Has anyone had a significant, random change in texture

[InsertCleverNameHere]

My hair is growing in straight or very loosely waved (see photos). The top 3" are plastered to my head like a drowned bird. My hair is generally around 3c. It looks similar to someone transitioning, except at opposite ends. The change looks abrupt, as in it all the sudden goes from this plastered stuff to my regular texture. The hair even acts differently erplexed

It looks sort of dumb and I would like to know if anyone knows why this would happen and what steps I can take to solve it.

 

[FrazzledFraggle]

I dunno but I was natural until I decided to relax a few years ago and I don't even recognize the hair that is coming in now...it's a totally different texture from what I had as a natural...or at least it seems that way...I'm 6 months post relaxer. I'll be checking back in to see if you figured something out. I was going to post about this same thing the other day but forgot.

 

[laylaaa]

Could it be because your regimen (if you have one) is bringing out your true texture? At the start of my HHJ, my hair was the definition of 3c but my hair is now 3a with a very very lazy 'S' shaped curl and all of my new growth is just wavy without a hint of a curl.


Also, many women are multi-textured. It's not unusual to see a natural with 2b, 3b and 4b on her head.

 

[InsertCleverNameHere]

I've been natural for a significant number of years and have pretty much done the same thing for some years as well (basically cowash, maybe use an oil if I'm bored )

I've never ever had this happen...I've always had varying textures on my head, but never 2 textures on the same strand.

 

[SuchaLady]

Are you preggo? Lol. That changes texture.

 

[JaszG]

I dunno but I was natural until I decided to relax a few years ago and I don't even recognize the hair that is coming in now...it's a totally different texture from what I had as a natural...or at least it seems that way...I'm 6 months post relaxer. I'll be checking back in to see if you figured something out. I was going to post about this same thing the other day but forgot.

I'm 6 months as well, and noticed the same thing. I'm thinking it'll be another 6 months before I know what it really looks like. lol.

 

[prettybyrd]

Hair texture can, and usually will, change over time. Perhaps this is just a natural change of texture. From the amount of growth you have, it looks like this has been going on for a little while.

ETA - could this be caused by the weight of your hair as it grows? I've never let my natural hair get long enough to experience that, but I've read about some people experiencing that.

 

[InsertCleverNameHere]

Are you preggo? Lol. That changes texture.

*shivers in terror* No, nope, nein, no bebes in here

When I googled a couple of weeks ago, everything said it can happen when there is a shift in hormones, but I'm too old for puberty, too young for menopause, and if I was pregnant, I'd be too busy throwing myself down some stairs to even be making these posts.

 

[InsertCleverNameHere]

Hair texture can, and usually will, change over time. Perhaps this is just a natural change of texture. From the amount of growth you have, it looks like this has been going on for a little while.

ETA - could this be caused by the weight of your hair as it grows? I've never let my natural hair get long enough to experience that, but I've read about some people experiencing that.

I didn't know your hair could just randomly change. I really am not feeling this at all as my hair is very fine and thin so I need the kinkier texture And yes, apparently it's been happening over around 6 months or more based on the length of it (my hair doesn't even grow fast), but I just noticed it a couple of weeks ago when it got warm enough to wear out again.

My hair has been quite a bit longer than it is now and while it did lengthen a bit, it was a subtle change and it didn't just suddenly change textures in the middle.

 

[Bublin]

Wow OP I'd say that was a dramatic change.
Sorry I don't have any advice or ideas for you, except that it may well be hormonal.

 

[CarefreeinChicago]

Yeah this is happening to me, I have very dry brittle new growth coming in. And I am growing a beard I am just chalking it up to turning 40 in a few months.

 

[texasqt]

Have you changed/added anything to your diet? Any supplements?

 

[DarkJoy]

Yea, I was going to ask about vitamins, new supplements too.Change of meds or birth control pills/method?

Hormones could be it...are you towards your mid 30s? some odd things happen once you hit that mid30s...all kinds of interesting changes.

 

[InsertCleverNameHere]

No changes in bc, meds, or diet. I have way more iron in my system since January (had a transfusion followed by weekly iron through IV + oral supplements).

I just turned 31. Maybe it's the iron or I'm getting hormonal changes early?

 

[havilland]

Did you have a baby?


My texture changed after my son.

 

[SuchaLady]

Did you just say throwing yourself down the stairs?

 

[KittyMeowMeow]

Hmm, I found out that relaxing made my hair kinkier & drier. I've heard of this happening w/ other type 3s. Maybe now that you are taking good care of your hair, that's what it looks like natural? My advice- stop relaxing & just grow it out.

It looks like 3a-3c hair, which is straight at the root. It would probably curl without the damaged ends. It also looks straight b/c maybe you are using heavier products for the texture of hair you are used to. Try using a lighter hand at the roots.

Other texture changers for me:

- No heat
- Terressentials mud wash

 

[InsertCleverNameHere]

Did you have a baby?


My texture changed after my son.

No babies.

Did you just say throwing yourself down the stairs?

Just saying

Hmm, I found out that relaxing made my hair kinkier & drier. I've heard of this happening w/ other type 3s. Maybe now that you are taking good care of your hair, that's what it looks like natural? My advice- stop relaxing & just grow it out.

It looks like 3a-3c hair, which is straight at the root. It would probably curl without the damaged ends. It also looks straight b/c maybe you are using heavier products for the texture of hair you are used to. Try using a lighter hand at the roots.

Other texture changers for me:

- No heat
- Terressentials mud wash

I am not relaxed. My hair has never grown like this from the root, even when I was waist length natural, and I have at least 6 inches less than that now. I use the same product(s) that I've used for years.

 

[FrazzledFraggle]

A child with silky fine hair may have a head full of kinky curls when puberty hits. Another baby may start out with fine ringlets only to have them turn stick straight when she gets older.

As our body ages, we see changes in our hair texture. The hair of a newborn is very soft and very fine.The diameter of the hair thickens as we enter childhood or early adolescence. As we move into adulthood and then older, the hair again changes, becoming finer again in our 40s and 50s. All of these changes are genetically programmed.

“Hair changes every five to seven years,” said Christo of the Christo Fifth Avenue Salon and creator of the Curlisto line of hair products.

But even though we might know what affects hair texture, it still is unclear exactly how and why this happens.People with curly hair have a flatter follicle. Straight hairs tend to have a rounder follicle. But how a flat follicle turns round, and vice versa, is a mystery.

“What adds to the curl or takes away from the curl is a fascinating issue scientifically,” says Tom Dawson, a principle scientist at P&G Beauty. “You’d think with something as fundamental as human hair, and the amount of time and money we put into our hair, that we’d know more than we do. But it’s a tough nut to crack.

“What is known is that hormones have a major effect on hair texture.”Hormones influence the hair in several different ways since they are regulators of the body’s metabolism,” Christo says. “Hormones tell our body how to perform, therefore increasing or decreasing specific hormones can directly affect the way our body functions.”

He cites three major hormones that affect the hair:Thyroxine and triiodothyronine are produced by the thyroid gland and influence the way the body uses the food we eat. An under-active thyroid can cause brittle hair and hair loss.

Androgen is produced in the adrenal glands and is responsible for hair growth. In women, an increase in the production of androgen causes thinning of the hair and excessive facial hair.

Insulin is produced in the pancreas and is responsible for the adaptation of glucose in the blood. Under-production of insulin can cause hyperglycemia and over-production can cause hypoglycemia, which can both cause hair loss and change the way the hair looks and feels.

Cancer patients often find that after chemotherapy, their once-straight hair grows in curly. Chemo affects rapidly growing cells more than slowly growing ones, and hair follicles in the scalp grow rapidly. They are jolted by the chemo, and when they go back to work, they may have a new job description, says Dr. Jennifer Griggs. Over time, the hair follicle tends to return to its normal shape.

With little scientific evidence available about how hormones and genetics cause these texture changes, Jonathan Torch, creator of Curly Hair Solutions and founder of Toronto’s Curly Hair Institute, has come up with his own theory.

He believes changes in the muscles at the base of every follicle are the key to the changes in hair texture that take place over time. These muscular changes, he says, often come during puberty, chemotherapy or menopause, when hormones and medications may affect the muscle tone.

Sometimes these changes can be extreme, says Torch, who has witnessed many a client go from curly to straight and straight to curly.”I can’t prove anything medically,” he says. “But I have a philosophy that genetically, the muscles are changing. And this changes the shape of the follicle.”

 

[FrazzledFraggle]

Some people have straight hair and want curly hair. Others have curls and straighten them out. But for a few people, their hair actually changes shape and texture on its own — and not just because of the weather. Scientists don't know exactly why this happens, but it probably has to do with a combination of genetics, hormones and body chemistry.

"Every seven to 10 years, my hair tends to change texture, going from straight to wavy to curly," says Kimberly Fasting-Berg, a marketing executive in New York City.

"I can't predict but then it happens and I am like, 'Oh, here we go again,'" she says.

Judy Butler, a midwife in Tucson, Ariz., also has hair that's gone from straight to curly and vice versa, so when she saw changes in the hair of her three kids she wasn't surprised.

"My first two [kids] had very straight hair as infants, I mean stick straight," Butler says. But when her kids hit puberty, she says their hair become "very curly, very wavy and very frizzy."

Curly locks have always sprung from my head, so I wondered, how often does hair change, and could it happen to me?

I set off on a quest to find out.

Searching For Hair Clues In Our Genes

First I started with Dr. Barry Starr, a geneticist at Stanford University. He told me most people's hair doesn't change from straight to curly.

"If your mom gives you a curly version of the gene and so does your dad, you end up with curly hair. If both parents give you the straight version you end up with straight hair," Starr says. And if one gives you curly and the other straight, you could wind up with something in between.

But, he couldn't tell me why some people go through a hair transformation. "It is an interesting genetic question, but I don't think there is an answer yet — and there may not be," he says.

What Shapes Our Hair?

The next person I called is Dr. Paradi Mirmirani, a dermatologist in Vallejo, Calif., who specializes in hair. "We do know that curly hair has a different shape than straight hair," says Mirmirani.

That shape depends on the shape of the hair follicle. This tiny structure guides the hair fiber up a sort of tube as it grows. The inside of the tube determines if the hair is curly or straight — ovals produce curly hair and circular tubes yield straight hair.

"If you think about gift wrapping ribbon, when you try to make it curly, you take the scissors and you pull it on one side, so you kind of flatten the one side and it curls. So you're changing the shape of one side compared to the other," says Mirmirani. "When it's oval, one side is curved and the other side is flat, which makes it curl."

So if your hair changes from straight to curly it suggests that the follicles must be changing, but Mirmirani couldn't tell me why that would happen, though she thought it could have something to do with hormones.

An Influence From Hormones?

After all, hair changes in other ways during adolescence or after having a baby, two events that generate hormonal changes in the body.

"Hormones are a logical guess but I have no evidence to prove that," says Dr. Val Randall, an endocrinologist at the University of Bradford in England.

Randall is one of the few people doing research on hormones and hair. She says it is difficult to figure something like this out because it doesn't happen very often.

But, says Randall, change is possible because hair is always replacing itself:

"The hair that you have on your head age 10 is not the hair that you have on your head age 2, and it is not the hair you have on your head age 50," Randall says.

If the new follicles grow back a different shape, then your new hair will be different, too.

Hair Care From The Inside-Out

I made at least a dozen more calls but I couldn't find anyone who knew more about the curly-straight question. I did find out that there is an entire industry working on it.

"There are multimillion-dollar research projects going on looking at how to change hair shape because this would be a billion-dollar business," says Dr. Zoe Draelos, a dermatologist in High Point, N.C. Her research is supported by the cosmetics industry, which is looking beyond perms and irons. For the industry, figuring out a simple way to turn hair straight or curly would be a goldmine.

"Wouldn't it be great if you took a pill and your hair turned curly?" says Draelos. "I mean, can you imagine how that would revolutionize hair care, and then you could take another pill, and you could reverse it the next day."

Until then, I think I will stick with my curls.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102074149

This is fascinating, OP!

 

[Amarilles]

I've read about people who's hair shape changes after alopecia.

(http://archderm.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1105175)

But it's very rare. OP, how long has this been happening for? I'm kinda intrigued...that rarely happens without us manipulating the hair in some way.

 

[whiteoleander91]

oh wow, that's a really dramatic change. maybe it has something to do with the amount of iron that's in your blood now...hmm *scratches head*

this is really fascinating to me! I hope you can figure out what's causing the change

 

[alundra]

Are you on MSM? That can change hair texture. My curl pattern is more loose after being on MSM regularly for a little over a year now.

 

[JosieLynn]

like a few others said maybe it has to do with the change in amount in iron, and although you have no events consciously that could have affected your hormones, sometimes they really don't care and do there own thing. I haven't had a change on such a large scale yet but my hair texture is generally i guess fish but lately i've been washing my hair and having bone straight strands, haven't used any heat, crazy concoctions nothing, but i can tell some of my hair texture is changing. Hair is like the very last thing on us that gets any nutrients, vitamins etc and it is a physical medical record of our lives in that whatever we do, intake etc comes out in our hair. if you haven't done anything drastic and your health is generally ok I think it may be just your body's way of saying "time for something new" and learn to work with it. Best of luck!

 

[pearcey]

My hair is all tight, various diametered, pen springs and "tight" s formations.

I don't know if it's a texture change; per se, or just better care, styling/detangling technique, and working to maximize what was already there. This is one reason I will never dye or henna...the thought of a looser texture due to self inflicted alterations is heartbreaking...

 

[BlackHairDiva]

Yea, I was going to ask about vitamins, new supplements too.Change of meds or birth control pills/method?

Hormones could be it...are you towards your mid 30s? some odd things happen once you hit that mid30s...all kinds of interesting changes.

im 35 turning 36...only odd change is having super dry skin when in the past I had oily skin....oh and my eyes water easily and my tummy growls all the time..Probiotic is always in my purse so fat its the only thing that keeps my stomach quiet. Please do share.....

Sorry didnt meant to Highjack the thread.

 

[FlowerHair]

Yes! I know I've posted about this before, but when I was in pre puberty, my hair turned straight for 1-2 years. It was so bad, that my mom (who was color counscious in the opposite direction) took me to get a curly perm to put my curls back in.

I think it can happen due to hormonal changes, such as puberty, pregnancy and menopause, as well as after chemotherapy.

 

[BlackHairDiva]

Op your post really got me scratchin my head!!

You hair pattern looks like mine. At first I thought, could be that as your hair gets longer it weighs more and streches the curls ...but this....I dont know. Like some mentioned in here MSM can change your hair. Have you at one point used BKT on a regular basis. Because in my case I tried to stop once to see how quickly my hair would revert back...well I had Diana ross hair not my tight 4 a hair.

Second, I've always prefered my hair long and trust I have mastered getting my hair straight, strong and retaining growth and moisture in a way that even my mom is baffled! When I was a kid mom would get my hair braided because my hair was to thich and painful ( she would get hand cramps) to style. Within 20 mins of braiding, stylist would go tmy mom in tears! Pull my mom aside and beg her to allow them to call for back up...Usually the back up woudl sitck around for then minutes and leave

Now, this migh be a long shot.... but this might be a possible cause...

If you used steamer, some good moisturiser and oils your hair and have a close past of BKTing this could explain it.

Or you managed to somewhat heat train your hair. Not heat damaged. This happened to me with the front part of my hair.

 

[InsertCleverNameHere]

Thank you for all your suggestions. I don't use msm, bkt, and use heat about once a year or once every other year (my hair is very fine and thin so straight styles are usually not the most attractive on me).

I'm starting to wonder if the iron jacked up (or fixed) my hormones. I'm going to ask my hematologist since I have an appointment this week, but since most of the patients are white and have straight or wavy hair anyway, I don't know if she will even be able to give me some answers.

 

[leiah]

My hair is now type 2 with some pieces nearly straight. I have to work really hard to get any kind of curl

I use henna, have had 2 babies in 3 years, and have very long hair, all of those could explain it or maybe they have nothing to do with it. Who knows

I was born with straight hair that got curly when I went through puberty

I'm pretty unhappy with it and i'm always admiring people with more textured hair than mine.