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AleenaGenise
July 16th, 2011, 04:57 PM
Hey does your curl pattern change or loosen the longer your hair gets?

My friend recently just asked me this question: "The longer my hair gets, the straighter it gets and it loses its curl. Also, the hair on the outside is very dry, and the hair under it is super curly... Any tips?? :)"

My friend is russian and her hair is a lot finer than mine, but I've also noticed that my hair has lost some of its tighter spirals since its grown longer, but when I use curl enhancing products and herbs such as amla my curls become tighter :)

I can't figure out why the curls underneath seem to be more curly and the hair on the top so dry in my friends hair though......maybe because she might be brushing down her curls on the top?? Anywho I thought I'd ask my LHC family since you guys usually have such great knowledge <3 ;)

Madora
July 16th, 2011, 05:19 PM
Yes, the curl will gradually diminish - or change - because the weight of the longer hair pulls it down.

And while it is not impossible for curlies to grow long hair (waist or longer) curlies have a much more difficult time in doing so because of the structure of their hair. Those curls tangle very easily and therefore need a LOT of patience and TLC if you're going to grow it long.

AleenaGenise
July 16th, 2011, 05:42 PM
Yes, the curl will gradually diminish - or change - because the weight of the longer hair pulls it down.

And while it is not impossible for curlies to grow long hair (waist or longer) curlies have a much more difficult time in doing so because of the structure of their hair. Those curls tangle very easily and therefore need a LOT of patience and TLC if you're going to grow it long.

Thank you Madora :) Yeeeeeaaa I know that the curl pattern will change due to the weight of long hair.... because my hair is doing the same. I was more so wondering if any of u guys had any other tips as to enhancing the curl pattern or bringing it back. I usually use amla and do a few natural treatments to enhance my curl pattern and that has helped a lot. I was also wondering if you guys had any other reasoning as to why my friend's hair is more curly at at the bottom, but dry and less curly at the top......I was thinking she might be brushing down the curls....

Madora
July 16th, 2011, 07:34 PM
If your friend was brushing regularly with a boar bristle brush, her hair should be shiny from top to bottom.

I don't have curly hair myself but would think that perhaps the curls at the bottom would have a tendency to curl more if brushed..especially if the ends received a little more attention than the top part did.

My mom used to wind the ends of my sausage curls around her finger to make them curl even more (when I was about 4).

If your friend uses her (hopefully) boar bristle brush regularly, then her hair shouldn't be dry...unless her hair has a natural tendency towards dryness. Even so, regular brushing (very carefully!) with a bbb helps distribute the natural sebum throughout and down the length...but it is something that occurs over time...not all at once! Perhaps your friend might like to try a tiny bit of coconut oil to combat the dry areas?

Or maybe an overnight EVOO treatment?

gthlvrmx
July 16th, 2011, 07:49 PM
She's brushing her hair? As a curlyhead, i cannot brush my hair without getting poofy, non-curly hair, even then the brush won't go through my hair completely and leave some parts still curling together.

AleenaGenise
July 16th, 2011, 10:12 PM
If your friend was brushing regularly with a boar bristle brush, her hair should be shiny from top to bottom.

I don't have curly hair myself but would think that perhaps the curls at the bottom would have a tendency to curl more if brushed..especially if the ends received a little more attention than the top part did.

My mom used to wind the ends of my sausage curls around her finger to make them curl even more (when I was about 4).

If your friend uses her (hopefully) boar bristle brush regularly, then her hair shouldn't be dry...unless her hair has a natural tendency towards dryness. Even so, regular brushing (very carefully!) with a bbb helps distribute the natural sebum throughout and down the length...but it is something that occurs over time...not all at once! Perhaps your friend might like to try a tiny bit of coconut oil to combat the dry areas?

Or maybe an overnight EVOO treatment?


Thanks. I was going to suggest an overnight oil treatment for her hair.....idk if she brushes really.....but I just know I don't brush my hair and a lot of curlies don't because the cant get a brush through their hair or they don't want to disrupt the curl pattern. When I did brush though I used to use a boar bristle. I'll ask her :)

AleenaGenise
July 16th, 2011, 10:16 PM
She's brushing her hair? As a curlyhead, i cannot brush my hair without getting poofy, non-curly hair, even then the brush won't go through my hair completely and leave some parts still curling together.

I don't really know if she's brushing her hair. I haven't asked her yet.....I just assumed that maybe that's what she was doings since she said the top part of her hair had less curl. I can't/don't brush my hair either......but I remember when I did the top part of my hair would look smoothed over and not curly so that's what I was thinking she may be doing.

QMacrocarpa
July 17th, 2011, 08:22 AM
I wonder if sun exposure could cause a change in the texture of the top layer of hair?

longcurlygirl<3
July 17th, 2011, 08:43 AM
My curls have strech a bit, because of the weight, but I use flaxseed gel which makes them curls again :) But you must like soak your hair with it to affect your hair. And to your friend, she probably has different texture, like waves on the top and curlier on the bottom. Mines is the opposite because it is curly 3b and 3a on the bottom and some 2c strands on the side, but it is not dry.

Your friend must do a deep treamtent, detangle, probably try the CG method. You can google it or her if she wishes. It will probably make her hair more moisturized and curlier.

Good luck!

jesis
July 17th, 2011, 08:47 AM
I have succumbed to the fact that I have to have layers in my hair in order to retain my curl pattern. Otherwise, the hair on top does stop curling and become dry and lank. I researched the Curly Girl method for cutting and I use that to cut layers back into my hair. Basically, I let my hair dry and I pick up each individual curl and cut about 1/4" off. It works wonders! GL!

Madora
July 17th, 2011, 08:54 AM
@ QMacrocarpa...

I think I'd be much more concerned about the sun damaging my hair..not to mention perhaps hurting my scalp. It's always a good idea to protect your hair as much as possible when outdoors (a white silk or rayon scarf or white straw hat in summer. A wool hat or scarf in winter).

jesis
July 17th, 2011, 09:16 AM
@ QMacrocarpa...

I think I'd be much more concerned about the sun damaging my hair..not to mention perhaps hurting my scalp. It's always a good idea to protect your hair as much as possible when outdoors (a white silk or rayon scarf or white straw hat in summer. A wool hat or scarf in winter).

It is a good theory, but wool destroys my curls pattern in the winter. I have wool scarfs and hats that I had to give up because of this. It sucks because they are the warmest! I haven't found a good alternative yet, either. But protecting your hair from the sun, wind, and hazardous weather conditions is important.

finzi
July 17th, 2011, 10:00 AM
I do rather miss all the volume I used to have before my hair got longer AND the condition improved dramatically, mainly thanks to my years of lurking at LHC :) I only signed up as a member a couple of weeks ago. I never got the hang of plopping. If I air dry without bunning or pin-curling, I get looooong ringlet curls at the end, but straight, smooth FLAT hair down to my ears. I usually dry with pin-curls with the result that my hair looks like 1b/1c. This makes is very manageable and makes the whole drying process slightly easier. I do wash my hair in the evening, but hate that wet hair on my neck....

QMacrocarpa
July 17th, 2011, 04:05 PM
Whoops, I see I expressed myself poorly. I wasn't suggesting on-purpose sun exposure to fix the problem, I was speculating that past sun exposure damage might be causing the straighter top layer.


@ QMacrocarpa...

I think I'd be much more concerned about the sun damaging my hair..not to mention perhaps hurting my scalp. It's always a good idea to protect your hair as much as possible when outdoors (a white silk or rayon scarf or white straw hat in summer. A wool hat or scarf in winter).

Signe
July 17th, 2011, 06:46 PM
It is a good theory, but wool destroys my curls pattern in the winter. I have wool scarfs and hats that I had to give up because of this. It sucks because they are the warmest! I haven't found a good alternative yet, either. But protecting your hair from the sun, wind, and hazardous weather conditions is important.

sorry, hijack..but why not get a wool hat with a silky lining or just tie a silk scarf bandana underneath the wool hat? silk is amazingly warm!

AleenaGenise
July 17th, 2011, 10:43 PM
Thanks everyone :)

AleenaGenise
July 17th, 2011, 10:45 PM
My curls have strech a bit, because of the weight, but I use flaxseed gel which makes them curls again :) But you must like soak your hair with it to affect your hair. And to your friend, she probably has different texture, like waves on the top and curlier on the bottom. Mines is the opposite because it is curly 3b and 3a on the bottom and some 2c strands on the side, but it is not dry.

Your friend must do a deep treamtent, detangle, probably try the CG method. You can google it or her if she wishes. It will probably make her hair more moisturized and curlier.

Good luck!

Thanks :) Yea I use flaxseed gel on my hair too :) It really helps with my curls. My hair is so thick though that I usually need a lot haha

AleenaGenise
July 17th, 2011, 10:47 PM
I have succumbed to the fact that I have to have layers in my hair in order to retain my curl pattern. Otherwise, the hair on top does stop curling and become dry and lank. I researched the Curly Girl method for cutting and I use that to cut layers back into my hair. Basically, I let my hair dry and I pick up each individual curl and cut about 1/4" off. It works wonders! GL!

AWESOME! Yea.....I have layers in my hair now but I think the top layers have gotten a lot longer already. I'll try this! Thanks :) I'll tell my friend about it too

aliceinmadness
July 17th, 2011, 11:04 PM
This may sound strange, but my hair curls more the longer it is. I have a *lot* of layers, some of which are about SL, and I struggle to get them to blend in with the rest of my waves. If there's a logical explanation for it, I don't know what it is.

AleenaGenise
July 18th, 2011, 02:29 PM
This may sound strange, but my hair curls more the longer it is. I have a *lot* of layers, some of which are about SL, and I struggle to get them to blend in with the rest of my waves. If there's a logical explanation for it, I don't know what it is.

That's interesting.....Hmmmmm *scratches head*

finzi
July 18th, 2011, 02:44 PM
This may sound strange, but my hair curls more the longer it is. I have a *lot* of layers, some of which are about SL, and I struggle to get them to blend in with the rest of my waves. If there's a logical explanation for it, I don't know what it is.


That's interesting.....Hmmmmm *scratches head*

aliceinmadness, this may not be as unusual as you think :) Lots of wurlies and curlies find that their full wave/curl pattern needs a little length to fully show itself. When my hair is only a few inches long (as it was when I was growing out a pixie cut) my hair has only the slightest wave to it, with no sign of a real curl anywhere. Once my hair got to my ears, the curls were there in force. Now that my hair is BSL, with no layers, the length pulls out most of the curl, save for the ringlets right for the last couple of inches.

Turning to your hair, those longer layers of yours serve to give each layer sufficient length for your curls to properly form and develop, but without the added weight that you would have if the hair were all one length. It sounds as though your top layer either isn't quite long enough OR doesn't have enough thickness (i.e. quantity of hair) for the curls to really form.

Does that make sense? Hope I explained it properly. It is fairly common with a certain type of hair, in my experience. I have the same problem when I have long layers in my hair - the top, shortest layer doesn't really curl at all, just waves a little, whereas the long layers underneath are full of ringlets. It's the main reason I decided to grow out all of my layers. :)

chahuahuas
July 18th, 2011, 02:48 PM
I agree with those suggesting the CG method. In fact, buy her the curly girl book, I loooove mine! :p (or loan her yours, if you already have it!)

x0h_bother
July 18th, 2011, 06:09 PM
For me, it's the weight as it gets longer that makes me lose curl. If you like layers, cutting some into hair can help encourage the curl, as well as using some products. But if you are like me, you will miss having the same curls but be more glad that you have long hair now. :)

ZaBasDa
July 18th, 2011, 07:30 PM
It might be that your friend's canopy is just a different texture from the bottom of her hair. On me, the top part is curlier and the bottom is almost straight the longer my hair gets. It might be that the hair on top is more sensitive to being longer. Having a few layers might help her out.

Also, my canopy is dryer because it is exposed to everything more than the underside of my hair. It deal with wind more, heat more, sun more, more shampoo, and everything else like that.

McFearless
July 19th, 2011, 12:20 AM
My friend recently just asked me this question: "The longer my hair gets, the straighter it gets and it loses its curl. Also, the hair on the outside is very dry, and the hair under it is super curly... Any tips?? :)"


1. The weight of her hair is stretching out her curls. The same thing happens to me. It could also be her hair type, looser curls on top, and tighter curls underneath. Its really common to have varied textures. I also have that except my hair is less curly underneath.

2. The dryness could be a result of exposure to the elements, improper haircare like too much shampoo, no protection, rough brushing, etc. Dry hair also lacks moisture, which might explain why the hair underneath is more curly. Our underlayers are in better condition and more protected, which might be encouraging her curls.

My tip would me to moisturize her hair frequently and protect it. Removing build up can help and CO-washing too.

AleenaGenise
July 19th, 2011, 10:19 PM
aliceinmadness, this may not be as unusual as you think :) Lots of wurlies and curlies find that their full wave/curl pattern needs a little length to fully show itself. When my hair is only a few inches long (as it was when I was growing out a pixie cut) my hair has only the slightest wave to it, with no sign of a real curl anywhere. Once my hair got to my ears, the curls were there in force. Now that my hair is BSL, with no layers, the length pulls out most of the curl, save for the ringlets right for the last couple of inches.

Turning to your hair, those longer layers of yours serve to give each layer sufficient length for your curls to properly form and develop, but without the added weight that you would have if the hair were all one length. It sounds as though your top layer either isn't quite long enough OR doesn't have enough thickness (i.e. quantity of hair) for the curls to really form.

Does that make sense? Hope I explained it properly. It is fairly common with a certain type of hair, in my experience. I have the same problem when I have long layers in my hair - the top, shortest layer doesn't really curl at all, just waves a little, whereas the long layers underneath are full of ringlets. It's the main reason I decided to grow out all of my layers. :)



It makes since that your curls would show more after growing out a short cut. My sister shaved off her hair and you couldn't see her curls anymore but when it grew her curls were big beautiful ringlets.....Now that it's getting longer though the weight of the hair is stretching the curls....our hair is really thick too soooo that's a lot of weight haha