If you have curly hair, you expect it to have shape and volume. You certainly don’t expect your curly locks to look stringy. Surprisingly, curls that look stringy are not quite as uncommon as one might think.
It’s frustrating to look in the mirror and see stringy where there should be lots of volume. So, why does curly hair look stringy?
There are several causes of stringy curls including improper hair care. With some adjustments to your hair care routine, your curls will be anything but stringy in no time.
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What’s the Deal with Curly Hair?
Curly hair will hair a different hair shaft structure than straight hair, hence the need for specific hair care products and routines. What’s more, there are varying kinds of curly. Hair may be curly, kinky coily, or just have a soft wave.
With naturally curly hair, the curl pattern is a result of genetics and is influenced by the hair cortex as well as the internal structure of the hair shaft known as the medulla.
So even if family genetics have gifted you a head full of curls, maintaining a stunning appearance takes more. If your hair is dry and a bit rigid along with dull, it’s difficult to achieve beautiful curls.
Curly hair does not have a uniform hair shaft diameter, so it is weaker at the curl, meaning it is more susceptible to breakage. A specific hair care routine is mandatory to keep those lovely curls manageable and looking their best.
Stringy Curly Hair
For those of us with naturally curly hair, there is nothing worse than a bad hair day where your hair appears to have a mind of its own and becomes unruly or after several hours begins to look stringy with loose curls that lose both volume and shape and look limp.
Your hair requires moisture to look healthy and shiny. Our hair is fundamentally composed of keratin protein which in turn absorbs moisture. But the amount of moisture your hair shafts retain depends on several things like your physical condition and the levels of protein. Environmental humidity can also influence hair hydration levels.
Common chemical treatments of hair such as perming, bleaching, dyeing, and even relaxers will play havoc with hair health. Chemicals cause hair to lose protein and become quite porous. As the hair becomes more porous, it loses its ability to retain necessary moisture and becomes incredibly dry.
The same thing happens if you style your hair frequently using heat as when styling with hair irons or blow dryers. Heat styling will lower the hair’s moisture content as well.
With repeated chemical treatments or the use of heat utensils, hair dries out, becomes brittle, and is susceptible to breakage. This contributes to increased frizz and stringy curls. In fact, hair care experts, point to hair dryness as the principal cause of curls looking stringy.
What Can I Do for Dry Hair?
The best thing you can do for overly dry hair is to reduce or eliminate any harsh chemical treatments. Select a moisturizing shampoo that is free of sulfates.
Sulfates dry hair out even more. Use a rinse-off hair conditioner after you shampoo. When selecting your conditioner look for one that has cationic surfactants.
These can be important because surfactants are used in shampoos and they have a negative charge to lift hair cuticles. Cationic surfactants are positively charged and aid in smoothing the hair cuticle. Look for ingredients that reduce friction and realign cuticles like:
- Cetrimonium chloride
- Behentrimonium chloride
- Behentrimonium methosulfate
- Stearamidoprayl dimethylamine
Oils can also be beneficial to your hair’s health. Natural kinds of butter and oils can moisturize and reduce protein loss. You should also find the time to do a deep conditioning treatment.
Choose a deep conditioning hair mask and leave it on your hair under a heat cap or hooded dryer for half an hour so that absorption is facilitated.
Remember that hair faces multiple sources of damage daily from chemical treatments to harsh weather to excessive combing. Damage can result in frizz, split ends, and the abrasion of hair cuticles.
What About Hair Care Products for Curly Hair?
The proper products for curly hair can aid in styling as you wish while contributing to hair health. Many styling products contain polymers that will fix a style but that prevent the absorption of moisture.
The hair then begins looking stringy, frizzy and dried out. With repeated use, curls can become gummy and smaller creating the appearance of being stringy. Polymers also will build up on hair shafts.
If you have been using this kind of styling product, wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo. Apply a very gentle leave-in conditioner that has no polymeric ingredients in its formula.
Beware of alcohols in the ingredients as well as these can contribute to drying hair out and frizz. These are often found in hairsprays or mousses. Reduce the use of hair products containing alcohols such as isopropyl, ethyl, or butyl alcohols.
Look for hair care products that are specifically formulated for curly hair.
Thermal Styling of Curly Hair
Using hair irons and blow dryers expose your hair strands to intense heat which when done repeatedly will damage hair and contribute to drying hair out.
If you must style hair using these tools, use a heat protectant that is silicone-based. You can also do oil treatments using shea butter, sesame seed oil, or sunflower oil that supports high temperatures.
The Bottom Line
Anyone with curly hair will at some point or other experience undesirable stringy curls. Your principal challenge will be combatting hair dryness, but it can be done and relatively easily.
By using the proper hair care products, dedicating some attention to thermal styling, and engaging in regular deep conditioning, your curls should be shiny, bouncy, and above all healthy.
Love your curls and they will be manageable and hence more easily styled. Love your curls and they will love you back with shape, volume, bounce, and beauty.
