I hate shrinkage!!!! How to embrace & combat it without damaging your curls - April 13, 2013

[ Serious Shrinkage ]



Shrinkage has got to be the most annoying part of being natural and the most difficult thing to embrace too! Your hair's natural tendency to curl and coil up close to your head makes your locks look way shorter than they actually are! Ugh! Since I've gone natural, I've truly learned to love my kinky-curly texture, my curl pattern and everything that has come with my Afro. But that darn shrinkage!!!

My hair looks like a 2 inch Afro but if I were to stretch out the curls from their super springyness with my signature water/gel/creme mixture, my hair is about 4 inches! How deceiving!!! But wait! This is precisely why being natural is so amazing! The twists and turns of curls and their unexpected behaviours really teach you how to wholly love your hair in all it's entirety! And yes, you can actually combat shrinkage! It is important to remember that your hair will most likely listen to you if you treat it with gentle love and care, and refrain from trying to manipulate it!

There are many ways to combat shrinkage without damaging your hair. I've noticed that when I pull the sides of my hair back to create my favourite faux hawk style, these parts of my hair stretch and stay stretched for awhile! So smoothing some water/gel/creme on your hair and gently bobby pinning the lengths of hair across your head is one way to stretch out your curls. The most popular ways to stretch your hair are braiding or twisting your hair while wet and then releasing the braids/twists when they're dry! This is a foolproof way to gain length while maintaining and enhancing your natural curl pattern. Another way to combat shrinkage is to band your hair. This typically works best with hair that is shoulder length or longer but can work with any length longer than 1 inch. You simply prepare your hair with water/gel/creme and then secure small sections with elastic bands to make tiny ponytails. Use 2-5 elastics depending on the length of your hair. After your hair sets/dries, it should be nicely stretched. Some people also apply heat to stretch out their curls. For absolute naturalistas, this may not be appealing. However, for those who are interested, it is important to properly protect your natural hair when you are using heat! Make sure your hair is moisturized and apply a heat guard or oil before using heat. Next, you want to focus on the roots of your hair so aim the heat there and gently stretch the roots using a wide tooth comb and a dryer on a low, warm setting.

Knowing how to combat that pesky shrinkage is a great tool but the best and healthiest thing to do is to learn to love your hair, shrinkage and all! Once your hair reaches a certain length, shrinkage won't bother you as much! Remember to always treat your hair with love and respect as you would a person and it'll listen to you!