Welcome to a week celebrating curly hair!
Now you know why your hair is curly but what if your hair changes?
That’s exactly what happened to my hair.
For years I had long, straight hair. Maybe it was a little wavy, but never frizzy. Then one day it started to change.
All of a sudden I had curly hair.
And I had no idea how to style it.
It took a long journey of trial and error to work out how to style my curls. I slowly fell in love with my curls and they are the reason I started Hair Romance.
Now I know from your comments and questions that I’m not alone in this hair change and I have found some reasons why this happens.
Why did my hair change from straight to curly?
There are several theories as to why hair changes texture.
Hormones, stress and ageing as seen as the common causes for changes to your hair texture and quality.
You’d think, with the size of the hair industry, there would be a conclusive answer to this question, but research is still underway and there are no decisive results.
One interesting fact about curly hair is that the gene for straight hair is recessive but that the curly hair gene is not completely dominant. That means you could have the curly hair gene but until it’s activated, your waves and curls will be dormant too.
The most likely theory, in my opinion, is to do with your hormones. Hormones are a possible trigger for the curly hair gene.
As well as affecting the quality of your hair, hormones can change your muscle tone too. This includes your scalp. The change of muscle tone could affect the shape of your hair follicles and their direction of growth. Straight hair follicles grow straight out but curly hair follicles have a hook shape.
With my hair, puberty was the when my curls decided to appear and this fits with the hormone changes. For many women, pregnancy and birth have a significant impact on their hair too.
So if you’ve noticed significant changes to your hair texture, check your hormone levels and talk to your doctor and hairdresser about it.
How to cope with the change to your hair
If like me, you’re finding your new curly hair difficult to handle compared to straight hair, help is at hand. Start here with my guide to styling curly hair and check out my other curly hair posts.
On the other hand, if you had curly hair and it’s starting to go straight, find out how to get your curl back.
Have you experienced a major change in your hair? Has your hair gone from straight to curly, or the other way round? Tell me about it in the comments.
PS. Have you seen Hair Romance’s new curly hair ebook?
Learn how to master your curls and manage your frizz with the 30 Days of Curly Hairstyles ebook. Inside you’ll find over 35 different tutorials with hairstyles for all occasions.
Make your mornings easier and never worry about straightening your hair again with this ebook that will help you to love your curls.
Click here to get your copy of 30 Days of Curly Hairstyles.
Hi everyone. My hair used to be straight, but now it’s curly, and I hate the new style. I only want to get rid of the curls but I don’t know how to do it without chemicals. The new hair doesn’t look good on me and I want my straight hair back. I think it started with stress and the depression I had, i lost a lot of hair, and then the style changed..I had no pregnancy or menopause… I am in my early 30s. Everyday that I look in the mirror, i think how i hate my new look! Any comments? Thank you all for reading 🙂
Hi Marie, there’s no way to change your hair back without chemicals. Brazilian smoothing treatments will give your the results you want. You can get them in salon every 3-4 months to keep your hair smooth and straight. But curls aren’t so bad if you give them a chance. if you’ve been straightening your hair, your curls won’t look their best but the more you wear it curly, the better they will look. Good luck xx
great article! thanks for explaining the genes theory “cause my dr mentioned it and I laughed, didn’t think that genes can be activated later in life.
here is my story, I had straight thick hair all my life. once I hit 30 my hair started to get very frizzy and harder to style then within 4 months period my hair became totally curly. I learned how to style it and now I love my curls.
Wow, thanks for sharing your story Gina! I’m amazed at how many different ways hair changes from straight to curly. So glad you love your curls now x
Hi. Always had long straight hair, or if shorter- a little hint of wavy. In the past 4 year my hair has become very curly and it’s taking a lot of effort to manage. Lots of curlee heads in my family including my mother, aunt, gran and 2 of my 3 children.
Not sure of reason for change in my hair. A series of major earthquakes in my city over a couple of years, along with my mother’s death could present a good case for stress as the cause. Hormones too I guess (I’m plus 50). Time to get on top of the situation and embrace the new image. One of life’s wee curve balls.
Isn’t it amazing how our hair reacts to life events and stress? Glad you’ve got lots of curls around you to help as you embrace your curls 🙂 x
I’m agreeing with hormonal changes cause hair change, I have always had long thick straight hair, Had two daughters hair didn’t change, 18 months ago had my 3rd child a boy and now I have long thick wavy hair and right at the back underneath are proper curls very odd! i can blame my son for the crazy hair now luckily he is totally adorable so will let him off 🙂
Hopefully he’ll get some of your curls too! #girlslovecurls 😉
When I was younger, I had straight hair with a lot of volume. One day they cut it in a really bad way and that’s when I started to straighten it. I did it for soooo long that my hair looked AWFUL. I felt awful about it. So, two years ago, I decided to give my natural hair a shot. I knew it was really curly, but the thought of having a different hair motivated me. For a long time I was in that between where half of my hair was straight and half was curly, and i had no idea what it was going to look like. Right now, I’m having a tough time adjusting to it. The neck area is really curly, whereas the top is just straight. The volume and the work to keep it at least a bit curly is hard, but when I see how healthy my hair is, I do not regret it. I’m going to cut my hair and hopefully it will fall in place. Thank you for your posts <3333
Thanks so much for sharing your curls story Manoela! It’s a tough journey to transition back to natural hair. Good luck xx
I had really straight hair when I was little and whe puberty hit me I got frizzy hair. I can’t find any solutions because you see, its not my whole head that is curly. It’s just certain parts and it makes my hair puff up and hard to manage. It’s only certain places of the top half of my head that is frizzy and I get it straightened once ina while but it only lasts a couple of months, maybe 3 months at best before the curls come back. I really don’t know what to do. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks.
Hi Ranko, straightening lasts around 3 months at most and this is a regular treatment you can do to your hair. Alternatively, you can learn how to manage your curls and embrace some of the frizz. If you’ve straightened your hair a lot, it can take time for your natural curl to reform. Check out my other post on how to get your curl back x
My son had straight, light blonde, silky hair as a child, but at about 14 years of age, his hair became much darker, course and curly. We couldn’t believe the change!
Thanks for sharing your story Dana, I often thought it was just women but men can have hormonal hair changes too.
Since I was very young I always had silky smooth straight hair. It was so flawless ;). But when I turned 10 I started getting frizzy ugly hair with a few waves in it , and it looked horrendous. I started air drying my hair to cut down the heat mostly just a blow dryer. And I think that started making me have really wavy hair. To this day my hair is really wavy and puffy. Some people may think it’s amazing but to me I hate it. Most of my time I just waste on using heat on my hair like flatironing it. I wish I could just have my straight hair back. It’s also probably bc of my hormones since I already started hitting puberty. I don’t know if it’s possible but can my hair turn straight again? I’m really curious if you actually know please reply xo.
Hi Monica, it’s probably not going to go back to straight but the good news is you will find a better way to style your hair and it will make your love those waves. Check out my tips on styling curly hair. I also just airdry my hair a lot more now. Good luck, it does get better xx
I have always had pin straight, fine straight hair. In my teenage years I yearned to have hair like Jon Bon Jovi or any hair band for that matter. I would get perms that just would fall out of my hair. When I hit my mid 20’s I just embraced my straigh hair and was happy that this was the trend! People were actuall moving away from curls and waves and using something to straighten their hair! Now that I am 48 soon to be 49, I have curls and waves. It seemed to happen overnight! I also started using Wen shampoo. Not sure if my hair just drank up all that moisture and loved not being abused by abbrasive shampoo or if it’s a combo of the shampoo and hormones but I have to say I LOVE IT! I am going to embrace my curl wavy hair just like I did when it was straight. Love your site!
Thanks so much Arlene! So glad you finally got your curls xx
I am 65 and a few years ago when I started using Wen products my hair started getting curly.
I am 65 also, and always had super straight, curl resistant hair.
After using Wen for a few months, mine started coming in curly, too! I didn’t connect the two until I read your reply. I have not used when for over a year now, but my hair continues to grow in curly.
My niece has the same hair I do except hers has a natural wave. Until recently, that is. I have been noticing more and more my hair is getting distinctly wavy. I stopped curling it at least a year ago in an effort to improve its condition. It’s really weird. I’m 43. I hope it lasts, I have always wanted wavy hair.
I hope it stays wavy for you too Marilyn x
My hair went from pin straight to spiral curls when I turned 30! I’m not sure if it had to do with my age or changing birth control brands. lol If I knew it was the bc I’d probably switch back to the old stuff. Curly hair is beautiful but I miss my straight hair because I knew what to do with it
How weird! I wonder if it was your bc. Hormones can really affect our hair. Hope you learn some curly hair tricks to make it easier to style x
This is happening to me right now. Last year my hair dresser noticed a patch of course curly hair where everything else is strait and smooth. I didn’t think much of it until a month ago I started noticing more patches of course curly hair. I’m 32 and the only thing I changed last year was my birth control. The patches are now spreading everywhere. I have no idea what to do with this. My hair color changed in my twenties but this is just bizarre and I have no idea what to do with course curly hair.
Hi Melody, that is so interesting and I would guess that hormone changes are in play. Check out my other curly hair advice, good luck xx
Thank you for this post, i was wondering what happened to my soft wavy hair, i used to love it, i only had to fix my bang and let my hair loose to dry and it would be perfect, i never looked at the mirror during the day to check if my hair looks good or not, but i had my baby and i started taking thyroid pills, that’s when my hair started to change, at first curls started to appear in the bottom, then month by month i started to get those curles in the middle of my head and finally my whole hair. i was depressed, to be honest i am still depressed because it takes me forever to style my hair, i bought all hair tools to fix it, this is something new to me and i just cannot accept my hair as curly, i have no idea how to style a curly hair. now i now this is normal and i should start embracing those curls.
Hi Mariam, it can take some getting used to but curls don’t need to be difficult to style. Check out my other curly hair posts xx
I had straight hair for awhile, and it started getting curly when I hit puberty. My mom has straight hair, and my dad has curh hair, so my mom figured that’s why my hair started getting curly. For the past few months I’ve noticed that it’s going back to straight with only a few wavy strands and wavy bangs. I don’t straighten it as often as I did in middle school and my first two years of high school, so I’m wondering if it’s stress or something? Probably senior pressure. It doesn’t bother me, but I was just curious as to why it was going back to straight again.
Hair is a funny thing, no one has a definitive answer as to why it changes but stress and hormones are definite factors.
My hair used to be so silky, soft, and manageable, people would often notice and apraise it. They would tell me that I’m so lucky for having a perfectly straight and shiny hair until one day, I was in sixth grade that time, my mom noticed that some strands of my hair was curling already. Then I tried hair rebonding to bring back my straight hair but I was hopeless. Well, what can I do when curly hair trait is on my genes? Now my hair is so thick and its texture is not smooth anymore, it makes me look older. Sad but there’s nothing I can do.
It doesn’t have to be sad, Rizza! Curly hair is awesome and while it can take some trial and error to understand how to style it, it’s more versatile than straight hair xx
I just wanted to weigh in on this for ‘research purposes’ – lol. I developed hypothyroidism a few years ago, and a side effect of it (of which there were many for me, because I had always heard about people using hypothyroidism as just an excuse for things, it was rare, so surely that couldn’t be my issue, and so I took forever to go to the doctor, but anyways *deep breath* haha) – was losing a bunch of my hair on the top half of my scalp. How weird, right?? I also lost the outside half of my eyebrows. Whaaaaaaaaaat.
Once I got correct medicine figured out and had been taking it for a month or two, my hair started to grow back. Curly.
It was ONLY the hair that fell out – aka, those follicles that dropped the hair and then started to form new hair with the corrective medicine replacing my thyroid – that grew back curly. So I can quite literally clip up the top half or so – from where you’d draw your thumbs up and back, starting from above the ears, to the top back of your skull – and the rest of it lies as straight as my hair has always been. So I know for a FACT it was hormones that changed my hair texture, because I was bone straight before. Now I have 1/3 non-frizzy curl if I don’t touch it while drying or 1/3 frizzy wavy curl if I do, and 2/3 straight. It’s very weird.
Also, I’m a radiation therapist. It is not unusual whatsoever for cancer patients who are on chemo regimens that cause hair loss for them, to grow back hair of a different texture or color.
But yeah, good thing my eyebrows didn’t grow back curly. ;D
wow, that’s fascinating Krystina! I have a thyroid condition too and when it’s out of balance I can really tell as my hair falls out.
I always had waist length thick and dead straight hair. It thickened at about 25 after my first child. At 32 i had an epiphany to shave it all off, which i did. 2 yrs of growing it back, it is thick as ever but crazy curly too! My brother has fabulous curly hair which i always envied, seems now i have it too. Weird!
Amazing story Hayley, and impressed that you shaved all your hair off too! x
My hair started changing in the same way just last year, but it’s only started going in curly in the front for now. While I am waiting for the rest to catch up I have been wearing headbands for quite a while and I’m sick of it!! It’s too short to cut but long enough to show. Is there any other way to style it while my hair is in an awkward state??
Hi Kara, try twisting and pinning your hair back – these tutorials would work well https://www.hairromance.com/2014/10/weekend-style-braided-ponytail-tutorial.html & https://www.hairromance.com/2014/09/the-twist-back-easy-half-up-hairstyle-tutorial.html xx
Any ideas on what to do if my hair is doing the reverse of yours? I have fine curly hair, and it’s been curly since early childhood. Now that I’m thirty–and after two babies–the top and bottom layers of my hair are getting straighter while the middle seems to be staying the same. Any ideas on supplements I can take or treatments or products I can use to encourage my curl? It’s seriously like I’m losing part of my identity! I’m a curly girl!
Hi Megan, sorry to hear your hair is changing the other way. It can be hormones or sometimes environmental damage that can make your hair go straight. I would do a hydrating conditioning treatment once a week to make sure your hair is in good condition. To encourage more curl you may need a stronger product like a light spray gel. Toni & Guy has a good hair product like this. Good luck x
I was born with thick,coarse,pin straight hair. When I was around three or four my hair got really curly. This lasted I think about a year and then my hair turned wavy but no defined curled. Then when I turned 12 my hair started to get curly again but my hair is not nearly as thick than it used to be. I didn’t really notice that my hair was getting curly because I used to straighten my hair regularly but it got really damaged so I had to cut off about 2/3 of my hair off so now I had my hair a little bit past my shoulders.So I have had pin straight,wavy and curly. My curls are median sized not tight and people ask me if I curl it.
Thanks for sharing your curl story Jocelyn x
I’ve had dead straight, heavy thick hair all my life. The last many years it’s been long, in fact I could sit on it between trimming. Well, my shoulder has been bothering me and it became a real problem to wash it and deal with the tangles and knows. Two days ago it was so full of static electricity I got fed up. I had it cut today, expecting to get a fairly sleek bob. 🙁 Nope. As soon as they cut it off everything that was left instantly became a mass of curls, actually upsetting the hair cutter so much she called in someone else to deal with the back. Long story short, a couple of people said it looks cute, my daughter said she likes it, however, frankly I look like Bozo the Clown right now. Big puffy poufs of curly hair on the sides and flat on top (of course). Because of my shoulder using a curling iron will be next to impossible. Any ideas for me? Pleeeeeease???
Hi Helen, how crazy! I can’t believe your hair changed so much with a haircut! I would get an oil or spray gel to help your style your hair. Also play around with different ways you can style your hair (eg. diff part, ponytails, hair accessories, clips etc). good luck x
I have had straight long thick hair my whole life (down to my waist). I love it long; it is one of my favorite attributes. After my second child who is about to turn two in January, it was even thicker and shiny beautiful. But then baby hairs came in very curly. They are everywhere now. .. it looks so funny bc now I have pin straight hair with tiny curls around the base of my head. And then I have these long jet black thick hairs spread out amongst my hair. My hair is mousy blonde. How do I style it in the mean time so that it will look uniform until it turns all curly?
First, I have to say that I just accidentally came across your blog… and I am so happy that I did! I can’t wait to look through everything and get new ideas for my hair.
My hair was stick straight and thin all through high school and college. It wouldn’t even try to hold a curl. Then… I became pregnant with my twin boys. I don’t remember my hair changing too much while I was pregnant but I do know that it started to get a little thicker. Right around the time they turned two, my hair started to get a little curl to it… and it hasn’t looked back since! It’s crazy how much it has changed in just two years!
I definitely believe hormones played a role… plus my mom had straight hair growing up and right around the time she had my older sister hers started to get curly. So hormones and genes.
I’m still trying to figure out what to do with it. Some days there is just too much frizz, and other days it’s not too bad. I’m embracing it more now… and beginning to really like it!
Hi Megan! Thank you so much! Hope you find lots of style inspiration here. Some of my tutorials are shown in straight hair but they work the same in curly hair too 🙂
There’s no cure? My hair changed when I was 13, I had nice thin hair for the first 12 yrs of my life. I would make a deal with the devil to get it back. I hate my hair now. I remember the first time I had it chem straightened, I was crying with joy..well until it dried.. No matter what I do it won’t straighten, what do you recommend for a male? I want my old hair back. Any products or suggestions?
Hi Cody, sorry you feel that way. You can get your hair chemically straightened and there are smoothing salon treatments too now that work well. It sounds like you need a better haircut too that will help you manage it. Find a great barber and you’ll see that curls don’t need a cure 🙂
My hair was always fine and so straight it couldn’t hold a curl for more than 20 minutes before it dropped out. Then, when I was 6mths pregnant with our 2nd baby, I got a soft perm done, just to add some body and help me get through the lanky, greasy hair stage. Well, unlike the other perms I had had, this one had a loooong term impact.
Even when the perm had grown out and I had cut that hair off, my hair still had a wave and an awkward kink to it. Finally, 7 years ago, things got pretty tough with illness and family illness and whatnot and about that time, my hair decided to do the curly thing. Now we’re coming out the other side and my hair has settled into full-on ringlets! Which I have to admit looks flippin’ cool, considering it’s long enough for me to sit on.
It’s been pretty interesting trying to figure out how to work with curls- until 6 months ago, I was best friends with my flatiron or just pulling it all up into a twist or a bun. Now I’ve decided to tame the beast and am loving what I have! 🙂
Wow, that’s an amazing hair story Marie! Glad to hear you’re loving your curls now too xx
I am 58 years old and have had thick silky straight hair for most of my life. The only exception was a wave that developed across the back when I was pregnant at age 32 with my second daughter. I am at high risk for a particular cancer and beginning in early 2011 I participated in a clinical trial that had me taking an oral smart bomb chemotherapy for one year. This drug is not known for causing hair loss like traditional chemotherapy. However, I started shedding excessively so they lowered my dose to keep me from quitting the trial. The shedding stopped but then I developed beautiful waves (which happened to only two people in this major study across four renowned cancer centers), which went away soon after I was finished with the drug. That was about two and a half years ago. Now, in the past few months my waves have reappeared, and in the past couple of weeks I have started shedding excessively again. I am well past menopause, take very few drugs except for migraine prevention and headaches, and have not done anything unusual or made major changes in drugs, vitamins, or supplements during this time. I did endure a bout with walking pneumonia earlier this year during which I was given a lot of antibiotics and steroids, and I’ve lost some weight but it has been done responsibly via WeightWatchers. Do you have any ideas on what could be going on here?
Hi Valori, hair is a funny thing as it’s a real barometer of how our body is doing. It can also show quite a delayed reaction too as hair grows so slowly. Hair grows around an inch a month so depending on how long your hair is, this change could have be triggered months earlier. I hope you’re feeling well now and your hair starts to go back to a normal cycle soon x
I had put to rest for a few years on my search of hair change. (beginning of research said that hair follicles do NOT change) I researched it very deeply back in the early 2ooo’s. Why? Because my daughter (now almost 17) used to have the softest large blonde curls, she reminded me of a very very young Shirley Temple but thinner hair. But when she was about 4 she started to loose huge amounts of hair.. no balding, no sickness, no medications.. I took her to a dietary specialist, a glycemic (sugar issues) specialist, had blood tests, etc. All told me she was checked as normal. Just a kid with almost no hair.
She used to have locks down to her shoulders at 4yo and within a 5 months she had baby fine straight as straight can be hair! We had to use hair creams to keep all her ‘new hair’ from sticking straight up (have pics of 4″ of fine hair floating straight up/ like she was hit by lightening daily) because of it’s fine’ness’. It took about a year to get thicker and longer. She became a ‘woman’ at 9 and the only change was her hair got double thick and not as blonde.
We started to notice at about 11 her “roots” were curly. Like using a half inch curling iron. Stress could have been a factor.. Our/My income had changed for the worse. But she felt she had to learn to ‘straighten’ her hair with a flat iron almost daily. Can you imagine? Having about 4 inches of curly hair with 14″ of straight hair?
So then hair damage is being done. So we slowly clip away.. then drastically. Last hair trim was about 5 inches and her embracing the curls. She does this by loosely braiding her wet locks over night so she might get her hair back to her waist again.
That was just two years ago. Here we are at almost 17 and the top 4 inches of her 18 inch long hair is now straight at a board! I am so frustrated! I don’t know how to help or suggest hair styles.
I have trichotillomania since 12 so I am clueless on to how to help her to the next step. I know how much hair can make you feel comfortable.. I lost that battle. Of course I admire how thick and strong it is now, just don’t know how to get her to like it… quarter straight and 3 quarters curly. You just can’t make a natural curl. Can you?
Wish us luck!
Or will we go thru the damage again from using heat to match the hair?
Thanks for sharing your story, that’s a massive hair journey that you and your daughter have been on. I’m not sure what advice I can offer, except to say that straight to curly can look great and it’s on trend now. I would work with her natural hair and not worry about the switch in textures. Good luck to both of you xx
My hair was poker straight as a child, started curling when I was 17, and remained curly until I had my first daughter at 30, and second daughter at 31. After that (and maybe being on insulin for gestational diabetes), my hair went completely flat. However, now I am 35 and noticed a few weeks ago that my hair was starting to curl. I bought some Bumble and Bumble and tried it in my wet hair today and I have a head of full curls….weird. Also, after reading this blog and comments about hormones, I may have to check to make sure I’m not pregnant….
it’s amazing the changes our hormones have on our hair Robyn! Fingers crossed for your test… 😉
I had some waves as a child but at puberty it curled right up. I’ll also mention the exact same thing happened to my older brother. We both inherited the curls from our father, but at 72 his curls have transitioned back to waves, so I’m guessing ours will too when we get up there in age.
it’s amazing how hair changes and so interesting to see the patterns in our families too x
Help, please!
Starting at about age 30, my thick, straight hair started to get just slightly wavy in the back. Over time, the waves started coming in here and there, some on the sides, more in the back. Here we are, 13 years later, and none of it is exactly curly, about 25% of my hair is still straight as a stick, some is very wavy, some in-between, all just a jumble, and all of it, where once it used to be sleek, shiny, and straight, is all frizz, all the time. I have no idea what to do with it. I have no idea how to cut it. I can’t layer it for fear the frizz will be worse. I’ve tried texturizing the ends, but it looks a terrible mess. My hair is a mix of course and baby fine strands, so I try not to take heat to it too often, because I dread splitting the ends and making it just look even worse.
I’m desperate for a new hairstyle besides long and all one length. My stylist is terrific, but even she is at a loss. I’m a low-maintenance kind of person, and I have no desire to become someone who spends more than just a very little while “doing” my hair each day. Should I suck it up and go to some expensive, big-name hair stylist? I’ve thought of going to see Tabatha or someone of her ilk to get some truly expert advice and styling. I need some updating, soooo badly. I’m an actress, and this is really a business decision, not just personal.
What do you guys think? Does anyone else have this kind of thing going on? I mean, if I had more even waves on my head, it wouldn’t be such a problem, but this weird mix i’m left with is baffling and depressing. I miss my wash-and-go straight hair, but I can’t live in the past. I have to deal with what’s here, now. Thanks, all.
Hi Mary, I really feel for you as your hair sounds like such a mix of textures. What I would probably suggest is a keratin smoothing treatment to even out your hair texture. This will give you back a wash & wear hairstyle that is easy to manage. You’ll need to spend on the salon treatment, but in the medium term it will make your hair much smoother and easier to manage. Hopefully someone else may have some other suggestions too, but if your hair is frustrating you that much then I would change it. Good luck, Christina x
This is me and my hair, exactly!! It’s devastating. Have you had any success on finding a style and products that work? I put mine in a ponytail everyday because I don’t know what to do with it. I too, miss my straight, wash and go hair. 🙁
Hi Candace, here’s how I style my curl hair. Hope it helps x
My hair is the exact same. I had straight hair as kid, really straight and thick. Then, all of a sudden, I started getting one, then two curls at the back of my neck. When my hair was thick, you didn’t notice that much since they were hidden in the back. When I hit puberty and lost a fair amount of weight, I lost a lot of my hair. Meanwhile, my hair has become wavy on the top and super curly in the back/neck area. I did not dislike it that much back then. However, when my hair started to thin out, the unevenness in my hair textures started to become much more obvious. I still couldn’t regrow all the hair I lost (it’s been about 5 year) and I’m struggling with the extremes in texture of my hair. I have 3 afro curls on the neck area and surrounding my hairline, wavy hair around my head and almost straight strands here and there. I wear a bun almost every day, even though I would love to wear my hear open.
I so feel you!! All I can do is add my experience with this issue, if you still are looking for suggestions, maybe my experience will help you??
I have 1/3 or so of my hair now curly/more than wavy, depending on how I mess with it. Organix shampoo and conditioner – I highly recommend at least researching their Keratin & Oil, Biotin & Collagen, and Awapuhi Ginger. It shouldn’t be terribly expensive, I know amazon has it for like $8, no no, lol. Walmart or Rite Aid is a better bet price wise, at least for the first two.
Look into them and see if you’re interested, everyone is different, but they’ve all three been amazing on my hair. I really love the sulfate free, little product-use factor of the awapuhi, but all three make my hair feel amazing and smell good. I’ve been a year without a cut now and can’t even really find a split hair. I take supplements as well, but I’ve only been a user of Organix for about a year now and I can tell a huge difference.
After whatever shampoo and conditioner I decide, though, I’ve found the most critical factor in how my hair behaves depends on how I handle it while it dries (I only ever towel dry, no heat ever, oh man what a disaster! lol). I usually add a very small drop of a hair conditioning treatment in – of course, I’ve been using Organix Argan Oil for the last year, of which they have versions for different hair types – and just let my hair dry naturally.
I’ve found that if I handle it – aka running my fingers through it unconsciously here and there and everywhere – it tends to lose most the curl and turn to frizzy mess waves. If I don’t touch it and just let-it-dry-no-touchy!, it has these soft defined curls that are shiny and healthy looking.
Basically, while I am a huge fan of Organix and the help I feel using it has given me personally, the most deciding factor in my hair’s behavior seems to be how I handle it while it is drying – and that means from towel-dried to complete dry, no in the middle. Either I don’t touch it at all, allowing it to dry it as it likes (aka, the soft, defined curls), or I try to force it into submission, so matter how small the manipulation or gesture (frizz upon wavy undefined frizz). Le sigh.
So yeah, just my experience! I hope it’s helpful 🙂
thanks for sharing your tips Krystina! I so agree that how you handle it as it dries makes the biggest difference x
My husband’s hair was straight with a very faint wave, until he slipped into a Coma in May 2013. His kidneys had shut down, he was put on a respirator and a fading tube was put directly into his stomach. He was this way for 8 days. He experienced major hair loss. When his hair began to grow back it was curly/fuzzy.
It has been over a year now and it is still curly/frizzy. What can be done to control it. And will his straight hair ever return?
Would shaving his head make it straight again???
Answer, please.
Hi Cynthia, I’m so sorry to hear about your husband’s health. I hope he is ok. It’s hard to tell if his hair will change back. The stress of illness can have a long term effect. Use sulfate free shampoo and conditioner and use a moisturising cream to control the frizz right now. If his hair is short, you could try shaving it to see if this makes a difference. I’m not sure if it will. I wish you all the best x
For sulfate free, I use Organix awapuhi ginger shampoo and conditioner, and use a smidge of their moroccan argan oil after I’ve towel-dried. Amazing stuff, has helped a lot with the overall health and condition of my hair. I’ve never used any shampoo/conditioner that’s made my hair feel this good while washing, let alone after washing. They have different versions of the argan oil, depending on hair type.
I’ve used many of the Organix products, and I try to rotate, so I can say with conviction they are my favorite. Their Biotin and Collagen version is another fave of mine, and so is Keratin & Oil, but this one is like #1 for me. But everyone’s different!
Their products are usually available at Rite Aid, Walmart, Amazon, etc. Cheaper prices at Walmart of course, try to catch it on sale elsewhere. A little product goes a long way for the awapuhi version – very little – but some of the others need a bit more. Amazon actually has poor prices for it, but, it’s available there. Depending on which product you’re looking for or develop a liking of, of course – Biotin is quite popular, so tends to be easier to find, but Rite Aid had my awapuhi on sale this last week so I bought a few 🙂
Oh, and by towel-dry, I mean I just wrap it up for a minute or two and then unwrap it! There is no scrubbing, just squeezing, basically, and I make sure it doesn’t tug in any way on my scalp! 🙂
Good day I stumbled upon this article because my mum and I started noticing a change in my hair (I’m a guy (x ) she told me my hair might be changing. Both my parents have really curly hair my older sister has pin straight, thin hair and I’m 15 years old I have been growing the top of my hair and leaving the sides short. The top of my hair is about 10 centimeters (4inches or so ) And I’ve always had pin straight and thin hair until now my hair has started to turn wavy from the top the sides are too short to tell if it’s changed. Do you think my hair will keep changing?
Hi! You’re probably at the age to be experiencing hormonal changes in your hair. I’ve also heard it said that your hair changes every 7 years. It’s hard to know if it will continue to change as everyone is different 🙂
My hair has changed dramatically from long thick and straight to frizzy dry breaking at 6 inches in three months since I started taking Warfarin Please advise me the best treatment Unfortunately because i am an older woman the doctors think what I look like is no longer important
Hi Davina, sorry but one of the possible side effects of warfarin is hair loss. I’m not sure what to suggest as I wouldn’t want to interfere with your medication. The good news is the hair loss is reversible once you stop taking warfarin. I would do a conditining treatment and get a trim to even out any breakage/split ends. A fresh haircut can make you feel a lot better. Hope you are ok x
My hair went from afro curly(age 0-7)then it turned pin straight(age 8-13)now it really wavy and turning curly again (I’m 14 now)but I haven’t seen any post of that only straight to curly
They say your hair changes every 7 years so that’s pretty accurate for you!
I have very curly hair so I hoped my kids would as well…my youngest is 19months with very curly baby hair that keeps getting tighter!(so exciting for me but that’s not to say it won’t change!) my middle child had curly hair until she was one and then it all fell out and came back stick straight. She is now five and in the last few months she has started to grow fuller hair and the top later is stick straight but from just below the crown the rest has started to spiral!!(even more exciting!) but it looks pretty silly right now because the top layer is longer than the rest because it’s so straight! Such a strange thing to happen and no matter what I read about it there’s no real reasoning for this!
I hope they have curly hair too Brooke! I don’t think anyone has it figured out 😉
I remember having thick, straight hair that would curl a bit at the end when I was young and every few years it got curlier and curlier and I cried a lot because I loved how pretty my hair was. It was straight with curls at the end. My hair now is so curly, still thick(i think it’s gotten thicker) and so frizzy that I barely can do anything with it.
I’m mixed, my dad is half black, native american, English, Irish, Scottish and welsh. My mum is half Japanese, a quarter Norwegian, Irish and Scottish and we most recently found out Austrian. So as you can imagine, my hair is all kinds of confused. I’ve tried everything to manage it, co-washing, air drying, products for curls, oils and everything. While my hair retains a lot of moisture and is very strong, I can barely style it. If I do get to style it, its a miracle. I love having my hair straight but I hate sitting down for five hours to straighten it.
I found a picture of me from when I was around 11, my hair was in a high ponytail and my hair still reached my mid back, it was then that it started to frizz more. But now, when I try to grow my hair out long, it gives me migraines. I love my hair long and makes me so sad I can’t have it that long. I love how thick it is and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I get people asking me if my hair is naturally curly, and while I am flattered, they often say they wish they had my hair but I tell them they dont because unlike a lot of people with curly hair, mine is just so hard to manage. I love my curls, it took me a long time to love them and appreciate them but, I want my old hair back. Straight with natural curls at the end. At least with that, I knew how to manage my hair and it wasn’t as unresponsive as it is now.
Hi Akemi, I know your hair feels like hard work compared to your old hair and I understand because my hair is similar. If people are complimenting your hair, maybe you should try seeing it through their eyes. Your hair sounds amazing xx
Anybody who thinks curly hair is great is sick. It makes you look ugly and is hard to attain a well kempt look. I had someone in Asia remark how “fresh” i looked after i blow dried my hair straight, so go figure. I quit any hairdresser who talks about how great the curl is. They ought to try it and see how miserable it is. What a blody joke.
Sorry you feel that way Paula, if you really hate your curls you could get a straightening treatment. I like my curls 🙂
I think soft curls are beautiful. But coarse frizzy curls are a headache. 🙁
you got best of both worlds!
My hair also went from straight to curly. I don’t remember the exact age it started changing, but if I had to guess, I’d say it started to get a little wavy around 16 and became really curly by 18. I don’t think I ever really minded though. I knew I could run a straightener over it if I ever wanted to have straight hair for the day. I don’t do a lot of hair styling though. I just let it air dry… although it takes hours now that I’ve let my hair get long again. I’m glad my hair went curly though 🙂
you’ve got the best of both worlds now 😉
I had completely straight hair forever. kept it a short “pixie”, bobs. Then in my late 20’s I had a major back surgery and spent a year in recovery. After that, my hair turned. curly, in loose beautiful ringlets, keep it in a very long shag.
Wow, it’s amazing what effects show in our hair. Hope you are ok now Raye x
My hair was mostly straight as a child. Just a small amount of “flip out” at the back of my neck by the time I was 5. Then by high school I had weird sporadic waves, and by University it was fill on Shirley Temple! I loved my curls! Once I figured out styling it was wash and wear and I got compliments everywhere I went! Then during pregnancy with my first child my hair started going straight. By the time I delivered I had nothing more than a kink in my bangs, but not even diffusing would bring about wave! Now I’m pregnant with my second child, and my hair is still straight as a board. I’m hoping once I deliver this little one my curls will return, but in the mean time I’ve cut my hair short and I’m starting from scratch trying to figure out styling again. The good news is that I passed my curls on to my daughter who has a head full of crazy ringlets!
Hi Heather, that’s such a crazy change in your hair! Hope your curls come back and glad your daughter has picked them up in the meantime 🙂
My hair went from nearly stick straight to gradually getting curlier and curlier, starting when I was 28 (so after 10 years on the pill). I don’t get perfect ringlets naturally, but the top especially go very curly when I let it air dry with some product and scrunch. Your blog has been a lot of help! I just wish it wasn’t so frizzy, but so far haven’t found the perfect combination.
I love hearing all the different ways that our hair changes, thanks for sharing your hair story Trude x
I side with the hormone crowd. I had straight hair as a child that went frizzy when puberty hit. Then I lost some curl with each baby that I had. I like my hair now, it’s a lot easier to manage.
Thanks for sharing your hair story Elaine, glad you’ve got to a happy place with your hair now too
My hair is the opposite. It was very curly when I was little, to the point no one believes that it is me when they see my baby/toddler pictures. By the time I was 5 or 6 it was completely straight.
Hi Ashley, that also seems like a common story. Baby hair is quite fine and so it can curl more easily. Maybe as you grew and your hair grows longer and stronger it becomes straight
Great subject and one i hadn’t considered yet which is unusual as we have this conversation A LOT in the salon. Equally as popular is also curly hair gone straight due to over straightening, colouring, hot ironing etc or in Teresa’s case just outgrown with age. We so often have clients baffled as to where their curls have gone 🙂
Thanks for commenting! I agree it’s often colouring or heat styling that changes hair, but there are so many factors in play 🙂
It’s been the other way round with me. I used to have really curly hair, like angel curls and when I got 8 or so they turned straight. I still mourn for my curls ):
sorry Teresa, but hopefully it’s a case of the grass is greener x
I had curly hair when I was very little. Then it got straight with slight waves on the bottom half of it. When I was 11/12 years old my curls came back. First waves, then full on ringlets. So the hormone thing makes sense. Unfortunally during my teenage years I got very sick. The medication I took made me loose a lot of my hair. When it grew back the bottom part was straight, so layering it was just looking weird. It was like Annie with a mollet (if thats how you spell that). Now I’m 26 my curls have loosened a bit to the point if people ask me if I had a perm and the bottom part of my hair is starting to curl again! Im very happy with that.
You’re website is amazing btw, keep up the awesome work!
Thanks Anke, and thanks for sharing your story! Glad your curls are coming back and hope you’re ok now too x
I am okay now, thanks.
Also, because of this blog I want google crazy and looked for a hairdresser who was actually specialized in cutting curls. I came up with the curlsys system and went for an appointment yesterday. My hair FINALLY has an awesome haircut and I have a huge mane of big curls.
Great article. Thanks! #hormonesruleeverything # ihavecurlhair? #makeitwork #timgunn
Thanks Roxie!
I have curly hair, always have. And probably always will. (I am 52, 4 kids and waiting for the 10th grandchild, due any time)
But, I do know 2 women that had straight hair until they went through chemo. Once their hair started growing back, it was extremely curly.
How exciting for your 10th grandchild! Chemo is such a horrible process, I’m not surprised their hair changed as well.
The hormones thing totally makes sense. My hair was pin straight til I started high school and became progressively curlier over the years. Then last year my hair started changing back towards straight (right now there is a soft wave, but lots of frizz) which coincided with my son’s birth.
It’s weird how it works, isn’t it Tasneem? Pregnancy in particular has a massive impact on your hair especially the post-partum shedding that many experience.
Ya same with me, kinda. Ever since I hit puberty, my hair has been curling a lot more than usual, and when I braid it at night its just plain frizzy in the day. When I wash it in the morning midway through the day its a big “Hermione”-like poof. And the weird thing is, I live in Arizona, smack dab in the middle of the Sonoran desert, where there’s no humidity to make it curl. At certain times of month, I find that it starts to curl even further. And it used to be poker straight. My mother has the poker straight hair I used to, my father and sister have thick curls, and both grandparents on my mom’s side have curly hair, so the gene thingy might be true too for me, where it just popped up and now my hair’s curly.
I’d say you’ve got the curly hair gene too Mayari, lucky you! 🙂
My hair was always so straight people would ask me how I got it so straight and smooth. Until I had a pulmonary embolism when I was 43. The stress of nearly dying made me lose a lot of hair. When it came back in it was curly. It continued to be curly for 5 years while I was on the medication warfarin. When I switched blood thinners, the curl went away. A few months ago I started taking warfarin again and the curls are back.
I think it was the stress of my illness plus the medication that makes it curly.
Thanks for sharing your story Kim. Stress is definitely a factor as the body sees hair as unnecessary so it’s the first to be affected when you’re unwell. Hope you’re doing ok now x
My hair changed when I was about 17, I always had wavy unruly hair with a permanent frizzy halo and my hair was shoulder length. I started to let it grow and begun to let it dry naturally as more time in bed seemed more appealing than time spent blow drying my hair and noticed that my hair was getting curly, and the longer it grew the curlier it seemed to get. My hair now sits just above my hips at this stage and I love love love my curls. I have always been fond of my curls as I have found they suited my laziness just having to wash and go but it’s only in the last 7/8 months I have fully got to grips with my curly hair and how to care for it properly (mainly since finding your wonder website) and I have noticed a massive difference. People even commented on my hair after I made the changes asking had a put colour in or had a new cut put into it because they knew it looked different. Ooh and I had been using a big t-shirt to dry my hair but needed to buy another and my mam suggested a cotton fitted sheet for a baby’s cot. So I bought a pair and they are great, with the elastic they are curved and fit snuggly around your head and all your hair gets gathered inside it too…brilliant!
wow Tracy, your hair sounds amazing! It’s so long too! Thanks so much for your kind words and for the fab tip about the cot sheets. Such a smart idea x
My hair was naturally straight but then I went to get some layers and ever since then my hair has been naturally wavy and I really would prefer to have my straight hair instead of straightening it all the time.What do I do? Do you think my hair salon can make it straight again because at this point I’ve grown tired of my wavy/curly hair and for most people they would love curls but I don’t so if you could give me some advice I would appreciate it thanks!
Hi Ally, if you want straight hair, I’d recommend a smoothing/straightening treatment that can be done at the salon. There’s a range of Brazilian style straightening treatments and they work well. Talk to your salon about which one they use and what result you can expect to get with your hair. If it’s only wavy, I’d say you’ll get a great result and won’t have to straighten your hair anymore. Good luck!
Thank you!
A year before i was very ill because of that my hairs were falling too much but now iam cured but the problem is my uper hairs are straight but inside those straight hairs there are all wavy and curly hairs which look terrible on me i want my hair straight again please tell me how can i do it??
I got my layers took out and that helped a little
Hey, did u find a way out to make them straight again? I’m suffering through the sane issue. Ever since i got layers in ny straight hair, it turned so freakying wavy and curly, it’s frustrating because let’s be honest, wavy hair is harder to style and also needs extra carem please please respond me ifnu find literally any way out! Thank you. (Even tho im commenting like 1 year later)
growing the layers out again should help. I have large spiraly curls and if I don’t get my layers cut regularly and my hair gets longer I can basically just brush my hair flat while it’s air drying and it’s almost stick straight. That’s because its own weight will flatten it.
My hair has always been straight but six months ago I found my true love and ever since we moved in together my hair had been curly. I have always had naturally straight hair until he walked into my life and now I have beautiful curly hair. It’s a change I never want to lose he is so perfect for me and my hair looks amazing. So my hair has a twist of romance and I love it
Hi, I’m 15 y/o and I always have this small argument with my friends when we’re talking about whose got curly hair, and I always say “well, I have curly hair too!” Many of my friends shoot me down and say “Your hair’s straight, what do you mean by that?!?” I don’t respond with anything because it’s futile. But just like most of the comments here, I had this haircut at 13 y/o and it was a horrendous layered haircut; but it made my hair wavy (such as the flick at the bottom of my hair and slight long waves at the front of my hair) and frizzy too! I always had thick, straight no-frizzy hair as a kid and up until 2 years ago! Also, my mum has curly hair too which is also frizzy. Oh and I don’t know if I’m the only one with this problem but: my hair is actually pretty much, excluding the slight waves and frizziness and the baby hairs/roots but as soon as I get out of the shower and put my hair into a towel, literal curly single strands of my hair is shown! And then I brush it out and dry it naturally, and brush again and add argan oil (to tame frizziness) and it’s straight again!?!
Hi! Yes it’s possible to brush out some curls and straighten them. Have you ever tried drying your hair without brushing it to see how the curls form? Check out my curly hair video to see my routine xx
I only just back to this reply – thanks so much for replying! –
and I just had a shower, I had to put it up in a cotton shirt for a few minutes (like 3-5 mins) – and hopefully, that won’t effect anything?! I’m not sure, but I haven’t brushed it once – I’ve been tempted to scrunch it but I haven’t. After 20 minutes, my hair is wavy but really really frizzy! The back of my hair is bone-straight almost?!
My hair was a mix of curly, wavy and straight for a long time. Keep testing out how to style your hair until you find a routine you like. No two curls are the same and it’s normal to have a mix of curl patterns in your hair xx
I had straight hair ,but now they change to curls,I really like to have straight hair rather than curly.
Is there any way to get my straight hair again.
I’m 12 years old and some parts of my hair is curly and some are straight and if I let it down it looks really weird
Oh my god, that happened to me too! I’ve always had dead straight hair and then I got my long hair cut to shoulder length with layers and my hair completely changed to frizzy, wavy hair! I’ve always loved the wavy hair look but I also loved my naturally straight hair and I let the layers grow out but now I have a mix and match of wavy and straight hair and I don’t know which I prefer. Just like you, if I brush my hair after my shower it’s dead straight but if I just let it be and air dry it without brushing, it’s wavy. Sometimes I have both textures! My mom has curly hair and my dad has dead straight hair. Now that hormones are kicking in and the weight was lifted off my hair with layers, could my hair be changing to wavy and should I do whatever I feel like when styling my hair after my shower?
Your all wrong . It’s the Water! Hard and soft waters change the folicals.
Wrong I’ve washed my hair with the same water for years & my hair went from straight to curly when I hit my 30’s my partner has straight hair washes hair with same water source as me & his is still straight
I think mine changed with hormones or maybe medication who knows really but it’s certainly not the water
My hair changed when I was going through a divorce. It fell out and I had very dry scalp. It was like I a scab over my whole head. Then my scalp turned really red and I lost big patches of hair. I went to several doctors. They all said it was stress that caused it. Then when my hair started coming back in..it was curly. I always had poker straight hair. I really like it cause it’s much easier to fix.
I have lived in the same house for over 22 years and use well water. My hair has gone from completely straight to very wavy with some curls. I think the change must be age related.
what on earth do you mean by “hard” water?????
“Hard” is the description used when your water has more minerals in it. Some water is naturally harder than others. Some houses have water softeners in them – which basically runs your water through salt to pull out the minerals. Hard water will strip more stuff out of your hair, and soft water can make it almost impossible to get all the soap off of you. A happy medium is the nicest, but you’ve got to live with what comes out of your taps!
Hard water has a high mineral content and is generally hard to get soap to lather well. Not sure if that’s why it’s called”hard”? Lots of wells have hard, but rainwater is generally very “soft”…..it fell from the sky relatively pure.
Me too! Washed with the same water from the same shower for 5 years. I’m 39 and suddenly my bangs are curly.
Same here! My bangs have huge curls! The rest of the hair is wavy or straight. Definitely don’t know how to style hair like this…
Any suggestions? I keep using pins on my bangs to keep it under control but would like to style it in a way that flatters the curls instead of hiding them.
I’m late to this conversation, but I have another theory/diagnosis from my dr. After suffering several physically traumatizing things, my hair started to curl. Not all, just some. My head looksd like a Muppet. (Also my dr’s piercingly sharp diagnosis…)
These weren’t just random traumatizing events. They were severe and prolonged, such as menopause, a car crash, broken bones from my job, and migraines. All in the same time frame, this was a hard time for me!
After about a year, the larger part of my hair is curly-ish, and I’m dire need of a cut. But it looks like a loose perm. I’m still figuring it out. But what I want to know is what physical mechanism allows us to bypass our genetic make up and change something as fundamental as hair type! I’m still looking but I haven’t found it so far.
Scientists have recently found that major trauma actually genetically alters DNA. Sorry I don’t have a link to the article, but have a search and you’ll find the info.
I knew this, that my DNA had been profoundly altered, from when I had a similar level of prolonged, complex trauma that among other things, triggered alopecia universalis a year or so later. I lost all the hair on my head and other body areas. I still only have half an eyebrow and lose hair as soon as there is any stress, within the 12-24h that follow, but I put the alopecia in remission by following a strict diet cutting out the foods that gave me a leaky gut (please see a PRIVATE nutritionist for help with this, the NHS will not help as their answer is to throw steroids at the symptoms and not cure with food. Pharmaceuticals are more lucrative). Anyway I digress, but hopefully this info. helps someone else too. You don’t have to spend your life bald or in wigs. Go get help, the quicker the better the more chance of the hair follicle recovering. Good luck!
I am suffering from PTSD now, unbeknown to me all this time since the traumas occurred years ago. I am now receiving CBT as treatment. Again would recommend people get help ASAP if they’ve faced a similar level of trauma.
After the diet and the trauma had ended, my hair returned, slowly. 3 years on and I am still trying to grow it to my shoulders! The thing that actually brought me here is when I was mini, I had curly, brown hair that stayed that way until my mum cut it when I was 4 because I hated having it washed/combed/anything. After that, it was dead straight, thick, silky and darker UNTIL, you guessed it, my hair came back after the alopecia. It is now curly all over again! I’m 39, the trauma of all traumas that broke me (I haven’t had it easy) came between the ages of 30-33, I lost all my hair around 35, started gettting it back about 8 months later after about 4 weeks of being on a particlar diet,
If I find the article I’ll pass it on!
This happened to me in my mid 40’s and although my hair has always been poker straight, it is now, if I scrunch dry it, loose beautiful curls! I love it & have the best of both worlds. I think hormones & stress is to blame
Amazing!! Me too but different. In the last year my stress level has gone from 10 to 0 on a scale of 0 to 10. My hair is no longer curly but straight. My theory is that stress causes curly hair.
I asked my family doctor for a medical explanation for my sudden curly hair. She looked at me like I was insane! I’m thrilled to find that other people have experienced this too! I’m not the only one. My issue was more about only the front of my hair turning curly. I’m going to go with new hair growth grew out curly first. Maybe the rest will join in. Thanks for posting all this. There isn’t much to find on this subject on line.
I was always careful with my hair….. only air drying, no dyes, everything natural and a good diet. At 60 it began to change to a frizzy and brittle mess. Some friends who abused their hair for years look better than mine ! I thunk i’ll either look into hormonal compounding or get a good wig.
This is exactly how I ended up on this site! I have always had super-straight hair; even perms and curling irons didn’t change that for more than a short time. In my early 40s, I’ve suddenly acquired a thick corkscrew-curled lock in the middle of my forehead. (I feel like that very good/horrid little girl in the nursery rhyme!!) I’ve had a horrendous year, especially with health issues, so I’m wondering if that stress has somehow caused my curl. It’s really strange, and so hard to deal with style-wise!
In February of 2017 I had surgery for a prolapsed vagina. After I healed, I went to the Salt Lake City VA Medical center on June 7th for needed throat surgery that would help me breathe better with my CPAP machine. The recovery was very difficult and painful and caused tremendous stress. Then, on the 25th of June, I flew back to the VA hospital for my checkup which would be the next day as the surgeon only came in once a week. That night, I was walking back from eating supper and fell over a broken piece of sidewalk a block from my hotel. I laid there, half in the street until a kind Hispanic couple found me and helped me back to the hotel. I had injured my left foot and could not walk. I took a cab to the VA Hospital ER where they told me I had broken my foot. The next day, the doctor told me to cancel my flight because I was going into surgery to put a screw in it. I called my husband who had to drive to Utah to take me home on the 1st of July. I was ordered no weight bearing for 90 days. I was sent home with a ton of durable equipment and had to sleep in the dining room on a bed my husband brought in for me. On the 12th of July, I was having supper and became violently ill. My husband rushed me to the hospital here in Billings where I was rushed into emergency surgery. My whole lower bowel had mysteriously died in less than 24 hours. I was within 3 minutes of passing away. I woke up in ICU with an ileostomy bag on my stomach which I will now have for life. For 7 months, I suffered severe stomach cramping, sleepless nights and could hardly eat anything. I lost most of my hair and would literally stand in the shower weeping as my hair came out in handfuls. Then, on February 17th I was rushed into emergency surgery again. My ileostomy had strictured shortly after the first surgery and although I went back to the hospital many times in 7 months, telling them something was wrong, I was rushed into surgery again. Had I waited even a few more hours, my backed up intestines would have burst, killing me! Now, my hair has grown back, exceptionally quick and has gone from strait as a stick to curls everywhere!!!! The doctor stated it was due to the extreme stress and surgeries in close succession to each other. I had to purchase a special book to learn how to take care of it. This has been the craziest ride I have ever been on in my life. I really like the curls that I have now. I have to go in for disk replacement in C5/C6 on the 25th of October and am praying that my hair doesn’t fall out again.
My hair has been thick coarse heavy a lil wavy more wavy if I cut it. In the last 6 months I have lost so much hair you can’t tell cuz again it was thick but depressing amount to me. N then suddenly it’s super curly n God forbid I brush it when it’s dry it turns nuts frizzylicious. But if I brush it wet n air dry it’s curly n but seems damaged what do I do
Hello everyone…my name is Stacy and I live in a tiny town 20 minutes north of STL.
My mom has board straight hair and my dad has naturally curly hair.
I have had STRAIGHT thin hair ALL of my life up until these last 2 years.
That is when I began to notice the change.
I have 3 daughters.
I became a mother at 18, by the time I gave birth to my 3rd daughter I had to have an emergency hysterectomy because of endometriosis and cysts. I had a ‘total’ hysterectomy but they did leave both of my ovaries.
I have had stress in my life from the moment I was born, but these last 2 years have been extremely difficult.
I have had hair loss which I attributed to stress, anxiety and situational depression.
I am really confused how I could go to bed with straight hair and wake up with curly and frizzy hair.
My best friend growing up her older sister had lymphoma. She had straight blonde hair. Her brother donated bone marrow, he has curly red hair, after her bone marrow transplant her hair started to grow back a few months later and it grew in red and curly!
I would love to talk more about this if you are available as I am truly intrigued by these changes in hair growth and hair type; compared to the situations one is faced with. I think this is something that is interesting and needs to be researched further.
I would be happy to help and you even participate if needed in order to come up with a couple of hypotheses in order to test the different hypotheses.
Please contact me at my email:
mcstace2017@icloud.com
So my situation maybe a little different my daughter is 7 years old and up to age 5 she had thick but stick straight hair then we got it cut up to her jaw line and it turned to course wavy frizzy hair . It has grew down her back keeping the same frizzy texture . I dont know what happened . Hair dressersaid the thickness couldn’t supoort that haircut but I never seen something change overnight like that.
Hi Megan, it’s crazy how much hair can change. It could be that the weight of her long hair made it straight and once it was cut it was able to curl.
Hi I can’t figure out how to leave my own comment but mine is simular as Megan’s. My daughter is 7 she used to have straight hair up until a few years ago I noticed it started looking wavy on just the back of her head and as time went by those waves started becoming more and more tight (at first I thought maybe it was just bedhead) but it looks like I had her hair in a tight braid all night and now it gets frizzy when I brush it. But what’s baffling me is the hair on the sides of her head is straight it’s only the hair on the back of her head that’s curly.
Hi Donya, it’s normal for hair to change in sections. I’ve also heard that our hair changes every 7-10 years and so it could be the start of this phase for your daughter xx
Ha, this is my exact hair right now and i’m 36. It just started changing 6 months ago and it’s stick straight around my face. I literally play with the back of my hair all day trying to get it to straighten out and it just gets frizzy. I’ve always wanted curly hair though so I’m hoping the rest of my head catches up soon! 🙂
I have tha same problem. Only the hair in the sides kept straight. I don’t know how to deal with my hair.
My reply is just more of he hair that is now half curly or patches of curly frizzy unruly hair.
At the age of 60 years old I began growing these patches of curly hair ,one patch is on my face. My hair is frizzy on one side. I have a real challenge trying to look normal every day.
I found only a ponytail to be able to control it. I have tried condition er and styling gel but it’s futile. I was wondering if this will ever go away or amI stuck like this till I die.
Aging is not easy the last thing I need is aanother obstickle helping me look bad.
Hi, so as far as I can remember my hair was perfectly straight and thick and after 7th grade my hair started becoming frizzy and a little wavy only at the top and the rest of my hair would be straight. I am 13 years old and my hair is such a big problem now. For some reason whenever I get it wet it always dries frizzy with crazy little curls on top while the rest of my hair is perfectly straight. Even humidity can cause it to frizz up. I’ve tried different products but the results have not changed. My mom thinks it might be puberty but I just don’t know anymore. I used to wear my hair long and down and now I always have it up because It’s so frizzy and unmanageable. Why is this happening and do you think there is anyway to tame the frizz and the curls?
Hi Sydney, it sounds like my hair when I was 13. It took me a long time to realise my hair was curly and how to style it but now I’ve put all my tutorials here so you should be able to learn it quickly. Puberty can change your hair and my hair kept changing for years. I still think my curls are changing now. Stop brushing your hair, except with a wide comb when you condition it in the shower. Curly hair loves moisture so use more conditioner. A quick styling tip is to braid your hair when it’s wet and then once it’s dry, take out the braids for loose waves. You can use a little hair oil or a smoothing cream to help tame frizz. Good luck! x
Hi, my hair is similar and I think the best solution is to use anti-frizz sulfate-free shampoo in the shower, with conditioner. Detangle with your fingers in the shower, don’t brush. Then just let your hair air dry without a towel or brushing it. See how your hair is after that, it may or may not work.
This happened to me too and I have no idea why! My hair used to be silky smooth, then I got a haircut when I was 13 (from mid-waist to just below shoulder length) and it immediately went coarse and frizzy. And I mean literally in the time it took for the haircut. It’s been ten years now and I still regret getting that haircut so so much. I was hoping it would grow out, but it obviously hasn’t. I’m wondering if you have found a solution to this? Right now I’m considering shaving it all off in the hope that it will grow back smooth again, but I’m not brave enough to take the risk. Is there anything I can do to change it back?
Hi Laura, it was probably about to change and only seemed straight because of the weight of your long hair. Hormones do crazy things to our body. I don’t think it will grow back smooth. If you really hate it, go for a smoothing or straightening treatment in salon. They work beautifully for coarse frizzy hair x
Hello, I did not know where to comment so I just replied here I guess…
I have this problem, I had pretty curly and a little wavy hair up till I was about 4/5 the reason is one day I decided in my little toddler head that I should cut my curls with my moms scissors so I did.I’m now 13 years old and after that my mom cut my hair to my neck and straightened it with the thing ( forgot the name… iron?) the point is after that I never had curls or waves again though I would have this small curl sticking out the front of my head but it died away, I really really want my curls or at least waves back /: my dad has very curly hair thats were I got it from but my mom has straight hair, I have been trying braids and stuff but it keeps my hair all curly but very frizzy for a while and goes away also my hair is almost frizzy all the time is there a solution to that? Oh and I’m trying the no-poop thing its about not using shampoo at all and only using conditioner should I do that and should I wash my scalp and roots with conditioner?
Thank you
From Meagan,
Hi Meagan! Our hair changes in a 7 year cycle so it’s possible you could have curly hair again. I know my hair has changed and still continues to change. I would avoid straightening and see if your hair has a wave or curl. And if you want to avoid shampoo, you need to use a silicone free conditioner. When you start, you use a sulfate shampoo to really clean your hair and after that only use a silicone free conditioner to wash and condition your hair. There are lots of techniques and it depends on your hair type. I’d check out youtube for some tutorials. It takes some trial and error to find the right routine for your hair, good luck xx
It happened to me too, my hair used to be straight and smooth then one day I got a haircut when I was at elementary school and suddenly my hair became coarse and frizzy. and now I’m seventeen and my hair still the same, nothing change. I have cut my hair super short, but it still the same. I do a lot of hair treatment to tame my frizzy hair, but the frizzy hair keeps growing. so I decided to straighten my hair, but now it looks dry and damage 🙁 so sad.
I feel your pain
I have no idea how to leave a comment but my situation is similar. Up till about a year ago, I had straight hair. However some of my hair started getting a little wavy, just only the outmost part of my hair tho which baffles me. Also, it looks very very dry frizzy and damaged but I’ve never really used any heat on my hair. However, it feels soft and I’m not sure if i’m over moisturising it. Right now I have hair about to my collarbones but I had no problem with short length before. This is really making me feel bad and self conscious about myself. Any idea why this is happening to me or what I can do?
The same thing happened to my daughter. She cut her hair with slight layering and in less than a year it went from straight to wavy and frizzy but mainly the top layers. We just moved so im not sure if it was stress and she just started her period so hormones? And the i was wondering if the water here is different. She would go to bed with wet hair a lot. Not sure if that made a difference as well.
Hmm..so far this sounds like my hair. I have wavy hair. I’m glad it’s not straight but my hair is so annoying because of the waves. I find having it long and one length is the best look, it doesn’t look good with layers. I’ve always wanted my hair super long at my waist or butt and It’s been my main goal. And i found letting my hair air dry it looked better and the waves were better and more defined. But as of yesterday I noticed one of my chunk of hair was rather curly. I’m hoping my hair is changing to curly, my mom had super curly hair and I wish I got her curls rather than my annoying waves. Really hoping..i can deal with curls, I know how to care for curls, these waves not so much. Not like there is much hair care how to’ s for wavy hair.lol. and I know a couple people with sudden hair changed. Her daughter had super curly as a kid until they cut it and itvwas wavy ever since. More on the straight side. And the mom had straight hair and she permed it all the time. And one day she didn’t need to perm it anymore.
I find using combs with spaced out teeth help my long wavy hair appear curly
I always had super baby fine stick straight hair and permed it at least once a year to get thickness and body. But when I hit 50 my hair started growing very fast and suddenly went wavy and now at 57 is so thick I have to braid it every night at bedtime to get the heat and weight of my neck and back. What the heck can make a postmenopausal woman get thicker hair?
I am 58 years old and only in the last year has my hair changed. I have fine but thick straight hair and now with this change it is a tight wavy curl ONLY underneath at the back of my head. What does one do for a style with that combination??? Help!!! 🙂
Hi Roxanne, try some half up, half down hairstyles if you want to show off the curls underneath 🙂
Hello! My name is Irma. So, growing up I always had straight hair. Once I was in middle school my hair went wavy. In high school it started to curl on the inside. Now my hair is 3 types! Straight, wavy, and curly. I just want all curls. Does anyone know how to get your hair all curly?
me too!! my hair growing up has always been mostly straight with the slightest wave to it, in middle school it went all frizzy and wavy looking (maybe this was due to straightening my hair everyday, i don’t know) and now that i stopped using heat these past 3 months, in high school, i noticed that my hair is curly at the tips, wavy through the length, and straight at the roots. i’m hoping that my hair is going to progress into being curly because my hair seems pretty heat damaged after straightening it for 4 years just about everyday.
I just came to this site and had straight hair until my mid 40’s when it became wavy/curly. I am 49 now. I went to Ulta last week and was speaking to a hairdresser and he said “oh I have naturally curly hair like yours too.” That was the moment I actually accepted my hair is no longer straight and not going through a phase. Lol. I have found the Deva Curl line works wonders for me. I am so happy to find I am not alone with this.
My hair was extremely straight and now it’s straight in the front and curly in the back. My hairdresser said she has never seen anything like this. It started at around 35 and my hair is getting curler and curler everyday. It’s the weirdest looking thing. I’m 42 now and my curls in the back are getting tighter and the front is still straight as a board.
As a child my hair used to be curly. They were big soft locks. During my early teen years i would straighten my hair often and at about 15 i bleached my hair platinum blonde (My hair is dark brown). Im now 19 and i have frizzy ans wavy hair but today whilst running my fingers through my roots id found on one s patch of my scalp there to be really curly/kinky roots. Its not uncommon in my family to have kinky hair, my sister has it. Would you say there’s the possibility of my hair becoming curly or is my hair just really damaged? The rest if my roots are normal (straight and eventually grows out wavy) it’s just this one small patch that’s curly.
This happened to me and it just keeps spreading more and more each year. Now there is a patch at the back of my head that is all kinky and frizzy. Not sure the cause but it’s really frustrating for me personally.
I’m only 13 but my hair turned curly when I was in 5th grade I hate my curls and the amount of homework I get in a daily bases just doesn’t give me enough time to do my hair. I hope soon I will be able to deal with my big frizzy hair.
My hair is so coarse. It’s painful to comb it, when i was 11 ( still am ) my hair started to straighten itself I had no idea why ,you see I have 4b hair and it’s so difficult to style . It take me at least an hour to wash it or more and my hair goes up to my shoulders!
so i am 43 almost 44 and have had straight to wavy hair my whole life ..ver managable .always got comments on my long beautiful jair they would say….and my daughters friends apparently thought i had extentions…my hair is thjnnkng fast…and all the sudden ..boom like ovre night like really …no jk .my hair is curly ..like curled from the scalp …so odd .im freaked out!
Yer mama a clever one. Thanks for sharing 🙂