Shrinkage
If you have natural hair, shrinkage is something you are more than familiar with.
What is shrinkage?
Shrinkage is when your hair shrinks up from it's true original length. Natural hair can shrink up to 80% of its actual length!
Why does this happen?
As hard as it is to accept, shrinkage is actually a good thing. Hair only does this when it is moisturised, hydrated, and healthy.
All hair has "spring factor" which is it's ability to bounce back up. It means your hair has elasticity.
When your hair loses its elasticity, it is easily stretched, loses its curl retention and is more likely prone to dryness and breakage.
If your hair is bouncy back when dry, you have yourself some healthy hair!
My hair used to shrink, but now it doesn't. Why is this?
Aside from damage in general, one of the key reasons your hair may have lost this bounce back, is heat damage. It is so tempting to blow out and straighten your hair, in a bid to find out it's true length. Yes, it feels amazing to see ourselves in the mirror, with hair down our back, which stays at this length. I did this myself for the first time in nearly 3 years, for that very reason. It's frustrating to comb out our hair and see it's grown a lot, to then check in the mirror the next day and look like we have had a trim. I'm with you! But heat is one of the ways we can damage that elasticity. Heat damage occurs when heat is applied to our hair at a high level. This damages the strands, and affects the curl pattern.
Another reason your hair may no longer shrink and have lost this bounce, if you haven't used heat; could be that it is lacking in protein. If you aren't familiar with this, be sure to check out the article i wrote on this by clicking (here)
Can i avoid shrinkage?
There are ways which some people find create/reduce shrinkage.
As much as using heat is sometimes seen as a way of stretching your hair, particularly if you blow dry your roots, i personally find that i get more shrinkage when i diffuse my hair, than what air drying does. Perhaps this is because my hair is drying faster and the shrinkage kicks in faster? I'm not 100% sure on the reasons behind it, but from experience it works this way for me.
Another way of avoiding shrinkage is by using some products which are aimed at this. One of my fave products for this is the Aunt Jackies Don't shrink me elongating gel. This helps keep my curls still defined with enough hold to stop them shrinking as much as other products.
Other things you can do to help stop shrinkage is to stretch your hair. There are many ways to do this, bantu knots, twists, and wearing hair in a bun, will all stretch your hair and prevent it from shrinking too much.
I used to hate shrinkage, but now after knowing the facts, i embrace it. My hair bouncing up so much, shows that the steps i take to keep my hair healthy, clearly work.
Don't get too caught up in this, and remember healthy hair is the goal!
If you are going to straighten your hair to do a length check, remember:
What is shrinkage?
Shrinkage is when your hair shrinks up from it's true original length. Natural hair can shrink up to 80% of its actual length!
Why does this happen?
As hard as it is to accept, shrinkage is actually a good thing. Hair only does this when it is moisturised, hydrated, and healthy.
All hair has "spring factor" which is it's ability to bounce back up. It means your hair has elasticity.
When your hair loses its elasticity, it is easily stretched, loses its curl retention and is more likely prone to dryness and breakage.
If your hair is bouncy back when dry, you have yourself some healthy hair!
My hair used to shrink, but now it doesn't. Why is this?
Aside from damage in general, one of the key reasons your hair may have lost this bounce back, is heat damage. It is so tempting to blow out and straighten your hair, in a bid to find out it's true length. Yes, it feels amazing to see ourselves in the mirror, with hair down our back, which stays at this length. I did this myself for the first time in nearly 3 years, for that very reason. It's frustrating to comb out our hair and see it's grown a lot, to then check in the mirror the next day and look like we have had a trim. I'm with you! But heat is one of the ways we can damage that elasticity. Heat damage occurs when heat is applied to our hair at a high level. This damages the strands, and affects the curl pattern.
Another reason your hair may no longer shrink and have lost this bounce, if you haven't used heat; could be that it is lacking in protein. If you aren't familiar with this, be sure to check out the article i wrote on this by clicking (here)
Can i avoid shrinkage?There are ways which some people find create/reduce shrinkage.
As much as using heat is sometimes seen as a way of stretching your hair, particularly if you blow dry your roots, i personally find that i get more shrinkage when i diffuse my hair, than what air drying does. Perhaps this is because my hair is drying faster and the shrinkage kicks in faster? I'm not 100% sure on the reasons behind it, but from experience it works this way for me.
Another way of avoiding shrinkage is by using some products which are aimed at this. One of my fave products for this is the Aunt Jackies Don't shrink me elongating gel. This helps keep my curls still defined with enough hold to stop them shrinking as much as other products.
Other things you can do to help stop shrinkage is to stretch your hair. There are many ways to do this, bantu knots, twists, and wearing hair in a bun, will all stretch your hair and prevent it from shrinking too much.
I used to hate shrinkage, but now after knowing the facts, i embrace it. My hair bouncing up so much, shows that the steps i take to keep my hair healthy, clearly work.
Don't get too caught up in this, and remember healthy hair is the goal!
If you are going to straighten your hair to do a length check, remember:
- - Don't use heat too high. The higher the heat setting the more damage you can cause. Heat damage is not easy to come back from.
- - Use a heat protectant. Prep and prime your hair before using heat to try and reduce any damage.
- - Don't over do it. Don't apply heat too often.
- - Deep condition when you do wash your hair again. Get that moisture back in.
I hope this has been a help in explaining what shrinkage is, and to help you accept that this is A GOOD SIGN!
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Love and Kisses
Candi
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