You have been wowed a couple of times wondering how the lady you passed in the alley can keep such beautiful hair! Natural hair is breathtaking. However, the truth is, it is not the easiest to maintain. You are talking about preventing it from being dry, breaking and tangling.
There is also another problem that most women experience with natural hair: shrinkage. It can be quite annoying especially if you are looking to pull off the bun or show off the length. There is a bright side to it though. Shrinkage of hair is a good sign. While it is a sign of healthy hair, you might still need to reduce the shrinkage and make it manageable. The following are tricks that will help you keep your hair from shrinking.
1. Section it while washing
It is always a painful ordeal trying to get your hair straight, especially after cleaning it. You could make this bearable by sectioning your hair while washing it. It is straightforward. What you do is twist your hair, you can make about six sections, depending on the length and the volume of hair. From there, you twist it out when you are shampooing and washing it. Once you are done washing it, you can rinse it and apply conditioner. You can keep it that way until you get out of the shower.
The trick here will be to remove the twists one at a time. Have you noted any difference? Yes, you will find that your hair has significantly reduced the shrinkage.
2. Use coconut milk to condition
You have probably come across containers labeled ‘coconut milk’ and ignored them. Well, you have been ignoring the solution to your shrinking hair. How to use it? You should apply it in place of the regular conditioners, which is after rinsing your hair. The result will be softer, smoother and stronger strands. With that, it will be easier for you to comb your hair without risking breakage due to stiffness.
You also have the option of mixing the conditioner with your deep conditioner. Leave it to set and rinse it out after about 1 hour.
3. Apply Aloe Vera Gel
Aloe Vera gel will also come in handy in reducing shrinkage. The reason being it is rich in enzymes and amino acids that are good for hair. The gel will keep your strands hydrated: which usually lacks in shrinking hair. The gel also does a great job at smoothing the hair. If used before styling, it will work wonders.
Also, if you want to show off a little bit, Aloe Vera gel will be perfect for the job. It gives it more length just like water does. Unfortunately, you cannot apply water, and if you did, it would only dry up and make matters even worse.
4. Try out henna treatments
There is much more that henna can do apart from coloring your hair. Henna also plays the role of a conditioner. And, as you may well know, conditioners are great when it comes to softening the hair. The beauty of using henna is that on top of being a conditioner, it will strengthen your strands.
But how come it reduces shrinkage? Well, it is quite simple. Note that the dyes add weight to your strands. That, in turn, straightens your hair and at the same time adds strength to your strands. You can do the treatment once every month for the best results.
5. Stretch your hair
Stretching your hair will also go a long way in reducing shrinkage. However, you need to employ methods that will not weaken or break your hair. One of the safest and effective means are doing a low bun, African threading, banding or even doing twists.
Stretching your hair will reduce shrinkage and make it even longer.
Shrinking hair does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. It is very natural and, as aforementioned, it is an indicator of healthy and strong hair. Besides, who wouldn’t want full hair? You don’t always need to have straight hair. However, you might once in a while need to rock a bun.
