Do you lose Curl as you gain Length?

[Luna Starsetta]

Hello, just a question I'm sure has been brought up before. I did try to search for one but to no avail. If you know of one please link it! I would enjoy the read. Other wise.... Here we go. I've begun to notice that as my hair is getting longer I'm stating to lose the curl I had at my roots that would give me volume. Now my wash day hair has all the curls I could want but when it comes to about day 3 or 4 its almost like a soft wave that bounds into my curls at the bottom. Just wondering if I am not the only one to experience this. My styling routine is LOC leave in a little oil and then some light hold gel. I don't want to over do the gel so I'm very light handed with it. And I don't use much oil only on the length and I don't put much of anything near my scelp... Any advice would be greatly welcomed. I do have a few face framing layers. So they do spring up a bit. So just a bit confused. Thanks for reading i know its a bit rambled.

[Spikey]

I don't have any advice, sorry, but I can definitely confirm that I lose curl as I gain length. I think the weight of all your hair just stretches it out the longer and heavier your hair gets. The bottom doesn't really support any weight, so I find my ends are always curly, but of course the roots are being pulled on by the rest of your hair. I don't know how you could fix it.

[Luna Starsetta]

I don't have any advice, sorry, but I can definitely confirm that I lose curl as I gain length. I think the weight of all your hair just stretches it out the longer and heavier your hair gets. The bottom doesn't really support any weight, so I find my ends are always curly, but of course the roots are being pulled on by the rest of your hair. I don't know how you could fix it.

thank you for the confirmation!

[cjk]

As hair increases in length it also increases in weight. And that weight can weigh-down the curls, somewhat.

I have a pattern similar to what you describe.

[meteor]

Oh yes, it can definitely happen. :agree:

In fact, it seems that at different lengths the way textures get expressed can change quite a bit. Very short hair (e.g. buzzcuts to shoulder) may be too short to show the full extent of some curl/wave patterns, so it may look even straighter, then it can get curlier, but after a certain length again hair gets weighed down and stretched by its own weight and thus can look much straighter, so a typical look can be that of straighter roots, wavier lengths and curls and spirals forming mostly at the ends. If you want to encourage curl while keeping length, layering may be an option.

Changing length is such an important factor that I can never confidently classify my own hair, for example, it's definitely very wavy or even curly if it's midback or shorter, but it typically looks almost completely straight now at current length. It's not that unusual, I think.
I think the weight of hair, the type of cut, the humidity, the products one uses and the detangling/styling methods all matter in current wave/curl pattern expression.

[littlestarface]

For me my hair stays the same no matter the length. A frizzy mess.

[Ligeia Noire]

Yes it does, my hair is only wavy, 2b-2c but the full texture only lasts after air drying, wash day that is, then the wurls are just waves on the next day and then because I do not wear it down, the rest of the week it is just straight. I think curls or tighter spirals might be a different story but I would imagine they also loosen as you grow more and more, just the way gravity works.

[Luna Starsetta]

thank you all for letting me know and might i say you all have such beautiful textures of curls! @Meteor, Littlestarface, cjk and Ligeia Noire

[Wavykate]

My hair definitely loosened as it got longer, around BSL it was quite weighed down and straighter. If you really want to keep volume the only thing would be to have some layers cut in to get a bit of movement in and the top layers not as weighed down but personally I think it looks really nice when it’s straighter at the top falling into waves/whurls at the ends!

[LadyCelestina]

I don't think the actual curl loosens as it gets longer, more like it gets stretched out due to the weight.

I can still get volume by styling and scrunching my hair upside down and diffusing. That gives me a lot of curl at the roots and throughout the length as well.

That being said, my curls stretch out to loose waves the longer I go from wash day - it's natural, and the buns and braids we do also stretch it.

Some curlies use hard hold gels to combat this so I guess you could try that if it really bothers you. Also making your hairstyles really loose so as to not squish the pattern too much.

Here's how straight my hair can get, from 3a/3b post wash (see my post history, I have a recent pic, styled with gel). I think it was about waist length curly so around hip+ in straight length?

https://i.imgur.com/0J5XAQn.jpg

[blackgothicdoll]

Yes, around APL seems to be my 'drop zone', I noticed last time I was growing out my hair and I notice it now. I refer to that as when gravity allows the hair to actually bend down instead of just sitting on itself, and the weight then stretches them out a bit. It's something I only notice when wet because I stretch out my hair 100% of time, but it does almost appear to be a texture change at first glance.

[leayellena]

When I had a pixie as a child my hair was plain straight.
At shoulder length it got wavy! Like a lot of volume on the crown! 2b/2c officially!
At apl my hair was officially 2a. Barely there waves but there was the real struggle for volume on the crown. A struggle I decided to not care about but wear ponytails instead.
I was at mbl when I found LHC. By then my crown got completely straight ant the longest layer of a v hemline was straight. The rest of the layers were wavy. I got 1c/2a hair type.
Now when my layers have reach hip length and the i self micro trimmed the longest layer to tbl my hair is officially 1c.
There's still half of my length too thin because of breakage before LHC so they curl/wave a bit. My crown now is completely 1a except the cowlicks that poofs my hair into 1b. Who knows if my hair is actually 1b/1c or even 1b when my taper grows and my hair grows longer...
To me haircuts are not natural processes. Those curls are just loose, thin(ned) hair that looks like wannabe normal because we are used to this rather than terminal length.
I don't say LHC is not good, it is good to find a lot about hair care, scalp, hair fall... but if you check out naturally curly you will almost never see a curly with hair longer than apl. If they have waist length they go to naturally curly to learn how to enhance their curls instead of how to wear long hair.

[LadyArwen]

I do lose "wave" as I gain length. When my hair is shorter it dries with a slight wave in different directions...I always had to blowdry and round brush and curl the ends to get it to look uniform. My hair isn't completely straight as it is long, there is a soft flow to it. I have wanted curl for so long, so I will just be happy as it is!

[lapushka]

I'd say you do about everything right styling wise.

It is a thing with curls that they tend to sag out with time and with length and added weight.

Waves first need some length to even form, so it's a little different there, but now at FTL my waves are doing the very same thing, a couple of good days, even one good day, and I sleep on it and... Wham, where did it all go?

It comes with the territory, I'm afraid.

I'm sure when your hair was shorter it became less defined come day 3/4 as well. No?

[enting]

Yes, my wurls drop out the farther out it is from wash day and also the longer it gets. When I first joined LHC I was sure my hair was 2c/3a, possibly actually 3a. Now I sometimes doubt that it's even 2c with the same routine (this is a large part of why I'm never sure about my actual hairtype). On wash day it's the curliest it gets. It will stay that way if I sleep with it bunned loosely and do not touch it, but I can't do that for many days in a row. I do think my crown gets pulled straighter faster than when it was shorter, also. If I clip up the roots on wash day it helps for that day, but the effect doesn't last long against gravity.

[itskate]

When I had a pixie as a child my hair was plain straight.
At shoulder length it got wavy! Like a lot of volume on the crown! 2b/2c officially!
At apl my hair was officially 2a. Barely there waves but there was the real struggle for volume on the crown. A struggle I decided to not care about but wear ponytails instead.
I was at mbl when I found LHC. By then my crown got completely straight ant the longest layer of a v hemline was straight. The rest of the layers were wavy. I got 1c/2a hair type.
Now when my layers have reach hip length and the i self micro trimmed the longest layer to tbl my hair is officially 1c.
There's still half of my length too thin because of breakage before LHC so they curl/wave a bit. My crown now is completely 1a except the cowlicks that poofs my hair into 1b. Who knows if my hair is actually 1b/1c or even 1b when my taper grows and my hair grows longer...
To me haircuts are not natural processes. Those curls are just loose, thin(ned) hair that looks like wannabe normal because we are used to this rather than terminal length.
I don't say LHC is not good, it is good to find a lot about hair care, scalp, hair fall... but if you check out naturally curly you will almost never see a curly with hair longer than apl. If they have waist length they go to naturally curly to learn how to enhance their curls instead of how to wear long hair.

I don't have much experience with LHC yet, but it does seem like you either prioritize curls and the curly girl method, or prioritize long hair, huh? When I was big into caring for my curls and nothing else, everyone I looked to for inspiration had shorter hair, and it's pretty rare to see someone with really long hair who fully embraces the cg method... I can definitely see it becoming too much to maintain with very long hair. But that said, there's nothing wrong with changing patterns, loose waves are also lovely with long hair. I basically decided that since I've never had long hair, I would rather see it grow and be okay with whatever texture it becomes, if it does change, than stay at shoulder even with lots of curl. So far I don't feel like my hair is being affected too much anyway, but it'll be interesting to see if that's still the case the more lengths I hit.
(the only thing I'm worried about is confusing people who are like, so what IS your real hair type??? haha...this is why I'm not sure how i feel about set in stone hair type classifications, there's way too many variables)

[LadyCelestina]

I don't have much experience with LHC yet, but it does seem like you either prioritize curls and the curly girl method, or prioritize long hair, huh? When I was big into caring for my curls and nothing else, everyone I looked to for inspiration had shorter hair, and it's pretty rare to see someone with really long hair who fully embraces the cg method....
(the only thing I'm worried about is confusing people who are like, so what IS your real hair type??? haha...this is why I'm not sure how i feel about set in stone hair type classifications, there's way too many variables)

The biggest part of CG is what it is: styling the hair after it's washed.

With long hair, you don't always need or want to do any kind of styling (on loose hair) - for example if I know I am going to braid my hair, I won't put in gels and what not, I want the strands to be soft and pliable. If I need to quickly de-grease my hair, I'm going to scalp wash, regardless of how frizzy my length gets. I won't cut my hair into layers that only look good when my hair is worn loose and pulled over the shoulders. I won't put in a ton of leave-ins to reach perfect curls on wash hair, if it means washing it again tommorow because it's limp and oily.

I like the flexibility of having very curly hair one day, and looser, wavier hair the next day :) I consider my true texture the one I have after I for example get out of the pool and don't do anything to my hair. Other than that, it's all fake :P

[Hairkay]

Yes with weight and gravity eventually roots will stretch out a bit. In my avatar my hair was in a perfectly round puff at bsl. It wouldn't stay in a big round afro but I could get it into those heart shaped ones with a part. Now hair will hang in ponytails and I am not getting much of a heart shape. I like my hair plaited so I haven't cut my hair in the popular diva shape. I adore my natural taper. My hair will still curl tightly even with more hang time.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I have certainly lost wave as my hair has grown longer - thought I wonder if some of that could be damage from dyes. My natural virgin hair does still have its waves. We shall see if it continues as the virgin hair gets longer (right now it's at around APL length, well, last time I checked, which was a while ago.)

[Natalia_A00]

I'm not sure about other people, but I think my hair is less wavy now that it's longer. I was seeing pictures of me when I had short hair and I noticed that my hair was more wavy (not too much but there's a difference). Also I think the use of conditioners and products contribute to this.

[leayellena]

I don't have much experience with LHC yet, but it does seem like you either prioritize curls and the curly girl method, or prioritize long hair, huh? When I was big into caring for my curls and nothing else, everyone I looked to for inspiration had shorter hair, and it's pretty rare to see someone with really long hair who fully embraces the cg method... I can definitely see it becoming too much to maintain with very long hair. But that said, there's nothing wrong with changing patterns, loose waves are also lovely with long hair. I basically decided that since I've never had long hair, I would rather see it grow and be okay with whatever texture it becomes, if it does change, than stay at shoulder even with lots of curl. So far I don't feel like my hair is being affected too much anyway, but it'll be interesting to see if that's still the case the more lengths I hit.
(the only thing I'm worried about is confusing people who are like, so what IS your real hair type??? haha...this is why I'm not sure how i feel about set in stone hair type classifications, there's way too many variables)

the problem is: either long hair and loose curls or sassy curls and short hair. I mean look at all those hairdressers... they can't handle anything beyond wl and think even straight hair can go wavy if it's short enough. we on lhc consider long hair that hair that's longer than waist.
well I think we are conditioned to believe short hair = low maintenance, while long hair = a hassle. it's ok to keep it shorter like wl or mbl, we even have the thread for shorties who love short hair. you can cg even floor length hair but don't expect curls on the crown. for me short hair looks like a rag on my head. I can't style it and I definitely won't force my back and backpain in the name of the 1" barrel curling iron or so. in this case, it's up to each and everyone to decide how long or shoret hair is manageable or not.but I think I see your point: if you are almost curly 2c/3a you don't really lose so much curls like someone with 1c orr 2a. that's true, your curls won't disappear totally, they'll just stretch (it remains to be seen how much though, because everyone experience different type of curls between short hair and their hair longer).
I am frustrated myself about my hair type. with a textured long pixie I had 2b/2c, now I look at my hair twins and I just can't believe my hair could almost be 1b/1c :O I am sying that haircuts are not natural, because naturally hair doesn't have its terminal at apl ( aka hairdresser's "it won't grow past a certain length"l). most people can grow theirr hair up to hl and mostly their hair is a blunt or fairitayled hemline.

[Alexandrina]

My hair is wavy, 2b, and it does straighten out a bit the longer it gets.
When I had hair I could sit on many years ago, it was in very soft waves.
When I cut it to chin length, it was waayyy curlier than 2b, till it grew about shoulder.
Now at mid-back I'm getting very wavy but not curly. Although it's curliest just after washing.

But I think the point is my waves never really went away or anything, but yes I think length will affect your texture.

Anyways I find sleeping with your hair up rather than loose can help it from flattening a bit, volume wise.

[elfynity]

My hair ends are 3a and the top is 1c, whether it is short or my current length, MBL. I am really hoping that my hair will get straighter as it gets longer, there is hope!!

My hair gets curlier the longer I don't wash it.

[priinnz]

Yes I have some friends whose curls become looser as the hair gains length.

Mine on the other hand, become wavier. My hair were straight till BSL. As it grows longer I can see/ waves, sometimes even spirals at bottom while still being straight till about BSL. The waves and spirals being even more prominent when there are layers.

[BerrySara]

Now I don't have long hair but yes I can absolutely see my hairs being pulled down as it grows. A year ago my shrinkage was a lot worse then it is now. Then curls were fully tight coils all the way but now with some length its stretched in loser spirals or even sometimes waves from roots to near the ends. But at the ends they go back into a tight coil. I personally really like this effect.

With regards to roots having some volume, it made a huge difference for me to style my hair upside down. This also allowed for individual clumps/groups of hair at the roots which gave me more definition and less of a triangular effect. But I also have layers so I have no idea what it would be like if I didn't.

[Kalamazoo]

Do I lose curl as I gain length? Nope. I'm going in the opposite direction.

My baby pictures show straight hair,

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35895&d=1552058260


except for after Mama had pincurled it or put it up in curlers.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35897&d=1552058789


When I rebelled & took out the rollers so I could sleep, Mama took me to the beauty parlor for a pixie haircut -- which was perhaps mildly wavy.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35898&d=1552059523

So I always thought of myself as having straight hair, & thought that curls were much prettier.

October 10, 2018, when my hair was the longest ever, I was amazed to discover spirals in my freshly-washed, drying hair. Also, my hair color is all over the map!

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33813&d=1540457141

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33812&d=1540457092

So it's growing longer & even curlier now. And yes, inverting to comb my hair up into a top-of-the-head bun does indeed give volume to the roots when I let it down. I'm at about hip length now.

My current opinion is that my hair was always wavy, but that the wave pattern is so relaxed that it takes a good bit of length for my hair to form very long, loose spirals.

[lapushka]

Do I lose curl as I gain length? Nope. I'm going in the opposite direction.

My baby pictures show straight hair,

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35895&d=1552058260


except for after Mama had pincurled it or put it up in curlers.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35897&d=1552058789


When I rebelled & took out the rollers so I could sleep, Mama took me to the beauty parlor for a pixie haircut -- which was perhaps mildly wavy.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35898&d=1552059523

So I always thought of myself as having straight hair, & thought that curls were much prettier.

October 10, 2018, when my hair was the longest ever, I was amazed to discover spirals in my freshly-washed, drying hair. Also, my hair color is all over the map!

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33813&d=1540457141

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33812&d=1540457092

So it's growing longer & even curlier now. And yes, inverting to comb my hair up into a top-of-the-head bun does indeed give volume to the roots when I let it down. I'm at about hip length now.

My current opinion is that my hair was always wavy, but that the wave pattern is so relaxed that it takes a good bit of length for my hair to form very long, loose spirals.

Maybe you need to hairtype your hair, because normally 1b is not "curly". ;)

[Kalamazoo]

OK, Lapushka! Hair-type! Will do! ... Just as soon as I've got a way to post pics from my camcorder. Can't take decent pictures on my phone without a tripod nor a self-timer function. Which means I need to buy a computer ... which is why I haven't done it yet ... but I definitely should!

I am curious!

[priinnz]

Do I lose curl as I gain length? Nope. I'm going in the opposite direction.

My baby pictures show straight hair,

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35895&d=1552058260


except for after Mama had pincurled it or put it up in curlers.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35897&d=1552058789


When I rebelled & took out the rollers so I could sleep, Mama took me to the beauty parlor for a pixie haircut -- which was perhaps mildly wavy.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=35898&d=1552059523

So I always thought of myself as having straight hair, & thought that curls were much prettier.

October 10, 2018, when my hair was the longest ever, I was amazed to discover spirals in my freshly-washed, drying hair. Also, my hair color is all over the map!

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33813&d=1540457141

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33812&d=1540457092

So it's growing longer & even curlier now. And yes, inverting to comb my hair up into a top-of-the-head bun does indeed give volume to the roots when I let it down. I'm at about hip length now.

My current opinion is that my hair was always wavy, but that the wave pattern is so relaxed that it takes a good bit of length for my hair to form very long, loose spirals.
My hair behave very similar to yours. But my curl/spiral is a bit looser at the ends. I sometimes wonder if it’s a combination of things like loose hair wave pattern beingapparent only at longer lengths and also maybe the ends are more damaged so have less weight and do not lay straight

[lithostoic]

Kalamazoo my hair spirals like that too! Actually, a bit more than that. I agree you should do a hairtyping pic :)

[Kalamazoo]

I sometimes wonder if it’s a combination of things like loose hair wave pattern being apparent only at longer lengths and also maybe the ends are more damaged so have less weight and do not lay straight

That makes sense.

[Simsy]

When I was a kid, I had Shirley Temple ringlets that pointed straight out from where they grew. They were kept reasonably short, mostly because mum and I could actually deal with them that way. I was in high school before they got long enough to hang down. I stated to lose visible ringlets against my scalp at about cbl; but I did still have a fairly obvious curl happening right from the roots. Once I got past bsl, my curl began to concentrate on the bottom half of my hair, which is where it still focuses most of the ringlet shape. I still have a wave happening near my scalp, but now it looks more like a soft finger wave (think 20s flapper).

Really depends on your hair and the strength of the curl pattern. Tighter patterns will hold a curl shape at greater lengths, while looser patterns will eventually start to concentrate only at the ends. Looking at it, you have a loose curl that is becoming more obvious. That could be an old texture that hasnt fallen out yet; or it could the result of care that you have only started recently. Stealth curls are surprisingly common from what I’ve seen.

[Luna Starsetta]

When I was a kid, I had Shirley Temple ringlets that pointed straight out from where they grew. They were kept reasonably short, mostly because mum and I could actually deal with them that way. I was in high school before they got long enough to hang down. I stated to lose visible ringlets against my scalp at about cbl; but I did still have a fairly obvious curl happening right from the roots. Once I got past bsl, my curl began to concentrate on the bottom half of my hair, which is where it still focuses most of the ringlet shape. I still have a wave happening near my scalp, but now it looks more like a soft finger wave (think 20s flapper).

Really depends on your hair and the strength of the curl pattern. Tighter patterns will hold a curl shape at greater lengths, while looser patterns will eventually start to concentrate only at the ends. Looking at it, you have a loose curl that is becoming more obvious. That could be an old texture that hasnt fallen out yet; or it could the result of care that you have only started recently. Stealth curls are surprisingly common from what I’ve seen.

That is a very valid and interesting point you got there. Makes sense.

Also I enjoyed reading all of these responses!

[JuniperTree]

I don't have curly hair myself, but my little sister has type 3a hair. She used to be at BSL then had 14 inches cut off and went from loose waves to full on curls. I'm quite jealous!

[ynne]

For me, the waves started to form much further down from the roots! So the top of my head could look almost straight, but I think the transition from stretched hair to waves and to curls at the very ends looked quite natural. Plus, for me, getting rid of volume is the goal, so this helped a bit.

I did not read the whole thread, but if you have a good experience with your face-framing hair keeping more of the curly shape, have you considered a heavily layered hairstyle? Not necessarily a devacut (not sure if that's an option for you), but it might improve the situation, at least a little? (Example (https://www.hairromance.com/2012/11/tips-for-great-curly-haircut.html).)

[lunalocks]

Maybe I am odd - but if my hair were chin length, and it has been, I would have NO curl. it is only longer than that when my waves show up. I think at hip I was equally as wavy as I am at knee, now.