My curls have gone! How to go from hair flop to pop

three women are standing on top of a building holding hands .

If you’ve grown up with curly hair you likely have experienced a love hate relationship with it. Your grandmother loved your curls when you were growing up. Your school mates teased you. It’s inability to be controlled, it’s spontaneity and sheer brutal unpredictability the source of many teenage tears and the same reasons why you now love it - non conforming, uninhibited, and shamelessly unique. So, when your curls aren’t curling and your hair goes flat, it’s a big deal - you identify as curly, everyone knows you as curly, or at least they did.

There are several reasons why curl patterns can change and the curls Solution: Our curly hair hairdressers and creative team are waiting for you to join them at our Friends + Co city hair salon the specialist curly hair hairdressers for the most common causes of limp curls they see in the Corkin + Friends hairdressers Christchurch salon:

Over processing your hair

It’s no great surprise that over processing is the number one cause of curls becoming flatter. Over processing includes:

Heat damage

It’s not just straightening irons and hot styling tools that damage hair. Exposure to the sun over the summer months and winter heating systems damage hair too. If you’ve noticed your curls are less pronounced, drier, frizzier and less manageable, heat damage could be to blame.

Solution: Embrace those bouncy beautiful curls and keep the hot styling tools in the drawer! But, if you do still want to use them, reparative and protective products are a must.

Chemical damage

Chemical damage from bleaching or using home hair dye kits can damage the curl pattern - curls need moisture and harsh chemicals dehydrate them. The lack of moisture, particularly from the mid-shaft to the ends, causes split ends to be more visible, and you will notice a change in the thickness, elasticity and shine of your hair. These are clear indicators of chemical trauma.

Solution: The extent of the damage dictates the level of treatment your curls need. A good place to start is a deep protein conditioning treatment, but it may be beyond repair in which case an appointment with a curly hair hairdresser is needed.

a woman with a flower in her hair is smiling

Product buildup

Consistently using hair styling products to control and enhance curls can create a waxy layer that weighs down those curls. Daily use of any product can cause buildup if not rinsed properly or used in excess without routine cleaning in your hair care regimen. The accumulation causes hair to become limp, dull and lifeless and you are more prone to dandruff.

Solution: Incorporate a clarifying shampoo into your curly hair care routine to get rid of the buildup and bring your curls back to life. Once or twice a month should be enough, but your curly hair hairstylist will advise.

Hormone fuelled changes to your hair

Hormone imbalances through puberty, pregnancy, breastfeeding and the menopause can cause a drastic change to the shape of the follicles which impacts the curl and the texture. These changes can be temporary but oftentimes they are permanent.

Solution: Our curly hair hairdressers and creative team are waiting for you to join them at our Corkin + Friends city hair salon. We’ll spend time with you to explore the best hairstyle options for you. It may be a new curly hair care routine is needed. Or it may be time for a new hairstyle to make you feel fabulous and embrace your new texture.

At Friends + Co we appreciate how closely linked haircuts and hairstyles are to identity and we work with women to help them fall back in love with their hair and rediscover that spring in their step. Click here to book a hairdresser appointment online or call 03 371 9297.