BSL & Longer Naturals-Where does your shrunken hair fall?

I am 4a/b. I stopped measuring my hair because I was getting obessed but I would guess that its somewhere around BSL from the length it is when I twist it like in my siggy below.
LOL it doesn't fall. It shrinks up to my ear and poofs out! I am still trying to retain length, I would like more tips on this. I continue to stay around BSL.
 
Originally posted by Isis77
Great Thread! I have always been curious about this too...

It seems everyone has different amounts of shrinkage, even amongst the same hair types. Does any one have pics?
Click to expand...

Here are mine:
my natural hair being pressed straight.
SkateJam053.jpg

morephonepics030-1.jpg

my natural hair in a twist-out.
 
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1) What is your hair type? 3b/c


2) What is your present length stretched? Hip-length


3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state? Most of the time around APL I think.


4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most? Well moisturizers and deep conditioners help but I retain the most length due to my regimen....low-manipulation, low direct-heat, moisturizing daily.
 

1) What is your hair type? 3b


2) What is your present length stretched? Waist

3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state? Between Bra strap and armpit


4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most? I wish i knew. :look:

 
Natural Glow said:
1) What is your hair type? 3b


2) What is your present length stretched? Waist


3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state? Between Bra strap and armpit


4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most? I wish i knew. :look:
Click to expand...

GORGEOUS hair!
 
thaidreams said:

These questions are for all BSL and LONGER NATURAL ladies:


1) What is your hair type?
4a or maybe 3c/4a

2) What is your present length stretched?
past waist, lurking near 'crack' length at the longest :lol: is that hip, I can't remember all the terms?

3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state?
totally unmanipulated on a super humid day it can be right above my shoulders, usually I airdry and it around sl/apl

4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most?
Click to expand...

umm, I just try to keep things moisturized. I co-wash, try to use natural and less harsh products and I've been playing with butters and oil lately (mainly shea and coconut) and I'm liking the results :)
 
1) What is your hair type?
3c/4a

2) What is your present length stretched?
Past BSL closing in on Waist Length

3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state?
Between NL and SL


4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most?
For me it’s not a certain product, just as long as I keep my hair moisturized and conditioned and when I don’t manipulate it too much I retain length. But to answer the question fully--Water, Conditioner(s) and Oil(s) are the main products I use.
 
1) What is your hair type? 3c/4a


2) What is your present length stretched? Mid-back


3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state? Shoulder lenght


4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most? Good moisturizers and very little use of heat
 
malachi74 said:
Grief!!! Are you sure you are 3c/4a??? How in the world can you get MBL shrunk up to earlobe length with 3c/4a curl pattern????

I know you asked for "BSL or Longer naturals" but my hair is now APL stretched and I am also 3c/4a. When in washngo it will sit right on top of my shoulders. Do you have a pic of your hair?

ETA: I just checked out your Fokti! Your hair is beautiful and thick and I can't believe you get that much shrinkage no matter what you grade your hair! I would say though, that maybe I am not a 3c/4a or that maybe you are more on the 4b/4c end.
Click to expand...

Everybody has different amounts of shrinkage no matter what the texture. You can't go by hair type. My hair only shrunk about 50% when it was shorter but now it's maybe 75%. I seem to be getting more shrinkage the longer my hair gets. I have what looks more like corkscrews where some 4as have what look more like pen springs which are more compact. I think for most long haired naturals (3c and 4a types, 4b tends to shrink even more) dry unstretched hair is going to hit about chin/shoulder though.
 
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1) What is your hair type? 4a


2) What is your present length stretched? My hair grows in layers. The shorter layers are APL, longer layers are BSL-MBL.

3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state? It's right above the shoulders.


4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most? Suave Tropical Coconut Conditioner, Coconut oil.
 
1) What is your hair type?
3b/c I think...


2) What is your present length stretched?
A little below hip length I think. I seem to answer "I think" after every question :lol: I just don't measure very often nowadays. I'll measure towards the end of the year.


3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state?
I would say it depends. Straight after washing, it might be bra strap, after a day or two it will be waist length.


4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most?
For me it's got zero to do with products. As long as you use moisturizing products designed for dry and damaged hair (yes, I buy products for damaged hair, they are the gentlest out there...) you'll be fine product-wise.

More important for me, is how I handle my hair. Gentle treatment goes a looooong way. :yep: Gentle washing, gentle combing (I normally don't comb or brush, ever), gentle detangling, gentle hair styles etc.

I agree with Glamazon that you can't just go by hair type when it comes to shrinkage.

In the book "Let's talk hair" the author (Pamela Ferrell) writes about different hair types. She mentions these types (that don't always correspond to a certain curl size):

1. Cottony hair
2. Spongy hair
3. Heavy hair
4. Wiry hair
5. Wispy hair

I'm sure there are even more types and most of us have a combination of different types on our heads. :skitzo:

Cottony and spongy hair tend to shrink more than heavy and wiry hair, for instance.

My hair is heavy and doesn't shrink a lot. The individual strands of my hair are very thick and that gives my hair weight. If your strands are very light weight and airy, your hair will most likely shrink a lot more.

Our hair is very diverse and unique, so we can affect the shrinkage with our hair styles and how we dry our hair (heat, braids, twists, a tight bun etc). All we can do is experiment and find out what makes our hair look the way we want it to look on a given day.

I don't care if my hair shrinks up a lot the first day I wash it, I know it will relax a little over the coming days. It's just an interesting part of having African hair. :)


 
1) What is your hair type? 3C with 3B in the back

2) What is your present length stretched? BSL

3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state? Shoulder length

4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most?
I don't straighten very often, but if I do I make sure to put coconut oil on my ends. Castor oil helps with keeping my curls moisturized. I co-wash every day. I keep my hair in a ponytail 99% of the time. Wash and go's only once a week, if that.
 
This thread is very encouraging. I rarely straighten my hair and after I wash its NL. That gives me the illusion that my hair isnt growing. Occasionally Ill do a blown out fro and then Ill see how big it really it.
 
1) What is your hair type?
3b/c

2) What is your present length stretched?
Somewhere between hip and tailbone.

3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state?
About armpit length, maybe a tiny bit longer.

4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most?
My hair can get weighted down pretty easily, so if I were to put a lot of gel or leave in condish in it, it would look closer to brastrap probably. I don't really try to weigh it down though.

Shrinkage used to really frustrate me, but I'm mostly over it now :) It is annoying though because I have worked so hard to achieve this length, and no one recognizes how long my hair really is.
 
Any new BSL or longer ladies want to add to this thread?

If you posted here already have you made any changes? Has your hair?
 
thaidreams said:
These questions are for all BSL and LONGER NATURAL ladies:


1) What is your hair type? 4A/4B


2) What is your present length stretched? MBL


3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state? Somewhere between NL and SL.


4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most?

I'm just wondering how much shrinkage the majority of you get with your hair being as long as it is. My hair type is 3C/4A and MBL when stretched. However, when it's dry or in it's shrunken state it hits right at my earlobe.
Click to expand...

4) I'm just building my regimen: CON ultra moisturizing shampoo,coconut oil,
Aphogee 2min.reconstructor, Chi silk Infusions, Redken's Real Control, and Nexxus Humectin Phyto Organics.
 
1) What is your hair type? 3ab (i guess)


2) What is your present length stretched? between ML and WL


3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state? Shoulder length through APL.


4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most? Cheap, water-based conditioners. Natural conditioners created an abundance of single-strand knots in my hair.

back-vi.jpg
 
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1) What is your hair type?

Highly textured, coarse, and curly.


2) What is your present length stretched?

Hip length/tailbone. My hair grows in a "u" shape.


3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state?

It varies from bra strap to waist depending on factors such as the humidity level or whether it's been stretched out from being in a bun

4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most?

Conditioner, conditioner, conditioner! I've been using Giovanni conditioner as a leave in lately. I use extra virgin olive oil sometimes too. I mostly finger comb using a cheapie conditioner like Sauve or Vo5 and rarely use heat (only for trims)
 
thaidreams said:

These questions are for all BSL and LONGER NATURAL ladies:


1) What is your hair type?

3b/c
2) What is your present length stretched?

Right at waist
3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state?

Apl
4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most?

Oils and bunning
I'm just wondering how much shrinkage the majority of you get with your hair being as long as it is. My hair type is 3C/4A and MBL when stretched. However, when it's dry or in it's shrunken state it hits right at my earlobe.
Click to expand...
Shrinkage was my enemy until I hit MBL, now the weight of my hair helps my shrinkage to hang a bit more
 
1) What is your hair type?

3c

2) What is your present length stretched?

Bra strap length

3) Where does your hair fall on you in it's dry natural state?

Collar bone-SL- I need to take pics

4) What products do you find help you to retain your length the most?

Cheapie condish and coconut oil
 
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