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View Full Version : Healthier hair = less curls/waves??



Thinthondiel
December 27th, 2009, 09:14 AM
Okay, ever since I cut out the SLS (which made my hair incredibly dry and frizzy) and went mostly WO, my wave pattern has sort of become disrupted and less wavy. My hair would often have corkscrew-y ends before, even when I brushed them, whereas now there's hardly any sign of curly ends at all, and my hair is unable to really hold curls the way it used to (if I try to pincurl it now it looks awful, and simply brushing it makes it go back to wavy again). Before, when I pincurled, the curls would last for several days, even though I slept on them.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that my hair used to "clump" together in bigger sections before, as opposed to the tiny sections I get now. Or maybe the sebum/moisture/oils weigh down my hair more, messing with my wave pattern?

Has anyone else experienced something like this?

I really like not having dry/frizzy/fly-away hair, but I miss my wave pattern and the ability to hold a curl! :(

spidermom
December 27th, 2009, 09:18 AM
My guess would be that it's the sebum weighing down your hair.

Thinthondiel
December 27th, 2009, 09:24 AM
My guess would be that it's the sebum weighing down your hair.

I think you're probably right. I guess maybe I should clarify and then try using my all-natural, SLS-free shampoo for a while, to see if that makes a difference. I occasionally use it now, but I only use it when my hair feels like it needs more than a WO rinse (but not so bad it needs clarifying), so I guess there's always some sebum in my hair even after I've used it.

Gothic Lolita
December 27th, 2009, 10:18 AM
I'd also think it's the sebum. Maybe you could try a tiny tiny bit of shampoo diluted with water before you go for clarifying.... rinse your hair with it, like you'd normally do a WO rinse. Sometimes I think I need to clarify my whole length like mad, but I've a very dry scalp and need to dilute my shampoo like hell. Today I used the tinest bit of shampoo (SLS and cone free) diluted with 200 ml of water and my hair is very clean now.

Howeve,r if you use SLS-free stuff, you could need a bit more to clarify. Maybe clarifying once with Baking Soda or diluted SLS-shampoo would be better. And then doing it occassionaly when you feel the need to do so. In between, I'd stay mostly water only and wash with extremly diluted shampoo maybe once a week.

Thinthondiel
December 27th, 2009, 10:53 AM
I'd also think it's the sebum. Maybe you could try a tiny tiny bit of shampoo diluted with water before you go for clarifying.... rinse your hair with it, like you'd normally do a WO rinse. Sometimes I think I need to clarify my whole length like mad, but I've a very dry scalp and need to dilute my shampoo like hell. Today I used the tinest bit of shampoo (SLS and cone free) diluted with 200 ml of water and my hair is very clean now.

Howeve,r if you use SLS-free stuff, you could need a bit more to clarify. Maybe clarifying once with Baking Soda or diluted SLS-shampoo would be better. And then doing it occassionaly when you feel the need to do so. In between, I'd stay mostly water only and wash with extremly diluted shampoo maybe once a week.

Yeah, when I said clarify, I meant using an SLS shampoo. I do clarify occasionally, and my hair is always drier, but wavier, afterwards. I thought I'd just clarify to make sure I get rid of the sebum before I try shampooing with my SLS-free shampoo on a regular basis.

I don't really need to dilute my SLS-free shampoo for the sake of my hair. It's all-natural and contains lots of oils and stuff, so it doesn't dry out my hair or my scalp - I can even use it without using conditioner afterwards. I might dilute it anyway, though, if I can get away with it and still get my wave pattern back.

Amraann
December 27th, 2009, 11:17 AM
My own hair loses it wave when it is longer and I have cut out any layers.

Also the time of year affects my hair. In dryer months my hair tends to go straighter and in humid months it is curly.

bumblebums
December 27th, 2009, 01:52 PM
Some people notice a texture change when they use a different washing method, but there are a lot of variable to consider. Norway, in December? I would blame the winter weather first.

Elainehali
December 27th, 2009, 02:05 PM
I agree with the people above. It's just moisture weight you're feeling.

Even though my hair is pin straight it's not like the world's healthiest or anything :D

SpeakingEZ
December 27th, 2009, 03:03 PM
I also agree with the "moisture weight." I used to get nice little curls here and there (even when it was much longer!) but I started using more conditioner and such, and suddenly it's too heavy to hold up curls at all..... not even little waves.

piratejenny23
December 27th, 2009, 04:52 PM
i have read that hair with low porosity (healthy) does not hold a curl as well as hair with high porosity. so could it be that your hair has "repaired" itself by absorbing oil or conditioners/moisturizers (if you use any)? in this case your hair might be heavier because it is denser, not necessarily coated with oil...but i don't know if it really works that way; maybe someone with more knowledge could confirm/deny.

my hair won't hold a curl for more than half an hour, and it always frustrated me, but ever since i read about the low porosity...i feel a bit proud that my hair is so stubborn :p

teela1978
December 27th, 2009, 05:10 PM
i have read that hair with low porosity (healthy) does not hold a curl as well as hair with high porosity. so could it be that your hair has "repaired" itself by absorbing oil or conditioners/moisturizers (if you use any)? in this case your hair might be heavier because it is denser, not necessarily coated with oil...but i don't know if it really works that way; maybe someone with more knowledge could confirm/deny.

my hair won't hold a curl for more than half an hour, and it always frustrated me, but ever since i read about the low porosity...i feel a bit proud that my hair is so stubborn :p

I have experienced this. My virgin hair is 2a on a good day, my dyed hair could look like 3a with some gel scrunched in.

Syaoransbear
December 27th, 2009, 05:50 PM
Back when I used to straighten my hair twice a day and dye it, my hair looked like a blonde afro if I blow dried it or let it air dry. Now when it air dries, it's in very loose waves. I thought that the texture of my hair had changed to super curly due to age, but really it was just all the damage that made it like that.

girlcat36
December 27th, 2009, 06:23 PM
I have 3a/b curls with high porosity. My hair is healtheir than it has ever been, and curls much better.
Before finding LHC and going cone-free, the ends of my hair would look like 2b hair. So for me, healthier hair is curlier hair.

Thinthondiel
December 27th, 2009, 08:47 PM
Thanks for all the replies! I hadn't even thought about porosity.

I can rule out the winter weather - my hair has been like this for a long time now. The reason I didn't make this thread earlier is because I haven't really missed my waviness all that much until now.

One of the reasons for my texture change, at least, is sebum weighing it down - my hair becomes wavier when I clarify, but not quite as wavy as before, so I suppose there's more than one reason. I'm now thinking the other reasons could be that it's longer, that it's not as dry as before (even after clarifying), or maybe, as one of you suggested, that it has repaired itself and become less porous (if that's possible - I have no idea if it is). I suppose it could be any combination of these.

bumblebums
December 27th, 2009, 09:53 PM
Hair cannot be repaired once it's out of your head. You can temporarily fill it up with conditioners, oils, etc., but as soon as those are gone, its old condition reveals itself. That's why the curls come back when you use shampoo (I assume that's how you clarify?)--shampoo removes the deposits and consequently roughs up the cuticle a bit. The good thing is that the new growth is probably healthier, and the cuticle lies flatter once it's coated with sebum.

Thinthondiel
December 27th, 2009, 10:08 PM
Hair cannot be repaired once it's out of your head. You can temporarily fill it up with conditioners, oils, etc., but as soon as those are gone, its old condition reveals itself. That's why the curls come back when you use shampoo (I assume that's how you clarify?)--shampoo removes the deposits and consequently roughs up the cuticle a bit. The good thing is that the new growth is probably healthier, and the cuticle lies flatter once it's coated with sebum.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought... it sounded a little bit too good that the hair could be fixed. :p But I don't mind so much that there's a bit of damage as long as that means I can at least get a bit more waves (or curls, should I decide to do pin curls) whenever I want, by clarifying my hair. I clarified today, and am now sitting with a set of pin curls on my head since my hair can now hold curls better. :)

maskedrose
December 27th, 2009, 10:54 PM
Over the last two years I've cut away almost all my highlight damage and my texture has DEFINITELY changed. My highlighted hair was solidly 2c and went into 3a territory on some days. Now? Its progressing steadily towards 2a. For me, healthier hair is straighter hair.

NandaS
December 27th, 2009, 11:30 PM
What's SLS? and WO?

Laylah
December 27th, 2009, 11:38 PM
What's SLS? and WO?

SLS = sodium lauryl (or laureth) sulfate
WO = water only (a hair washing method)

This (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/vbjournal.php?do=article&articleid=10) is the whole list of abbreviations.

Anyway, for me, healthier hair is wavier. I don't have a good explanation, sorry :(

ETA: maybe it's because the new hair growing in has less exposed to heat/chemicals, so it's retaining it's natural state. (assuming your natural hair is straighter)

marikamt
December 27th, 2009, 11:43 PM
my healthier hair *seems* to be wavier... I always thought I was straight (as in 1a) and now I think I may be a 2a.......

teela1978
December 28th, 2009, 12:03 AM
Over the last two years I've cut away almost all my highlight damage and my texture has DEFINITELY changed. My highlighted hair was solidly 2c and went into 3a territory on some days. Now? Its progressing steadily towards 2a. For me, healthier hair is straighter hair.

Thinking about this... I think it depends on how you define 'healthier'

My hair before joining LHC was not very wavy. It was dyed every couple of months, flat ironed a few times a week, and shampooed and conditioned daily. After joining, and doing many many deep conditioning treatments, experimenting with CO and stretching washings, not to mention ways of encouraging my waves, my hair was much shinier, softer, and I found it could have amazing curls.

That hair was definitely healthier than it had been... However, my new hair which has not been dyed or flat-ironed ever behaves in a very different way. Much less wavy, but much shinier and glossier. Its also a lot thicker, I gained an inch in circumference.

I think treating damaged hair better often results in a gaining of 'curliness'... but I think that is a very different thing from what your hair in its natural state might do.

Bellona
December 28th, 2009, 12:31 AM
I have a nearly identical hair type to the OP. I've been growing virgin hair for 5 months, and I can already tell that it's definitely not as wavy on those parts as it was when it was very long and very bleached. It almost seems like the hair above my ears is 1c/2a instead of 2c/borderline 3a like my bleached/heat damaged hair.

I don't know if I just need more length or what, but I think it's weird too. Wish I had an explanation :confused:

GlassEyes
December 28th, 2009, 04:23 AM
It's probably the sebum.

However, if you weren't using cones before, and you clarified before going WO, you don't need to clarify with SLS. Baking soda mixed with conditioner would probably do the same job--there are different opinions on which is better for hair, since BS is really akaline (and hair prefers an acidic state), bt if SLS caused your damage, it might be a better option.

bumblebums
December 28th, 2009, 08:24 AM
This is all very interesting. When I was a kid, I had fairly straight hair, 1c maybe. Now it's 2c. I stopped using all commercial hair products two months ago and spread out my "washes" to once a week. I am now waiting for it to grow out long enough to see if the straight-to-curly change was due to aging or to damage and mishandling. From what I'm hearing in this forum, it sounds like the latter!

teela1978
December 28th, 2009, 10:01 AM
This is all very interesting. When I was a kid, I had fairly straight hair, 1c maybe. Now it's 2c. I stopped using all commercial hair products two months ago and spread out my "washes" to once a week. I am now waiting for it to grow out long enough to see if the straight-to-curly change was due to aging or to damage and mishandling. From what I'm hearing in this forum, it sounds like the latter!

I shampoo and condition with commercial products now (nothing else works well for me in the hard water I have here). Unless you were doing some major heat styling, I'm guessing your change is natural.

bumblebums
December 28th, 2009, 10:24 AM
I shampoo and condition with commercial products now (nothing else works well for me in the hard water I have here). Unless you were doing some major heat styling, I'm guessing your change is natural.

Different strokes for different folks. Shampoo and conditioner dry my hair out without any heat styling. That is obviously not the case for everyone. I'll reserve judgment on what exactly is going on with my hair until I have at least four or five inches of virgin growth to examine.