NATURALS, what's your SHRINKAGE like?

What's your shrinkage percentage (of your actual hair length)?

  • My hair shrinks to show about 80-70% of my actual length -- Just a LITTLE

    Votes: 23 13.5%

  • 50-40% of my acutal length -- About HALF

    Votes: 85 49.7%

  • 30-20% of my actual length -- A LOT

    Votes: 63 36.8%

  • None - I don't experience shrinkage

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    171
Mine shrinks to about a third of its actual length. It shrinks to neck length. Its hard to detangle because of that because stretched it is almost waist length.
 
In the nape I think it's a teeny tiny bit more than half...the rest of my hair is more than 80% I think. I'm not all together sure because my hair is still short...
 
I'm guessing 30~ 40% I haven't pressed to see the real results of my shrinkage.

I dont mind it b/c when I do get it pressed i can hit them in the head w/ WOW!!!!! i didnt know u had this much hair :lachen:
 
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I voted 40-50%. My hair shrinks to about half of its actual length, I think. My siggy shows when straightened that it's around MBL. But look in my fotki, and you'll see as a natural, when wearing in it's natural state it can shrink to neck-length...
 
I'm surprised nobody :spank: me yet:lachen:

Im not natural so just keep ignoring my answer :lachen:

But if I were, I would just say its a lot more than what I have now and I'm texturized for the most part. I know my hair is long enough to make a pony, but it shrinks so much that the scrunchy pops off as soon as my hair dries.
 
It depends on the area of my head. Some of it only shrinks 25% (the last 1/4 down to my nape) and the rest tends to shrink 60-70% if I let it dry without being braided.
 
Cheleigh said:
BSL stretched; below shoulder soaking wet; neck length dry. So, that's what, 40%?

Minny, I think both texture and curl pattern affect shrinkage. My hair is "very" coily, so I have more shrinkage than someone with looser curls or waves. Even someone who's hair might be considered a little "kinkier" than mine will have less shrinkage than me if their curl pattern is looser.
Click to expand...

Oh, okay. I can see that. :yep:

Bri505 said:
Hmm.. this is a totally UNEDUCATED guess (meaning I just thought of this now)... but maybe how weel the hair RETAINS moisture? If the hair is well moisturized and sealed, as it dries, there would be less shrinkage because technically the hair is still holding water.. if the hair is dry and parched, there is more shrinkage because there is less water in the hair.

I don't know my shrinkage because I twist my hair as soon as a step out of the shower so it won't tangle.. I assume it'd be 50% as well.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I've actually experienced this. I tried to air-dry without product, and my hair seemed to shrink up even more. Even without the 2 products I usually use when airdrying, I noticed my shrinkage increased dramatically. It kinda sucked. :ohwell:

ladylibra said:
well not just coil size, but thickness of strands and coarseness of strands and porosity makes a difference. for example, my sis and i are both 3c/4a, but my strands are thicker than hers so i get less shrinkage than her, also more hangtime when completely dry. my son has fine wiry strands so his hair shrinks up to like 10% of it's true length :lol:
Click to expand...

I didn't think of this, either. But this makes sense. My hair is fine, so obviously it wouldn't hang as much as it would with someone with thick hair. Duh. :spinning:



Thanks ladies! I've been enlightened! :grin:
 
Mine shrinks up alot. It all depends on what products I use. If I use a curl defining product, my hair looks like I just BC'd, my coils are so tight. If I use any type of oil on my head its the same thing. If I use just my spritz (no oils mixed in) and my hair butter, leave in co or water based creames, I don't get as much shrinkage. If I pick out my hair, barely any at all. If I let it dry with no products, I get maybe little less than half. I always air dry.

Some times at work, I wonder if people can actully watch my hair shrink as it dries. Every time they look its shorter, and shorter, and shorter...:lachen:
 
my hair shrinks up alot...i think that length checks wouldnt even matter for me because of all the shrinkage!Wet or Dry....
Maybe it is true as the hair gets longer you will get more shrinkage?
idk:perplexed
 
Shrinkage is something and can be discouraging but can also be used to your advantage especially if you're going for a protective style.

I've got about 50% and yea sometimes it can be irksome but I've found it's soooooooooo convenient when I want my hair off my shoulders!!
 
I think my hair shrinks to 33% (1/3) its length. This is an old pic but a good demo of my shrinkage:
Shrinkage-vi.jpg
 
I'd like to "correct" the above info :lol: My shrinkage is more like to (12.5%) 1/8 its straight length. :rofl: You all remember this section of my pressed hair, right? This is the puff I get when I make one on wet hair and let it air-dry. Talk of tightly packed coils. You can't even put a finger through that "bun 'fro" :lachen: to touch my scalp.
 
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My hair shrinks a lot. It's a little above shoulder length in it's curly shrunken state, but BSL when stretched or straightened.
 
I say my shrinkage is about 30 to 40 percent of it's actual length. When I stretch my hair to show length there's nothing impressive about it. It's like, "oh":look:. lol

ETA: I meant this way. I don't have much shrinkage and I agree glam, when my hair was longer I didn't get that much more length while it was in it's natural state.
 
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Is anybody noticing that as their hair gets longer it shrinks more? I'm looking at it shrinking maybe 60 or 70 percent now instead of 50.
 
My shrinkage use to be at 70-80% of my length when my hair was shoulder length (and shorter) natural. Now that I have more length (BSL), and henna regularly, my hair shrinks much less- 50%. I guess it still shrinks up a lot, but the volume I have now makes all the difference.

I can say that no product ever prevented the shrinkage. Fantasia IC did for a minute, but my hair looked stringy and dry :( Twist-outs are the only way to combat shrinkage for me, which is a must, because letting my hair shrink on itself causes mucho breakage.
 
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