Aesthetics
The second reason is aesthetics. If you have ever flat ironed your hair, you will notice how you pay particular attention to to the hair at the front of you head as you smooth each kink to within an inch of it’s life.
Just watch a random flat ironing tutorial on YouTube, many ladies, unless they consciously stop themselves, will have a natural tendency to pass the flat iron* more times on the hair nearer the front.
This also holds true with other styling options that don’t involve heat. We tend to pay particular attention to the hair at the front when doing curly styles so we may use more gel, comb it through more or braid the hair tighter etc.
Some also apply edge control products to lay baby hair’s down coupled with brushing and smoothing down the hair at the front, sides and back for the popular smooth puff look.
It stands to reason that if a style like this became your signature style, over time your springy coils will loosen to waves.
When It’s A Problem
Where one might run into difficulties is if you combine high tension natural styles and also use heat often to wear your natural hair straight.
The result would be hair that is very prone to heat damage whereby curl pattern is loosened further or lost entirely. In this instance you are likely to notice increased breakage in those sections. The obvious solution would be to abstain either from heat, high tension styling or both.
Further to that, any sort of hair damage is best approached with a protein treatment as the first point of call seeing as damage to the hair fiber is due to loss of protein. After that the emphasis has to be on moisture, conditioning and rethinking your styling choices.
I certainly wouldn’t describe this loosening effect as ‘hair damage’ in the truest sense of the word since if well taken care of, your hair will continue to grow and thrive. This idea just goes a long way towards explaining what is happening in your hair as a result of your styling choices.
It bears mentioning again that some ladies naturally have multiple textures throughout their heads. I have actually seen a young woman with curly 3c ringlets at the back and a cottony, cloudy 4b like texture at the front that would not curl for love or money!
Don’t imagine for a minute that a looser crown automatically means damage. Part of the beauty of your natural hair is discovering it’s little foibles and seeing it change from tight curls kinks or ringlets on your big chop day to it’s final appearance and behavior when it is at your goal length.
Do you have multiple hair textures?
Shonta Lavender says
Explains a lot
Aegina Beoranje Manson says
THE MIDDLE OF MY HEAD IS AS THICK AND AS COURSE AS A FOREST FRONT MY SIDES ARE ABOUT THE SAME.
Priscilla Dixon says
The higher yo hair go the lesser it looks long
Drina No'MoreLyes Phillip says
I say its because when our hair is always in an updo or pony tail and even we “focus” on the front of our hair the most… It becomes stretched… The same with the very back…. Everything in the middle isn’t very stretched which is more course.
Carla says
My hair is looser in the crown and front than on the sides and back (except the very back center from crown to nape – that part is also a looser curl pattern on my head) . When I wear it loose, it gives the illusion that my entire head is full of the looser curls and has a “V” shape at the back. Because the looser curls hang lower (pretty much the same length as the sides & back), it looks more like a mushroom when I wear a wash-n-go (which I generally stay away from, at least until I decide to get a deva cut – or a cut that I think is cute on me). I used to desire the same texture all over, but have come to accept, embrace and love all of the textures of my natural hair. It’s just one more trait that reminds me that I am unique.
Isha Walker says
not true
Nehita Burnett says
Mine is the opposite. My crown is different texture and much drier that it needs constant attention
Malakah Angellia Gladston says
Hmm….I don’t agree with this. When I first bigchopped, I had no idea what I was doing when it came to my hair so I would just wash it and leave alone for weeks at a time, and even then, I noticed that the hair at the front of my head was way looser than everywhere else.
Malakah Angellia Gladston says
It is a FACT that you can have many different textures on your head. The hair in the back of my head is very soft and curly 3 something and different from everywhere else
Dominique Jones says
hmm..its possible I guess
Journey to Waist Length says
yes i have about 3 textures
Rae Faye says
Yeah….I have 3 different textures.
Jericka Renee Hinton says
My crown is thicker, tighter and more dry then the rest of my hair. The back is the most loose
Nefray Demetrius says
True for me.
Kai McIver says
This is why I do not use the hair typing system. My hair has always been 3 or 4 different textures no matter where I put my pony tail.
NaKisha Harvey says
The crown of my hair is straight the back is fine n curly and the front is wavy.
Nichole Davis says
My sons is like this fine at the crown and kinkier at the back
Lachelle Lala Francis says
I have that same problem … my Front hair or Crown is looser than the back .. my back Kinkier … sigh the struggle ?
Maybell Lena Killion says
My hair is so like this but I have no choice but to work it out and keep it moving. It is annoying sometimes.?
Anyelina Devers says
My crown is the thickest and kinkier than my front , sides and back . Making it impossible to ponytail . #curlygirlstruggles
Kierei Broadus says
The middle of my hair? I swear the texture belongs to someone else. The tightest curls I’ve ever seen. But the rest of my hair? Loose. So frustrating when trying to style
Jasmine says
Yess I thought something was wrong because my whole front and middle side of my head is around 4c or 4b.However, in the back is an extremely looser curl. At first I thought it was heat damage but when I cut it it’s actually growing looser and I use no heat. I have been natural all my life. No perm
Gabrielle Seunagal says
This makes sense! I do wear lower buns more often than top buns and my hair at the back of my hair has much tighter curls than the top and the side. I will start wearing my hair up to loosen up the texture!
Desiree says
This is not accurate at all and is a bunch of bunk… there are different textures growing from the root, has nothing to do with tension or hairstyles. My daughters have always been natural and all three of them clearly have different textures individually
Anonymous says
Not mine!
Jess says
Not accurate. If that were the case braids would permanently loosen your curls. I’ve been natural three times and mostly wear cornrows and the back of my head is loose. The middle and sides are really tightly curled, and the front is less coarse but still softer than the middle and sides.