My Curls Are Vanishing - Why? - YouLookFab Forum

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My Curls Are Vanishing - Why?

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Hi all,

I have a question for you that is bothering me these days. The thing is, my hair is changing rapidly. From having tight curls a year or so ago, I now have only waves in the front and soft curls on the back of my head. This changes my looks quite a bit. Now my stylist recommends having the hair blown out instead, but I'm not sure if I like that. I prefer my hair to look as natural as possible.

I have experienced this before. During puberty my hair became a lot more curly and remained that way until I had my first child at 26. Then the curls came and went in accordance with my next two pregnancies/babies, and not until my youngest was 2 years old, the curls returned to their former glory. I was then 33. However, now it's happening again, but this time, no pregnancy is involved (I'm very sure!). I'm now 45.

I have been questioning why this is happening. It could be because of chemical damage, because I color my hair every 5-6 weeks (touching up the roots, mainly). It doesn't seem very likely that this is the reason, because I've been doing this for at least 8-9 years or more.

Have any of you experienced anything similar, and do you know why this happens? I'm not very fond of my new hair, and hope to find a way to regain a more curly head.

Any and all help and advice is highly appreciated. Thanks!

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24 replies

Latest reply was from Liz A.

Traci

Veteran

It sounds like it is related to hormonal shifts.

Kim

Veteran

Yup, sounds like the peri menopause...Welcome to the (hot) club!! LOL

Liz

Veteran

I don't have any experience or medical background but I'm with Traci. Since your history indicates that hormone changes affect your hair, that seems a reasonable first place to look now. Could you be entering perimenopause?

April

Veteran

Fellow curly girl here. I know people whose hair changed its curliness at puberty, but I didn't have this experience, and I haven't noticed it being any different as my 50th birthday approaches. That's probably not helpful to you.
The only time my hair got straighter was post-partum, and my hairdresser said it was from the prenatal vitamins I was still taking. The hair itself wasn't actually straighter, but she said the vitamins were creating a coating on the hair that weighed it down and dragged out much of the curl.

Any changes in supplements lately?

,

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Hmm. I'm thinking you are on the right track. No, I haven't changed anything related to medications or diet lately, and I am suspecting that this is the first sign of perimenopause. Do you think taking estrogen would change anything? I don't really have any other symptoms yet.

Bah. I guess I have to look at this as an opportunity for change instead as a loss, but my curls have been part of me for so long that it is hard not to have them anymore.

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

I would it is most likely related to perimenopause/menopause hormone changes. I have a friend who has gone from completely straight hair to curly hair in just one year thanks to menopause.

I love your positive attitude in embracing the change but I can see how it would be difficult. Your curls are a big part of who you are.

MsMary

Veteran

Mine also changed at puberty, and a couple of years ago I thought I was losing my curls, and I thought it was hormonal. However, believe it or not, it turned out to be the haircut! I had gone to more of an all-one-length bob and it didn't let my curls do their thing. I recently got a layered cut and now I'm as curly as I ever was. Could that be something for you to look into?

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ingunn, it might also be related to the humidity. I mean combined with hormonal changes. Maybe in summer they will return a bit...and maybe the changes due to hormones are temporary, too, even if the hormone changes are not temporary. (If that makes any sense!)

I was also going to make Mary's suggestion. My hair is not curly (obviously) but it does have some natural wave. The only way to make this come out is with a layered cut. The weight of my hair is such that when I wear it all one length, very little wave appears -- only extreme thickness.

pastrygirl

(website)

Veteran

Do you follow the Curly Girl routine? (Not using sulfates, shampoo, silicone products, etc.) My hair had started to lose some curl but the no-poo routine over the past few years has brought them back. Still not as curly as I once was, though!

http://www.naturallycurly.com

Isabel

Veteran

Yes, I would also guess hormones.

Gaylene

Veteran

It might be the result of a combination of factors: hormones, diet, humidity, hair products, cut... The underlying factor is, of course, that our bodies are not static; a fact that gets reinforced more and more often as we grow older.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you might get your curls back--or you might not. In my case my shiny straight hair had turned into a mass of curls by my mid-fifties. It's taken me almost a decade to reconcile myself to getting a shorter cut that plays up its curliness and put down my straightener and smoothing lotions. But I still look at pictures of my straight smooth bob with a bit of longing because a totally different type of hair does have a profound effect on one's overall style.

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

Thank you for all your suggestions and comfort. It really helps me look at this from the bright side.

MaryK, I've in fact been having whole lengths for quite some time to avoid a too frizzy and bouncy curled hair. No doubt about it, the curls are looser now, and even absent in front.

Suz, I hope you are right, and you certainly could be. I hope to regain some of it, at least. but I guess I have to face that they are beyond their prime. I'm not at all suggesting that straight hair isn't fab - it's just not me.

Pastrygirl, I haven't tried that. I will definitely look into it! Thank you.

Gaylene, thank you for pointing out the importance of accepting change. I understand completely that it is equally difficult both ways. I have had these hair changes before, so I'm somewhat prepared. But I didn't think it would come so soon as nothing else signals that I'm entering perimenopause so far.

deb

Veteran

Here is a good article explaining the change process.

http://www.npr.org/templates/s.....=102074149

Jules

Veteran

I have a similar hair history and I expect my hair to get straighter in menopause. Mine is also quite affected by weather so I have to treat it differently in humid summer than in dry winter (and it still won't look the same). It's frustrating because you kinda get used to it one way or the other... I was OK with straight hair when pregnant/breastfeeding and now I am loving my hair curly again, having re-figured out cut and styling... yet I know my hormones will start to shift again in the next decade (I'm 40).

Gigi

Veteran

You haven't moved recently, have you? A different water supply can do crazy things with hair.

Aziraphale

Veteran

I would be very surprised if it WASN'T due to hormone changes, based on the fact that your hair changed texture both at puberty and during your pregnancies. If you are 45, it is very likely that you are entering (or in) perimenopause. That involves hormone fluctuations that are very similar to those that occur at menarche and pregnancy.

Why don't you just go with it? I agree, deviating too much from natural is normally not a good idea. I hate how my hair looks after the hairdresser has blown it out. But wavy hair is just as awesome as curly. Maybe practice some new styling techniques?

(btw my hair is also hormone sensitive -- got curlier after menarche and during pregnancy, although never ringlets. Also it's way curlier in humid weather. I'm expecting thinner, straighter hair in menopause).

claire

Another curly girl here. I follow the same site as Pastrygirl (naturallycurly.com) and the no-poo method. Although I've never had straight hair, my curls tighten or loosen a bit with hormones and the weather, and definitely with buildup from silicones and the like before going no-poo and using clean products. I'm strict about staying silicone free and I found a great stylist who cuts curly hair. Don't be scared of a good curly cut with layers to free up the curls!

Peri

Veteran

Hi Ingunn...I have called you my hair twin and now I really think you are even more. My curls are definitely hormonal. My hair got straighter on BCP, curlier again when I went off them, straighter and more thin with menopause. I told my doctor about it when I went on BCP and he didn't quite believe me, but my hairdresser says she sees it all the time.

Also, I don't know about your weather at this time, but the other biggest effect on mine is heat and humidity. Combine those two and I am much more curly. Wet in the winter doesn't do it nearly like summer. Dry and cold makes for the straightest hair.

Adelfa

Veteran

My hair went from stick straight to wavy at puberty. Now, at 53, it is just sort of... fuzzy. The only way it looks good (to me) is if I blow it out. I long for a natural look but am never happy with it. So a tiny bit of added advice would be to accept *doing* something to your hair if the end result feels better to you.

ManidipaM

Veteran

Ahhh! Sympathy... and gratitude, Ingunn!

I couldn't figure out what was with my hair... I knew pregnancy could make hair grow thicker and faster but not that textures can change. Now I know why the pixie suddenly behaves better on me. The waves have eased!

Liz A.

Veteran

Ingunn, barring a hormonal change which you may not be able to combat, I would say the most likely culprit is dryness. I know I have brought up the curly girl method in the past, but I'll say it again it does work.

So what I would suggest is that you at least give it a try before resigning yourself. The dry outside air compounded with dry heat inside is terrible for curls. Even if you don't go silicone and sulfate free, your hair would almost certainly benefit from a deep conditioning and a more moisturizing daily conditioner in the winter. I would also suggest complementing that with protein treatments in order to avoid limp hair.

Let us know how it goes if you do give CG a try.

gradfashionista

(website)

Veteran

Liz, do you think this method would work for wavy hair or mixed straight/wavy types?

Anonymous

Ingunn I can highly recommend this : http://www.bodycare2000.com/s/....._250ml.asp

It's Sulphate and Paraben free. It completely solved my static problem caused by dryness, so I imagine if your hair is dry, which can often be the case for me in winter, then it may help. ETA, I actually got mine from my salon.

Liz A.

Veteran

@gradfashionista, yes! I definitely think it works for wavy hair types as well! My hair is wavy at best to actually pretty straight underneath if I don't do anything to it or use any product. I use gel every time I shower, then scrunch, and diffuse for 5 minutes at least. The picture below is me taking my time and doing the whole shebang... Not necessarily a daily occurrence. Some people can get by with doing less than I do.

If you're in the US, I can give you some product recs. PM if interested.

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