Childhood hair condition - can we get it back?

[Boudicca]

I have a question. My hair is dry, frizzy and floaty. When I was a little girl, though, my hair was gloriously smooth and glossy. Can we ever get back to our childhood condition, or is there no going back?

For the record, I have never coloured, permed, or straightened my hair.

(I think I asked this on the old board, but now I can't find the thread)

[Darkhorse1]

Nope. Children's hair, from what I remember, grows from roots and something else goes on at the ends. As a result, you get naturally smooth, glossy hair. As you age, it gets more dry/brittle at the ends, especially for long/super long hair.

Can't seem to find that article, but it is something about children's hair having protein at the ends as well or it grows from the ends...sorry, I read this eons ago ;)

[~GypsyCurls~]

Ah I wish...I had flowing dark waves, the curls were more waves since it was so long. I got called a witch whenever I wore my hair down...lol.

Well, nowadays I actually *am* a witch!

[Chromis]

Oh dear, I much prefer my adult hair! As a child my hair was always one big shaggy knot!

[Boudicca]

Ach, well - it was a nice dream while it lasted ;) I had a brief dream of getting my lovely childhood hair back if I only went back the the old routine of simply washing once a week with Vosene.

Thanks :)

[Euphony]

I'm with Chromis, I much prefer my adult hair. I had unusual hair in my family, it was thick and curly- not straight and not thin. No one knew how to take care of it, so the only thing anyone ever let me do was cut it off.

[jojo]

I too prefer my adult hair, to my very fine, fly away hair I had as a child would love my strawberry blond colour back though!

[freznow]

Depending on your genetics, where you live, etc., I think it's possible.

I mean, maybe the only reason you have different hair now is that the water when you were little was better. If so, all you'd need is better water. It might be what you eat. It might be that your hair has changed for good due to hormones. Any number of scenarios.

[2luvmycurls]

Interesting question..that I can't answer. I was born with curlyish hair but then as I got a little older (maybe 5-8 or so) it was relatively not curly, maybe just had body and slight wave. Then I got a perm in third grade. I cut it all off in 4th grade, and it grew it much curlier after then and since. So I'm thinking it was just hormones that kicked the curls up or something, but it seemed like the perm did something too. Weird.

[Curlsgirl]

My hair was really cute and curly when I was very little. Then it straightened out to a slight wave and I got it cut in the third grade to a pixie and it curled up again and has been pretty curly ever since. I would not want to go back to that because I had no idea how to do anything with my hair so I just blew it dry frizzy and hated it. That was mostly until I came here come to think of it! Really though, the feel of my hair from when I was a child is not too much different. It was finer then but I think that is pretty normal.

[spidermom]

One nice thing is that the hairs start growing from a child's head at about the same time, so for a long time they grow without shedding and regrowing. That's why they will often have very smooth hair; they don't have newer, younger hairs sticking out all along the length like we get when we're older and each hair is on its own shed and regrow cycle.

[HairColoredHair]

I really don't want it.

Shiny and soft, yes, but it was so FINE and SLIPPERY that it took yanking and pain to put it up...


Do not want! :wail:

[Darkhorse1]

No, it's not just that kids don't shed hair, which I believe they do---something about the fact that the hair folicle at the end has either a protective sheath that wears away as you age, or it grows something at the ends, which makes it glossier (and why LOL wants kids to donate their hair).

I'll see if I can find that article. I read too much and always remember bizzare things ;)

[Buddaphlyy]

No, I don't think you can.

Hair becomes thinner and drier as we get older. Also hormones have kicked in and our diets have changed. Plus if you've had your own children or have had an illness, that may have caused things to be altered. I've also heard that our hair changes (very slightly though) with each growth cycle, so you aren't even growing the same hair you were when you were a kid.

[nappywomyn]

I do so hope you find that article, Darkhorse! This is a very interesting thread....

[rileysmama32208]

i had TB length hair when i was 5-6 years old... i HATED it... i couldnt brush it, without tangling it... i made my mom let me cut it, and it was short to a boyish short cut, lol. My hair is actually much better now.. maybe in highschool it was better than now, but so was my skin, and my figure, and well, everything else, lol.

[KiwiLiz]

My hair isn't very much different to my hair as child -except the colour darkened natural and I dyed it quite a few times, but my virgin growth seems to have the same condition. I've always wondered about this in relation to skin, lots of kids have such nice skin... even in high school my skin was good (I had one pimple, seriously) Then I turned 18 and all of a sudden it went down hill :(

[Darkhorse1]

Still searching for that dang article. I'm going to ask my mother/father tomorrow as they are both in the scientific community and will remember what I'm forgetting.

[spidermom]

No, it's not just that kids don't shed hair, which I believe they do---something about the fact that the hair folicle at the end has either a protective sheath that wears away as you age, or it grows something at the ends, which makes it glossier (and why LOL wants kids to donate their hair).

I'll see if I can find that article. I read too much and always remember bizzare things ;)

Of course they shed. The infant hair sheds out and the child's hair starts growing in about 4 months after birth and will continue to grow until around age 5-7, when the shedding cycle begins again. 80-85% of hairs are actively growing during childhood. The percentage goes down the older you get. I did some research, and this is truly one of the reasons that the hair of most children looks smoother: they don't have a constant halo of new hairs the way adults do.

[Dreamernz]

hmmm that seems strange to me since you never damaged your hair in any way hmmmm funny thing is i can't fully remember what my hair was like, i seem to remember having lovely hair when i was really young, but that it had to be all shaved off cos of shall we say an 'infestation' i don't think my hair has ever been that thick again.....

[Boudicca]

I don't really know what caused my hair change. My childhood hair was glossy with a loose s wave. Now, I have banshee hair! ;)

[Aisha25]

My hairs is still exactly like when I was small just only my hairs are more thicker and strands too are much coarser very happy about this and much longer now:joy: