My long hair
Posted by Dom on July 26, 2002 at 07:22:35: Previous Next
Hi
Ive had longish hair around shoulder length for a while now, i almost always have it in tight pony tail. My hair is straight until the last inch or inch and a half where it curls up, i hate this. Is this because i always wear it in a pony tail, (I usually wash it in the morning then tie it back before it dries) however ive tried leaving it down and and it still curls up at the bottom, is there a cheap easy way to fix this, so that it goes straight im considering cutting my hair short its so annoying. Ive tried putting gel and wax on the ends but it looks really greasy.
Could you please email me with any tips, thanks.
The Dreaded 'Flip-Curl'
Posted by LucksKind on July 26, 2002 at 08:53:11: Previous Next
In Reply to: My long hair posted by Dom on July 26, 2002 at 07:22:35:
Usually that curl or 'flip' is caused by the shoulder length hair
being 'sent back upwards' by your shoulders or shirt collar.
If you twist the hair into verticle curls--like springs--it
will not curl up. It's not hard to do. Just twist the hair round the
brush and go gently downward. Let you hair dry and don't touch it!
Good luck!
Re: My long hair
Posted by David on July 26, 2002 at 13:13:05: Previous Next
In Reply to: My long hair posted by Dom on July 26, 2002 at 07:22:35:
You might try blow-drying your hair, or just the tips. Get a big round brush and kinda roll it in the opposite direction of the flip as you blow-dry it. It might help take the flip out.
Bingo
Posted by Reflective on July 26, 2002 at 17:21:20: Previous Next
In Reply to: My long hair posted by Dom on July 26, 2002 at 07:22:35:
Yes, putting your hair into a tight tail when it's wet on a daily basis may very well be what is causing the curling. Here's how;
Hair is at its weakest when it's wet. So that is the time that you have to be very careful with it. If you aren't it can be easily damaged. Putting your hair into a tight ponytail when it's wet can cause two things to happen. One is bad and the other is worse. The bad thing you have already experienced. The pressure from the hair elastic squishes the hairs at the point where they pass through it. Because it's wet, it gets damaged by this pressure. As the hair grows, a little each day, a new section of hair gets damaged. So as it grows, you have undamaged straight hair going into the hair tie, and damaged curly hair coming out the other side. It is easy to understand this when you realize that straight hair shafts are naturally round in shape, whereas curly hair shafts are naturally oval in shape. You are squishing your round hair shafts into the oval (curly) shape. Unfortunately, there is not too much you can do for the hair that has already been damaged. But at least you can prevent any more damage from occurring.
The other thing that can happen is even worse. If you pull your hair back tightly when it is wet, it will stretch. In fact wet hair is 20% more elastic than dry hair. The problem is that as your hair dries, it loses this extra elasticity. So instead of the hairs stretching to accomodate the pulling force, the roots must now take this stress. If this is done tightly enough and for a long enough period of time (you said daily?) the roots may get pulled out and scar over, preventing any further growth from those follicles. This is known as tractional hair loss and it is permanent. It is a MAJOR cause of THINNING HAIR and BALDNESS among people who constantly wear very tight hairstyles such as cornrows.
If you wait until your hair is dry before putting it into a tail, and if you don't make your tail severely tight, then you can avoid these problems.
I agree that the "pulled back hard" look can be very attractive. There is a way to achieve it without causing your hair all this damage. First, when your hair is wet, work some non alcoholic gel into it, you don't need too much, just a little. Then brush your hair back and let it dry that way. After it dries, you can put it into a tail, just tight enough to hold it. If two twists of the tie do the job, then don't do three. Now, with your hair tied back get your hands wet and just run them lightly over the surface of the hair. This will "Re-activate" just enough of the gel to simulate that really tight slicked back look, but without the damage.
Remember, your hair is like a fine, expensive fabric, and needs to be treated as such.
Hope this helps.
Re: My long hair
Posted by Jeremy on July 26, 2002 at 17:36:29: Previous Next
In Reply to: My long hair posted by Dom on July 26, 2002 at 07:22:35:
Try a flattening iron. I've been using one for a while now, and I can tell you that it WILL get rid of that flip.
Re: Why don't you try this...
Posted by Baldie the Eagle on July 27, 2002 at 00:23:59: Previous Next
In Reply to: My long hair posted by Dom on July 26, 2002 at 07:22:35:
If you wear your hair at night in a braid, when you take it out in the morning it will be a lot less likely to flip upwards. Wash your hair at night, let it dry, and brush it before you braid it, and don't wash it or brus.h it in the morning.
Re: My long hair
Posted by James on July 27, 2002 at 02:38:34: Previous Next
In Reply to: My long hair posted by Dom on July 26, 2002 at 07:22:35:
: Hi
: Ive had longish hair around shoulder length for a while now and it curls up at the bottom. Is there a cheap easy way to enhance this, so that the curl is more pronounced?
: Could you please email me with any tips, thanks.
SURE. Tell your girl or boy friends, that you wish your hair were neater and more professional, and they will love to take over. They will do your hair in a variety of ways, so you should permit it knowing that you can wash it out that very day. When they find the style that suits you and is easy for you to do, yet which gives you a good emotional lift, they stick with it