Why Does My Hair Grow in Different Directions? Understanding Hair Growth Patterns

Question
Besides genetics what decides the direction of hair? Last girl to cut my hair commented on the random directions the various regions of my head have hair growing from. Are there many people with uniformed hair growth?

Answer
James,
 Mostly this is just genetics and nothing can be done to change it that I know of. Many people have erratic growth patterns in different areas of their scalp. In many cases it's a matter of where their pivot point (or swirl) is located, or in some cases I have seen two. Many people have cowlicks in different areas. The main thing to remember is that whenever possible you (your stylist) want to incorporate these patterns into the finished style rather than trying to work against them. It will make things much easier. So if, for example. you have a cowlick in your front hairline, you would not want to choose a style with a full bang or hair coming forward, but rather to allow the hair to come up on the cowlick side and move in the direction it wants.
Best of luck to you.
Stephe (Hairman)