WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NATURAL HAIR SHRINKAGE

 

Of the many styling dilemmas that taunt those with natural hair, shrinkage has to be one of the most frustrating. You spend hours twisting, stretching, picking, and pulling to get every single curl to reach its full potential—only to have it retreat toward your roots as soon as it dries.

As annoying as it can be, shrinkage is a natural part of any curly hair journey. It may feel more frustrating if your hair is already on the shorter side or if you are working toward a specific style, but it’s honestly one of the easier natural hair concerns to solve. With a full understanding of your hair texture, why shrinkage happens, and how to coax your curls into staying put, you’ll be on your way to some serious hair hang time in no time at all.

What Is Natural Hair Shrinkage? Even if your hair has been the same length for a long as you can remember, you can still experience shrinkage. Natural hair shrinkage is pretty much exactly like it sounds: It’s when curls go from a more lengthy, stretched out form to a tight, more compacted coil.

To be clear, your curl pattern isn’t changing when it gets tighter. Instead, as hair dries or loses moisture, each strand contracts. Shrinkage isn’t a sign of unhealthy hair. In fact, it’s what makes your hair texture curly. You might lose some coveted length when your curls get tighter, but with the right anti-shrinkage products for natural hair, you can recreate it without an entire hairstyle overhaul.

What Causes Natural Hair Shrinkage?The best way to think about hair shrinkage is to compare it to a sponge. The little holes in a sponge that absorb water to both soften and expand the sponge are very similar to the cuticles on a strand of hair. Moisture goes in, and the hair expands—it can also stretch out each strand a bit. Similarly, when you wash a garment, before you wring the water out, it can get a bit heavy and stretched—hair functions in the same way. Water goes in, making each strand more pliable and adds a little bit of weight to it, causing it to elongate and expand. When you leave a sponge out and the water evaporates from it, the sponge shrinks back to its original size.

In the case of hair, when moisture is removed, whether it’s through the natural air drying process or if you’re physically removing water with a hair dryer, the hair will no longer have that weight keeping it stretched out and puffed up. The good thing about shrinkage is that it acts as somewhat of a natural moisture barometer. When curls are hydrated, you’ll notice that they are more plump and elongated.

Style-wise it may not be the look you’re going for, but when you begin to see your curls retreat, you’ll know it’s time to rehydrate. It’s also a good way to determine your hair’s porosity; how well your hair absorbs and retains moisture is an important factor in determining your hair health.

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