Stop Complaining About Shrinkage! - June 5, 2013

[ The "crown" hairstyle: sides twisted and front section pinned back with bobby pins ]

 

When it comes to my hair, the easier the better! That's why I love the length that its at right now! I can do a simple wash and go and look amazing in about 30 minutes. I am also able to create multiple styles on dry hair, like the faux headband, the fauxhawk and one side pulled back, both sides pulled back, twisted or braided sides in 5 minutes or less. I have a handful of funky hairstyles that I can choose from and I am never bored! The one thing I have not taken the time to do is to attempt to stretch out my hair by doing a twist/braid out, banding my hair or taking advantage of any other stretching methods. "Stretching" your hair literally means to stretch out your curls so they look more loose. You can achieve a stretched or elongated look by twisting or braiding your wet hair and unravelling them once dry. Basically, your hair looks longer than if your hair isn't stretched.
My hair is currently (naturally) at least 6 inches but looks 3 inches because my curls are SUPER tight. If I were to take the time to do a twist/braid out, my hair would be able to flourish at it's real length. If only I wasn't so lazy!

By total accident, I discovered a way to stretch my hair without going through the gruelling process of a twist/braid out. Though I LOVE my head of hair to pieces, I just don't have the patience! But just yesterday, I styled my hair to resemble a style I saw on the Black Girls Long Hair blog, nicknamed "the crown" (see above photo). I wet my hair with water, added my Curls in a Bottle styling water-based gel and dried my hair a bit with my fan (yes, my fan). I then parted my hair and completed a French twist on each side. I also pulled the front section of my hair back too. I used my long, black bobby pins to secure the twists and front section. I kept my hair like this all day. When I took out the bobby pins at the end of the night, the sides of my hair were stretched beyond belief! I looked like the female Einstein! I then figured out that I could potentially achieve a stretched look with minimal effort by French twisting my wet hair (imagine cane row braids except with twists). EPIPHANY! Now, the only thing left to do...is to actually do it. I will take the time one of these weekends to give this a try and let you know how it goes!