Most adults do not have the baby-fine hair they may have had as newborns. Throughout a person’s life, hair can change texture repeatedly – some say as frequently as every seven years.
When Does a Person’s Hair Change Texture?
Babies are born with hairs that naturally taper at the ends, due to never having been cut. Thus, even babies genetically predisposed to coarse, wiry hair usually have comparatively fine, soft hair at birth. As these tapering ends are cut off with the baby’s first haircut, the hair can suddenly look much thicker due to the now-blunt ends. This can give rise to the myth that cutting hair makes it grow in thicker. However, many babies do genuinely change hair texture early in life, often after shedding some or all of their newborn hair.
Further hair changes commonly occur at puberty; during pregnancy or after the postpartum shed; during menopause; and when the hair begins to grey. The hair can change from stick-straight to curly or vice versa – in some people the change is subtle, while others report results as dramatic as a perm. Grey hair is usually, but not always, coarser and less soft than the previous non-grey hair.
Why Does Hair Change Texture?
It is not fully understood why hair changes texture, although it is clear that hormones are involved. Medications can also have an effect on hairtype – chemotherapy is well-known for resulting in hair loss followed by a regrowth of curly, fine, sometimes reddish hair. Thyroid problems and thyroid medications can result in wiry-feeling, frizzy hair. And chemical and physical damage caused by the wrong hair care routine can result in stretched-out curls or frizzy straight hair.
What To Do About Hair That Has Changed Texture
For good or ill, hair texture cannot be medically reversed or “fixed”. Fighting a new hairtype with perns or straighteners will just result in damaged hair. The best course of action is to find a new routine that works with the new hairtype. Hair that looks frizzy may simply be curly or wavy hair which is being badly-treated, as hair care routines for straight hair do not work for curly hair. Similarly, a person used to working with curly hair can easily overmoisturise straight hair, leading to lank, dull hair. Finding a routine that works can help you come to terms with your new hair.
It is common for people discovering natural hair care to report changes to their hair’s texture. One-size-fits-all shampoo and conditioner can result in hair with too much or too little protein and/or moisture. Once a person settles into a routine which delivers the optimum amounts of protein and moisture, as well as reducing physical and chemical damage to hair, she may notice frizzy hair settling into a defined curl/wave pattern, or straight hair becoming sleeker and more compact.
Can Changes in Hair Texture Indicate Poor Health?
Usually, hair changes texture due to normal physiological processes like childbirth or puberty. However, thinning hair can be a sign of vitamin deficiencies, poor diet or disease. Thinning hair is not technically the same thing as changing hair texture, but one is often mistaken for the other. If in doubt, see a heath care professional and inquire abot a thyroid workup and/or blood testing.
Sarah Tennant - Sarah Tennant is a onetime English major who lives in New Zealand with her husband and two small children. Her interests range from ...
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