Naturals - Stretched- Unstretched WHAT'S THE USE!!!

CocoaButterflyy said:
I have terrible shrinkage... I've pretty much accepted it but what did work was putting a rod on the end of some twists it weighed them down and pulled it a little... I like the shrinkage though because it shocks people the rare instances I straighten
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When it it straightened I am amazed with the growth. It is a nice surprise!!
 
I know this thread is supposed to be motivational, but I want to answer the "What's the use?" question.

For me, after having been natural for all of my life except for about 2 years as a pre-teen and in my early teens, having lots of hair and not being able to show became counterproductive. The question became, why was I following all of these healthful practices to promote and retain length, when I was never - or seldom - able to show the fruits of my labor and patience?

I thought long and hard about a solution that would work for me. I opted to texturize, which is giving me the freedom to wear my big, curly and crinkly styles without having to "stretch" my hair to get the length and volume to show. I can also flat iron if I so choose and not have to worry about reversion an hour later.

What works for one person doesn't work for everyone, of course. But for me it became counter-intuitive - knowing I had a lot of hair but never being able to truly see it in all its glory unless I held it down between my index finger and thumb.
 
options said:
I know this thread is supposed to be motivational, but I want to answer the "What's the use?" question.

For me, after having been natural for all of my life except for about 2 years as a pre-teen and in my early teens, having lots of hair and not being able to show became counterproductive. The question became, why was I following all of these healthful practices to promote and retain length, when I was never - or seldom - able to show the fruits of my labor and patience?

I thought long and hard about a solution that would work for me. I opted to texturize, which is giving me the freedom to wear my big, curly and crinkly styles without having to "stretch" my hair to get the length and volume to show. I can also flat iron if I so choose and not have to worry about reversion an hour later.

What works for one person doesn't work for everyone, of course. But for me it became counter-intuitive - knowing I had a lot of hair but never being able to truly see it in all its glory unless I held it down between my index finger and thumb.
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Options,

thanks for that....but I didn't mention is that the reason why I went natural is that my hair experiences with chemicals hasn't been good from childhood to my adulthood. I experience breakage and my hair never looked or felt healthy no matter what I did! I didn't go natural for a social statement it was for the betterment of my hair.
 
babyblue said:
ahhh...the never ending battle with shrinkage. I've pretty much given up on it. no matter how long my hair is it will forever shrink above my shoulder. So ive pretty much been wearing styles that accentuate the shrinage. It doesnt matter if anyone around me doesnt know my hairs true lenght. As long how long I myself know how long it is thats all that really matters to me at this point.
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Same here!
 
Well if it makes you feel any better, I'm texturized, and I still have crazy shrinkage:lol: My hair is bra strap and well, you see the twist out in my avatar:lol:
 
Happy2BNappy said:
OK, I am just venting. I love being natural - don't get me wrong, but I am sick of my shrinkage due to the tight coils. I want to have 2-strand twists that reach my shoulders, but to have that you have to hair that is almost at bra length. Right now stretched, my hair reaches my shouders but when it is 2-strand twisted it is just barely at my ears! I really do not want to texturize my hair..cuz' then I won't feel that I am 100% natural. AARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
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HEY! I have my hair in two strand twists for the first time right now! And you described exactly how my hair acts... when I stretch it, it reaches the top of my shoulders... after I twisted up my hair, the twists around my face and such shrunk to my ears! And I twisted my hair after it had been in a stretched/picked out afro and dry! So even when my hair is dry, I have shrinkage. It's inevitable for me. My hair shrinks like 75%.
Some advice... if you love being natural and have had problems with chemicals in the past, I say stick with what you love and what's best for you... the length will come in due time. Dont jump into texturizing your hair just because you are frustrated with the shrinakage. Shrinkage is a unique trait of our natural hair. As of right now, I'm still learning patience as far as hair growth. I'm never going back to chemicals. I'm also learning to work with my hair instead of against it. Take care! :)
 
egan26 said:
I remember when I felt like you and just did not understand the shrinkage concept. I knew my hair would shrivel up some, but not to the extent that my hair shrunk up.
But, I started to realize that this is a good sign. When you manipulate your hair (comb, brush, braid, etc.) and it shrinks, its showing that it has elasticity which is a sign of strong hair.
So, try to be patient and not focus so much on length, but health. Before you know it, you'll have longer hair.
However, you still will need to do some type of stretching to see your maximum length.
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Great advice!



I was passing through and read through some of the posts, enjoy that natural hair you got there (shrinkage and all)...Maybe one day I will may decide to go natural again.
 
I posted this thread recently and got some more good advice: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=75262

I have been doing 4 twists (with a bobby pin about an inch from the bottom to prevent messing with the ends) after washing and it has made a BIG difference. No longer does it looks like I "cut my hair" after each washing (infernal question!). Also some curls are a lot bigger with a different pattern which is a different look.

One of these years I'll get batteries for my camera and update my album lol!
 
Loved this thread. I don't have the problem with shrinkage becaus eI love my TWA..I am happy its not all falling over I wouldn't know what to do with it. lol Stay as shrunken as possible so I can still get away with a wash and go. lol

But, I loved this thread because sooo many naturals came out of the wood work to post. I was like WOW! Who is that..let me see there album. Just amazing heads all around.

Trust
 
Girl I understand what your going through. I'm nearly bra length but my hair is always shrinking up to my shoulders, this makes me feel like my hair is never growing. BTW I'm texturized so it's not just naturals that have issues with shrinkage.
 
Hey,
I could not read all the posts so I don't know if anyone suggested this already but what helps me w/ having more stretched out twists is using the denman brush and letting my hair dry at least halfway before twisting.

After washing I brush conditioner all the way through. After rinsing, I part my hair w/ a wide tooth comb and make 10-12 braids( more or less braids may work depending on your hair thickness) I moisturize each section before i braid w/product...i usually use CD's healthy hair butter or natural oasis conditioning cream w/ BBD Stretch

I try to do this on a Friday night so when I wake, my hair is slightly damp and I twist away. If you don't have time for that you can sit under a dryer on a medium setting until your hair is slightly damp... It helps me a lot w/ shrinkage cause sometimes Iwant my twists to have that "swing" look....

Mel
 
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Happy2BNappy said:
OK, I am just venting. I love being natural - don't get me wrong, but I am sick of my shrinkage due to the tight coils. I want to have 2-strand twists that reach my shoulders, but to have that you have to hair that is almost at bra length. Right now stretched, my hair reaches my shouders but when it is 2-strand twisted it is just barely at my ears! I really do not want to texturize my hair..cuz' then I won't feel that I am 100% natural. AARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
Click to expand...



I found that doing my 2 strand twists while wet causes me to have shrinkage. I twist my hair only when it has somewhat dry. I also pull it up at night (thanks, Kristina) so it can stay stretched. I wear shower caps now in the shower to prevent my hair from getting wet. When it is wet it coils up on the ends. My hair in the back touches my shoulders. It looks like I have a layered hair cut because the twists in the front are short while the back is long.

I also do really small twists. I find that the smaller twists show your lenght better than the fat ones. Some of you have fat twists in your avatars. Have you tried the smaller twists?
 
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micarae said:
You ladies have the best ideas! I was recently crying to Bubblin about this same issue! In a nutshell, I have to continue to accept my hair for what it is and stop trying to "change" it. My hair shrinks to shoulders from a wet two strand set and above my shoulders when allowed to dry on it's own(no manipulation), I have since stopped worrying so much about my shrinkage and I have be wearing my fat two strand twist out(done from 10 two strands airdried overnight). I will continue to do this until the Spring. I am trying to see if my hair has stopped growing. It is now past bra strap(in the back) and I just trimmed about 1.5"-2"off because those ends were good and raggedy! Lol! I love my hair and until I cut it back to a twa, I will cherish it, shrinkage and all! :)
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I miss Bubblin, I was thinking about her the other day.
 
babyblue said:
ahhh...the never ending battle with shrinkage. I've pretty much given up on it. no matter how long my hair is it will forever shrink above my shoulder. So ive pretty much been wearing styles that accentuate the shrinage. It doesnt matter if anyone around me doesnt know my hairs true lenght. As long how long I myself know how long it is thats all that really matters to me at this point.
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off topic but...

babyblue, your avatar is BEAUTIFUL!!! I love the individual braids you have done with just your natural hair! I can't wait to do that with my hair!
 
Poohbear said:
off topic but...

babyblue, your avatar is BEAUTIFUL!!! I love the individual braids you have done with just your natural hair! I can't wait to do that with my hair!
Click to expand...

DITTO! I LOVE your Album! Also I agree with countrygal about the smaller twists!

"I also do really small twists. I find that the smaller twists show your lenght better than the fat ones. Some of you have fat twists in your avatars. Have you tried the smaller twists?"

I did some small twists (pics in the album) inspired by Kristina (although I didn't get them quite that small!) and they show a lot more of my length (compare them to the ones in my comparison folder). I guess I cheated a bit because I did them on an old press but even after I rinsed them, they still had much less shrinkage.

Great Thread!
 
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PhonyBaloney500 said:
Twisting dry is a good suggestion. When I had the patience to do twists wet (I'm too lazy now lol) I would put them in big rollers and/or WRAP THEM around my head with bobby pins. That helped stretch it out. :)
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I get prettier, longer lasting twists when I do them wet, let dry and wrap them before going to bed. Thanks to Carefree for this method! She's one of my natural hair inspirations. When I'm too lazy to wrap, I pull them all back into a low ponytail to keep them from shrinking during the night.

Using clips on the ends just gives me scrawny twists.
 
balisi said:
I get prettier, longer lasting twists when I do them wet, let dry and wrap them before going to bed. Thanks to Carefree for this method! She's one of my natural hair inspirations. When I'm too lazy to wrap, I pull them all back into a low ponytail to keep them from shrinking during the night.

Using clips on the ends just gives me scrawny twists.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for the shout-out! Yes, cross-wrapping has been a blessing for me as far as reducing shrinkage for most of my styles be it twists, wash n go, etc. I wish I would've thought of this technique years ago.
 
Poohbear said:
HEY! I have my hair in two strand twists for the first time right now! And you described exactly how my hair acts... when I stretch it, it reaches the top of my shoulders... after I twisted up my hair, the twists around my face and such shrunk to my ears! And I twisted my hair after it had been in a stretched/picked out afro and dry! So even when my hair is dry, I have shrinkage. It's inevitable for me. My hair shrinks like 75%.
Some advice... if you love being natural and have had problems with chemicals in the past, I say stick with what you love and what's best for you... the length will come in due time. Dont jump into texturizing your hair just because you are frustrated with the shrinakage. Shrinkage is a unique trait of our natural hair. As of right now, I'm still learning patience as far as hair growth. I'm never going back to chemicals. I'm also learning to work with my hair instead of against it. Take care! :)
Click to expand...
Just want to say that I love your twists Poohbear. Even though you're talking about shrinkage, it looks like your hair is growing longer quickly!
 
Oh, all this talk of twists is making me jealous! I still don't have enough hair to do them yet!:ohwell: Anyhow, do any of u ladies spritz your twists with water to make them hang? When I was texturized, I still had shrinkage so I've decided to embrace it, and not hate it.:) As long as I know my hair is growing and it's healthy is enough for me. I am inspired all the more by all the gorgeous natural albums!:love:
 
I agree with Countrygal, smaller twists are the way to go. Sometimes I do things to combat the shrinkage factor, but I have learned to love it and not fight it. Although I would love to see my true length.
 
I LOVE shrinkage. I view it as one of the many versitility features of natural hair. I can go to from long hair to short hair if I want to and I love it. I'm not particularly concerned with showing my length all of the time and I like both short and long looks on me. I say embrace shrinkage. There is really nothing you can do about it permanetly, unless you don't want to be natural anymore and go with chemicals. Learn to love it and it will love you back. :D
 
Super_Hero_Girl said:
I LOVE shrinkage. I view it as one of the many versitility features of natural hair. I can go to from long hair to short hair if I want to and I love it. I'm not particularly concerned with showing my length all of the time and I like both short and long looks on me. I say embrace shrinkage. There is really nothing you can do about it permanetly, unless you don't want to be natural anymore and go with chemicals. Learn to love it and it will love you back. :D
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I TOTALLY agree with this. :yep:
 
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