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Why Is My Hair Straight On Top and Curly On Bottom?

If you’re a curly-haired lady with straight hair woes, we’ve got some answers for you.

Many of us ladies have experienced it: we’re getting ready for our day in the morning and when we look in the mirror, we see it. Our curly hair is straight on top and only curly on the bottom or underneath. What is going on?

We spend so much time and effort into styling our hair to achieve the exact look desire. However, this task becomes challenging when the hair exhibits varying textures on the top and underneath.

In the following sections, we will discuss the possible reasons and solutions for straight on-top and curly on-the-bottom hair.

Here’s Why Your Hair Is Straight On Top and Curly On Bottom

The hair on the top and front is exposed to the sun and environment more so it typically takes more abuse and can lose its wave pattern. Keeping hair covered from the sun can help with this.

But there is more than one reason your curly hair could be straight or flat on top and curly on the bottom.

Here are the four most common reasons hair is straighter on top and curly underneath:

1. Your Hair Naturally Has Multiple Curl Patterns

Multiple Curl Patterns Causes Straight Top and Curly Bottom Hair

It’s completely possible that not every single strand of hair on your head is the same. That said, just because maybe 80% of your curly hair has one shape to it, the other 20% on top may be a different shape.

While genetics does play into what your hair’s texture is like, some women find that when they’re younger, their curly hair is more wavy, but that as they age, the curl’s shape tightens and becomes more pronounced. This is usually due to hormones, as hormones have a huge impact on our hair.

2. You’ve Had Keratin Treatments

Reasons of  Straight Top and Curly Bottom Hair - Keratin Treatments

We curly-haired ladies may love our keratin for the sleek straight hair results they give, but it should be known that the more keratin hair treatments you get, the more your curls will be changed in the long term.

Keratin treatments last about three months, at which time your natural hair texture will return. When it does, the chemicals in the keratin treatment may have affected your hair so much that your curls may not be the same as they were before you got the treatment.

You may see that the top of your hair remains fairly straight, but the bottom layer is very curly.

3. You Color And/or Use Heat Styling Products Often

Reasons of  Straight Top and Curly Bottom Hair - Hot Tools

If you have curly hair, you no doubt already know that it tends to be drier than other hair textures. This makes it more prone to damage. When it comes to coloring your hair, if you incorrectly dye your curly hair, its texture can be damaged and the curl pattern can change.

And it doesn’t just happen after only one dye application. Each time you color your curly hair, the curl pattern will change. Don’t be surprised if you’re someone who has colored their hair often and you now have straight hair on top and curly hair on the bottom.

If you tend to use heat styling tools, that’s another reason your curly hair may end up flat on top. Every time you apply heat to the hair, its hydrogen bonds break down, meaning the structure of the hair follicle becomes weaker.

Since many women apply their hair straighteners and hair dryers mostly at the top and front of the hair, that’s a huge reason the top of your hair is flat but more curly on the bottom.

4. You Wear Your Hair Up A Lot

Wearing Hair Up A Lot Causes Straight Top and Curly Bottom Hair

If the top of your hair is flat or straight while the bottom is curly, another likely reason may be that you wear your hair up in a ponytail or bun often. Many women first comb their hair before pulling it back, so it’s natural that the top of your hair would lose its texture, straighten out, and be less curly than the rest of the hair.

How to Deal with Straight Top and Curly Bottom Hair

How to Deal with Hair Straight On Top and Curly on Bottom

To deal with your hair being straight on top and curly on bottom, there are a few options:

  • Consider cutting your hair into layers to add body.
  • Take a flat iron to the curly bottom if you prefer a straight style.
  • To make your entire hair curly, scrunch in texturizing cream to encourage the curl shape to come back.
  • Cut hair into long layers. When the weight is taken off the top straight section of hair, whatever texture it may have will more easily be able to snap back into place.
  • Stop using heat tools on your hair altogether and try the curly girl method to revive the curls.
  • Perm the top of the hair that has lost its curl.

With the above smart styling tricks, you’ll no longer notice a straight top and curly bottom!

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