Texture change
Hair that has changed character: finer, coarser, drier, differently curled. Usually a sign that something about the follicle or the body has changed.
01 What it is
The texture of hair is determined by the follicle that makes it: its shape, its size, and how it is functioning. When texture changes, either the follicle has changed or the hair is being altered after it leaves the scalp.
Both happen, and separating them is the first useful step. A change in what is being produced points inwards, to health, hormones, medication or the hair cycle. A change in what happens to the hair afterwards points outwards, to handling, chemistry and environment.
02 Recognition
What people usually notice
- Hair that has become finer or softer, and no longer holds a style.
- Curl pattern that has loosened, tightened or become uneven.
- Wiry, coarse or crimped individual hairs among the rest.
- Hair that feels dry however it is conditioned.
- Grey hairs with a noticeably different texture from the rest.
- Change confined to one area rather than throughout.
03 Contributors
What may contribute
Grouped by how well supported each one is. That distinction matters more than the list itself.
Well established
- Hormonal transitions, including puberty, pregnancy, postpartum and menopause.
- Thyroid dysfunction.
- Certain medications, including some chemotherapy agents, where regrowth can differ markedly.
- Age-related change in the follicle, including greying, which changes the shaft itself.
- Chemical processing and heat, which alter the hair after it has grown.
Commonly associated
- Nutritional inadequacy, particularly protein and iron.
- Follicle miniaturisation in early pattern hair loss, which presents as finer hair before it presents as less hair.
- Significant illness or a long recovery.
- Water and climate change after a move.
Debated or unsupported
- Products claiming to change texture permanently.
- Supplements marketed to alter hair type.
04 Uncertainty
What we don’t know
- Why curl pattern changes in some people after hormonal events and not others.
- The mechanism behind several commonly reported texture changes, which is not well characterised.
Worth doing first
When to bring a doctor in
- If texture change is widespread and came on relatively quickly.
- If it is accompanied by fatigue, weight change, temperature intolerance or changes to periods.
- If it accompanies visible hair loss or scalp change.
- If it followed starting a new medication.
If any of this applies, see a doctor first. It’s the quickest way to an answer. Bring what they tell you back to me and we’ll work out what it means for you.
05 Consultation
What a consultation can explore
- Whether the change is in what is being produced or in what happens to it afterwards.
- Timeline and coincident events.
- Whether it points towards miniaturisation, which changes what should be done about it.
- Nutrition, medication and health history.
- Care that suits the hair you have now rather than the hair you used to have.
Texture change is often the earliest visible sign of something else, which makes it worth taking seriously rather than styling around.
What happens next
Book
Online, wherever you are. You’ll receive a questionnaire and a prep sheet, and I read both before we meet.
We look at it properly
History, assessment, findings, and time for the questions you came with.
You get it in writing
A summary you can act on, sit with, or hand to your doctor.
This page describes what people commonly experience. Reading it isn’t the same as having someone look at your situation properly, and it can’t tell you which of these you have. That’s what the consultation is for.
Sources and further reading
- DermNet Hair shaft abnormalities
- DermNet Structure and function of hair
- NHS Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
Written by Brigita Deveikaite, certified trichologist (VTCT Skills (ITEC) Level 4 Certificate in Trichology for Hairdressers, Trichocare). Last reviewed . This page is educational and is not a diagnosis.