I plan to straighten it in December for my 2 year naturalversary and because I’ve never worn it straight I’m actually looking forward to it.
As I stared at myself in the mirror I couldn’t help but to smile because I could see how my hard work has paid off. All those hours of maintenance and care on wash days are worth it.
And it was at this moment that I realized that shrinkage is real BUT it’s not that big of a deal.
I’ve noticed that the word shrinkage has always had a negative connotation attached to it, but why?
The makeup of our hair is through coils. A joined sequence of concentric rings. It naturally folds on top of each other and when pulled straight it is typically double the length.
You also have to keep in mind that in addition everyone doesn’t experience the same amount of shrinkage.
It goes hand in hand with the truth that everyone’s hair is different. Just like the fact that I know I shouldn’t compare my curl pattern to the next natural, I shouldn’t compare my shrinkage either.
What I can say about the benefits of shrinkage is that it adds more versatility to my hair. I can fake a taper by wetting the back and sides of my hair and allowing it to curl tighter than the top of my hair that is stretched by way of a twist out.
Also there’s a chance that if I had a looser curl pattern that when I straighten it the curls wouldn’t bounce back so easily.
So what if someone says my hair hasn’t “grown” or if when it’s stretched people stare at it in amazement like “OMG your hair has grown so much in 2 days!” only for me to wash it and it shrinks back down again.
I take care of it, I keep healthy and I can see the growth. It’s possible that 5 years from now my fro might look a tad bit bigger but still “short” in it’s natural state but when straightened it will flow down my back. Or maybe it will loosen up as time goes on? Who knows?! And that’s the joy of this natural hair journey.
I also have to note that, honestly, wasn’t the whole point of my decision to go natural to take pride in the way my hair grows from my scalp? Instead of constantly fighting it and become frustrated I’ve learned I should embrace it.
Will I stop attempting to “stretch” my hair? Heck no! But I will try to stop complaining so much about it and continue to do the styles that I enjoy and learn more about myself and my hair along the way.
Truth is shrinkage is real. Accept it and make it work for you!
Magic hair 🙂 Lovely!
I love my shrinkage i can have two totally different looks
Thank you for sharing your experience. I started my healthy hair journey (HHJ) the same year you did and now I am trying to come to terms with my shrinkage as well. I’m torn, because on one hand, I want to discover what my hair does naturally and embrace it, but when you can’t appreciate the growth due to high shrinkage, it makes me think ‘well why not just keep it short; at least it will be easier to manage.’ I never thought of of possibility of my hair pattern changing with increased length, so I will stay the course for now and perhaps my hair will reveal to me what type of style it wants to have. Again, I thank you for your article which has provided for me this new perspective.
I am yet holding on..in the middle of trying to not to relax this thick hair…lol Its a hassle but a benefit
My hair is super shrunken right now. The only issue I have with Shrinkage is that I can’t pull my hair up, it doesn’t stay. My hair is SUPER THICK and I have a lot of it, so if I want to do a pony tail I have to blow it out a little. I’ve tried stretch methods and it doesn’t work for me. I do have to say i blow out my hair and flat iron twice the year maybe 3 times depending on if there is a special occasion through the year. I think it’s really cool to see my hair so short and then see the long length. My hair short is around ear level, but when it’s blown out it goes down to my shoulder blades.That’s DOPE!