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View Full Version : Why does my hair do this? (Curl related)



Naluin
April 22nd, 2008, 01:55 PM
I'm planning to set my hair on rollers for a temporary straight look. As a test to figure out which size roller I need, I put a roller in a small section of my fully dry hair. It fell out in about 10 seconds because my hair is too short for that roller, but my hair had already taken on the curve of the roller.

I've always said my hair has excellent "memory". It holds a curl almost too well and curls stay in my hair without product for hours, regardless of humidity. My hair has to be doused in order for it lose a curl.

So what makes my hair do this? Any ideas? Hydrogen bonds? S bonds? My hair actually being made of wire and not keratin? :shrug:

Shypii90
April 22nd, 2008, 05:30 PM
Lol I'm not really sure what to say because my hair has a very bad memory; one day it's uber-curly, the next day its wavy! lol.. But generally it's curly enough and stays like that.

Once my sister straightened my hair with irons a few months ago and when I say that it paralyzed my hair, I'm not joking. Even after tons of washing and conditioner, the last 3 inches of my tips are all nearly straight and the roots are 3a curly! lol, lame. That's the only time when my hair had a long-term memory, because even dye colours it forgets after 2 months!

As for the temporary straight look, with hair that has very good memory, it won't end up being as temporary as required.. It will end up relaxing the hair for a longer time than you wish. Unfortunately this sucks because as humans we like changing our appearance from time to time... so you'll either have to dish that temporary-straight look idea (if you want your hair to remain it's current texture), or live with somewhat relaxed hair.

I hope this helped

Riot Crrl
April 22nd, 2008, 06:03 PM
It is to do with bonds, but sadly I don't understand this chemistry well yet. I have the same hair, though. Loves to do anything that I encourage it to do that it already wants to. Things it doesn't want to do? Uhh... not having it.

savi
April 23rd, 2008, 04:55 AM
A Biology geek at your service. I also do a bit of chemistry. :eyebrows:

My hair has also a good memory, when I style it the style stays and stays. Mine's only wavy but when I set it on curls without any products, the curls will stay for days until I wash it again... So this really doesn't depend on how moisturised the hair is or in how good shape it is. It's actually a structure thing aka you're born with it.

Hmm. Hydrogen bonds (of hair keratin) affect the level of curl you have aka. 1a, 2b, 3c etc. They also explain why hair looses it's natural curl/straightness after rough chemical treatments. But to answer this question, that's not the answer IMHO I'm thinking it has something to do with the other aminoacids the hair structure is made of, and lipids. These bring more elasticity to the hair. So your hair might contain more of some other aminoacid aka protein that gives it the elasticity and hold.

Ahem. I need to go recap before I fully answer this one. But now I'm going have to go to work, I'll come back to answer after work.

AutumnLeaves
April 23rd, 2008, 05:24 AM
My hair has always been this way too, though wetting it removes whatever I've done to it (whether I've curled it or straightened it). It tends to be very curly when left to its own devices. Setting the hair with curlers has always been my failsafe method of relaxing my hair a bit and removing the frizz. Since I no longer have the patience and am very tender headed, more often than not I use a large barrel curling iron to tame the frizz.

That all said, I tend to let me hair do its thing and only resort to the iron for my bangs or if I need to look a bit more pulled together, say for a wedding or for a job interview. When it is long enough to put up, I just know up front that I'll have a halo, but can at least make it look civilized by having it up.