Hormones – and their effect on our bodies – extends to every part of us, including our hair. Hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy, puberty and menopause can alter your curl pattern dramatically. Your hair follicles' shape is what determines your curl pattern and texture.
You might think, “My hair is naturally curly but won't curl anymore.” Age or genetics are the most common reasons for losing your natural curl pattern. As we age, our hair tends to lose its elasticity and become more brittle. It can cause the hair shafts to break, making them thinner and weaker over time.
That loss of curl you're seeing could be down to broken bonds within the hair shaft. These play a big role in the shape and structure of hair strands, but when locks are over processed, bonds can change due to chemical damage.
This can be due to added weight – potentially because your hair has gotten longer, or you're using heavy products over and over again, that are leaving behind residues and building up on your strands.
Moisture, moisture, moisture
The number one rule to remember when you're trying to get your curls back is that moisture is your best friend. Hydrating shampoos, conditioners, leave-in treatments, and deep conditioning hair masks will give your hair a boost.
Finish with Texturizing spray
You can still use hairspray before or throughout the curling process, but finishing with a texturizing spray will help hold the curls in place without dragging them down too much. It will give your hair more body and texture, making your hair look fuller overall.
Your Hair is Too Healthy, Fine, or Clean
Fine, shiny, healthy, and clean hair are the hardest to hold a style. This can mean an updo and especially holding a curl. The best time to curl your hair is on day 2 or day 3 hair where the natural oils give the hair some grip and texture.
Yes, many people notice a change in their hair's texture as they age. Curly hair can become straighter, while straight hair might develop a wave it never had before.
Can you activate the curly hair gene? People who have a curly-haired parent assume that they can activate this gene. If by puberty your hair doesn't turn curly then you can't activate a curly hair gene.
As you age, your curls can loosen, change their shape or even form new curl patterns due to hormonal and environmental factors. Or maybe you're experiencing curly hair for the first time in your life as your aging locks change the shape of your hair follicles.
Not only does touching your hair make it dirty quicker—which is no good for curls that shouldn't be over washed—but it also can make it frizz like crazy. You might remember the days when scrunching hair was all the rage. Even with a pound of product in our hair it somehow still managed to be frizzy.
"The more you touch your curls, the more frizzy they become, the wider they grow, and the less defined they will be," she says. As a result, Embree suggests waiting until your hair is completely dry before styling it: "After they've dried, gently separate the curls or coils."
It doesn't matter WHEN you curl your hair, but HOW you curl it! Many hair gurus recommend waiting 2-3 days after washing your hair, as ''dirty hair'' tends to hold curls better. We feel that curling hair should be more spontaneous, and we don't think it's necessary to allocate a time.
Another way to make your curls curlier is to use a Denman brush. There are plenty of YouTube videos that show you how to do it. A Denman brush has thick, spaced-out bristles to encourage curls, while also clumping the curls. Start at the roots and gently brush downwards towards the ends of your hair.
Deep Condition Often. Curly hair types often require much more moisture due to their dry nature. In addition to your daily conditioners and leave-in conditioning sprays, a weekly hair mask can help repair surface damage to curly hair, eliminating frizz and restoring it to healthy-looking hair.
Yes, you can use hair mousse for curls on dry hair. Mousse is a styling product that provides hold and volume, making it ideal for styling wet and dry hair. It's also beneficial for curly hair because it gives curls more definition without weighing them down or making them stiffer than usual.
Healthy curls are soft and vibrant. While all curls experience some shedding from time to time, excessive breakage can mean that your hair is experiencing weakened protein bonds alongside frizz and split ends. You might also notice an aggravated scalp.
One of the most common reasons for limp curls is too much moisture. Although, curly hair is prone to dryness, sometimes we can go overboard with moisture. When your hair becomes excessively wet, it loses its shape and definition.
3A hair is made up of well-defined and springy curls that have a loopy, “S” shaped pattern. Their circumference is the size of a piece of sidewalk chalk. 3A ringlets have a fine to medium texture. This curl type benefits from lots of body and movement, but is prone to frizzing and dryness.
"As it air dries, your natural texture will start to appear. If it's more of a long S-shape, then your hair is wavy. If you're seeing spirals or ringlets, then your hair is curly."
Another way to see if your hair has a wavy or even curly pattern to it is the strand test: pull a single strand of hair and gently stretch it (without breaking it or pulling it out!): if your hair stretches to a straight shape and bounces back to a soft wave or even a ringlet, chances are you are curly-haired.
Curly and wavy hair is completely uninhibited by societal pressure. Your curls will laugh in your face when you try to change them and they will declare themselves a wild force of nature. This is hot! And that is why so many people want to make babies with people with curly hair.