Why did my hair go from having curly to straight texture?
You’ve undoubtedly encountered several individuals who want curly hair yet have straight hair. Another set of people prefers straightening their curly hair, despite having curly hair. The texture and structure of certain people’s hair, nevertheless, changes on its own, and not merely as a result of weather changes or regular styling. Therefore, a few varying factors may be causing the change if you’re wondering why your hair’s texture went from curly to straight or vice versa.
The keratin protein, which makes up the majority of your hair, is made up of amino acids. The bonds between these amino acids dictate how your hair will curl based on how they interact. Amino acids termed cysteines have a lesser likelihood of forming tight bonds if a hair follicle is thick and rounded. Straight hair is the probable outcome of this behaviour.
Cysteine molecules have a lot higher chance of bonding and forming ringlets in your hair if a hair follicle is flat and thinner. Consider the way you would package a gift. A flat ribbon may be readily stretched and curled if you use one. A round string, on the other hand, will be far less flexible and will be easier to keep straight.
The shape of your hair follicle, which affects whether your hair is straight or curly, is determined by your genes. But a lot of things may influence how your hair grows. Although the exact cause of this is unknown, researchers think a mix of genetics, body chemistry, and hormones may play a significant role.
As you age, your hair may probably change. However, it may not! Let’s start by discussing the reasons for your wavy hair and what produces various hair textures among us.
Our DNA has a major role in determining the texture of our hair. Additionally, a child’s hair texture may vary from that of their parents! Contrary to certain traits, you may have hair that has a combination of both parents’ hair textures. This implies that if a kid is born to the mother with curly hair and the father with straight hair, the child may have wavy hair.
But what initially gives rise to curly or wavy hair? Hair develops out of tiny openings, or “pores,” in our skin. Hair follicles are the name for these pores. The shape of a person’s hair follicles affects the texture of their hair.
The genes you inherit have a role in determining your follicle shape. You could have follicles that are exactly round due to your DNA. You would have straight hair in this scenario. Or maybe you have oval-shaped follicles due to your DNA, which results in curly hair. Alternatively, you can have a little amount of oval and round follicle DNA. Your follicles would be somewhere in the between situation, resulting in you having wavy hair.
What Factors Lead Straight Hair to Curl?
Numerous strange things happen in the human body at times of major hormonal changes including pregnancy, puberty and menopause. Perhaps your skin feels entirely different. You could sometimes struggle with weight gain or loss. Hormonal changes may change your hair, making curly hair straighter and straight hair to be curly.
Your normally curly hair suddenly turning straight might be caused by several hormones changes, including those listed below:
Triiodothyronine and thyroxine
Your thyroid gland produces these hormones. In a study that was published in the journal Dermato Endocrinology, researchers found that hormonal imbalances caused by thyroid disorders including hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are strongly correlated to changes in hair volume and texture.
The research found that those with hypothyroidism could have slow-growing, dry, and brittle hair. The hair of those who have hyperthyroidism may appear thinner, oilier and more brittle.
Androgens
Androgens, or male sex hormones, are in charge of sustaining and growing of masculine traits in males. Androgens, however, are not only found in males. During puberty, androgens rise in both males and females. Both men and women may develop more body hair as a result of these hormones, and men may develop hair loss.
The shape of a woman’s hair follicle may vary if she has high levels of androgens. Straight hair becomes curly or curly hair turns straight as a consequence of this.
Insulin
To control blood sugar levels, the body produces the hormone insulin. However, the research found that insulin resistance may be strongly linked to androgenic alopecia or severe hair loss. It was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. Both may cause modifications to the texture of the hair as it regrows.
Genes are switchable.
Even though we are aware that genes affect hair texture, we still don’t fully understand the function of all the genes that affect hair texture.
However, we do understand a little bit about how these genes may be “turned off” or “turned on”. The “genes” or “instruction manuals” for having curly hair may exist in a person’s cells, but they may not always be used. We refer to a gene as being “turned off” if a cell is not utilizing the instruction manual. Throughout a person’s lifetime, the genes that cause their hair to be curly may turn off or on.
There are several reasons why genes may be turned on and off. Even scientists don’t fully comprehend these aspects! But we are only aware that hormones may turn off and turn on the genes.
Numerous hormones have been linked to changes in hair texture. The body employs hormones as chemical signals to communicate between various body parts. Throughout your life, your hormone levels might alter significantly.
Hormones may turn genes off and on throughout a person’s lifespan.
When you’re still growing, particularly after you reach puberty, your hormones may alter a lot. But as you get older as an adult, your hormones might also change! Our bodies may alter the types or quantities of hormones we produce in response to changes in age, diet, climate, sun exposure, and several other variables.
Pregnancy has reportedly made some women’s hair glossier and thicker. Increased levels of progesterone and estrogen in the body may be the cause of this.
How Hair Alters as People Age
We are all aware that hair becomes grey when we age. But did you know that it might also go through a lot of little changes that could result in one major change? According to your age, continue reading to see what could have led to the straightening of your hair.
Teenage Years
Your hair begins as microscopic hair follicles that resemble bulbs. Unbelievably, each of us has around 120,000 hair follicles on our scalp when we are born. This implies that a child with bushy hair has an equal number of follicles as a child with fine hair. Furthermore, it’s difficult to predict how a baby’s hair will appear in the future based on how it looks right now.
The number of hair follicles on your scalp, however, will always be the same. According to the impact of hormones, food, and age, the hair type created does vary.
Keratin, a protein that provides your hair strength and structure, is a component of hair. Teenagers have the fastest and thickest hair growth of all ages due to the hormonal surge that comes with puberty. The greasy, lifeless hair that many teens experience is a result of your sebaceous glands producing more sebum as a result of hormonal changes associated with puberty. Your hair may get weighed down by oily conditions, producing fewer or “flatter” curls as a result.
Children with lighter hair may notice that their hair is becoming darker at this time. This happens when hormones in hair follicles stimulate melanocyte cells. Melanocytes increase the amount of the pigmented pigment melanin in each strand of hair, making it darker. Children and teenagers may benefit from using shampoos made for greasy hair at this age.
Your Twenties
Your hair has more volume and lustrous than ever in your early 20s. A few factors, however, may alter this.
B vitamins, which are essential for good hair development, are depleted by heavy periods and rigid poor diets. Additionally, a diet deficient in iron may dramatically impede hair development and make hair seem thinner and flatter. After the age of 20, your hair will start to thin at a rate of 3% each year, but you won’t start to notice a difference until you’ve lost about 15% of it.
Curly hair become straight after hair trim
Additionally, particularly while you’re in your 20s, too much sun exposure may damage your hair. There are 18 distinct amino acids in your hair, and roughly five of them are UV-sensitive. These five amino acids deteriorate when exposed to the sun for an extended time without using sunscreen, making hair weaker, brittle, and much more prone to breaking.
Additionally, this is the period when the majority of women give birth, which may also have an impact on hair. Because of the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy, your hair seems thicker and more glossy. After giving birth, however, when your hormone levels return to normal, your hair may start to fall out quickly, leaving you with thinner hair and maybe even bald patches.
Your Forties
When they reach their 40s, around six out of 10 women will have some grey hair. This is partly because as you get older, your melanocytes start to deteriorate. Your melanocytes aren’t functioning properly, so even if your hair doesn’t become white, it will eventually get paler.
Grey hair won’t be as bouncy, as you may have observed. It usually feels wiry. Your hair is conditioned by melanin, which also shields it from the sun. Your hair may get coarser and more fragile without protection by melanin.
Due to a sluggish metabolism and slowed cell turnover, the hair also gets straggly in the 40s.
On average, hair grows half an inch every month, but as you become older, this pace may decrease. Additionally, certain medications may significantly alter the texture of your hair. Try maintaining a healthy lifestyle with meals high in B vitamins, healthy fats, protein, and iron to lessen the effects of ageing on hair. Exercise is beneficial since it may help counteract the adverse effects of stress and medication if any.
Your Fifties
Throughout menopause, your hair’s texture changes. It often happens around the age of 51 and might be the reason why your hair will change from curly to straight. The major reason for this is that certain women have a genetic predisposition to be sensitive to the enzyme 5 alpha-reductase, which is present in hair follicles.
During menopause, when the level of estrogen decline, the body’s remaining testosterone interacts with this enzyme to produce DHT. DHT causes hair follicles to shrink and makes hair seem finer. Women’s hair does not thin at the crown or hairline, in contrast to males. They often suffer widespread hair thinning. This is the biggest cause of women seeing their normally curly hair become straight during menopause.
Your Sixties
Particularly when a lady is in her fifties, once-curly, bouncy hair looks straightened. Hair which appears wavy is shaped by the adjacent hair strands. The interplay of hair strands creates bounce and volume. But when hair becomes thinner, the strands move further apart. Your hair won’t be able to maintain its spiral structure or move as a result.
Consider keeping a balanced diet with a high protein intake to prevent your hair from changing. Our diets grow increasingly carb-based as we age, according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition Health and Aging. This is mostly because older individuals find it simpler to prepare, chew, and digest these meals. However, you must maintain a sufficient diet of high-quality protein, which can be found in foods like eggs, chicken, and fish. Protein serves as the foundation for healthy hair.
Why does hair get more curly in humid environments?
You may have observed that when it’s humid outdoors, hair tends to curl or wave. This has more to do with the physical characteristics of the hair and less to do with heredity and genes.
Many water molecules are floating around in humid air. Each water molecule has a side that is just slightly positively and negatively charged. Water molecules resemble tiny magnets in every way! Your hair’s proteins also behave similarly like magnets. As a result, entering a damp space makes it seem as if tiny magnets are tugging your hair in various directions all around you. Your hair may get curly or wavy as a result of that day.
How Can I Return My Natural Curls?
The terrible truth about curly hair is that it is far simpler to keep its spiral pattern than to restore it to its former condition and shape. Many sources contend that it is impossible to restore curls that have been damaged by heat or hormonal changes.
Fortunately, a few little adjustments to your hair care regimen may help your natural hair and any new regrowth come back to life.
Give it moisture every day.
Giving your hair moisture regularly may have a significant influence on how it appears, regardless of whether it has been damaged by heat or bleach, breakage caused by styling, or changed with age. Fresh aloe vera gel or other water-based hair products are a great method to enhance hair hydration without weighing down your hair.
Does stress make curly hair straighten out?
By switching your hairstyling from blow-drying to wash-and-go, you may help your hair to maintain moisture and avoid drying out. To conceal the dampness in hair and give you a fresh appearance, tie your hair up in a loose braid. To preserve your curls as much as possible, stop having your hair tied too tightly and switching up your hairstyle every day.
Use a serum, oil, or pomade.
To lessen frizz, use products that are creamy and have emollients. Before buying a hair product, be sure to test it on the back of your hand. After a minute, if it still feels sticky, it includes alcohol. Alcohol is well known for drying your hair, leaving you with weak or brittle curls.
Choose creamy curl enhancers instead of gels and mousses. When purchasing a hair product, don’t be hesitant to ask for testers since you have no clue how well it will function. The majority of salons are glad to provide you with little samples so you may use the product at home.
It’s crucial to wait at least two weeks before determining if the product is effective. This provides adequate time for your hair to adjust and get used to the new product.
Finally, try applying hydrating items to your hair when it is soaking wet. Even though the majority of products advise using them on towel-dried hair, waiting too long might cause frizz to appear.
Ditch the Heat
You anticipated this one. When your curls have suffered heat damage, you can easily tell. Your voluminous curls seem looser, brittler, and drier. They appear fried, just as they seem to be! If you have concerns that your hair is damaged from too much usage of heat especially if you noticed that your curl pattern has been changed.
Put down your flat iron, curling iron, and blow dryer if you want to restore your natural curls. Think of divorcing them all. And no, preserving these heat tools at low temperatures won’t undo the damage.
Use a cotton t-shirt to air dry your hair. This reduces frizz and aids in curl formation. Additionally, it’s kinder to your hair. Avoid tight ponytails and other hairstyles that put too much strain on the hair. Stretching your hair won’t make it curlier again.
Use Protective Styles
Protective hairstyles may be able to help you if heat damage has been done to your hair. It could be challenging to add diversity to your hairstyles when you’re regaining your curl pattern.
Protective hairstyles including two-strand twists, Marley twists, box braids and promote the healing of damaged ends by allowing it to grow out. You must see a stylist have your ends trimmed in between switching up your look. This will aid in removing split ends and damaged hair and promote healthy new growth.
Home Treatments
Many individuals underrate the effectiveness of simple home cures for restoring curl patterns. To restore hair curls, a common technique is to produce a DIY hydrating protein treatment with one egg, one teaspoon of olive oil, and a few tablespoons of mayonnaise. Blend all the ingredients until they are smooth, then apply to the hair and scalp. If you have thicker, longer hair, you may have to increase the amount of all the ingredients.
How can I return my natural curls?
Because it takes at least an hour for the mayonnaise scent to go away after washing, avoid using this treatment on a day when you have to be at work. Applying castor oil from the scalp to the tips of your hair at least three times per week will aid in promoting the regrowth of your lost hair if the thinning has been caused by heat damage.
The use of an avocado and egg protein treatment is another fantastic treatment that improves shine, strength, and bounce. You’ll also need a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil, one egg, half an avocado, one tablespoon of olive oil, and three cups of coconut milk. Blend all ingredients with a blender, then apply to the scalp and hair to hydrate hair follicles and revitalize curls. Rinse well after leaving the mixture on for at least 30 minutes or more.
Another ingredient to add to your hair care arsenal is rosemary oil (not essential oil), which performs a fantastic job of stimulating better hair growth and strengthening hair.
Clarify Without Shampoo
If you haven’t guessed it yet, curls like moisture. But because of all the modern hairstyling methods nowadays, our hair is now drier and more brittle than ever before and contains less moisture.
While restoring your curls, daily shampooing is not advised, but there are a few methods to feel clean anyway. Using apple cider vinegar to replace shampoo is one of the go-to remedies. Rinses made from apple cider vinegar are fantastic for preserving the healthy pH balance of your hair and promoting healthy growth of hair.
Simply moisten your hair from scalp to tips by mixing a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with a cup of water (or more, depending on length). The strong pungent smell of apple cider may be covered up with a few drops of your favourite essential oils, but it usually goes away in about 30 minutes.
Trim Damaged Hair Sections
Trimming damaged hair is one of the finest methods to get your natural curl pattern back. However, in extreme circumstances, it can also include cutting off significant sections of hair. Although most individuals would find this frightening, your hair will eventually regrow. It will regrow quicker, curlier, and healthier.
Do not allow your hair to get weighed down by damaged hair. Starting over with a new hair regimen might be helpful at times. You’ll be twirling your curls in no time, we promise!
Deep Hair Conditioning Procedure
Since wavy and curly hair types have a high tendency to drying, sun exposure and heat styling may result in a wide range of issues, including breakage and frizz as well as unexpected hair straightening.
Make sure to deep condition each week to correct this. Place your deep conditioner in a cup and warm it briefly in the microwave for a few seconds. The hair can absorb moisture and nutrients more readily as a result of the heat. Apply to moist hair and scalp all over till they are saturated completely. Use a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner to remove the deep conditioner after leaving it on for at least 30 minutes.
Protein Treatment
Consider a salon protein treatment in order to fill gaps of the cuticle in your hair and improve moisture retention if you believe your hair has been damaged by heat styling or routine hair colouring. If your hair is damaged, it will be considerably harder to get your curls back. Additionally, you may utilize products that are rich in protein.
Menopause alters the texture of the hair
Diffuse
Keep in mind the days when you’d let your hair dry overnight and awaken with lovely, natural curls. Try diffusing your hair while it’s still damp if you think it still has the curl potential. It does take some getting accustomed to, but viewing a few YouTube lessons and giving it a try could be your saving grace.
Scrunch Your Hair
Try scrunching your hair as you apply your curling products to encourage curling. If you’re using a creamy product, it’s crucial to scrunch your hair upward to counteract the weight as curly and wavy hair may quickly get weighed down by products or even simply have a shower. Additionally, this helps keep your curls from appearing crunchy.
Applying the product too roughly might result in frizz and flat curls, so be cautious while doing so.
Follow tutorials and product reviews to stay current
To succeed with natural hair, you need a little bit more than just patience. Understand that it will take time for your curly hair to recover if you have been chemically treating it for a long period.
The internet is packed with valuable advice on how to strengthen hair and revive curl patterns. While you wait for your natural curls to grow back, be sure to watch enough YouTube videos to keep yourself informed.
Leave A Comment