What is shrinkage and stretching?

[laurend085]

I'm just verifying because I haven't found an exact definition yet but am basing this on what I've read in other threads. Is shrinkage the length your hair is for example after you've washed it and let it air dry? But once you blow dry it, flat iron it etc. it's a longer length. Is stretching when you use rollersets or braids in your hair while it dries? Does this somehow make the hair show more length without blow drying or flat ironing?

 

[Renovating]

shrinkage= the length of your hair w/o shingling or straightening

stretching= shingling/ straightening/ or other manipulation to make hair "hang" down

 

[Flor]

deleted.....................

 

[purplepeace79]

Shrinkage is what happens when your hair coils up into its tightest, wound-up natural state, usually because it got wet, the water activated the curls, and then the curls shriveled up as they dried.

Stetching is a set of techniques used to avoid that. Roller setting, braiding, banding, sometimes applying heat are all examples of stretching the hair to make it appear longer and closer to its true length.

On this site, stretching can also mean going longer periods of time than normal without getting a touch-up on your relaxer

 

[Natural Glow]

I think...
Shrinkage-the difference between the length of your wet hair and the length it is when it drys and "shrinks" up.

Stretching-the only stretching i know of is stretching the length between relaxers. ex. you usually get a relaxer every 6 weeks and "stretch" it to 10 weeks

 

[dynamic1]

For me, shrinkage doesn't disappear unless the hair is pulled taut, under running water or heat straightened (silky flat iron). The degree of shrinkage may change through product usage but not by much. Different techniques get varied results.

Stretching - methods used to decrease shrinkage like banding, twisting, rollersetting, braiding, heat straightening. Some people just pull down a coil for illustration purposes.

Stretching can also refer to extending the time between relaxer touchups (beyond the standard recommended by most professionals).

 

[Nonie]

I think...
Shrinkage-the difference between the length of your wet hair and the length it is when it drys and "shrinks" up.

Ermm...I think that depends on your hair type/texture, coz water doesn't really stretch my hair the way it might type 3 hair. This hair was wet:

Even when you look at a few strands, the ones dripping wet are not any longer than the ones completely dry:

Dripping wet strands

Completely dry no-product:

Shrinkage for me is when my hair contracts so that it's tightly coiled. Stretched is when my hair in a state that resembles what it looks like when I pull on it ie stretch it as shown below and that includes blowdrying, using Curlformers, braiding it, threading, etc:

 

[Embyra]

nonie is your hair 4b?....

 

[Fhrizzball]

More like 4 awesome!

I always enjoy your visual explanations. You have pictures for everything.

 

[aegis]

Shrinkage for me is the length of my hair when water hits it. It shrinks up and will dry that same length unless I STRETCH IT. Which is using non heat methods to make me hair straighter. Right now it's knot outs for me.

Stretching as in stretchin relaxers is increasing the amount of time between relaxing new growth.

Stretching differs in meaning if the person is relaxed or natural.

 

[Nonie]

nonie is your hair 4b?....

Yep, but I believe as Kusare said, a bunch of us all decided that 4-something was a better term that we all could agree on.