Re-Think the Shrink

Hi Gorgeous!

Today I want to talk to you about the evil S word that tends to be the bane of most curly girls’ existence. That word is the dreaded SHRINKAGE.

Shrinkage is what you experience when you’re washing your hair, marveling at how long its hanging while wet. “Is that hair touching my shoulder blades? Wow!” Only to find that when it dries, it comes up to your chin or collar bone. It’s the stretching of a curl or coil, only to snap back into place like a slinky. And most people hate it because it doesn’t show an accurate depiction of how long one’s hair is. You constantly here other people say “It’s growing” or “I love your cute little fro” or “Is that what you call a twa?” And you really want to respond by saying “sweetie, my hair is such and such inches long”, “I’m bsl or mid-back length”, (or even)” my hair is longer than yours!” But you don’t want to be rude.

So instead, you search forums and YouTube and everywhere else trying to find hairstyles that will “showcase your length”. You’ll even do a blow-out one day just so the commenter can see how long your hair really is. Sound familiar? Maybe it’s just me.

Well I would like to propose to you the following reasons to embrace your shrinkage. Let’s turn that negative into a positive! Feel free to add to the list by commenting below. (Just click the word comment at the end of the post.)

1.       Shrinkage is your hair protecting itself. Think of it like a person curling into a ball to protect themselves from an attack. This attack on your hair could be wind, rain, heat, and any form of manipulation that causes stress on the hair. So really, you have a built in protective style!

2.       Mega Volume. For me, when my hair is stretched it’s not as full. Case-in –point. I had a banging braid-out going on yesterday. But I did it on wet hair, so it shrunk, of course. My hair was full and tapered looking. It was awesome! In that moment, I didn’t care about length. I had an asymmetrical bob, and it was fabulous!

3.       Ventilation. As the season is changing into warmer temps, it’s going to get really hot y’all. It was 81 degrees yesterday, and it’s not even officially Spring. When it’s sweltering hot, and the sun is beating down on you, the last thing you want is a bunch of hair all over our neck and shoulders making you feel like you have a hat and scarf on!

4.       Versatility. No need for a haircut! I can have long hair one day and short hair the next.

So those are just a few reasons shrinkage might just not be a bad thing. In fact, it’s this reason why I think we have the best hair in the world! Our hair can transform into whatever we want it to be; curly, straight, long, or short.

So tell me why you don’t mind the evil S word, and help others RE-THINK their Shrink!

Stay Gorgeous!