S shaped ends?

[CarpeDM]

About two years ago I had a lot of hair fall out and when it started to grow back in, it didn't grow back out straight. I noticed that the new hairs that were growing in had these wavy S shaped ends for about the first inch or two and then most of them would start growing in straight. These ends are driving me crazy because they act like hooks that grab the other hairs and the ends really stick out against the straighter hair. Anyone know why they grow out that way or have the same issue? If so, do you cut the ends off? TIA

[kouran]

Yes, I have them too.:agree: When my hair is drying after being washed my ends are actually ringlets, but after combing them they get the S shape. I didn't have it when my hair was shorter, but I quite like them, and I do not cut them. It's what makes my hair 1b.

[heidi w.]

Whether you're curly or straight has everything to do with the shape of your hair follicle.

This article has a nice little visual guide about hair follicle shape and how it relates to hair type, including texture.

http://www.thetech.org/genetics/ask.php?id=107

heidi w.

[Anje]

Mine are a lot like that. The first few inches of growth for me are quite curly (when it's humid, all the baby hairs make spirals everywhere!), then once the follicle's been going for a while it starts producing mostly-straight/loosely-wavy hair. They don't really catch on anything so I don't try to trim them, but they always stick out of the texture of my hair.

Weightier conditioning might help you. CO washing keeps them calm compared to when I shampoo, but they're still nutty for a few days til the sebum starts smoothing them down. WO washing flattened them the most, but that's far from a solution for everyone.

[WaitingSoLong]

Are they really tiny S's? Not like natural wave? If so, a new hair that grows in is very thin when it first starts to grow in and tends to curl almost imperceptibly but enough to cause velcroe issues.

But as others have said, the bottom 2" of my hair or more is spiraled or at least very curly but gets very straight after that. Even if I trim it, it will still curl on the ends. Not sure why.

[catholicteacher]

I was tempted to ask a similar question. I always thought of myself as having straight hair, but since I have started letting it air dry completely before braids or buns, I have noticed waves toward the bottom. My problem is that my hair did not seem wavy until it grew out past my ribcage. Perhaps I was just being oblivious back them

[CarpeDM]

Are they really tiny S's? Not like natural wave? If so, a new hair that grows in is very thin when it first starts to grow in and tends to curl almost imperceptibly but enough to cause velcroe issues.

But as others have said, the bottom 2" of my hair or more is spiraled or at least very curly but gets very straight after that. Even if I trim it, it will still curl on the ends. Not sure why.

I wouldn't say they are tiny S's. They are about two inches long and then the rest of the hair is more straight. This isn't always the case with all of the new hairs as I have a lot of hairs that seem to be growing in wavier. I'm not sure what is going on really. I used to have super straight fine hair and in the past few years my hair has been growing in thicker and wavier (like wires) so I find myself battling two completely different types of textures that don't get along too well. I have the fine straight hair and the thicker curlier type of hair and I also have these wavy wierd ends to contend with...not really sure what to do anymore? I was hoping someone out there would be in the same boat and could offer some help...?

[Raiscake]

I get something like this too. The ends of my hair wave out, especially with my short layers. As my hair gets longer, it straightens out but the ends are still sorta wavy. I like it. I'm obsessed with keeping the ends nice and soft coz I love the look of straight hair with curled ends. Embrace what you've got! ;)

[MissAlida]

Hair can grow out differently if you have major shed or you cut it short. I used to have 1b hair till I cut it short. I had a pixie, 1-2 inch long hair for 3 years. When I grew it out, it became wavy/curly. So now I'm a 2c/3b. That's a major change. I had to learn everything all over again about caring for my hair, now that it is curly. Hairtypes can change, and you should embrace it. If it bothers you very much, you should wait till it gets longer, wear it up most of the time, then just cut the S ends. It will be hard cutting your progress, but maybe it will be better on the long run.Good luck:).

[CarpeDM]

Hair can grow out differently if you have major shed or you cut it short. I used to have 1b hair till I cut it short. I had a pixie, 1-2 inch long hair for 3 years. When I grew it out, it became wavy/curly. So now I'm a 2c/3b. That's a major change. I had to learn everything all over again about caring for my hair, now that it is curly. Hairtypes can change, and you should embrace it. If it bothers you very much, you should wait till it gets longer, wear it up most of the time, then just cut the S ends. It will be hard cutting your progress, but maybe it will be better on the long run.Good luck:).

Having two different textures is frustrating to work with. Imagine having an afro on top of a layer of straight fine hair. I would love to have one type or the other, but both just looks really odd. So I feel like I have two options, either curl it all or straighten it all, but doing either will inevitably damage my hair...ugh

[growingpains]

Well you could embrace braid waves so that all your hairs falls into that braid wave pattern.

I also suggest trying to get extra moisture in your hair to get the curlier bit more manageable. Maybe CO or SMT. Additionally you could try aloe vera gel to smooth the curlier pieces into the rest.

Finally, cold rinses are brilliant to get the cuticle to lie flatter. At the end of my shower I rinse with cool for 30 seconds then cold-ish for about 30, then finish with a 5 second blast of freezing water.

[CarpeDM]

Well you could embrace braid waves so that all your hairs falls into that braid wave pattern.

I also suggest trying to get extra moisture in your hair to get the curlier bit more manageable. Maybe CO or SMT. Additionally you could try aloe vera gel to smooth the curlier pieces into the rest.

Finally, cold rinses are brilliant to get the cuticle to lie flatter. At the end of my shower I rinse with cool for 30 seconds then cold-ish for about 30, then finish with a 5 second blast of freezing water.

I have tried aloe vera and oils to smooth them down but it doesn't work since they are very unruly and just pop out no matter how much I try to weigh them down, pin them down or tie them back. I also do cold rinses and unfortunately that doesn't really make a difference.

Braided waves do work BUT here is the thing, I have to wash my hair every day because I have an oily scalp which means for me what I need to do is wash my hair before bedtime and then put in about 6 braids (any other braid method hurts my head) before I go to sleep. Seems easy enough right? Well it just never seems to get done and when it is sleepy time the last thing I want to do is braid my hair. So in a nutshell I think I am just too lazy to go through the process of washing and braiding my hair every single night (however this might be what I need to do anyways).

I remember reading something about hair wrapping but I could never find out enough detail on how it works. I have a silk scarf right now that I would love to use, but I have no idea how to wrap it at night in a way that it would stay AND be comfortable. Supposedly hair wrapping flattens out the wiry hairs? Then there is plopping, but does this work with super fine straight hair? Would this just make the situation worse? In other words make the curlies even curlier while the straight hair remains straight? So many questions...