by
Chinwe
Shrinkage never (and, we really mean never) ceases to amaze us.  Though we know that natural hair can appear deceptively short in its shrunken state, it is still shocking to see the immense length hidden under our kinks, coils, and curls. Â
Two years ago, we posted 10 Pictures of Natural Hair Shrinkage that Will Blow Your Mind.  Since then, naturals having been gracing social media with more mind-blowing pictures.  Here are twenty of those photos for you to drool over.
28 Responses
Love to get my hair like that..
A coil or spring should not be stretched. Think of what happens when you stretch out a (non hair) coil. Or slinky.
Hair has elasticity. If it’s healthy enough and the hair bonds are not damaged (as in a relaxer or high heat) the hair will snap back.
Shrinkage is cool. I’m glad more women are embracing it. I’ve been seeing it lately.
I like having shrinkage. I like being able to wear a longer or shorter look without cutting my hair.
Black girls be out here secretly mopped out
Love my shrinkage! I wear it on the weekdays as a neat mini Afro for work. By Friday night (after twisting), it’s a voluminous mass of shoulder length curls. Pull back in a bun for church on Sunday. Our hair is awesome.
Yes! This is definitely something for our young girls to look to for inspiration and to feel that straight and relaxed are not the only options to look beautiful.
LOVE love love love love! Shrinkage is AWESOME! We have the coolest hair on the planet, y’all. 🙂
For me personally, I take issue with this whole concept of ‘shrinkage’. Shrinkage suggests that something changes from its natural state. If your hair is curly, coily, kinky etc it will look shorter. So in its natural state it ‘reverts’ back to what it was.
I think people adopt an Eurocentric view that long hair is the preferred state. Nothing wrong with long hair but I think on par that we should embrace how are hair is, naturally.
Exactly. I was looking on the pics and asking why is this even a thing? What are they trying to prove? How does pointing out “shrinkage” somehow elevate or affirm natural hair? In a backward move, it doesn’t affirm natural hair at all. Instead long straight hair is still being used as the definition of feminine beauty. So natural hair is nice and all, but it’s ability to achieve the LSH look is the thing folks should celebrate.
Very perceptive comments. Sadly it seems, quietly and insidiously, underneath this whole ‘hair liberation’ movement, is still the nagging sense that the old mental shackles are still very much the influence and definers. We’ve still a long way to go it seems.
I don’t care what nobody says…shrinkage is DOPE! Just one more thing proving that black girl hair is MAGIC! 🙂
*looks at photos* *studies own hair*
My hair is trash lololol
Oh no, bite your your tongue Sherida! Your hair is gorgeous too.
I always laugh when I hear biased people think all black women have short hair. It couldn’t be further from the truth.
It appears short but it’s NOT! Awesome hair!
If we keep this up, a decade or so from now, black women will have everybody confused as they’re trying to figure out if a black women with straight hair down her back is rocking a, brazillian silky, chinese bulky, malaysian weavy or natural hair shrinkage on fleek.
You gotta love the juxtaposition and poetic justice of our hair giving the middle finger to all those that we’re too damn invested (mentallly and financially) in what we do with our hair. It’ll be like our hair saying F. you to all the mysoginoirs, self-hating blacks, racist whites and the entire chinese hair industry.
Ha! Gotta love it.
lol!!!if most black women knew that it only take us 5-6 years to go from bald to having waist length hair! it all about education and proper techniques
Wow!!! Honestly, shrinkage was my biggest issue when I was a loose natural. I live in a city with high humidity, and I exercise daily. I was constantly struggling with the shrinkage or breakage caused by shrinkage (tangling, matting, trying to detangle shrunken hair). I now have locs, and it is heaven. I don’t have to ever go to a stylist who doesn’t know how to comb, cut, or manage my hair. I can do a wash and go, and I in fact do one every. single. day! I am talking about a true wash and go where you wash your hair, shake it and go, and it looks gorgeous and is not totally a knotted mess. Idk ladies, but that 4c shrinkage on long hair is not a game to be played by all naturals. What say you?
I agree with 4c shrinkage….I couldn’t imagine dealing with it, sorry. Those pictured here with the major shrinkage look like they washed their and just let it dry and thus the huge difference when the hair is stretched out.
It’s not an issue of “dealing” with it–it’s a issue of pure awe! With my 4c hair I can wear it stretched if I want–but then also do a wash & go for a “short” look without actually cutting it…I love the versatility, myself.
Exactly, it’s like having several haircuts in 1 depending on how much you stretch it!
It’s funny, we’re on opposite ends, lol. I’m now a loose natural–but before that, I had locs for 20 years that were eventually past waist-length (when I did let my hair get that long, lol.) Now that it’s loose, I really enjoy the new experience of detangling, getting to know my coily, unlocked texture–and yes, the wonder of shrinkage! Locs are awesome & I absolutely loved them while I had them, but I’m also embracing the new experience. Enjoy your locs, sis! 😉
Well, this is why some of us on Nappturality came up with the concept of Never Loose And Wet At The Same Time. When you’re talking about tightly coiled/kinked, high-shrinkage hair that you’re trying to grow loose, (unloced), it’s a real lifesaver. And no, it doesn’t account for every circumstance but it definitely helps. For a long time, my best friend in humid summer months was good old-fashioned grease. It blocked humidity better than anything else I used.
Also, I too used to have locs, and I washed or wet my hair every single day from the time I installed my two-strand twists until about 18 months later when I began to notice a mildew smell. I don’t regret starting or maintaining my own locs but if I ever decided to wear them again I probably wouldn’t wet them as often. But that’s ME…
Thanks for sharing that method and your experience with locs. I have micro locs and I shampoo very well and also use acv. I definitely make sure my hair doesn’t stay too wet by sun drying (I live in a hot environment), micro-fiber towel, and using no products except for a *tiny* drop of jbco. My hair smells amazing and is very light and vibrant. I have a scalp that gets itchy and clogged with the sweat, debri, sebum, and oils. So having locs is a huge time saver because I need to shampoo my hair 3× a week sometimes. When I was loose, my long, thick 4c hair would break, mat, and tangle from the constant detangling after each wash. Locs embrace my hair’s tendency to loc, mat, and tangle, but it is a cultivated and constructive way.
My sister has micro-locs (Sisterlocks) and I’ve never heard her complain about mildew. She also lives in a hot environment. So maybe there’s something to that… 🙂
it’s not an issue, its all about proper technique. Some cannot go longer than a few days without washing.some cannot wear wash n go’s. some have to keep their hair stretched so it won’t shrink to avoid knots and breakage.every head is different