Why Is My Hair Not Curly Anymore?

Curly hair is known for its versatility – it can be worn straight, wavy, or in its naturally curly state. But what if your natural curls suddenly changed their tune, appearing stretched out or even straight? There’s definitely something going on, and we’re here to help you find out what it is. In this article, we’ll not only tell you why your hair isn’t curly anymore, but we’ll let you know how to get your curls back.

Several things can make you lose your curls, including:

• The weight of your growing hair

• Heat damage

• Follicular changes

• Your hormones

• Hair Buildup

• Chemical processing

If you’re ever going to get your curls back, you need to know the cause of your curl loss.

Why Curly Hair Is Now Straight

Your curls are missing in action, and you’ve got no idea why. Here is where we change that. Below, you’ll find two of the top reasons why your curly hair is now straight.

Heat Damage

Any time you heat style your hair, you’re exposing your hair cuticles to damage. Curls are resilient, and they will likely bounce back with no problem after a heat styling session or two. But with ongoing heat styling, they will burn from the inside and lose their structure. That’s when you’ll notice your curly hair straightening out. 

Chemical Processing

Similar to heat, chemical processing can lead to curl pattern loss. Perms, relaxers, and texturizers can all break the protein bonds in your strands and cause them to become relaxed.

Why Does My Curl Pattern Change?

Now that you understand why your curly hair can go straight, let’s look into a couple of causes behind a randomly changing curl pattern.

• Hair Buildup – Buildup attaches itself to the outermost layer of the hair and adds weight to each strand. This can cause your curls to loosen over time.

• Follicular changes – Due mainly to genetics, your hair follicles may go through changes from time to time. If the shape of your hair follicles change, your hair texture will change as well.

• Your hormones – Your hormones may do a number on your curl pattern, making it curlier or straighter. You’re more likely to experience texture changes from hormones during puberty, menopause, or pregnancy.

• The weight of your growing hair – As your hair grows, it gets heavier and heavier, and this weight causes your curls to stretch out.

How To Get Curls Back

The method you use to get your curls back will depend on what’s causing your curl loss. Check out the below tips to get started:

• Cut back on heat styling as much as possible. Always use a heat protectant before using heat tools. Up your deep conditioning sessions, use a quality leave-in, and moisturize your hair regularly.

• Stay away from hair chemicals for a while and baby your hair as much as possible.

• Take a trip to your local salon for a cut. With some of the bulk removed, your curls may come back instantly.

• If you’re pregnant, a teenager, or going through menopause, there’s nothing you can do about how your hair is growing in. But you can try different hair styling methods to bring texture back to your hair (braid outs, twist outs, etc.)

• Do a deep cleansing session with a clarifying shampoo to remove buildup from your hair.

We hope that this article has been helpful to you and wish you the best with your curls!

Author: Andrea Reyes

Andrea is a mother, wife, writer, and natural hair enthusiast of 15 years. Currently on her natural hair journey, she’s been trying countless products and techniques to understand and embrace her natural hair. She is the creator of NaturallyTextured.com, a new website featuring informative articles that share tips, tricks, and techniques aimed to help others learn to love their hair through proper hair care. She writes with the hope of making hair care easier to understand and implement.