I’ve been growing out my hair for the past 3 years, all the while wondering if a time would come where my hair would get so long and heavy that the curls would be weighed down. I definitely see from pictures that the curls were somewhat tighter when my hair was shorter, but I do really like the length I’ve achieved, so I don't plan on cutting it just because of that. Last week I realized that if I use a really wide-tooth comb in my routine, the curls come out clumpier/fatter and looser. If I use a different comb with teeth that are closer together (but still not “fine tooth” in any sense), the curls get skinnier and tighter. It makes sense – the fatter the clumps, the heavier they are, thus the added weight affects the tightness of the curl. With skinnier clumps, the curls can spring up a bit more. I took some pictures to illustrate the difference. I did everything the same both days except for using different combs.

This picture was taken on a day where I used the wider comb. You can see how the curls are looser with less volume.



This picture was taken a few days later, on a day where I used the comb with the teeth that are closer together. You can see that it's curlier and has more volume.