How do I get my natural curly hair back?

DestinyKrystinia

All my young life up until 2 years old I had thick,long,curly hair. My grandmother one day decided to give me a perm and my hair just started breaking off and it became really short. As a 14 year old now, I really want my curly hair back. I have 2a hair right now, but I really miss my natural curly hair. Can anyone help me? I have absolutely no experience with hair and I'm kind of scared of trying new things because of my overprotective side over my hair. But I'm willing to do anything to get my old hair back. Any advice?

LB61

The shape of your hair follicles determine whether your hair grows out of your head as curly, wavy, or straight. There really is no way that I know of to change that, i.e. get your toddler-hair back (not safely, that's for sure...a scalp/transplant, maybe? Eww..lol)
Being of African descent, we always see babies hairs be one way, and then, somewhere in the toddler stage, the hair changes. I've heard the same among my friends who are white as well (curly hair-thick hair-wavy hair as babies, then totally different as they get older. So I'm pretty sure the change in hair type has something to do with the maturing of the scalp-- and it's follicles-- after birth.

The most important thing about hair is to learn what it loves and find a style that suits your personality and lifestyle that also gives your hair what it loves. Learn your hair and love your hair just as it is!

Gretchen

LB61 said:

The most important thing about hair is to learn what it loves and find a style that suits your personality and lifestyle that also gives your hair what it loves. Learn your hair and love your hair just as it is!

Love this!  

bomega

I agree with what LB said. It is common for hair to change along with hormonal changes in girls and women. Caring for your hair will come learning its properties and providing it with the care that it needs. The newbie threads have a lot of beginner guides to help you do that.

But most of all love your hair for what it is, and you will be happy with it no matter what.

Hullacurls92

I agree with everyone’s comments and it is something I am learning to do right now, just to live my hair the way it is! 

As for taking care of your hair going forward, how long has it been since you last had a perm? Did you decide to do a big chop or are you just transitioning from permed hair to natural? 

I have a lot of family members who have Chad perms and now are trying to go natural! 

So so first things first is giving up perms and any type of heat to your hair (unless it is for deep conditioning 😊) 

then i I would say you need to find a good hair routine that works for you and includes deep conditioning weekly! I also have been watching YouTube videos by Hif3licia and doing scalp massages and using essential oils like peppermint and rosemary are good for hair growth! 
( I would suggest going on her channel and watching her videos to get more details)

lastly when styling your hair try to put it in protective styles/braids to help it grow and also finger coiling is supposed to encourage and train your natural curl pattern. 

I hope this helps! I have been on a similar journey so I have been trying to figure out the best way to take care of my hair 😊

EverydayCurls

If your hair hasn’t grown out all the permed part, it won’t be as curly as it naturally is. You can help it though by using products that help your hair (ie. conditioners, protein treatments, etc.). You can also try curl activators like AG Re:Coil. Unfortunately, most of the curly hair thing is trial and error. I’m the only curly in my family (lots of wavies, but that don’t do anything special to their hair. They just brush it and it magically does not poof out), so I learned everything on my own. I didn’t know what to do with my hair to make it look nice until I found this site at I think 17. It’s been a life changer! Maybe post a picture of your hair if you can? My hair is very hard to accurately photograph, but a picture would at least give us an idea of what your hair might need. I’ve seen some people with previously permed hair where it is now wavy, but you can tell that it has a different texture than what their regular hair would. It often looks dry, so I would start by using hydrating products. If you use more conditioning and your hair gets better but then suddenly poofy, you probably over-conditioned, which happened to me, but isn’t that common. Most curlies need more moisture than people with straight hair to help the curl form and lessen frizz.

larinna

I did the same thing twice in my life...  I had a perm at about 9  years old (long story...) and decide to have another one 12 years ago (another long story...).  It took a while before my hair looked better, before the regain their own curls (2c/3a) and before I can manage (still figuring) my hair.  I hade to cut my hair frequently and wait for them to grow back and get healthy before doing anything else. 

It may be hard to do but I say as the rest of the pretty ladies before me, embrace your hair the way they are...  They might have change since your first perm or not.  You will know as they grow.