Natural ladies, How do you reduce shrinkage

[Keen]

So I've been thinking about going natural. If I take the plunge I want to minimize the temptation of relaxing again. I remember my natural hair shrinks like crazy.

How do you reduce shrinking? Is that even possible?

 

[Napp]

bump also do you mean if you want to wear it curly or just in general

 

[JustKiya]

It depends on what sort of style you are wearing.... if you just mean overall, you would have to try one of the curl looseners and see how they work (henna, yogurt, and/or coconut milk & lime - there are several threads here on each of these) for you. And then, of course, there's always texturizing/texalaxing....

 

[AvaSpeaks]

So I've been thinking about going natural. If I take the plunge I want to minimize the temptation of relaxing again. I remember my natural hair shrinks like crazy.

How do you reduce shrinking? Is that even possible?

If your wearing it 100% natural, then no.

 

[Nonie]

I've never tried to reduce shrinkage, but if you braided your hair while damp and let it dry, it'd be a bit stretched when you un-braided it. Also, a lot of people band their hair so that it doesn't shrink much.

When I wear my hair out, I braid it every night but not so as to reduce shrinkage but rather so that it stays detangled and is easy to comb. I baggy every night so when I undo my plaits to comb, it's usually damp but not so curled back on itself that the coils wrap around each other. So combing is a breeze.

 

[Isis]

I've never tried to reduce shrinkage, but if you braided your hair while damp and let it dry, it'd be a bit stretched when you un-braided it. Also, a lot of people band their hair so that it doesn't shrink much.

When I wear my hair out, I braid it every night but not so as to reduce shrinkage but rather so that it stays detangled and is easy to comb. I baggy every night so when I undo my plaits to comb, it's usually damp but not so curled back on itself that the coils wrap around each other. So combing is a breeze.

I was just about to mention banding also. Jessy55 bands her natural hair and has beautiful pics of it in her album.

 

[frankie]

I dry in twists. Granted I've only done this once since I chopped, but it worked. Any other time, I embrace the shrinkage and wear my beloved fro.

 

[glamazon386]

The only way to do it is to manipulate your hair before it dries. You can pull it back loosely or band it. Or twist/braid it and then take it out once it's dry.

 

[hopeful]

Braids or twists and make sure they are completely dry before taking them down. Also leave-ins and gels help elongate/weigh down the hair. I never let my hair just shrink up and do what it do because I have two distinct hair textures that shrink at different percentages so I would look crazy. Blow drying some and then twisting also really stretches the hair out as well.

 

[hopeful]

I dry in twists. Granted I've only done this once since I chopped, but it worked. Any other time, I embrace the shrinkage and wear my beloved fro.

Hey frankie, I love your siggy pic, your fro is so thick and pretty.

 

[Keen]

Thanks ladies. I wouldn't want to texlax. I'd want to wear my natural hair out like in a fro or twist out. I guess I'm scared I wouldn't have too many styling options...

 

[frankie]

Hey frankie, I love your siggy pic, your fro is so thick and pretty.

Thanks so much!!!

 

[Sunshine0801]

I braid my hair while it is still wet to reduce shrinkage. I never wear my hair in its shrunken state.

 

[Sunshine0801]

Thanks ladies. I wouldn't want to texlax. I'd want to wear my natural hair out like in a fro or twist out. I guess I'm scared I wouldn't have too many styling options...

There are SO many options with natural hair. I mainly stick to braids because they are very low-maintenance, but I have many more styling options now that I am natural than when I was relaxed. Twists, braids, fros, rollersets, buns, puffs, twistouts, braidouts... the list is endless...

 

[LynnieB]

You'll have a ton of styling options available to you!

Can't really avoid all shrinkage but stretching it out in braids or twists like the other ladies suggested work for me too. i don't like my hair to dry loose and shrunken.

 

[Paris Belle]

I wear a lot of two-strand twists these days and I find that when I pin them up at night, instead of letting them hang loose in my scarf + nightcap, that I am experiencing less shrinkage.

I also notice that greasing my scalp while wet and braiding and twisting my hair right after reduces this.

 

[Poohbear]

I blowdry my hair out. But even after blowdrying, my hair shrinks.

 

[adw425]

I add full-fat yogurt to my conditioner weekly. I have been doing that since October. I started using aloe vera gel on wet hair then my leave-in then I sealing with ghee in January. I have been doing this for about six weeks. Also, since I started using aloe vera, my hair does not tangle, mat or knot anymore -- at all. No matter what I do to my hair, I can run my fingers through it without hitting a snag and that has been such a blessing -- lots of snags in 2007.

These things relax my curl pattern and minimize my shrinkage a great deal to the point where my hair now goes down, not out, and I can wear my hair down without first applying heat. I do get shrinkage, but not as much as in the past by a long shot. Also, the shrinkage that I do get is attractive; it makes my hair look thicker and it is full of body, waves and curls. I have also been using shikakai for the past six weeks, but I do not know if that is figuring into the shrinkage equation, but it is responsible for the body my hair has now. I have said this in several threads now, but the ayurvedic stuff -- yogurt, shikakai, ghee, aloe vera has worked out very well for me and this particular combo is very synergistic.

 

[ricochet]

Twistouts and braidouts.

 

[EMJazzy]

I add full-fat yogurt to my conditioner weekly. I have been doing that since October. I started using aloe vera gel on wet hair then my leave-in then I sealing with ghee in January. I have been doing this for about six weeks. Also, since I started using aloe vera, my hair does not tangle, mat or knot anymore -- at all. No matter what I do to my hair, I can run my fingers through it without hitting a snag and that has been such a blessing -- lots of snags in 2007.

These things relax my curl pattern and minimize my shrinkage a great deal to the point where my hair now goes down, not out, and I can wear my hair down without first applying heat. I do get shrinkage, but not as much as in the past by a long shot. Also, the shrinkage that I do get is attractive; it makes my hair look thicker and it is full of body, waves and curls. I have also been using shikakai for the past six weeks, but I do not know if that is figuring into the shrinkage equation, but it is responsible for the body my hair has now. I have said this in several threads now, but the ayurvedic stuff -- yogurt, shikakai, ghee, aloe vera has worked out very well for me and this particular combo is very synergistic.

Cosigning on the bolded!!