Over time, you may notice you don't have the same hair you did when you were younger. Apart from the normal style evolution that happens, hair textures can also change over time.
Changes in hair texture happen for a variety of reasons, from the natural aging process to varying health conditions, to diet and your hair care routine. Whether your hair is curly, wavy or straight, thick and coarse or thin and fine, here's why your hair texture may change over time.
What Is Hair Texture?
Your hair strand's circumference and shape determine your hair texture. Most people's hair falls on a spectrum from coarse to medium to fine. Your hair's texture defines how curly, wavy or straight it is and how much body and bounce it has.
Like every other part of the body, hair goes through changes over time. As people age, some experience hair thinning while others may feel hair becoming coarser from graying.
While hair tends to change slowly throughout adulthood, you may notice more rapid hair texture changes starting to occur since childhood, partly from changes in your scalp and the oils your skin secretes. Environmental factors, such as exposure to smog, hot weather, and air pollution, can also cause changes. Using hair products with dedicated UV filters, like Ouidad’s Advanced Climate Control line, can help to protect against damage from environmental aggressors.
Reasons for Hair Texture Change Over Time
Aside from normal aging and environmental factors, your hair texture can change in response to many things. Some of the more common reasons for hair texture changes include:
Pregnancy
Hormone fluctuations can affect hair texture, such as the major changes during pregnancy or postpartum. Talk to your obstetrician about any concerns and ask whether there's anything you can do for hair texture changes that result from altered hormone levels.
Potential Medical Reasons
In addition to environmental factors causing changes to your hair texture, personal medical reasons can also potentially affect your hair's health. These may include medical conditions, prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, along with various lifestyle changes. Always speak with your doctor before starting or stopping medical treatment and ask for advice on managing potential hair changes.
Stress
Stress can impact your hair in many ways. Some people with prolonged and continued stress may notice their hair thinning or hair texture changing in other ways. For example, previously curly hair may straighten slightly, or the reverse may happen, and formerly straight hair can curl more than it had in the past.
Graying
Gray hair generally has a different cross-section than darker hair, and the shaft is usually thicker and rougher. As your hair turns gray, you may notice it's also growing coarser and thinning. As the graying advances, you're likely to have fewer individual hairs, but each may be thicker than what you had before.
Shampoo/Conditioner/Other Treatments
The rumors are true: Your hair texture can be impacted by the products you use. Some shampoos, conditioners, and hair treatments can soften or coarsen your hair, encourage curls, loosen your hair, or even alter the surface texture you feel. Heat damage from overuse of hot styling tools can also impact the texture of hair and make it feel rough and dry over time. Products designed to help with heat protection, like Advanced Climate Control® Curl Miracle Treatment and Mongongo Oil, can help to prevent heat damage to hair when used consistently.
Changing Seasons
It's natural for hair to change textures with seasonal changes. High heat and humidity cause hair texture to change most notably with frizz, while low temperatures can make hair feel parched, brittle or flat. You might also notice more split ends during the cold seasons since brittle hair is more likely to split when the wind whips it around. Hair masks and nourishing treatments can help to hydrate dry hair and prevent any future breakage.