been trying to rate my curls. This Is me I AM WURLY. This could help me! I am on day 1 (again) and came here for support and found it! Thanks!

  5. Hair geek dictionary - Page 2 Says:
    January 1st, 2012 at 5:23 am

    [...] by Titian I have one question though: What exactly is the definition of “wurly”? This might help. Braidwaves addict. Reply With Quote + Reply to [...]

  6. rymorg2 Says:
    January 24th, 2012 at 4:47 am

    I constantly describe my hair as wurly. It fits!