Across the animal kingdom, hair and fur vary in thickness, styles, and structures but share a fundamental composition of keratin, made from amino acids.
The curliness of hair is primarily determined by cysteine, an amino acid that forms disulfide bonds, which are crucial for defining hair structure.
Hydrogen bonds and salt bridges contribute to hair's temporary structures but do not affect its permanent curliness, which is dictated by disulfide linkages.
Relaxing hair breaks disulfide bonds for straightening, while perming involves forming new cystine links, leading to a curlier configuration of the hair.
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