Question for Naturals/ People w/ alot of shrinkage

[NubianAngel]

How can you actually tell if you are gaining more length than usual? I am trying to be consistent with taking my vitamins, eating right, drinking water and handling my hair better. But since I have so much shrinkage (a 10-11inch strand shrinks to 3inches) I have no idea if its working or not. I dont straighten my hair and by the time I finish this bottle (which should be in mid november) I am hoping to see some results. This is the second time I have purchased my suppliment so I am thinking that it should be doing something for my body soon. My nails are growing whiter and stronger though.

 

[zoya_j]

if you wanna see length, why don't you blow your hair out with a diffuser.

 

[Nonie]

NubianAngel, the only way to tell if you have growth when you're natural (besides pressing your hair and looking) is to:

1) stretch a section of your hair;
2) measure it from scalp to ends by placing the zero end of a ruler against your scalp and holding that hair up against the ruler (If your hair isn't all the same length, it helps to pick several parts of your head like crown, nape and sides to measure) and write down the various measurements and the date;
3) a month later (or whenever you want to check progress) stretch it again and take measurements in the same areas you did the last time and write those down those figures with the date you're taking them;
4) compare the new lengths to the old lengths and the difference will tell you how much your hair has grown in that period of time.

NB Most rulers don't have the zero mark at the very end but I wouldn't worry about that tiny little fraction. Besides, you can always know at the back of your mind that your hair's really 1/2 an inch or so longer than those measurements.

 

[Napy247]

I too have major shrinkage. For four months I wore two strand twist that I wet everyday so my hair appeared to be about two to three inches. Finally, I got so bored that I had my friend cornrow my hair. After taking the cornrows out I decided to wear an afro. To my surprise my hair was 7 inches in length. I don't know how much I attribute to the hair growth vitamins because at the time I had only been taking them for about a month. I have mainly relied on minimal minipulation, moisture, and protective styles to retain length. Trust me, your hair IS growing.

I agree with everyone else. Stretching your hair is the best way to measure growth/retention. If you don't want to use heat which can be damaging trying doing a style that will stretch your hair out. Braiding or cornrowing is the best way to do this with minimal damage.

 

[Ire_manzi]

[ QUOTE ]
I too have major shrinkage.

I agree with everyone else. Stretching your hair is the best way to measure growth/retention. If you don't want to use heat which can be damaging trying doing a style that will stretch your hair out. Braiding or cornrowing is the best way to do this with minimal damage.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree

 

[NubianAngel]

Thank you for the replies. I think I may have to modify the "stretch and measure" method because then I do stretch my hair, the last inch likes to remain coiled/poofed up no matter what I do (think poodle tail, LOL). Its really hard to manually grasp my ends while stretching, if that makes any sense. So perhaps I can measure from scalp to the top of the poof and have a basis for comparison for the future.

I will blow out my fro one day but I am way to lazy to spend 3 hours doing it.