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.
This happened to me. I’m not complaining though, just curious. I actually got my hair cut when I was about 12 from waist-length to a bit below shoulder length. It didn’t do anything though. For 13 years my hair has been completely straight but about 2 months ago, when I got it cut into layers-I dyed my hair last September (Could that have done anything?)- and it started to get wavy, but very slightly. I used to let my hair dry naturally so it would be wavy but I stopped after I got it cut. Now, however, I brush it when it’s quite wet and also when it’s almost dry but my goes curly-the pretty kind of curly. Not frizzy. Lose curls. Any idea why? Oh and I hit puberty in September 2014(?)
Hi Mina, the colour could affect your hair but it could be hormonal changes too. Apparently the curly hair gene is always present but is activated by different events. Your new curls sound gorgeous btw xx
I always had really straight, shiny hair. Lately, I’ve been noticing some curl in it after I wash it, but I blow it straight when I dry it. The change came after menopause.
I am in Florida for vacation and within moments of stepping o outside, my hair becomes crazy curly but not in a good or pretty way. I feel like I look like George Washington on the one-dollar bill. I need to find a product to use, at least when I am here in this humidity. I can’t fight this. I have to find a way to work with it. Please help.
Thank you!
Hi Ellen, humidity is always hard to manage. I use a strong curl cream to help hold my hair but there’s always some frizz in a humid climate. I tend to go for more updos and braids. Good luck x
really interesting to hear so many stories similar to mine. Most people and hair dressers evens in the old days believed that you either had one hair type of the other. I had ringlets as a toddler but up until the age of 10/11 my hair grew into a thick heady and straight ash blond mane that attracted a lot of attention when my parent took me out. Then at the above age it started to change to a slightly more spongy texture. until I got lice and had to cut my long hair and undergo the shampoo treatment at 11 years old. I also got my period then (quite early) so don’t know which change was the most influential but it led to a dramatic and complete change with my hair looking almost Afro Caribbean. with very tight curls from the roots down. I also only discovered how curly it was by chance when one summer I forgot to dry and brush is as usual and curl explosion! My hairdresser got really upset thinking I had cheated on him and gotten a perm elsewhere! he never believed me! Also a change in colour form the lovely silver ask blond to a darker brassy type. I have never died my hair. I am now 45 and the first greys are coming through and they seem to be even coarser and curlier….wow! Another transformation awaits
Such a transformation, thanks for sharing your hair story Livia! x
I have had long, straight hair my entire life, but a few months I got a haircut to donate my hair and cut it above my shoulder. Now that it grew back, it grew with this undefined wave and I honestly don’t know how to handle it. I don´t know if there is anything that I can do to get rid of it. Do you think that if I cut it again it will grow again straight, or will it continue to grow wavy? If there’s no way of going back, are there any tips of how can I manage my hair and embrace it? I´m really desperate.
Hi Tiffany, that’s amazing that you donated your hair! Probably the wave was there but the weight of your long hair held it down. Embrace the wave and change out all the straight hair things you used to do. Don’t brush your hair when it’s dry. Use a sulfate-free shampoo and use a moisturising conditioner on the ends of your hair. Check out more of my curly hair posts for more tips. Good luck and hope you love your new hair xx
so my hair has been super straight my entire life, but a few days ago I noticed the bottom few inches of my hair (which is almost down to my butt) were starting to curl. I’m 14 and I talked to some of my friends that are older than me and they said it was completely normal, and that my hair may become slightly curly by the time I turn 16 or so… im not sure if the curls at the ends of my hair will go away or if my hair actually will become curly, but I’m ok with either option! thoughts?
Your hair sounds amazing! Hard to say if it will curl more, keep us posted on what happens xx
I HAVE HAD STRAIGHT HAIR FOR 70 YRS. I HAVE HAD IT LONG, AND ALSO PIXIE CUTS FOR YRS. I STARTED GROWING IT LONG 2 YRS AGO. I WANTED TO DONATE TO LOCKS OF LOVE. WELL IT GOT SO LONG IT BEGAN TO GET HARD FOR ME TO WASH. SO I STARTED TO LET IT GO LONGER IN BETWEEN TIMES TO WASH IT. THEN IT STARTED TO COME OUT QUITE A BIT WHEN BRUSHING IT. SO I WENT TO HAIR DRESSER TO CUT IT AND DONATE MY LONG GREY HAIR TO LOVE OF LOCKS. WELL MY HAIR DRESSER CUT A 9″ LONG PONY TAIL TO DONATE. AS SHE WAS TRIMMING UP AND STYLING MY HAIR. SHE SAID YOUR HAIR IS VERY CURLEY. I SAID NO “VERY STRAIGHT”, THEN SHE SHOWED ME A VERY SHORT AND CURLEY HEAD OF HAIR. IT LOOKED AS THOUGH , I HAD GOTTEN A CURLEY PERMANENT. I NOW LOVE MY HAIR NO STYLING, JUST WASH AND GO. LOVE MY HAIR…. BY THE WAY, NO MEDICINE CHANGES, SAME MEDICINE FOR THE LAST 5 YRS. NO CURLEY FAMILY MEMBERS.???
I love that you donated your hair Bev! That’s awesome. I’m not sure why your hair has changed but glad you’re loving your curls too 🙂
I have always had what my hairdresser refers to playfully as “horsehair”- insanely thick (as in 2-3 times what is normal), quite coarse, very porous. However, it was just a little wavy. Never stick-straight by any stretch, always pretty high in volume, it took a lot of shampoo and conditioner…but it definitely wasn’t curly.
When I was 33, I began taking stimulant medication as part of the treatment protocol for Inattentive ADD. While not taking it for the purpose of weight loss, I was quite obese. I lost 160 lbs. on the medication in the next couple of years. Within a few months I began noticing my hair becoming strangely incorrigible. I had some hair loss that was either due to the medication, or the drop in calorie intake that came as a side effect of the med, ot but nothing too extreme- it was the textural change that made me crazy. I suddenly could not seem to style it correctly, and no haircut could fix it. I got used to wearing it in a ponytail…that was all I could do with it. And forget brushing my hair into some sort of style…the hair brush suddenly became my mortal, frizz-yielding enemy.
Weight loss in and of itself often fixes out-of-whack estrogen, progesterone, and/or testosterone levels for women, and hormones like these are already tied to hair in some ways by nature. Besides the hormones, THYROID changes can be present when hair texture changes like this. So if anyone loses or gains a lot of weight, makes a drastic change in diet and/or exercise habits, is under tremendous stress, has a thyroid-affecting type of surgery, or takes a medication affecting the thyroid (such as stimulants, certain diabetes medications, and a few others)- that’s another thing to keep in mind.
My hair story has a happy ending, though. 🙂 One day I was in a rush and forgot to rinse out the conditioner in my hair. I noticed something, though- far from looking greasy or weighed-down, my hair looked okay for once! I also noticed it was wavier than it ever had been before naturally. Hmm. So the next day, I wondered if under-moisturizing was the real problem, especially if my hair was indeed turning naturally curlier. So I towel-dry my washed hair, then put the conditioner in. It looked even nicer and even curlier! A proper child of the 80’s, the curly look is my favorite anyway! I just kept upping the conditioner amount – and the richness of conditioner purchased – until I hit that sweet spot of getting enough moisture without too much heaviness. I added argan oil in, too…additional perfection! I’m glad I hit upon this trick, as my hair is now so curly that it’s in spirals by the time it tumbles out of the towel. I avoid the hairdryer and all styling products with alcohol in them as much as possible. On days I don’t need to shampoo my scalp for it my hair to feel clean enough, I just lightly dampen my hair and scrunch the curls back into perfection.
(Like another reader, I recall the heyday of curls. I vividly remember the “Pretty Woman” movie coming out, and every pre-teen and teen girl I knew ran out to get spiral perms! A perm took one-and-a-half hours just for the rolling-up part in my case, on shoulder-length hair. The money and time I (and my mother) would have back, if only I’d had this hair in 1990-92! I also would have ruled the school with the auburn locks that now hit my mid-back, just like Julia’s did back in the day. :D)
Hi Liz, I really appreciate you sharing your story! So glad it came to happy conclusion and with gorgeous curls too! xx
My dad has curly hair. Nothing too crazy, just some 3A curls. His hair was straight in ever little-boy picture I’d ever seen. I don’t know why it never occurred to me that the same could happen to me.
I was born with sick-straight hair. I had a lot of it; I’ve always had lots of thick hair. It was just straight hair.
But then something happened when I was about 13 or 14. IDK what it ever was, but the texture of my hair changed. When brushed out straight it was frizzy and the feel of it was wrong- it just had the wrong texture to it.
In youtubing hair help I found a youtube channel called CurlyPenny and I realized that was what was wrong with my hair: it was curly! So I started doing research and following advice and trying to properly care for my hair.
I’ve had 2b/2c/3a on a good day curls ever since. I don’t know what happened but I love my curls, even if I don’t know how I got them!
Near the end of 2014 (age 61) I had my waist length, softly wavy hair cut and styled to just above my shoulders. The stylist used Deva Curl Styling Crème and scrunched a lot into my hair. It looked awesome. I had a different stylist cut my hair and now I have very curly-frizzy hair on only the right side of my head. (1/2 of my head) The left side is soft and wavy. I only use the Deva on the left side to “try” and give a balanced look. Doesn’t quite get there. Any ideas? I went thru 6 weeks of radiation about 4 years ago, and this past year tops the charts in stressors. Thank you. Debbie
Hi Debbie, sorry to hear about your stressful year. It can have an impact on your hair but the good news is that it’s temporary. Hopefully it should recover soon once things are going well. Good luck xx
I had curly hair when I was a baby. I asked my parents why my hair is straight now and they said that when they cut my curly hair, it never grew back curly. It was disappointing to hear. As a child, I have always wanted curly/wavy hair rather than the plain straight hair. I wish to get my curly hair back naturally but I don’t know if there’s a way how.
Hi Peridot, I’ve heard that those initial curls are just baby hair and most likely won’t come back. If your hair has a wave, you can encourage more curl by using a curl cream and drying your hair with a diffuser x
Before I was 10 I have a smooth and straight hair, I had chicken pox when I was 10, after having chicken pox my hair become a little bit frizzy. I cannot take it? so then I went and reponding my hair, that was ok after done reponding , but after that the new hair growth curly, I still took reponding after that…. Previously, I took reponding once of a year, but then my hair looked more critical then
I TOOK REPONDING LIKE 3 months once,my aunt is a hairdresser she convinced me to try reponding again and again when she saw my hair began to grow with curl….and then I had try to wash my hair with hot water…
Till now , I still don’t know why my hair will become frizzy, I am confusing about the gene and hormone ,because my elder sister also had straight and smooth hair when she was a child,.her hair like mine after she was in puberty i think , but now her hair turn straight back, but still not very smooth so. My third sister has curly hair so ,but not so obvious ,.my brother also have this too…after he started entering secondary school. So I wonder whether my hair can change itself back into straight or not??
In my observation,some of my hair grow straight after curl.
Do you think always pull out the frizzy hair from the scalp will damage the scalp??
Besides, do you think the follicle will.change their own shape due to an another condition??
Hi, so my hair was very straight and never thick but as i reached puberty it became thick and wavy! Is there any way i can change it back naturally? I’ve been putting masks on my hair but the process is very very very very slow.
Hi Nour, I’m sorry there isn’t a way to change it back, but hopefully you’ll learn to love your new hair xx
I just stumbled across your website because I have been trying to figure out what has happened with my hair. There are a lot of interesting stories on here.
I had barely wavy, fine hair as a child. It continued like that (though I had some perms in the 80’s). It got more wavy in my late 20’s. In my mid 30’s I started developing a chronic blood cancer, though it wasn’t diagnosed until I was 40. My hair got more and more curly, until I had tons of ringlets. I started medication (but not chemo) 3 years ago, and it made some of my hair fall out. I started taking biotin to combat it. I also happened to switch medication 2 years ago. My hair has become very healthy looking (though still fine) and straight/ wavy. I have still been using hair products for curly hair, out of habit, and they don’t do anything. My hair is medium length now (longer than it’s been in a while). I know they say the weight can straighten it out, but even the ends are pretty tame now. The top is totally straight!
The interesting part is that my disease has regressed right along with my curls. I have a genetic mutation that causes my blood cancer. I am pretty sure the level of that mutation in my blood has decreased a lot. I think there must be a connection. As an aside, the medication I am currently on (which is called a JAK inhibitor) has been shown to cause regrowth of lost hair in mice. This is a brand new study, as the drug is only about 6 years old. They say it inhibits an enzyme in the follicle that prevents hair growth. It amazes me how connected everything is, and I don’t think we know even a small fraction of it!
So true, Heidi! There are so many connections we don’t understand. I bet we’ll see new hair loss treatments based on this medication soon. I hope you’re ok and thanks so much for sharing your hair story too. Christina x
Help! My hair is literally driving me crazy! When I was in elementary I had wavy/curly hair some years and then straight others. The when I was in sixth grade, my hair was stick straight until later, at the beginning of my seventh grade year, when in it had a little bit of a curl at the very bottom. Then the following summer I got my hair trimmed and layered, which seemed to have an impact on my hair, because by eight grade year my hair was utter ringlets (not kinky, but a bigger kinds of ringlets) at the very top, the roots of my hair, it wasn’t. Which was fine, because it was only two inches or so. Anyway, for he next three years it continued to be this way, and with time it became more silky and long. I loved it! I continually relieved compliments on my hair, and almost everyone I talked to thought I curled it every morning! One girl ever said that my hair looked like I used a U-curl iron, or something of the sort. And the thing was that I never used any kind of hair products, besides the regular shampoo and conditioner, I only got my hair wet and scrunched it! But during the summer after my sophomore year, my hair started to lose its curliness. 🙁 I proceeded to cut around three inches off or so to get ride of my split ends, and started to use this curl texturizer that helped give my hair more curliness. But by the end of my junior year, my hair lost all of its curliness. And now my hair is not curly or straight, it’s a little wavy, and not even the pretty kind, but mostly it’s frizzy and just straight/wavy. It’s my senior and I desperately miss my old curly hair, but I don’t know what to do anymore! I just trimmed my hair and got small layers. My hair is little longer than shoulder length, and my mother and sisters have curly-ish hair. I have been considering just getting a perm because I miss my curly hair days, and because I’m been so frustrated with my current hair. I don’t know what do though. Sorry my comment was so long, I’m just want you to know where
I’m coming from.. 😛 haha:)
But if you have ANY advice for me, I would eternally grateful! Thank you!!!
Hi Heidi, curls seriously have a mind of their own! My friend is experiencing something similar at the moment and her hair is way less curly than it was. Curly hair seems to have cycles of round 7 years where it seems to have major changes. It’s probably hormonal, but could also be related to diet and your health too. Examine when the changes happened with your hair to see if you can see any correlations to your life and health. That’s the key to understanding your hair. Good luck xx
I had a naturally perfect 60s flip at the ends when I was a kid. It wasn’t frizzy at all. The ends just naturally flipped outward, which I liked! When I got into 8th grade, that flip turned into ringlets, but only on the ends. As I got older as a teen, the ringlets slowly creeped up and so did the frizz. I’ve always wished that I was born with this because my mom would’ve taught me how to fix it. My hair usually just winds up in a hair tie.
Hi Kristy, I wish my mum understood hair more too. She always had short hair so it was a lot of trial and error to figure it out myself. Check out this post on styling frizz free curls, hope it helps! x
When I was 20 I took a very naive trip to Mexico fro spring break where we drove. We were harassed by police with machine guns and directed by them onto an unpaved road. We immediately crashed due to bad driving on the part of the girl I went with and had to hitchhike back to the border with almost no money left and abandon our car which had flipped over. The frame of the car was bent and there was no town within miles that even had a working phone. Needless to say I was stressed out in a major way.
Within a month of arriving home my hair started to fall out until I was close to bald. I had no choice but to shave it into a Sinead style since I didn’t have enough to cover the bald. The doctors said it might never grow back. Well thank god it did but I went from pin straight half asian girl hair to hair that has tons of body and when cut short is nice and curly.
I used to pay for perms in the late 80’s in middle school because I wanted the texture that I now have naturally. The color came back exactly the same. I’m now 41 and it’s still very wavy but with the same glossy texture I had before. I’ve head those with Chemo also can have their hair grow back differently and I knew a woman who had an allergic reaction to food that caused all her straight blond hair to fall out and turn brown and very kinky!
Wow, that’s an amazing story Stef, and terrifying! It sounds like you had trauma-induced alopecia. So glad your hair has grown back! That food allergy reaction is crazy! Hair changes fascinate me.
While going through puberty I noticed that my hair slowly changed from being straight/a little wavy to curls. I always let my hair dry naturally and I have really curly hair until i brush it out and then its just a little curly.
Thanks for sharing your hair story too Emma 🙂
Found this while looking for answers on how your hair can turn curly. I was born with stick straight hair. Most of my siblings have straight or nearly straight hair. My dad has straight hair too (ethnic Japanese) but interestingly I remember my grandmother having slightly wavy hair. My mother’s side is Italian immigrants though, and there are plenty of curly heads there.
I remember being so upset when the texture started changing in high school. As a young guy I didn’t know anything about hair straighteners. I tried using gel to hold it in place with disappointing results. Nowadays I’ve gotten used to it and alternate between letting it be a bit curly and straightening it and tying it back.
The theory about puberty is interesting and makes a lot sense. Maybe they’ll eventually figure out the genetic switch so we can decide when we want to change it up.
Thanks for sharing your hair story, Nagisa! I’d love them to figure that out too, imagine taking a pill to change your hair from straight to curly! 🙂
My hair was straight with a wave at the ends until I had my hair cut to my shoulders this year. It had been breaking and I had been losing some during hair washing. As it was being cut my hairdresser mentioned it to me that it was going curly.
I love it curly but when I wash it and comb it it’s actually more straight but as I applie hair mouse and scrunch it it goes curly. I’m 49 years old and female. I don’t want my curls to disappear. What can I do to keep them please?
Hi Kate, sometimes during hormonal changes your hair can go curly. Keep styling your hair with mousse and switch to a sulfate free shampoo. Good luck x
Thank you very much.
Hi – I also just stumbled on this great site after idly wondering why my hair went curly when I was young…but I guess it *must* have been puberty…I had amazing ringlets when I was a little girl but it gradually went straighter and by 13 I had long thick straightish hair. I became a bit of a punk at 13 and cut it all off and kept it pretty short and dyed it all sorts of colours constantly…when I started to grow it out at about 19 and not have a silly haircut like a mohican or whatever, it was curly! And got curlier as it grew. I grew to love it eventually as I had fantastic ringlets and I used to get called Sarah Jessica Parker all the time. However now its going grey – the curl has lessened and its pretty frizzy and I HAVE to use Frizz-Eze etc. OH WELL!
Hi Polly, sounds like you’ve had heaps of fun with your hair! Thanks for sharing your hair history xx
I found this as well…I was born with a fuzzy white-blonde afro and once I started preschool it was dead straight like my mums- and then when I was 10 I had a definet wave throughout my hair , and when it got chopped into a triangle (gahhh!) it went all curly! as it’s longer now it’s a little less curly but I have dried my hair for the first time with a diffuser!
Oh the triangle cut! I know your pain 😉 And how great is a diffuser for styling curls!
I had full thin ,heavy and straight hair . When I reached to age 15, I lost so much hair everyday because
Of hormones. I noticed that I don’t have heavy and full hair volume anymore, since that my hair become
Curly and frizzy. Do you think Fullness and volume can be a factore for changing your hair from staright to curly?
Hi Hennie, the more stories I hear, the more I realise that so much affects our hair. Often when the weight is taken out of your hair, it’s able to curl more. That;s why layers often allow more curl to form. Having thinner hair when before it was thick most probably is affecting the curl now x
My story is even crazier. I had completely straight hair when was a child, no even hairpins would stick. Then, when I was around 10, I grew it longer and it started making waves and added lots of volume, since I have a lot of hair. Ok, during teenager years it got back to straight but always with some movement. Then when I was around 28 I cut it short and it got even more straight. I grew it and it got the waves back. Then cut it in a bob cut and damn! Got major curls! I tried to keep them alive but as the hair grew, it went away again. Now it’s medium length and all of the sudden I have this strange layer or very strange thicker and curly (but not at all organized) hair growing right from the top of my head! I thought I wasn’t treating that part right (since there’s just so much hair!) but even trying really hard to take good care os that section of hair, it’s getting more curly everytime I wash it! Any theories?
You can tell by my story that hormons nor haircut may have being the cause (I think).
Still, great post and thanks for sharing it! 🙂
Wow, you’ve had some huge hair changes, Karina! I find it so interesting and I wish there was more research into the why.
Hey i was wondering if u know anything about curly hair going straight. Because that has happened to me and it’s very annoying because i miss my curly hair. I have straightened my hair a lot in the past but i used heat protection.
I’m not sure if it has anything to do with my genes but it might be possible because my mom has naturally straight hair has my dad has naturally curly hair. I’ve been trying to find and answer forever but i can’t find one. So i’m wondering if u know why this has happened. Anything would help thx u!
Hi Jasmine, it does happen in reverse too as my friends hair is really straightening out at the moment after being super super curly. I’ve heard that our hair does have 7 year cycles so it could just be that. Straightening your hair, even with heat protection, can alter your curls. Check out this post on how to get your curl back. Hope it helps xx
Hello, I too had a change. I am 20 years old and I’ve always had fairly straight hair. I have some baby hair curls but that was mostly it. This year however, I had an IUD (form of birth control) placed for about 6 months. Sometime after I had it removed, I removed I noticed the first grown 2 inches of my hair is very curly and continues to grow this way. I think you are correct in regards to hormones triggering change. No complaints here, though. Embracing the change with joy!:)
It’s amazing how much our hair can change, Stephanie. Glad you’re embracing your new curls too 🙂 xx
I had fine curly hair when I was a baby, and when I was about six years old, it was completely straight! Then it was almost straight until I was 13-14 years old, and then it started curling, but very slowly.. Three years later my hair looked almost like it does now(I’m 18), but it still keeps curling more and more 🙂 The same thing happened for both of my sisters!
I have tried almost everything to make it stop being as frizzy as it is, some things have worked, but it never seems to go away for sure 😉 I like my hair in general, but I never know what to do with them when I have to go to something fancy or formal, because the expectations often are that my hair looks absolutely flawless, and that is hard without straightening it which I try to avoid.. But I love having curly hair!
Hi Rebekka, glad you love your curls! It’s never as simple as styling straight hair but that’s the fun. You can find more curly hair posts here with more frizz tips as well xx
I always thought I had natural curls but as I looked through old photo albums of me as a child around 7 years old…I noticed my hair was long and straight with almost a brilliant shine. I dug deeper and noticed it was almost as straight as my little sister’s whose is straight at the moment and beautiful. I suppose around puberty mine changed. I now have very fizzy ringlets that look pretty sometimes and look like a falcon’s nest other times. Ether way, I love them despite the fact it cant be strengthened at all anymore.
^~^
Then again, since my bulimic tendency’s started at around that time maybe my nutrition loss changed the texture of my hair. I have lost quite a bit and it looks and feels very dry…
Who knows…
Thanks for sharing your hair story Jessika. There are so many factors that affect our hair and diet and hormones can make major changes. I hope you’re well now and you might find my latest tutorial on frizz free curls helpful xx
I’ve been wondering about this for the longest time! I had straight hair until I was 7/8 but suddenly it became very curly and fluffy, still is now when I’m 18 of course. And I doubt stress or hormones had to do with it at that age, so for me, my genes must have done it! My dad has the genes for my hair type (his grandma’s texture is like mine), but my mom has pin straight asian hair. None of them knew how to handle it and I used to hate it. Actually, my name Tova could mean “tangle” in swedish so guess if I were teased for it… But now I’ve learned to take care of it and love it! I will definitly try some of your hairstyle tutorials, even though I like it the most when it’s newly washed with only some leave in conditioner!
Thanks for sharing your story Tova! So glad you’ve come round to love your hair too xx
When I was younger, my hair was straight, smooth, and awesome. But in middle school, my hair suddenly started to be wavier and curling near the roots. Now my hair is wavy and unruly. I think that maybe hormones and stress may have changed my hair? I feel awkward being the only Asian girl in my family with wavy/frizzy hair.
You’re the lucky one Judy, curls are awesome 🙂 Hormones and stress are usually at play. Check out my post on how to style curly hair to see if that helps with your frizz xx
At 52, now my thin, straight hair has developed some waves, towards the top. When I was a toddler, I had some curls, not tight ones, then I had straight long hair, which I cut after awhile into bobs and pixies. Now, I am letting my hair grow and it’s to my waist, but wavy and more brittle. I started coloring my hair about 5 years ago and wonder if that has anything to do with the change. That and my being post menopausal. I have to say I am not happy with my hair!
Hi Barbara, it’s likely that hormone changes and coloring your hair are affecting the feel of your hair. I always recommend doing an extra conditioning treatment when you start to color your hair. I do a treatment once a week x
I always test out everything. Perhaps a bit too much at once;-)
Your videos are great too. I’m curious about your new tutorial…
It takes so long to see if a product really works, right?! I have a curl specialist hairdresser show me a new way to style my curls. I haven’t finished editing it yet but will post it next week 🙂
I need some more patience 🙂
How often do you change shampoo or conditioner?
How long do you use products before you know if it works for your hair?
A new way to style your curls? I am very curious …
Until my 30th I had wavy hair down to my shoulders. When I was 16 I even went to the hairdresser for permanent.
When I wanted to leave my bangs grow long, I suddenly got curls.
Sometimes I like my curly hair and sometimes I hate my curls.
I am now looking for a good shampoo and conditioner because my hair is currently very fluffy and dry.
Hi Carla, look for a hydrating or moisturising product as curly hair tends to be dry. I also like to do a weekly hair treatment to keep my curls in shape x
Your hair looks great.
What products do you use?
I’m always testing new products Carla but I’ll be posting a new video tutorial soon 🙂
Hi!
I’ve had wavy-ish hair forever. As a baby, my hair was curly but as I got older, it became so that my hair seemed straight after I combed it, but wavy/loose curls when wet. However, a year and a half ago I noticed that I had some really SUPER thick, coarse, kinky hairs growing. My hair has always been thick meaning I have a lot of hair, but I had never noticed hairs this thick/dark/weird feeling before. I googled it and all I could find were people complaining of it who ended up having low thyroid. My doctor checked my thyroid level and said it’s fine. This year I noticed that the number of those hairs grew substantially. That’s when I started to pull those hairs. I’ve noticed that my hair that grows back is also thick and dark, but some of them grow back kinky like the ones I pulled while others grow out straight up and stick up or out from the sides of my head. I always pull those too because they just look weird. Everyone says let it grow long it should become normal but I don’t get why it has this weird texture to begin with or why my hair is growing out sticking up. Maybe when hair grows out it’s like that for everyone but the fact that it’s thicker and darker than before makes it more noticeable to me now? I’m worried about these hairs growing kinky since they feel so weird. I’m always tempted to pull them and the issue is it doesn’t even hurt when I pull them. Sometimes they fall out from me just touching them, which makes me think they’re already dead or something. Any ideas? Thanks!
Hi Aisha, I’m not sure why these different hairs are growing but it may be worth seeing if they are easier to manage as they grow. otherwise if there are only a few then you can pull them out too 🙂
Hi hair romance
Those hairs that your describing are called squired progressive kinking of the hair. It’s often caused because the hair follicle was damaged (either by tension, chemicals, or could be they are sensitive to testosterone) if they continue you should go to an endocrinologist and get checked for high testosterone and dhea. Also get your thyroid and thyroid antibodies checked, sometimes your thyroid is done but you can have an autoimmune issue with your thyroid that only shows up when testing the antibodies. Please go get this done before they become worse. (I unfortunately waited too long and they’re everywhere now and my hair is falling out)
Sorry typo acquired progressive kinking
Thanks for commenting, Amy. Sorry to hear about your hair and I hope that it recovers soon x
That scares me as there are so many more of these hairs as compared to before. Not only do I pull them now because they feel weird but also because they’re practically dead at the root anyway so just a gentle tug and they’re out. I’m scared all of my hair will become this way too… I hope an endocrinologist will be able to figure it out. My primary doctor said my thyroid function is fine but he looked at T3 and T4. Did your doctor start you on any meds?
Hi Aisha, I have those strange weird hairs too! The rest of my hair is fine. I noticed them when I was in junior high; now I’m 72 and they’re still here and have not spread out nor multiplied. They’re all at the top of my head, right at the hairline. They look so thick that they could be used for thread. They also have that really strange texture to them. Not kinky though. I never heard anyone mention these kinds of hairs in the past and I’ve been reading these comments all night, so just had to say hi and let you know. If I pulled them all out I’d be too bald on top so I can’t. I heard somewhere that by pulling out a hair it stimulates blood flow to the follicle and the next hair comes in even fatter. I like to think of them as my “Neanderthal” hairs :>), coming from some ancient genes that got passed down to me while my tribe was wandering across outer Mongolia to finally end up in the USA 2000 years later.
My hair was curly (ringlets) during my pregnancy with my daughter. After her birth, it went back to normal. Now, I am 46 years old and all of the sudden it has gone back to ringlets again! Now, I KNOW I am not pregnant and do contribute it to hormone changes. It always seems to be tied to hormones.
Hi Pam, it’s usually hormones. Hair is so funny and it’s amazing how much it can change x
I’m 14 and I have noticed my hair has been turning curlier every time I wash my hair. I didn’t notice much after I started look at old photos. My hair was so silky and kind of wavey but straight at the same time. I’m guessing puberty has much to do with it. The problem is my hair is just a mixture of curly puffy and frizzy and I have no idea how to fix it. It’s very stressful since the only time I can actually get rid of my knots its when I’m in the shower. But most of my hair is a mess from the top of my head. Do you have any tips on how I can tame the mess from the top of my head?
Hi Marienny, check out my post on how to style curly hair. Hope this helps! x
HI my hair was curly when I was little but then it got cut and turned very straight but around my forehead I still get small curls is there a way to get my curly hair back?
Hi Gabby, how little were you when you hair was curly? Often those baby curls are gone once they are cut off but your hair may change again later and turn curly x
I think my hair may be turning curly with hormones, but when I think about it I look like more relatives on my dads side of the family and everyone says i look like his mother she had thick dark brown curly hair and I have straight thick dark brown hair and I recently pulled back my hair and noticed a beachy type of wavy hair on the underside of my hair it’s starting to get curlier as time progresses but my mom just blames the humidity for my hair starting to be curly but I think it’s because of hormones and my genes maybe my hair will be curly I’m tired of boring old straight hair hopefully my hair continues to curl up but at the moment the only super curly hair is those ones I’ve found already while the rest of my hair is waver than usual I I hope it does turn curly!
I hope it curls just the way you want Karissa, good luck! x
I’m so glad I stumbled upon your site today! Sooo wonderful!
I’ve been so upset about my disappearing curls lately. 🙁 I have always had super duper thick hair and tons of curls. Two years ago I had to have a complete hysterectomy which threw me right into menopause at 44 yrs. old. Now at 46, my hair is changing drastically. My scalp is so oily and flaky, my hair is so much thinner and my curls are half gone. 🙁 It’s so strange as the underside of my hair is just wavy now, the top where it used to get tons of volume is flat as can be and looks like it’s growing in straight, yet the middle top layers still have curls. I’ve worked in the salon/spa industry for years and my friend gives me great curly haircuts (and she’s been cutting my hair for 20 years, so she knows it inside and out) and we are both just baffled. I’ve switched up shampoos to try and help with the scalp issues. (at the moment using Redken’s new Cerrafil shampoo) and still use some DevaCurl products along with my Deva diffusor and bucket diffusor too. Yep…trying it all! (along with taking Biotin too.) It all just stinks. The thinning was bad enough, but when you identify as a curly girl for so many years and see it disappearing, it’s so sad!
Planning on getting even more layers with my next cut…i already saved a pic from your site! any other tips you might have?
Hi Colleen, sorry to hear about your hair changes and your health. I hope you’re doing well. Sounds like you are doing all you can and it may just take some time. Biotin takes 3-6 months to show a difference in your hair so keep going. Good luck xx
Thanks so much for the Biotin tip. I didn’t know it could take that long…so I will definitely keep at it! 🙂
As a toddler i had gorgeous wavy rich dark brown hair. as i grew up my hair got straighter. My hair still has a little wave at the bottom now (age 15). I really want my waves to come back 🙁
Is there anything i should and shouldn’t do?
Hi Jessica, I would avoid straightening your hair if you want to encourage your waves/curls. Remember too that the longer your hair, the straighter it will be. Shorter layers help encourage curls. Also it’s natural for hair to change so don’t stress 🙂
will the waves ever come back i hate my hair straight
Please don’t hate your hair Jessica 🙂 Look after your hair and show it some love and it will look fabulous xx
I noticed that only a few strands on the top layer of my hair was curly. The bottom layer of my hair is straight, soft, and smooth but the few curly strands on the top of my head are also frizzy and they stand out. How do I get all of my the same?
Hi Maddie, it’s rare for all the curls to be the same. Curls are really unique and having mixed hair pattens is totally normal. Without curling, or straightening you can;t get them to all match xx
I used to have extremely curly hair when i was little, but at the age of 4 my godmother cut my hair and my beautiful spiral curls just fell out. Till this day i miss them so so much. When i was 4-7 i had straight roots and loose waves at the ends. But when i moved my hair didn’t know what it wanted to be so sometimes it’s half wavy/curly or half straight and wavy. I thought of shaving all of it off to see if some of my curliness comes back, but i don’t think it will
I can’t figure out why my hair changed!! I’ve had straight hair for 37 years! My hair thinned some and grew really fast after my child was born. I am not pregnant, my hormones are normal (been to the dr.) and I am not taking any medications. I’m on the same supplements I’ve been on for 10 years. Two months ago my hair just started to curl .. literally straight one day and curly and frizzy the next. I used the same shampoo and conditioner. My kiddo says I look weird with curly hair lol and I don’t disagree. It’s funny because I always loved my hair and never remember wanting it different….now for the first time I hate my hair.
My hair went from stick straight to crazy when I turned 25. I’m 45 now and it is so many different things. Wavy, curly, ringlets, straight, frizzy all at the same time in different spots. I believe it’s hormones and I’ve had many pregnancies which I started when I was very young. I have a hard time finding someone who will know how to cut and style my hair. I’ve been cutting it all these years with the goal that I style my hair straight. However, recently I’ve been cutting my own hair to encourage the natural curls. I finally felt like I hit the jackpot with one cut I did myself but then the following time I cut it I followed the wrong tutorial which is something I followed previously before the cut I really liked for my natural curls. Now I’m back to square one and hating my hair again. Add in home dying to cover the gray and it also contributes to the texture of my hair. Searching pinterest once again for inspiration and tutorials. Wish me luck. 🙂
Good luck Salena! I find coconut oil a great treatment for curly hair. Check out some of my other curly posts and tutorials here xx
I’m 41, and I’ve noticed that my previously very fine, VERY straight hair is starting to grow in curly. It started with just new grey hairs. They are little coarser and mostly wavy, which is to be expected. However now I am noticing that all my new growth (when hair falls out naturally and then grows back in) is coming in wavy and even curly. Mostly just above and behind my ears and along the underside of my hair. Weird! I’m not exactly sure how to feel about this. 🙂 If it was all my hair it would be ok, but this mismosh is a little alarming! My hair gets super frizzy in humidity now too. Especially since the majority of the new growth is still very short (less than 3 inches)
Because my hair is very fine, I can’t really use product to tame it, because by mid afternoon my hair starts to look greasy if there’s anything in it. Oh well. Maybe once it grows out longer it will be easier to manage.
I have a feeling I’m going to look like Doc Brown in Back to the Future in a decade or so. LOL
Lol I’m sure you could never look like Doc Brown, Heidi! If you prefer it straight you could ask your hairdresser about keratin smoothing treatments. These tame the frizz and help smooth out your hair x
I’m 53 and have had trouble recently styling my hair into a simple shoulder length bob style I’ve had ‘forever’ – visiting my longstanding hairdresser recently, they said my hair has gone curly and asked if I’ve started the menopause because major hormonal changes can cause this! On their suggestion, I’ve left my hair after washing (rather than blowdrying as usual) and it is really curly, which to me seems really bizarre / weird ! But I’m going to visit my GP and ask about testing for the menopause, because this is so strange!
Good luck, Karen! It does sound like a hormonal change and it’s really common. Hope you have fun with your new curls xx
My hair used to be straight as a kid, then went wavy when I hit puberty, and had long hair.
For years I’ve had super-short hair that has been wavy.
Just turned 43, and within a few days – BAM! – my short hair went CURLY.. like curly curly.. so much so that people started asking me if I got a perm over the week they hadn’t seen me.
So my hair had been cut and styled for wavy hair.. and now these curls are just doing their thing. I keep getting asked what I’ve done to my hair/what I’m doing with my hair, and my response is “I have no freakin’ clue.. this thing is just doing its own thing.”
Oof!
So interesting! Well just keep doing the same thing as your curls sound amazing x
I was born with black hair and it grew out super straight. It then naturally turned blond and I was a towhead. In middle school my hair started to get extremely wavy then got super curly. I’m now in high school and it continues to get curlier everyday. Most of the super curly curls are in the front and they’re ringlets while the back of my hair gets a couple ringlets. Also, my roots are completely straight and the hair starts to curl about 3 or 4 inches down.
thanks for sharing your hair story Taryn 🙂
Well, since i was born, my hair was always really straight and long. But when i was 12 (2 years ago), i had a pixie cut and decided not to keep it because everyone told me I looked like a boy. So i let my hair grow back again, but as it started to reach my shoulders, it got really wavy and puffy 🙁 what do you think that caused this? I’m really confused 🙁
Hi Onita, it sounds like my hair. Hormone changes can make your hair curly. I say embrace it 🙂
So today I had to wash my hair in the sink do to lack of hot water (I just moved). I used a shampoo/conditioner I had never used before, Nexxus Promend. Basically, my hair is extremely thick and coarse, and if I let it air dry it’s straight. But today I let it air dry and I got these gorgeous waves that are normally unachievable for my hair. I’m 16 and desperately hoping the waves will stay, though more likely than not they will go after I brush my hair or shower :(. I love my hair and many people are envious of the thickness, but I can never make curls or waves stay for long.
Hopefully these curls stay his time! x
Please help! I’ve luckily had naturally spiral curly hair all my life, until recently! I have been diagnosed with stress, anxiety and depression, but I also suffer with tension head aches, and reading about the muscle tone, could this have affected my hair? I did beauty for two years, and therefore had to have my hair up each day, I kept it up because it was less maintenance. Then when I started suffering with tension head aches, it killed to keep my hair up, so I went back to leaving it down each day. It use to all be one length and as curly as anything, now I’ve had it layered and quite short than usual, and it’s so flat and very straight from the roots, and curly at the end, only the top hair is like this, the under neath is practically quite wavy, it gets me down so much as I’m not use to this! I’ve bought different hair products, now diffuse dry my hair where as I use to leave it to dry naturally, I’m desperate for help! If anyone knows anything, please say! Thank you xxxx