Five Ways to Tackle Hair Shrinkage

Hair shrinkage can prove to be distressing when you decide on going natural and your hair does not give you the desired length. In fact, Afro hair has a tendency to shrink to about 80 percent of the hair's actual length. If you like wearing your hair natural and long, but hair shrinkage is stopping you from doing it, here are some handy techniques that can help:

• Twists and braids are among the most predominant hair styling methods used to keep hair shrinkage at bay. Once you wash your hair, twist or braid it to reduce the occurrences of hair shrinkage and have a well-defined stylish hairstyle once it dries. If you want it to stretch further, you could try using a double prong clip to hold down the roots of the sections that have been twisted or braided.
• Banding is one of the simplest ways to avoid hair shrinkage. Try separating your hair into different sections based on the hair thickness. Use bands to hold the different hair sections and keep them on till the hair dries. Remove them later to reveal hair with better length.
• Try getting all the curly hair products that you can on board to reduce shrinkage. If you want the hair to appear straighter, try air drying or hooded dryers. Needless to say, the technique will work only if the hair length allows it to be wrapped around the hair styling gear.
• Hair treatments with dairy products such as yoghurt, plain milk or sour cream have a tendency to elongate curly hair. These lactic acid treatments are believed to reduce shrinkage by nearly 40 percent. Then again, different hair textures respond differently to curly hair products and treatments. However, the results are temporary and do not cause any hair damage, which makes them worth a shot.
• A combination of stretching closely followed with blow drying can help in partially restoring the hair's actual length. Carry out the technique throughout by separating the hair into sections and doing the stretch-blow dry regime individually. Heat is undeniably not one of the best routes to experiment with if you want to protect your curls, but its damaging effects can be controlled with the use of heat protectants and by using the drier in a low setting from a distance.

With these tips, you will be able to manage your hair shrinkage problem effectively.