Shrinkage. Men hate it ... Women, hate it even more, trust me fellas lol! However, when it comes to natural hair, there's this false notion that unless you absolutely love ALL aspects of you hair in its natural form, you must have some secret self-hatred within. This is especially the case when it comes to kinkier textures. Let me be the 1st to tell you, I'm completely in love with my hair ... from its thickness and volume to its health ... I love it! ... And yet, like most relationships, no one can say with a straight face that there aren't a few aspects which bother you or wish you could change. I mean really. Do you mean to say you love it when he leaves that toilet seat up .. or when she decides to pick off your plate after ordering her own? Didn't think so. LOL. The same thinking applies to how I handle my hair.
While I love my hair, I'm very much aware of the things that help us work well together and what annoys the crap out of me ... And allowing it to shrink up around itself is definitely one of those annoyances. My hair isn't just kinky, its super coily. Imagine a bunch of slinky toys tossed in a bag then shaken up ... or better yet? ... unwrapping old Christmas lights from last year ... That incredibly frustrated feeling is exactly what happens when I do what a lot of afro-textured naturals claim I should and "embrace my shrinkage." I swear, when I see those, "why do you hate your texture / kinky hair" backlash comments on social media, I give the mean side eye every time.
Actually, when caring for my hair, I've done the complete opposite, and my hair has thrived for the better. In short, I never let my hair shrink. Like ever! If my hair is not in a protective style or my favorite style for the day, it's in plaits. Period. I don’t sleep on my hair in fluffy afro form, and I certainly don't wash my hair in a loose afro. Talk about tangling! Nope. It's always braided or twisted up. Even on wash days, I work in sections, unraveling and washing only the section I'm working on ... The rest? You guessed it ... Braided up and tucked away. While the amount of shrinkage does prove as an indicator of healthy hair ... Meaning the more shrinkage the healthier your hair tends to be ... The percentage to which my hair shrinks is insane! ... About 90%! I mean seriously, the video below shows exactly what I'm talking about!
After several YouTube bloggers talked so highly about the benefits of doing what is called “wash & gos,” which is basically washing your hair as usual, but allowing the natural curls for forms with gels, leave-in conditioners, and air drying this is what I was left with. I hadn’t let it shrink like this in over 5yrs to avoid knotting, but decided to give something new a try. My hair was down to the hooks of my bra in this video clip ... and still, this shrinkage is insane. While my curls were defined, super soft, and moist due the heavy creams & gels used to seal in the moisture, it was the last time I attempted to allow my hair to shrink like that. Detangling was a complete disaster. The shrinkage is indeed real and I don't have the time or patience to keep cutting knots out of my hair to prove that I "embrace my shrinkage." Instead, I use a combination of braiding, faux locs using the African threading method, and tension blowouts as my "go tos" after wash day to prevent shrinking & tangling ... Ultimately, retaining more of my length as my hair grows.
How about you? Is shrinkage an obstacle in your hair growth? What techniques do you use to keep your hair stretched?
