What happened to my waves?

[birdiefu]

For at least the past few months, I've noticed that my hair doesn't seem to be as naturally wavy as usual. It still takes bun and braid waves as well as usual (and that's usually how I wear it anyway), but the few times I wanted to coax some waves out of it, it seemed to fall flat. So despite the major inconvenience of air drying without touching it (with the kids, it can be hazardous), I went ahead and did it today to see how my hair will look in it's natural state. However, I did keep a Buff on while it was drying to keep it mostly out of the way.

After many hours, it dried (of course). I'm not sure if the housework and constant flopping of the length back when it fell over my shoulder messed up the process, but it is very much less wavy than it used to be! I wish I knew what to do to get my waves back. I've taken to CWC more now, but did a CO before drying this time to compare to my last drying pictures. I did move overseas, so maybe the water and/or environment is making a difference- but this much? My hair is anything but dry right now- I've been babying it a lot the last few weeks and even my ends are soft and relatively happy. I don't even henna as much as I used to (used to be multiple times a month, now once a month or less often).

Okay, pics for all to see of what my waves used to be and what has become of it. Last air-dried pic I could find:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/birdiefu/hair/BeforeHenna.jpg

And today, after taking the Buff off. My butt isn't really that big, I had to squat down a bit to get all my hair in the pic:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/birdiefu/hair2/AirDried.jpg

And some other shots for varieties sake are, after combing:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/birdiefu/hair2/DriedCombed.jpg

Before taking off Buff, hair in front of shoulders. There is one strand that is wavy most of the way up from the back of my head...the rest are not:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/birdiefu/hair2/Front.jpg

And the front view again, but combed:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/birdiefu/hair2/FrontBrushed.jpg

One last picture, this was done a couple days ago where I misted hair that was previously combed till dry (and quite straight) with water/condish/glycerine/aloe and did the Buff drying thing. I didn't get it soaking wet before drying, but it seems to have gotten wavier than today. Hard to tell with the lighting, but you can see the bends going up the side to my head. Not combed.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v670/birdiefu/hair2/MistDried.jpg

Do I need to reclassify myself? I miss my waves, and so does my DH. Any advice on what to do to get them back? It's so sad...

[Flaxen]

birdie, I think it's the extra length. The same thing's happening to me. I used to get spirals, too, but not anymore. :undecided

Your hair's still gorgeous. :flower:

[annarose]

I don't know why this happens, my hair did the same thing though. :sad

I am blaming henna/indigo on it, it seems like it affects alot of us the same way and darn it, we miss our curls but the conditioning of henna...choices choices. Do you think this may be what pulled your curls out too Birdiefu?

Flaxen, yes length is a culprit too I've found.

I went from this
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v710/justdoinit/DSCF5943.jpg
and sometimes even pure spirals to my siggy pic. Sad.
I should probably change my 2B to more of an a.

[mommy101405]

I would think its the weight of the added hair. I used to have nice waves before I had my girls. pregnancy did terrible things to my hair.

[Koala Kim]

birdie, I think it's the extra length. The same thing's happening to me. I used to get spirals, too, but not anymore. :undecided

Your hair's still gorgeous. :flower:
Yep to both statements. :agree:

If you look back at my hair when I first started posting pictures (2004) I definitely had 2b/2c hair.
Now that it's grazing tailbone; straight as a stick. :shrug:

ETA: Ummm...don't have pictures posted here at the new LHC. Forgot about that. :o
Just take my word on it. ;)

[spidermom]

Changing climates will change your hair type, no doubt about it. When we vacationed in Italy a couple of years ago, my hair went completely straight. I'm talking 1A/1B. I came back home, and it wurlied itself right back into its usual witchy mess.

[Shell]

It's probably a combination of things. Length and henna can definitely make your hair less wavy, but I'm also thinking that it might be the water. When I went to Boulder last December, my hair was quite straight. No henna, no new length--just different water (and climate of course). You might experiment with different products for cleansing and conditioning. If I had relocated to Colorado, I would definitely do that. The same thing happened when I went to Hawaii; my hair seemed totally different. Water+climate=different hair! Don't give up on the waves!

[birdiefu]

Flaxen and Koala Kim, thanks for the compliments, you are too sweet!

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who has experienced this, it is quite frustrating. Way back in the day I used to consider myself a straightie until I discovered that if I was nice to my hair, it was actually wavy. I don't want to have to go back into straightie-land (not that I don't think it's beautiful on others)!

As far as henna- by the time that first picture was taken, I was hennaing every other week for about a year. That pic was done before a henna session to determine if I even got any more color from henna, as my length was pretty much color-saturated at that point (and also since I hadn't done an air-dry pic since around BSL). I don't believe (but I may be wrong) that the less frequent henna since then would take out a lot more wave.

Length- yeah, my hair pulls quite straight when soaking wet, and it seems like just the ends manage to bounce back while it's drying, unless I scrunch. I think maybe the misting made my hair wavier, since it just got it moist enough to let my hair wave a bit without putting too much weight on it?

I think the water here might be different, since I had to abandon CO after 2 years for CWC. My hair had gotten quite tangly and rough at the ends, and it took some good S&D, clarifying, change of products, and babying to get it happy again. My scalp was also getting pretty gunky. I now CWC with Giovanni 50/50 or Nexxus Therapee (diluted) as poo, some type of Suave or VO5 for first C and a Nexxus (Ensure, Humectress, or rarely Keraphix) as final C. Citric acid rinse once in a while. Leave-ins vary- maybe a tiny bit of Humectress or some GR depending on how my ends feel, and I always oil with fractionated coconut oil. If anything, my hair may be overconditioned right now as it's very soft and floppy- not sure if this is taking wave out, but since I just got it happy again, I'm afraid of backing off on that.

Should I reclassify myself as 1c? Or maybe see if I can coax it back into wavy-land?

[Riot Crrl]

It could be climate, it could be water, it could be diet, it could be vitamins. It could be birth control or other meds. It could be products or routine. It could also be just a life stage.

Or, it could be from being in an updo all the time, it is used to being "pulled straight" and trained that way. With mine I know it has to be "re-trained" to be curly, after forgetting how.

[Flaxen]

I wouldn't reclassify yourself just yet. :smile:

[teela1978]

I'm experiencing a similar phenomenon with my hair and I'm currently hypothesizing that the chemically dyed parts somehow sucked up more moisture and got a lot wavier than my virgin growth. Could it be that you're just getting to the point that you have more virgin hair than damaged by dye? (I'm going off your siggy)

[morningstar]

birdiefu My hair has done the same thing. I had layers and pre henna I had waves. I have had about 14 total henna head applications and now I am straight as a pin except for one slight s curve on one side. Come to my profile for the pics. Our hair is similar in color and texture. I think your hair is very pretty so don't worry too much over the curl loss. So perhaps it is a combo of layers grown out, henna definately the henna and water change.

[groque]

humidity affects my curl. no humidity no wurl.

[jojo]

i too go with the notional that the extra length has stretched those curls out, but i too wouldnt suggest re-classifying yourself just yet humidity, products used all have an impact. your hair is lovely BTW

[Katze]

Mine has done this too, and it's a lot less wavy than yours. Using 'cones has seemed to make my hair straighter, though it is wavier at the moment. it really changes week to week.

Even in the 'straight' pics you show, I still see spirals at the end (the misted pic...), putting you well into the 2s, as I understand it, and you do have waves up higher too in the pics I saw.

I agree that different care, water, and product could be affecting it, but so could growth. :shrug: Nevertheless, beautiful hair.

Katze