Why did my hair texture change?

[angelfell]

Ever since I joined LHC over a year ago, I've noticed my hair is not what I had remembered it to be. Granted, I've made some dramatic changes. My hair, as a child, used to be thick and nearly pin-straight. When I joined LHC, granted I had half a perm I was growing out, the rest seemed still straight, but my hair seemed thin. Now, as I analyze my hair, I notice little waves. They're very loose and subtle, but enough to now actually notice, and if they were any tighter, I think they would actually be curls by the shape.. a very loose spiral. The first three or four inches of my hair are rather thick now, not amazingly so, but its also 'virgin' hair.. to color, anywho :p.

I'm trying to get down to the bottom of this. I was looking forward to having long, waist-length straight hair.. and it's going wavy on me! It won't bother me so much.. but I'm interested to see what's causing it. Because I've made so many changes in the last year, I'm going to list them all, and I guess for funsies we can all take a guess at the culprit?

I heat style seldomly now, and never blow dry. I do oil treatments, as well as apply coconut oil daily, and every two weeks I do an ACV rinse. I only shampoo all of my hair twice a month, typically I only shampoo around the scalp and condition the rest, then condition the whole thing. In fact, right now, I use the Organix Ever Straight conditioner. I apply a chai rooibos mixture to my scalp only. I only brush with a very wide-toothed comb when my hair is wet. I do still towel dry. I trim my hair myself using the ponytail method. I no longer color my hair. I do sock buns once a week. My eating habits are still the same.. sucky, and no supplements XD. No new medications.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's gradually getting wavier as it gets longer. I thought it would be the opposite, as I figured the hair would get heavier and straighten it out more? Maybe it's because its getting HEALTHIER? Of course, I know there is no repairing damaged hair. Anywho, I guess my vote is on no longer damaging it chemically/heat-wise.

[dRummie]

Lots of things can kill waves, so treating it nicer could well bring them out if you have them. But that aside, comparing your hair now to your childhood hair is not a good idea - for many people hair changes texture, sometimes drastically, during adolescence. Depending on how long you had it permed or were otherwise obscuring its natural texture, it could have simply changed on you without your realizing it :)

It also seems that some curl patterns, generally the wavies and loose curlies, can get wavier with length. Looser curl patterns would naturally require a bit more length over which to show themselves, and for some reason many people report that their hair doesn't curl well near the scalp even when it is short. I'm one of these, too - mine seems to be getting curlier the longer it gets. This happens over "shorter" long lengths, though, like when someone is growing their hair out and it's just getting to BSL. Past a certain point the length will start pulling out curl.

[KwaveT]

Lots of things can kill waves, so treating it nicer could well bring them out if you have them. But that aside, comparing your hair now to your childhood hair is not a good idea - for many people hair changes texture, sometimes drastically, during adolescence. Depending on how long you had it permed or were otherwise obscuring its natural texture, it could have simply changed on you without your realizing it :)

It also seems that some curl patterns, generally the wavies and loose curlies, can get wavier with length. Looser curl patterns would naturally require a bit more length over which to show themselves, and for some reason many people report that their hair doesn't curl well near the scalp even when it is short. I'm one of these, too - mine seems to be getting curlier the longer it gets. This happens over "shorter" long lengths, though, like when someone is growing their hair out and it's just getting to BSL. Past a certain point the length will start pulling out curl.

This seems to be what is happening to me. My hair seems deceptive straight while I maintain normal short hair. Since I started growing my hair it has turned into a wave factory. I suspect like you mention that as I get longer hair the wave is going to pull out of my hair some even though I don't think it would be totally straight. I am probably closer to 16 inches now and dipping below the ears.

[luxepiggy]

Have you gone 'cone free in the interim? I believe a number of wavies have mentioned that their hair was straighter when they were using 'cones.

[Juneii]

seconding Piggy, I notice that when I don't use cones to wash my hair it tends to lean more towards 1b-1c than when I use a lot of conditioner and cone products (1a-1b)

[angelfell]

Lots of things can kill waves, so treating it nicer could well bring them out if you have them. But that aside, comparing your hair now to your childhood hair is not a good idea - for many people hair changes texture, sometimes drastically, during adolescence. Depending on how long you had it permed or were otherwise obscuring its natural texture, it could have simply changed on you without your realizing it :)

It also seems that some curl patterns, generally the wavies and loose curlies, can get wavier with length. Looser curl patterns would naturally require a bit more length over which to show themselves, and for some reason many people report that their hair doesn't curl well near the scalp even when it is short. I'm one of these, too - mine seems to be getting curlier the longer it gets. This happens over "shorter" long lengths, though, like when someone is growing their hair out and it's just getting to BSL. Past a certain point the length will start pulling out curl.

Hmm.. perhaps it did just change, and I never know, because I chemically dyed it and heat styled it a lot. I've only ever gotten one perm though, never again, the damage was horrific! So, maybe I just didn't know.

That's interesting about the growing and getting wavier but that makes sense, because it all starts about halfway down, not at my crown.

[angelfell]

Have you gone 'cone free in the interim? I believe a number of wavies have mentioned that their hair was straighter when they were using 'cones.

Nope, I actually check to make sure my products have cones, because I have TRIED cone free, and my hair punished me for it. So during the duration, I have definitely been using cones. As was I previously, because I always have used the same one up until recently (and this one has plenty of cones too)