In this article I will be looking at the shrinkage of afro hair and how the hair technique used for washing it can have an impact on how the hair will look as a result.
Anyone with hair that is 4a – c which would have the most curly hair type and various curl patterns from spiral to z curl knows this pain too well. When I was a lot younger I used to get my hair blow-dried all the time and braided into the usual school hairstyles as we were not really permitted to have any other types of hair styles in school.
I remember there was one older girl in the class ahead of me that had beautiful hair as well. One day out of curiosity just wanting to know what she does with her hair as she did not braid much I mentioned that my hair had shrinkage. She did not know what I was talking about. At that time I thought I was the only individual that goes through this. I had assumed that she goes through the same and potentially she may have had a different curl pattern therefore it may not have been an issue for her.
Shrinkage
Since as far back as I can remember I always experienced shrinkage, however whenever my hair was braided, I did not seem to have much shrinkage on my hair. Now as many individuals are discovering their natural hair sometimes depending on the occasion you may want to have your hair in a more natural state and at other times you don’t really want your hair in a natural state. I find that when I am washing it. If you want to minimize shrinkage when you are in the process of conditioning, it’s always good to separate your hair into four parts depending on the thickness of your hair and putting in huge twists.
When I start rinsing my hair in the shower, I normally undo one twist at a time, I will then make sure that all the conditioner is completely removed and put it back in the twist immediately after it has been rinsed out. I would repeat the process on the rest of the sectioned head and once I get out of the shower I moisturize it.
When the hair is completely dry, I find that it does not shrink as much as if I had just washed my hair in the shower without any sectioning.
I believe that the technique you use to wash your hair will determine how your hair dries.
What you need to know about shrinkage
Shrinkage is nothing to worry about. The main reason why we get hair shrinkage is due to the fact our hair type tends to change it’s structure during the process of washing. The water makes the hair heavier and the added moisture from the water makes it change. However once you straighten curly hair because the moisture content is reduced, you find that it becomes drier, and it can also tend to get frizzy. There is a lot of information out there that when hair is wet it can be easily manipulated and there are various styles that you can be done. Also when afro hair is wet, it’s the best time to blow dry it.
I have also heard that sometimes it’s better to manipulate dry hair and not wet hair as there tends to be less breakage. Through doing my own hair, I find that it’s easier to remove tangles when my hair is wet than when it dries up and if it dries up, then I will have to use a moisturizer if I am not using water to remove the tangles.
Therefore it’s best to find out what suits your hair well because if you are better off untangling your wet hair then it’s best to use that technique. Another really good way is to put lots of conditioner on your hair and use wide toothed comb to take out the tangles. It’s always time consuming, however it will help you if you want to style your hair in a specific way be it blowdrying, braiding or just leaving it as a wash and go.
I also discovered an amazing club for afro, curly haired individuals, check it out on the website and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Earthtones natural
Also let me know what hair method works best for your curly hair?