The bottom line: Several factors can change the color and texture of hair throughout your lifetime. They include stress, chemical hair treatments, heat styling, genetics, aging, medical conditions and illness. and pregnancy.
Hormonal Changes
Any increase or decrease in your body's hormones can directly influence how your body functions, including your hair growth. During times of great hormonal shifts, like pregnancy and menopause, it's very common for changes in the texture of your hair.
The Science Behind Crinkly Hair Strands
The structure of your hair strands significantly contributes to their texture. Hair that grows at an angle out of the follicle, for example, can result in a wiry or crinkly texture. Furthermore, dry or damaged hair is more prone to being crinkly.
The most common reason for having multi-textured hair is genetics. If you're desiring hair that is completely different from yours, you are sure to get frustrated. If you have multiple textures, it is normal and you're not alone. Vitamin deficiencies or medication can cause a change in hair texture, but not always.
Bumpy hair strands
Bumps or an uneven hair texture means that there are gaps in the protein cells and that it is damaged.
Abnormal coarse hair may be associated with damage to the hair shaft, medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, aging, or a genetic condition. Some medications, such as chemotherapy, can also change hair texture. There is no treatment for structural hair disorders caused by genetic conditions.
Dystrophic hairs have a decreased proximal diameter, an irregular contour, no epithelial sheaths, and an angle of over 20°. They are common in AGA or in hair that has not been removed correctly from the scalp.
Take an inch-wide section of hair between two fingers and gently pull them down the hair, right to the ends. Concentrate on the texture: does it feel smooth all the way down? If you feel an uneven surface, with kinks and sections that snap off under tension, these are damaged hair warning signs.
It's true, you're not crazy, your hair texture can and does change throughout your life for a variety of reasons. Some people have pin straight hair as children that then curls up once they become teenagers, or others have tightly coiler hair when they are younger that loosens into curls as they get older.
One of the main reasons why the back underneath layer gets dry is because the nape of your neck tends to sweat more, zapping moisture from the section of hair covering it. The sweat buildup also creates frizz and leaves the section of hair very rough to touch.
Type 4: Kinky Hair
This hair type is also known as coily or very curly. These curls can be “S” shaped or “Z” shaped, and they are very well-defined. It's the coarsest hair type and is sensitive to heat and prone to damage.
What Is Gummy Hair? Research published in the International Journal of Trichology states that overusing or repeatedly using chemicals on hair might alter its texture and cause hair breakage. Weathering may be seen as a microscopic result of these processes. Frizzing and tangling may result from it.
Straw-like hair doesn't have a single universal cause. Dozens of factors can contribute to that dry, rough feeling. Excessive heat styling, improper wash routines, and chemical treatments are common culprits. Internal factors like stress and lack of nutrition can play a role, too.
Many factors can contribute to changes in your hair's color and texture. Throughout your life, your hair structure will change and evolve as you age. Hormonal changes, health issues, and even stress can all be reasons for your hair to change.
The most common reason is genetics. Not only can genetics play a role in your hair texture but your location, along with humidity and the weather can also change the textures in your hair. Have you bleached or processed your hair lately? Color can also change your curl pattern, making your curls looser.
If the hair strand feels rough and bumpy then all is not all good in your hair's life. Uneven hair texture is an indicative of lack of protein.
Genetic factors appear to play a major role in determining hair texture—straight, wavy, or curly—and the thickness of individual strands of hair. Studies suggest that different genes influence hair texture and thickness in people of different ethnic backgrounds.
What are the signs of healthy hair? Healthy hair strands have a sheen and a luster, little breakage, minimal shedding, are moisture rich (so not dry), reflect light, do not break when brushed, and do not contain dandruff.
A damaged hair strand refers to a hair fiber that has lost its natural structure and strength due to various factors such as heat styling, chemical treatments, and environmental stressors. Damaged hair strands may appear dry, brittle, and dull, and can also have split ends and frizz.
Pityriasis amiantacea is a condition in which there is excessive scaling of the scalp. Thick silvery or yellowish scales encircle the hair shafts and may bind down tufts of hair. The scales may resemble asbestos, giving rise to the term amiantacea – the French word for asbestos is 'amiante'.
Piedra is a superficial fungal infection of hair shafts, which presents with small nodules stuck-on to the shaft. Black piedra, caused by Piedraia hortae, is characterized by black-colored nodules and is common in the tropics, especially in individuals with long hair and poor scalp hygiene.
Platelet-rich fibrin hair restoration is a non-surgical treatment that's beneficial for a common type of hair loss known as androgenic alopecia or male pattern baldness. A blood sample from the patient is used to gather platelets and a protein called fibrin. These are injected into the scalp to promote hair growth.