Shrinkage
For those who may have a much looser wavy curl pattern or just aren't familiar with the concept of shrinkage, let me explain. Shrinkage is a decrease in length when hair goes from wet to dry. Okay, I am going to start by letting you all know, shrinkage is a normal and good thing. Although it hides our hair's true length, shrinkage is one of the best indicators of textured hair health. Natural hair that is properly hydrated and moisturised will shrink. Shrinkage is also a sign of your hair's elasticity and its resistance to breakage. Shrinkage is an indicator that your hair is healthy, hydrated and happy but even though your hair is happy, it can really frustrate the owner.
Method One: Twists
Twisting my hair is one of my favourite ways to reduce shrinkage. To do this, split your hair into 4 sections, spritz with water until lightly damp and apply your That Good Hair Custom leave-in conditioner and hair oil and then finger detangle. My formula is infused with Aloe Vera Juice, Coconut Oil and Allantoin for their lightweight conditioning properties and definition. Then twist each section gently pulling the hair so that you stretch your hair out to its full length. The twists stop it from jumping all the way back up and once the twists are dry, I untwist them resulting in beautifully defined stretched curls. I split the curls into individual strands so they aren't stuck together anymore. The reason I love this method is that it's a really simple protective style that doesn't really require any skill. It is simply twisting two strands of hair together but it has such a beautiful result. While my hair doesn't come down to my waist it is still a lot longer than if I just left it to dry out and shrink up. This style can alternatively be done with plaits instead of twists, I alternate between the two but I prefer the way my curls look after twists rather than plaits.
After you have twisted your hair, don't forget to seal your ends with a small amount of oil.
Method Two: Blowout
This may not be your preferred method if you don't use heat on your hair, however it is a very simple, fast and effective way to stretch out your curls and fight shrinkage but be sure to use heat protectant and the cool blow dryer setting. For this method I would recommend using your That Good Hair Golden Hair Oil that contains Buriti Oil and Baobab Oil for UV and SPF protection. Pour a small amount into your palms and run the product through your hair. Use a blowdryer with the comb nozzle attached to stretch your hair directly from the roots. This will disrupt your curl pattern but does work with making your hair longer. This works for all hair textures to stretch your hair.
Method Three: Banding
This method is typically seen with African threading on 4C hair but works great for all hair textures particularly if you are avoiding heat. Similar to a twist out, start by dampening your hair with water and using a leave in conditioner along with a small amount of hair oil and detangle. Then split your hair into as many equal sections as you want. You could do your hair all in one or in multiple sections. The more sections you do the longer it takes but you wont have an obvious indentation from the hair bands. Take you section and tie a hair band as close as you can to the roots then continue to tie rows of hair bands down your hair leaving a small space (maybe a cm or 2cm) between each band but this is dependent on how long your hair is. Be sure to stretch your hair during the process to avoid it shrinking up.
When banding your hair opt for silk or satin elastic to prevent any breakage from the friction.