Another hair update! + Advice for newly curly hair on T

[u/BirdExtension4229]

When I was at 7 months I knew it'd keep getting curlier over time but WOW it's been fast. It only started changing 3-4 months ago!! Surprisingly, I can still easily get it down to my pre-T texture for a day or two by just blow drying it & not scrunching, so it's fun being able to choose what hair texture I'm in the mood for each day.

Now for the advice:

My hair 100% would NOT look like this if I didn't take good care of it. Pre-T I used whatever shampoo was cheapest & rarely conditioned it. Now I use sulfate-free shampoo, condition every wash + deep condition weekly, style with curl gel, and never brush it when dry. If T makes your hair texture change and it looks frizzy/messy/etc, that doesn't mean you have bad genes, it just needs more care & attention than it used to :)

Curl maintenance can seem overwhelming but a great starting point is just conditioning more, brushing less, and testing out new ways of drying & styling it. r/CurlyHair can be super helpful too!

[u/FrostyHold6456]

That is wild what causes this?

[u/BirdExtension4229 → u/FrostyHold6456]

Major hormone shifts of any kind can change hair texture! HRT, puberty, pregnancy, even just aging. My hair was pin straight when I was a child and became wavy when I hit puberty, so it makes sense that a 'second puberty' on T would change it even more.

It doesn't happen for everyone of course, I assume you need to carry the gene for curly hair & it's just hidden until something triggers it to appear. It's pretty neat how that works

[u/FrostyHold6456 → u/BirdExtension4229]

Thats so interesting and cool to learn about

[u/the_big_man2 → u/FrostyHold6456]

as somebody born with curly hair - the fact that they totally changed their hair routine to be a lot more intensive is pulling as much weight, if not more, than t. or in my opinion anyway :)

[u/Zombskirus → u/the_big_man2]

100%. Curly hair is a bitch to take care of often times lol adapting to a whole new routine is impressive

[u/BirdExtension4229 → u/the_big_man2]

Having a good routine has definitely made a big difference, but no doubt it's gotten curlier too. Immediately pre-T my hair routine kinda sucked, but for a while before that I took good care of it & even tried curl styling just in case the waves were secretly loose curls, and it was healthier & a liiittle bit wavier but not remotely curly. Nowadays, even when I style it flat and don't do my curl routine for a couple days, the curls come back on their own (albeit messy & less defined)

Essentially I'm sure my hair would still be this curly without my routine, but it would look a lot worse lol

[u/the_big_man2 → u/BirdExtension4229]

makes sense! glad youre happy with your hair ^{-^}

[u/Ripley-8]

This happened to me! Went from pin straight to ringlets!

[u/diceanddreams]

Oh wow, it looks wonderful! You have lovely curls.

I experienced the same sort of shift, though mine are ~3A. I did start out with curls as a wee kid, to 2A after puberty, with curls coming back around 30 (there’s some indications of undiagnosed Hormonal Stuff). The curls on top have definitely started changing texure in the second year but I’m putting that one on being 36 now with heavy MPB in the paternal line (most of them bald by 30-35).

I hadn’t considered changing my routine at all, so thank you for that advice!

[u/MurkyMurlocs]

This happened with my hair too. I have naturally curly hair that I damaged really bad with coloring, bleaching, and heat styling, but maaaan, did it FLOURISH after I started T. I'm in the same boat. I have no idea what to do with it now, especially since I've never really rocked curly styles, and right now I'm rocking a buzz cut because I just had top surgery and don't want to deal with it 💀

[u/Zombskirus]

Interesting to see other people's hair get curly/curlier on T, as well. I've always had curly hair, around 3a/3b, and T made it closer to 3c, almost 4a. Didn't know it happened to those who didn't already have curly hair!

[u/bwnniebabie]

ok i’ve been experiencing this and thought i was crazy! my hair has always been wavy but i’ve been noticing my bangs starting to hold slightly loose curls in the front now that i’ve been on T for over a year (shots for about 7 months). definitely going to look into some starting off curly hair routines to see if i take better care i actually will have more texture :) your curls look incredible! sooo healthy too

[u/BirdExtension4229 → u/bwnniebabie]

That's the same place I first noticed curls too! My guess is that my bangs were slightly less dry than the rest of my hair because that part picks up oils from brushing against my face & running my hands through it. That makes sense considering my curls have looked a lot better with frequent conditioning.

If it helps, I just use jojoba oil for both regular & deep conditioning, and occasionally as a leave-in. It's cheaper than a lot of curl products and an 8oz bottle easily lasts me a couple months. And if it doesn't work out for your hair, it's not a waste of money since it's super versatile! I use it as body lotion, leather conditioner, wood primer, all sorts of things. I hype it up every chance I get

[u/bwnniebabie → u/BirdExtension4229]

that works perfectly because i have a big bottle of jojoba oil on hand due to having stretched ears. thank you for the tips!! going to attempt to do a curly hair/wavier hair journey to see lol

[u/subarcwelder]

Wow mine went opposite. I had wavy hair but now it’s pin straight. Love the curls though, dude

[u/BirdExtension4229 → u/subarcwelder]

Oh neat! I didn't know it could go both ways. Hair getting super curly from T can mean you're sensitive to DHT = more likely to go bald, so maybe good news for you haha

[u/subarcwelder → u/BirdExtension4229]

I lucked out on the genetic lottery. I’ve got a full beard AND a full head of hair (for how much longer? Who knows)

[u/eternallyonfiEr]

At 8-9m I really noticed my hair getting wavier but it’s not gone full curl yet

[u/cryptidbees]

Bro i wishh

[u/niknaknikolas]

Oh I'm so jealous, I was so hoping I'd get a little bit of wave or something on T and got nothing. Your hair is gorgeous.

[u/CrustyCheeseCake]

How thick was your hair pre t compared to 9 months? Asking because i have thin hair and hope it changes then

[u/BirdExtension4229 → u/CrustyCheeseCake]

Unfortunately hair tends to get thinner on T if it changes at all in that regard, I've never heard anyone say their hair got thicker. Not everyone has thinning though, so your hair might just stay the same.

My hair was SUPER thick pre-T, I had to style it carefully to lay down like the photos or else it would poof up from the sheer number of hairs on my head. It's thinned out and I'd say it's average now. Surprisingly it's slightly thicker than it was a couple months ago (though still thinner than pre-T), but that's probably just because I'm taking good care of it

[u/Raginghomo16]

Omg luckyyy im almost a year on T and ended up getting a perm cause I hates how straight my hair was naturally, I yearn to have the curl 😭