Are you at peace with your shrinkage?

[Cherokee-n-Black]

I have to admit: I'm not yet. After seeing the repost of Mwedzi's straightened hair, I am in awe, both of her length and the difference between her straightened and unstraightened hair. I also met someone at a meetup (you know who you are ) whose hair looked to be a medium afro, and straightened was nearly APL! I had not intended to straighten my natural hair, but I also had not intended to rock SL or shorter hair. Now I'm finding out that people with even looser curls than mine can have neck-length shrinkage when their straightened hair is past BSL! Aggghhhh! I'm slowly coming to terms with it (particularly as my hair seems to shrink to oh, about 50%), but I really want to BC! I'm tired of my relaxed strings...but for some reason can't let them go...

 

[pookaloo83]

No I'm not at peace with it!

 

[Bublin]

I actually like my shrinkage for the fact that there is a pleasant shock factor for myself and for others when i do straighten my hair.

My 10 year old neice once said my hair was 'magical' because she thought it grew from jaw length to below shoulder overnight!!!

Eta - why do i keep saying jaw length - heck i have ear length shrinkage - lol.

 

[Anakinsmomma]

I don't know how much shrinkage I have, but I am coming to terms with my sons. His shoulder length 3c curls when wet shrink to an adorable poofy medium fro when dry. But sometimes I still wish the world could see his length. I really dont know why, he already gets mistaken for a girl...


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[Lady S]

I actually like my shrinkage for the fact that there is a pleasant shock factor for myself and for others when i do straighten my hair.

My 10 year old neice once said my hair was 'magical' because she thought it grew from jaw length to below shoulder overnight!!!

I'm with Bublin For some reason, I think it's fun pulling my hair to show length to people. I'm easily amused. That & I have hands-in-hair syndrome.

 

[Cherokee-n-Black]

I don't know how much shrinkage I have, but I am coming to terms with my sons. His shoulder length 3c curls when wet shrink to an adorable poofy medium fro when dry. But sometimes I still wish the world could see his length. I really dont know why, he already gets mistaken for a girl...


Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

LOL! My son's shrinkage is insane. He has coffee-stirrer sized curls like his dad. His original baby hair was a little looser, but before we cut it, his little neck-length fro was almost APL! Now his hair is cut to about SL, but he really just looks like he has a TWA when it's dry. But--they're boys--I'm sure they don't care! My girl, on the other hand...sighhh...she's told me on more than one occasion that her WL hair is "short" because it shrinks above her shoulders. For some reason, I'm OK with her shrinkage (I just get concerned about whether it should be longer in general), I guess because on her it's so cute! LOL On me...eh..not so much!

 

[LunadeMiel]

I have absolutely no problem with my shrinkage, actually, I like it. It's just one aspect of my hair that makes it unique

 

[Cherokee-n-Black]

I have absolutely no problem with my shrinkage, actually, I like it. It's just one aspect of my hair that makes it unique

What a cute little bundle! (I know, OT, but I have major baby fever--I see a cute baby I get alll distracted! )

 

[LongLeggedLife]

Am I supposed to have to be? I blowout my hair just about each and every time I wash&style it, I dont do shrinkage, have no plans of 'coming to terms with it', as I dont like/prefer shrunken hair.

 

[Cherokee-n-Black]

Am I supposed to have to be? I blowout my hair just about each and every time I wash&style it, I dont do shrinkage, have no plans of 'coming to terms with it', as I dont like/prefer shrunken hair.

LOL! Thanks for the honesty! I think since my hair journey is somewhat about learning to love and accept my natural hair in it's natural state, I have to be--at some point...I guess. Not sure what to think, really. My hair has been stretched or relaxed most of my life, and, call me silly, but shrinkage never really factored in to my decision to go natural. I think if I was going to keep my hair straight the majority of the time, I would probably just relax again--but that's because my hair has issues with heat styling, and I have issues with maintenance. But to answer your question, no, you don't have to be!

 

[DrC]

No. I will fight it to the death of me

 

[SUPER SWEET]

I really strongly dislike it. And the different textures throughout my head really angers me because I know I'll never be able to do a wash and go

 

[AuNaturalMaMa]

I have varying amounts of shrinkage. The whole front of my hair only shrinks like 15 to 25% whereas the sides and nape sheink about 50% and the center crown like 25% too. So when I do a wng I pin the front up almost always due to the type but also that it will hang longer than the back in its shrunken state.

Overall I'm @ shoulder length to close to apl shrunken and apl to bsb when straight. I have layers. I actually widh I had more, I love fros and now that my hair is longer I can't wear them anymore!!

 

[LadyMacgyver]

I guess I'm half and half.. My hair looks like I have a TWA with my shrinkage and if I would blow dry it out or flat iron I would say I am shoulder length.. Thing is I am not sure if my hair will ever get past my ears with my shrinkage.. I transitioned for 18 months..

 

[Curlykale]

I avoid humectants and wear braidouts all the time because of shrinkage, I love any texture of hair but for some reason I don't feel pretty if my hair doesn't look at least neck length.

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

It depends on my mood.

 

[choctaw]

shrinkage gives me a variety of styles without a haircut

 

[tropical-punch]

My hair shrinks about 70% but I can stretch it so it's not too bad.

 

[kandiekj100]

I guess it depends on what day it is and what style I'm hoping to pull off.

I think I love my shrinkage the most the first wash after my hair has been flat-ironed. Of course, part of is that I am just happy my hair has fully reverted. But the other half just loves seeing the contrast from pre-washed straight aplish hair to post-washed jaw length curly fro.

 

[lizzyb168]

. Not when my hair Looks like this short and lools like this straightened .

 

[lizzyb168]

:-( ...... :-(

 

[greenandchic]

I'm not at peace inasmuch that shrinkage causes mad tangles and knots when I wear my hair in a WnG.

 

[NinasLongAmbition]

I love it! I can go back and forth from short hair and long hair!

 

[**SaSSy**]

Shrinkage just comes with the territory of having curly/kinky hair. If you can embrace all parts of being natural, then you really should embrace shrinkage. Actually I don't and never fight my shrinkage and have retained all my length this way.

 

[greenandchic]

Shrinkage just comes with the territory of having curly/kinky hair. If you can embrace all parts of being natural, then you really should embrace shrinkage. Actually I don't and never fight my shrinkage and have retained all my length this way.

But why we always required to "embrace all parts of being natural?" Can't we have one thing about our hair we're irritated with?

I guess as a semi long-term natural, I've gotten over the need to embrace all aspects of my hair 100% of the time.

Also length retention (in my experience) get's much harder once your hair touches your shoulder. I know that's not everyone's experience, but it is mine.

 

[silenttullip]

heckz2danah

 

[LongLeggedLife]

LOL! Thanks for the honesty! I think since my hair journey is somewhat about learning to love and accept my natural hair in it's natural state, I have to be--at some point...I guess. Not sure what to think, really. My hair has been stretched or relaxed most of my life, and, call me silly, but shrinkage never really factored in to my decision to go natural. I think if I was going to keep my hair straight the majority of the time, I would probably just relax again--but that's because my hair has issues with heat styling, and I have issues with maintenance. But to answer your question, no, you don't have to be!

I think I could be if my hair was a lot longer and would hang to past my shoulders while shrunken, but if I wore it shrunken now, it would look the same length as it was YEARS ago, and I cant get with that at all!

I dont wear it straight (as in pressed/ironed) often, but I do blow dry before I do my twist-outs, etc., I just prefer the light, airyness, and movement(and length!) of the blown out hair to the dense, compactedness of wash&go's or wet twist/braidouts.

All that banding and twisting and whatever other airdry methods are WAY too time consuming also, I dont have 3 days to finish a hairstyle

 

[Evolving78]

there are some days i can't stand my shrinkage and want to straighten it, but other times i just accept it and deal with it. i have yet to straighten my hair though. but i have to keep my hair in a stretched style now. i can't go back to wngs. (they were so easy) i don't have any movement in my hair either unless it is dripping wet.

 

[curlycrown85]

I recently big chopped and have a very short TWA, but have embraced my shrinkage. That's only because I've really come to love my curls. Now I AM impatient for my hair to grow, but twisting nightly offers both stretch and curl that I like.

 

[Dreamer48]

But why we always required to "embrace all parts of being natural?" Can't we have one thing about our hair we're irritated with?

This is how I feel. I understand why some people wouldn't want to say and/or feel anything negative about their natural hair, but I don't like my shrinkage at all. I'm on this board to grow long hair, and I want to be able to see the length and feel it down my back. Shrinkage makes it difficult to do that. I think I have to grow my hair down to my butt in order for it to appear full shoulder length due to my shrinkage.