On this post, we talk benefits of stretching 4C natural hair or rather why you should consider keeping your hair stretched. Do you prefer rocking your 4C hair in stretched state or you love some shrinkage?

We all know how tightly coiled 4C is, how much it shrinks and strands curl on each other sometime causing tangles. Caring for 4C can be quite a task due to the tightly coiled strands and difficulty in retaining moisture. Learning how to care for it may take time but once you nail it, your hair will grow and thrive.

Feel like your hair has been the same length forever, I’ve an Ebook that will help you grow your hair healthier, longer and thicker. Grab your copy here… Also, check out all the Ebooks,guides and journals that will go a long way in your hair care journey here.

“Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.”

If you love seeing your length, struggles with tangles, moisturizing and breakage, you ought to consider strerching your hair and rocking stretched hairstyles. I don’t mind a shrunken Afro or high puff but the detangling that comes with wearing that style, is the struggle I refuse to sign up.

Why stretch 4C hair: Benefits of Stretching 4C Natural hair

Should you stretch your hair? Yes and no. Yes, if your hair shrinks a lot, tangle due shrinkage and for those if us who love to see our length & wear stretched hair. No, if you’re comfortable with shrinkage and everything that comes with it.

When my hair was shorter, I loved wearing my Afro out and the best part is the shrinkage was barely noticeable and didn’t tangle as much. With longer hair came more shrinkage and ends that just won’t stop tangling even when moisturized and trimmed. I prefer stretching my hair with braids when I choose to wear it out and before installing my go to protective style, twists.

Stretching minimizing shrinkage. There is nothing wrong with shrinkage and no one will judge you for wanting to see your length and wearing stretched out styles. Stretch it sis and rock it like the queen you are.

Stretched hair also tangles less than the shrunken hair because the strands are straight and not hugging, curling on each other. If your hair keeps tangling even when trimmed and well moisturized, consider stretching it.

I don’t know about you but moisturizing or applying products on stretched hair is easier than with shrunken hair. I find it easier to moisturize braid outs, twists out than puffs. What do you think? Which is easier for you? For me, even sectioning is easier with stretched hair since I prefer moisturizing in smaller sections.

Hair Stretching Methods.

There are different ways you can stretch hair. You can choose the heat way or without heat. With heat, you use hot tools to stretch your hair, watch out for heat damage though. When using heat consider applying a heat protectants because heat damage doesn’t look cute and is permanent.

Braiding is one of the ways to stretch hair and it’s my personal favorite way. On wash days, after rinsing off the deep conditioner and moisturizing, I install 6-10 braids to stretch. I let them air dry or wear them for a couple of days before unravelling.

You can use the African threading method. I haven’t tried this method yet but have seen from youtube tutorials that it works. You just section your hair, get a thread and wrap it around the length of your hair from root to end after moisturizing. Some naturals wear the style for a couple of days before unravelling.

Banding- this is where you use hair bands along your hair’s length to stretch. Section your hair into small, manageable sections, wrap hair bands through the length, from the roots to the ends. I use this method to stretch my twist outs once I start to notice shrinkage. I start by moisturizing, sectioning and wearing bands along my hair length.

Twist outs and Bantu knots also are great ways to stretch hair. Moisturize before installing the styles and make sure your hair is dry before unravelling.

Thank you for reading, share with everyone and support my blog here.

Heat tools for stretching.

• Enhanced Ceramic Hair Straightener Brush
• REVLON One-Step Volumizer Enhanced 1.0 Hair Dryer
• CONFU Professional Hair Dryer
• DORISILK Steam Straighteners for Hair

Which methods do you use to stretch hair?