Ten Signs Your Beautiful Curls are Damaged

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Your hair may well be your crowning glory but if you don’t care for it properly, it’ll be less glorious and more gory! You want your hair to feel and look healthy, sit well and make you feel confident, but if you are boasting beautiful curls, there is a whole new level involved in looking after them, well beyond the standard shampoo and drip dry you may be used to. Straight hair has its moments but curly hair requires so much more care than you may be used to.

If your hair has curled as you’ve aged, you’re not alone, but would you know what to look for to spot damage that’s happened or is about to happen? Are you aware of knowing how to spot the damage on your own? It’s so easy to forget just how fragile your hair can be and while you may be using curly hair leave in conditioner, it’s not the only thing that you need to make it look and feel good. So, if you are concerned about how to spot the signs of damage in your curly hair, we’ve got ten of the most common signs that your beautiful head of curls is damaged.

• The ends are splitting -Even those without curly hair know that this is a clear sign of damage in their hair. Splitting in curls can also be caused in the middle of the hair shaft, too, not just the ends! There are so many things that can cause split ends, from dryness and friction to snapping and damage from heat. One of the best ways to prevent this from happening is to moisturize the ends of the hair and have a stylist who can specialize in curls trim the ends regularly.
• You’ve noticed a change in the texture of your hair.-Have you noticed a looser curl pattern in your hair? What about noticeable changes like stringy or straighter ends? These can all be a red flag that there is damage in your curls and while excessive heat can be a culprit, if you’re not using heat on your curls, you need to look at older pictures and determine whether your hair has changed. You know your hair best so you’ll notice right away!
• The elasticity has dropped – Curly girls often find embracing the shrinkage hard! The thing is, stretching out those shrinking curls and letting them spring back into place is fun, but if they’re no longer springing back then your hair won’t be as healthy as you’d hoped. Shrinkage in your curls means that it’s healthy and strong. When your curls are damaged, they lose their elasticity and that’s the whole idea of the leave-in conditioning treatments. They will bring you back your bounce!
• The curls are drier than before – You should always pay attention to the feel of your curls and if they are drying out, then you need to hydrate, hydrate and hydrate some more! It’s more than just hydrating with water, too. Spritzing your hair with it and a little conditioner will help. The weekly deep conditioning that you do will get your curly locks back on track where they’re supposed to be!
• Your curls are becoming tangles – Curly girls look wild and there’s a good reason for that. Your curls aren’t supposed to tangle easily and if you are wrestling with taming your hair, you need to think about detangling and making them healthy again. Dry and damaged strands that tangle wildly are going to cause more friction and snag together, which will rub them into splits. Always be very gentle with a wide-toothed comb and conditioning ointments. You can be too rough and that will snap the strands, leaving split ends that are harder to fix.

• The curls are breaking off – Snapping hair? Yup, that’s a good sign that things are damaged. It’s always normal to see shedding – no matter your hair type – and the damaged strands will break off where the hair shaft is at its weakest. You can hydrate and condition to continue to fortify your curls and cutting off those brittle ends may be the best way to control that damage.
• You’ve noticed that your curls are leaning into frizz – You know your curls better than anyone, and you know what’s normal for your hair and what isn’t. There are plenty of factors that can lead to dryness and frizz but every time you wash your curls, you should see it revert back to the same shape. If it doesn’t rough up their hair, your curls should spring back to place. Hot oil treatments will help here, as the moisture will be sealed into your hair.
• It’s not as soft as it was – Your curls should be silky soft and it’s not a beautiful sign, but a healthy one. You want your hair to be less prickly and more soft, and you can take the ends of your hair and rub them between your fingers to determine whether they are soft or not. If you notice anything feeling scratchy like steel wool, then there’s a good chance that your curls are bent out of shape and are no longer soft. Trimming and oils can help!
• Damaged cuticles – If you ever wanted to determine whether the cuticles in your hair are good or bad, look at how porous your hair is. If there is a high porosity level, then your hair will actually be more inclined to dryness and breakage. Stop using colors and chemicals on your hair, and this won’t be a problem anymore! You want to help your entire scalp to be healthy and it’s much easier when you look after the hair from the root to tip!
• The regular routines went out the window – Your usual hair care routine is no longer working for you and while it takes trial and error to get it right, there may need to be some upgrades to your products or routine. Your hair may be telling you that it needs some more tender loving care!

If your curls are damaged, they can be saved – and now you know how!

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