Can dye/bleach change the texture of your hair?

[icallitbliss]

I've noticed that after dyeing and messing with my hair a lot, what once used to be pretty straight hair started turning WAVY. Like, really wavy.

Here's some pics for comparison. This was my hair naturally without any blowdrying in both pictures:

Me in 2005:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/icallitbliss/oooh.jpg

See? Straight-ish.



And then my hair in 2010:

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f90/icallitbliss/curly.jpg

I know you can't see well in that picture, but my hair is SUPER curly!



I've noticed now that my hair is virgin, it's laying a lot flatter. So I'm wondering if the curly-ness came about because I messed with my hair too much? I mean, I bleached my hair so much that it started to fall out and my scalp was blistering...

[xoxophelia]

If you went from pin straight to curly over the course of five years, it is more likely caused by natural aging and hormones. Many people develop curlier hair after their teens. But, in my experience bleaching and damage does create a more disorganized wave pattern and sometimes can look wavier because the hair has less weight and limpness.

[lillikins]

That's highly possible. Bleach can do a lot of crazy things (I got it in my eye once while bleaching my bangs. I can't even explain the degree of pain). It hasn't changed the texture of mine at all, but I only bleach and dye a small section of my hair.

I'm absolutely no help whatsoever. xD sorry.

[terylenerose]

Yes, bleach definitely changes hair texture. After I bleached my bottom layer, it was convinced it was a 3b and would not fit in with the wave pattern of the hair next to it. It took months to get back to almost normal, and it has only just decided it wants to be 3a like it's supposed to be. It still loves to airdry in ringlets, unlike the rest of my hair which dries in a weird mix of ringlets and waves. I've mostly heard of bleach straightening hair, though, so my case and yours are somewhat unusual.

[maborosi]

Wow, that is really interesting. I know it can make hair weak and thinner, and for that reason I'm interested to see how thick my hair is since I don't dye it w/ chem dyes anymore.

I've never heard of it completely changing the texture, though. When I used to bleach a long time ago, it made it frizzy and dry, but my hair has pretty much always been straight.

Hair texture can change over time. Things like pregnancy, hormone changes, and age. My mom's hair used to be stick, stick straight, and now as she's gotten older, it's probably like a 1c/2a.

~maborosi~

[heidi w.]

Yes, in my opinion any coloring can change the texture of hair. For example, a famous hair colorer is Jennifer Lopez, and I'd bet if she stuck with her natural dark hair, it could be gorgeous. But she doesn't. She colors over & over; she is always fussing with it, making it curly, making it straight. And she's in these shampoo ads on TV. And from my living room, her hair looks frizzy and dry and dull. Hugely dull. In my opinion, her hair is fried.

But she's a star, and I'm not. I would argue someone is kind of giving her bad advice.

heidi w.

[kellinaturalmom]

I used to foil my hair and it used to be WAY curlier than it is now that I don't bleach anymore. Even after I was a "blonde" I would sometimes get random highlights and it always made my hair curlier. I would say without a doubt that bleach makes your hair curlier.

[annamoonfairy]

I have a1 straight hair and color has not changed that for me.

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w428/annamoonfairy/Hair021420121.jpg

[Piyo]

Dye/bleach has made my waves inconsistent. I'd say my waviest hair is the least touched by dye, and the hair that has had a lot of bleach is more straight.

[yoite]

i had very stright hair, but dyeing made it kind of fluffy, thin and weak

[IndigoOptimist]

Dying does change the texture of hair, but not in such a - dear I say - natural looking way. Maybe dying your hair so much exacerbated it, but that looks like it's natural to me... My mum had straight hair as a kid, curly hair in her 20s and 30s and wavy in her 40s, your texture can change over time ;)

[Avital88]

ive noticed the same when younger, because the dye made the hair thinner(the hair itself )it curled more easy..at least thats my vision..

ps. like the chanukia:D

[JellyBene]

Before my LHC days I uses bleach and it actually made my hair wavy and it even had ringlets in some areas. Once I grew it out it went back to being totally straight.

[icallitbliss]

Before my LHC days I uses bleach and it actually made my hair wavy and it even had ringlets in some areas. Once I grew it out it went back to being totally straight.

Wow, that must be a relief for you! (unless you like it wavy, that is) I've noticed that while my hair is laying straighter now that I have virgin-hair, it still gets kinda wavy once I wake up in the morning. I think this is because I sweat in my sleep a lot (ew, I know!), and also because I still have so many layers.

I've been determined to prove my family wrong, that once I grow my hair out to shoulder, all one length, with virgin hair, that it will be straight again! They're convinced I just magically have wavy hair now, and I'm like, "Not even!" :) I'm sure I'll be disappointed if that's not the case, though.

[GlennaGirl]

Too much chemical coloring changes my hair texture to slightly frizzy and "bend"-y, but not nice shiny waves like you show in the bottom pic, OP! But technically, yes, it does seem "wavier" when I chemically color.

[Sillage]

Dying has changed my hair texture for the better, it makes it sleeker and smoother.

[JellyBene]

Wow, that must be a relief for you! (unless you like it wavy, that is) I've noticed that while my hair is laying straighter now that I have virgin-hair, it still gets kinda wavy once I wake up in the morning. I think this is because I sweat in my sleep a lot (ew, I know!), and also because I still have so many layers.

I've been determined to prove my family wrong, that once I grow my hair out to shoulder, all one length, with virgin hair, that it will be straight again! They're convinced I just magically have wavy hair now, and I'm like, "Not even!" :) I'm sure I'll be disappointed if that's not the case, though.
I did not like the waves so yes it is a great relief to have my straight hair back! I spent my whole childhood wishing I had curly hair, finally got a taste of it, and now I couldn't be more thankful for my texture just the way it is :)

[Hollyfire3]

Im wondering this too after 2 yrs of dye, my hair is barley wave, but i also have 4 yrs of heat damage catching up just now so i know this really might be the problem...

[hellucy]

I would say that dying & bleaching can very definately change the texture of hair...but I doubt very much if any dye or bleach changes would remain once the bleach or dye have grown out as yours has.
Looking at the photo of your hair I would say that it is more likely that it is a natural texture change due to ageing/hormones/diet or even external environmental influences. My own hair used to be 2a/b (no amount of dye changed that) but after 2 pregnancies my hair has now been 1b for 4 years, I really miss my waves as they gave me much more volume.