Shrinkage is a curse word for curly girls. Thought it seems like the most annoying part of your styling journey, here are three reasons shrinkage is a sign of good hair health. We also included a few tips to managing it.
YOU HAVE MORE ELASTICITY: Shrinkage tends to mean that your hair has greater elasticity and doesn't break as easily. Elasticity equates to stronger hair.
SHRINKAGE IS A SIGN OF HAIR HEALTH: If you have tons of shrinkage, it’s a sign that your hair hasn’t been damaged by heat or chemical styling. Your curls’ ability to bounce back means that its in a healthy state.
YOU CAN HEAT-STYLE WITHOUT WORRY: This is not a hard and fast rule, but typically those with more shrinkage can revert back without without worry after heat-styling.
However, we know most of your dread shrinkage, so here are several tips to elongating your curls from celebrity stylist Pekela Riley.
LOW HEAT PRE-STRETCH: “During summer, instead of doing a wet twist, consider a low heat pre-stretch to avoid massive shrinkage. After conditioning, slightly dry and stretch curls with a blowdryer on a low-heat setting, then two-strand twist. This helps your hair guard against immediate shrinkage.”
YOU MUST TRIM IN THE SUMMER: “People might be surprised to know that split ends are highly porous, meaning they attract moisture from the air. You may be able to get away with avoiding trims in drier seasons like winter and fall, but your split ends will really show during humid summers and you’ll have more frizz and shrinkage. DON’T skip your trims in this season.”
BE SPECIFIC ABOUT PRODUCT PLACEMENT: “Many people like to simply apply product all over, however, you should be very methodical about product placement to better define or straighten the hair. Put specific attention on your roots and ends.”
curlBOX Protip: Use your Shea Moisture Intensive Hydration Twist-Defining Custard for your dry-twists.
Photo credit; @madame_alexandra