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.
My hair was always a little wavy but mostly straight. When i got into my70’s it had become more and more curly. I’ve been in bio identical hormones for art least 20 years so i don’t think it’s my hormones. Just drives more crazy not knowing why.
Hi there curly girls,
I have had fine wavy hair all my life, and my mom kept it short in a pixi. I grew it to my shoulders a few times, but clips, rubber band or other fashion accessories slid right out because it was so fine.
As a teen, young adult and older, I colored my hair for fun, but also to damage it just enough that I could style it.
Then a few years ago I moved to the desert and wanted to grow it out in an asymmetrical bob. As it grew out I found it was staying in place and it was fluffy and frizzy.
I have quit asking why, and at 63 I have decided to grow it out. I was always envious of my older sisters who had really long hair. I have a different father, and he definitely had wavy curly hair, as well as beautiful white hair. Now it’s my turn.
My trial and error included research for what number my curl was, and I confirmed that with my hair stylist. Then I used items I had in the house, which included olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, apple cider vinegar, brewed and cooled chamomile tea. I think these oils were too heavy for my fine hair, but the vinegar and tea gave a nice luster, and the tea and vinegar assisted in lightening.
I have tried a lot of products and my successes currently are a hair wash, hair oil, styling mousse.
I also researched brushes for stimulating my scalp (boars hair) and vitamins(Garden of Life) for overall health that I may add to my tools.
My research, and conversations come back to DNA and hormones.
The advice I would give is to make your purchases at a place that exceptional returns. I shopped and returned items from Amazon and Trader Joes.
•Cleansing & Conditioning Hair Wash at Trader Joes
•OGX Extra Strength Coconut Miracle Oil, Penetrating Oil
•Giovanni 2 Chic Ultra Volume, Foam Styling Mousse for fine limp hair
I am a sweaty sleeper, and have not had a problem washing my hair everyday with this product I live in a very hot climate four months out of the year so that is important. I also do not use a hair dryer ever. Even when I lived in a different climate. I use a wide tooth comb, and finger comb and finger pick for a fuller curl.
Curl power,
Rebecca
I had POKER STRAIGHT hair all of my life until my mid 60’s. That was a very long time after menopause for me. The only thing that I can think of as a stressor was retirement then a hysterectomy when I was 66. My hair has has gotten progressively curlier since then. I am now 73. The same thing happened to my mom when she was in her 70’s. I always waned curly hair so I’m happy about it, just confused as to why this happened. I actually hope it does not go back to being straight!
hi, my hair is gradually getting curlier, I’ve always heard its humidity which there is still a possibility. but it started with one group and how it’s a ponytail. I’ve had straight hair my entire life, but my aunt and mother have very curly hair. both had straight when they were young.
I noticed a patch of wavy hair on the back right side of my head. The rest of my hair is straight and baby fine
Thank you for your explanations.
I think hormones are what messed with my hair after reading this. Thank you! About a year after my tubal ligation my hair started getting frizzy and curly.
So my hair used to be pretty straight, maybe just a few waves. Now it’s curly literally ringlets but only on one side. My other side is still pretty straight with a few waves. It’s so weird.
My son who is 9 had super straight hair as a little guy, until he was about 6, now his hair is very curly. Also so weird lol
My sister’s and my hair went curly back in 2013. I was 48 and living in California. My sister was 38 and living in Virginia. I suffer from health problems such as prediabetes and hypothyroidism. My sister doesn’t suffer from any health problems. I wish someone could give me an idea of why our hair changed at the same time.
My hair used to be straight from the roots and would only curl at the ends. 2022 has been an unbelievably stressful year for me and as the year progressed I could see how my hairline receided a little bit but the most intersting thing is the more I stressed the more the texture and amount of curl and friz changed in my hair. I observed that at times when I did better to control my stress levels my hair would become fuller again and the texture would also improve.
My hair has gone from straight my whole life to curly for a few months back to straight again.
My hair is starting to get wavy. All my life I’ve had very thick straight course hair. The only thing that’s changed is I started taking semaglutide injections to lose weight and it started right after I got Covid for the first time in June 2022. Now my hair is very wavy mostly in the back. It’s so weird. I’ll be 62 in February
I have to concur with your analysis. Since acquiring Covid in January 2022, i didn’t notice it at first but now that i have 9 months of growth, it’s gone from curly as a baby, straight for 99% of my life until now. I have about 6” of regrowth and it’s wavy. If i air dry it it’s curly. WHY!!!!!!????
I came here to find out why my hair changed from straight to curly, and I found your comment!!! Thanks!!!
Because I recently taken semaglutide as well for weight loss and this is the only thing that I think is changed in the past three months!
My hair is shockingly curly while before I couldn’t even curl it with a curling iron!
This is the same thing that happened to me as well. Always had straight hair with a bit of wave in back. Got Covid…light case, but also had only brother die which was very stressful. Today, I was told by hairdresser that they hear it alot….after Covid went curling. I did not know how to even handle it so have been trying so many things. I kind of like it but it is difficult or different to figure out and how to deal with it.