diff --git a/interface/src/Application.cpp b/interface/src/Application.cpp
index 52e6c984ea..5bde58a302 100644
--- a/interface/src/Application.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/Application.cpp
@@ -2681,7 +2681,7 @@ void Application::updateAvatar(float deltaTime) {
 
     // If I'm in paint mode, send a voxel out to VOXEL server nodes.
     if (_paintOn) {
-    
+
         glm::vec3 avatarPos = _myAvatar.getPosition();
 
         // For some reason, we don't want to flip X and Z here.
@@ -2692,7 +2692,7 @@ void Application::updateAvatar(float deltaTime) {
         if (_paintingVoxel.x >= 0.0 && _paintingVoxel.x <= 1.0 &&
             _paintingVoxel.y >= 0.0 && _paintingVoxel.y <= 1.0 &&
             _paintingVoxel.z >= 0.0 && _paintingVoxel.z <= 1.0) {
-
+            
             PACKET_TYPE message = (_destructiveAddVoxel->isChecked() ?
                 PACKET_TYPE_SET_VOXEL_DESTRUCTIVE : PACKET_TYPE_SET_VOXEL);
             sendVoxelEditMessage(message, _paintingVoxel);
diff --git a/interface/src/BendyLine.cpp b/interface/src/BendyLine.cpp
index ef5bd5f18d..8aca07dfac 100644
--- a/interface/src/BendyLine.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/BendyLine.cpp
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ BendyLine::BendyLine(){
     
     _gravityForce  = glm::vec3(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);
     _basePosition  = glm::vec3(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);	
-    _baseDirection = glm::vec3(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);  
+    _baseDirection = glm::vec3(0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f);  
     _midPosition   = glm::vec3(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);          
     _endPosition   = glm::vec3(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);          
     _midVelocity   = glm::vec3(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f);          
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/Head.cpp b/interface/src/avatar/Head.cpp
index b88802b7f1..c74f06f9f0 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/Head.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/Head.cpp
@@ -30,10 +30,12 @@ const float MINIMUM_EYE_ROTATION_DOT =  0.5f; // based on a dot product: 1.0 is
 const float EYEBALL_RADIUS           =  0.017;
 const float EYELID_RADIUS            =  0.019; 
 const float EYEBALL_COLOR[3]         =  { 0.9f, 0.9f, 0.8f };
-const float HAIR_SPRING_FORCE        =  7.0f;
-const float HAIR_TORQUE_FORCE        =  0.1f;
-const float HAIR_GRAVITY_FORCE       =  0.02f;
+
+const float HAIR_SPRING_FORCE        =  15.0f;
+const float HAIR_TORQUE_FORCE        =  0.2f;
+const float HAIR_GRAVITY_FORCE       =  0.001f;
 const float HAIR_DRAG                =  10.0f;
+
 const float HAIR_LENGTH              =  0.09f;
 const float HAIR_THICKNESS           =  0.03f;
 const float NOSE_LENGTH              =  0.025;
@@ -73,9 +75,10 @@ Head::Head(Avatar* owningAvatar) :
     _audioAttack(0.0f),
     _returnSpringScale(1.0f),
     _bodyRotation(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f),
+    _hairInitialized(false),
     _renderLookatVectors(false),
     _mohawkTriangleFan(NULL),
-     _mohawkColors(NULL),
+    _mohawkColors(NULL),
     _saccade(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f),
     _saccadeTarget(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f),
     _leftEyeBlink(0.0f),
@@ -128,7 +131,6 @@ void Head::reset() {
 }
 
 void Head::resetHairPhysics() {
-    //glm::vec3 up = getUpDirection();
     for (int t = 0; t < NUM_HAIR_TUFTS; t ++) {
         for (int t = 0; t < NUM_HAIR_TUFTS; t ++) {
 
@@ -334,7 +336,7 @@ void Head::setScale (float scale) {
     delete[] _mohawkColors;
     createMohawk();
     
-    resetHairPhysics();
+    //resetHairPhysics();
 }
 
 void Head::createMohawk() {
@@ -737,6 +739,7 @@ void Head::renderLookatVectors(glm::vec3 leftEyePosition, glm::vec3 rightEyePosi
 }
 
 void Head::updateHairPhysics(float deltaTime) {
+
     glm::quat orientation = getOrientation();
     glm::vec3 up    = orientation * IDENTITY_UP;
     glm::vec3 front = orientation * IDENTITY_FRONT;
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/Head.h b/interface/src/avatar/Head.h
index 1256b05bb7..a848e566f4 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/Head.h
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/Head.h
@@ -112,7 +112,8 @@ private:
     float       _returnSpringScale; //strength of return springs
     glm::vec3   _bodyRotation;
     bool        _renderLookatVectors;
-    BendyLine    _hairTuft[NUM_HAIR_TUFTS];
+    BendyLine   _hairTuft[NUM_HAIR_TUFTS];
+    bool        _hairInitialized;
     glm::vec3*  _mohawkTriangleFan;
     glm::vec3*  _mohawkColors;
     glm::vec3   _saccade;