​Why did my curls survive the flat iron but "die" after the hair dye? Need help! 🙏

Hi everyone, I wanted to share my situation to see if anyone else has experienced something similar. I have wavy/curly hair—I’d say my hair type is around 2A or 2B (I’m not completely sure)—but I had been straightening it almost every day (Monday through Friday, and sometimes on weekends) since late 2023. In March 2026, I decided to stop using the flat iron completely to try to get my natural hair back, but my curls are gone.

What surprises me is that, despite using so much heat for years, my hair used to be quite resistant: every time I washed it, my curls would bounce back without any problem. However, everything changed in November 2025, when I bleached/dyed it blonde for the first time (it wasn’t an extremely light shade, but there was a chemical process involved).

Within a few days of dyeing it, my hair completely lost its shape. Now, if I don’t straighten it, it looks ‘deformed’: some parts are almost straight, while others have loose, undefined waves.

I know my hair is damaged from the heat and the dye, but it surprises me that before dyeing it, my curls would always come back, and after the dye, they disappeared so suddenly.

Does anyone know what might have happened to my hair? (Sorry for not attaching images; I don't have any photos of how my hair looks at this exact moment)

please don’t judge me 🙏

Routine (Required by the sub reddit):

​Shampoo: Sorsis.

​Conditioner: Dove.

​Other products: None.

​Drying: Air dried.

​Sleep: Regular pillowcase.