Disappearing Curls

[LadieRyrie]

When I was little, I had the awesomest curly hair. Big curls, tailbone length hair...

As a 4-6 year old, I was also a little scissor-happy and went through many escapades with cutting off ponytails and the like. My last one ended when I was about 6 with my mom giving me a boy cut, because apparently, I'd cut it that badly.

My hair grew back straighter than anything. It's got a little bend to it but not much else. I still have a two spiral curls along my temples and some curly baby hairs (halos, I think you call it) but that's it.

My friend has a similar story. She had ringlets, until her mom, convinced that if she cut them that they would grow back in loose curls, decided to chop them off where they began. Her hair grew back stick-straight. She was about the same age: six or seven.

So...why does that happen? Everyone keeps telling me that my hair was probably becoming straight at that point in my life so even if I hadn't gotten that cut, my hair would still have become straight. So, why do I still have these few random spiral curls? But then hair grows from the roots, so it's not like my hair experienced trauma and decided to stop making curls...I mean, it's coming from the top and has no clue what's going on after the roots.

*screams* I MISS MY CURLIES!!

Any clues?

[rena]

Hormones can influence hair texture as we age. A lot of people experience multiple textures throughout their lives after very hormonal changes such as puberty, pregnency, menopause, and/or just plain ageing, while others stay one way no matter what. You will read many accounts here of being stick straight and becoming ringlety, or others like yourself, and every change in between, some more permanent than others and then not so much. We're all different. Sorry you lost most of your curlies, but you never know, you might just get them back!

[Springlets]

What is your hair care routine? I saw a big difference in my curls after starting cowashing, only fingercombing, and generally just picking up tips from here on LHC. It is definitely the case that the healthier my hair is, the curlier it is.
I'm no expert on curls, so I can just tell my own history. I was born with ringlets, it changed to fairly straight hair when I was 7-10 and then once puberty hit the curls came back with a force. They've never left except when I've damaged my hair too much. My mom has the same texture of hair as mine so I know I got it from her. Does anyone else have curly hair in your family?

[happybear]

Hey,

My hair was also vastly different when I was a kid. It was super straight until I was 9-10, then got frizzy and curly. When I went through puberty it thinned out, but stayed curly. One thing that never changed is that it has always been baby fine.

Some friends of mine had the opposite experience, baby fine thin kid hair that turned into thick medium/course texture adult hair.

a friend of mine had slightly wavy hair long hair, but then went to a super fancy salon in paris. The stylist told her he was going to "free her hair" with the right cut.

After that her hair has been drastically different, much much curlier, no matter what her hairstyle. Perhaps you just need the right cut?

[Roseate]

Some friends of mine had the opposite experience, baby fine thin kid hair that turned into thick medium/course texture adult hair.

Yup, that was my experience! And it actually changed significantly around 6-7, just like the OP. Prior to that my hair was very fine, white-blonde, and mostly straight. I got a shorter haircut, and it grew back thicker and wavier, and continued to get thicker, coarser, and wavier through puberty.

[LadieRyrie]

What is your hair care routine? I saw a big difference in my curls after starting cowashing, only fingercombing, and generally just picking up tips from here on LHC. It is definitely the case that the healthier my hair is, the curlier it is.
I'm no expert on curls, so I can just tell my own history. I was born with ringlets, it changed to fairly straight hair when I was 7-10 and then once puberty hit the curls came back with a force. They've never left except when I've damaged my hair too much. My mom has the same texture of hair as mine so I know I got it from her. Does anyone else have curly hair in your family?

Well...from about age 0 to 12, I washed my hair every other day or every two days because I was just a dirty little kid who didn't like showers. After that, I washed it every day. I'm trying WO right now, but that's the biggest change I ever made. It's not like I drastically changed my routine when I was seven. XP

I was actually the only curly among my family and relatives.

[Fairlight63]

When my daughter was young she had stick straight hair until she got to be a teenager & her hair turned really curly. She is 42 now & her hair looks like she has a perm it is so curly & long - about BSL. Very pretty!

[spidermom]

Hair changes; of that you can be sure. My niece used to have slightly wavy hair, then she shaved her head after an incident when her mom dragged her down the stairs by her hair (which is one of the reasons that I got custody of my nieces), and it grew back curly. Then her little sister decided she wanted curly hair, too, so she shaved her head, and it grew back just the same as before. My granddaughter had the most beautiful spiral curls as a toddler; now her hair is wavy. My hair was kind of wavy, maybe 1C, most of my life, now has definite curl in places. My curls are the loose kind, and it took length for them to form.

[schweedie]

Yup, that was my experience! And it actually changed significantly around 6-7, just like the OP. Prior to that my hair was very fine, white-blonde, and mostly straight. I got a shorter haircut, and it grew back thicker and wavier, and continued to get thicker, coarser, and wavier through puberty.
That's exactly like my mum's hair, though hers didn't change until she was twelve or so. But yeah, she went from fine, straight, white-blonde to dark, coarse and curly. It's fascinating how this happens!

[Lux88]

My hair used to be blonde and pretty curly when I was a toddler, then it faded to brown and was straight as a bone when I was like 7ish... now I'm 23 and my hair is dark blonde and a combination of straight and wavy. Hair is a mystery! lol

[Lux88]

I mean 22.. I'm ALMOST 23. lol 23 next month. :P

[Mesmerise]

My hair has gone curlier over time, but the annoying thing is that most of the curl is at the sides and underneath, and the canopy is straighter. I remember being a little girl and having fine, non frizzy, straight hair. I prayed to God for frizzy hair because a friend had frizzy hair :rolleyes:. No idea why. I think God was listening... cause I've got frizzy hair now!!!

My hair seems curlier when shorter (at least on the canopy), but I want to have a sort of regular curl (or wave) pattern. I've started hennaing regularly and I'm not sure if that will have an overall impact on my hair's behaviour and ability to curl/wave or not.

I don't see how shaving your hair or cutting it short could change the curl pattern. I would assume that the hair structure was already changing, but hadn't yet really showed through in the length, so that after the hair was shaved it started showing the new curl.

But WHY hair even changes in such a way is a mystery to me! However, I'm glad I'm not the only one, because I always thought my hair was so weird having gone from fairly straight to wavy/wurly.

[terpentyna]

So I was born with jet black stick straight (and I mean it) hair that turned dark blonde and "meh" straight by the age of 2, then was brown and wurly, then I got lice so I had a boy cut, but starting at around 10, it went to a straight mix of red, blonde, and brown and then it became what it is now, which is a deep brown, ash brown, and blonde at the temples mix, although I had strawberry blond on the right side of my temples a few years back. And it has wave to it. Felt good to share.

tl;dr - My hair also changed, most people's hair does. I know of a bunch of people who had curls as young children, and lost them.