This year, I’ve been stretching my natural hair a lot more. For me, the pandemic was a time to experiment with different hairstyles, and stretching has given me that versatility. But like every good thing, there are always some consequences to keep in mind. But lets break it down first.
Pros
1) Less Shrinkage, More Length
Personally, this is my favorite benefit to stretching out my hair. Sometimes when we see ourselves with the same hairstyles, we don’t see all the growth that we have attained. However, when I stretch out my hair, I’m always in awe to see how many inches I’ve grown.
My hairstyles feel fluffier, bigger, and sexier. Besides, I love the “new look” a blowout gives me because I only rock it so much.
2) It Helps Kills Those Knots
When I detangle my natural hair, my brush generally glides through with no issue. But, when I use a flat iron on my natural hair, I always find these little hidden knots.
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This is most likely due to the fact that the brushes and combs I use for wash day have wider teeth while the comb I use when straightening my hair have smaller teeth. Nevertheless, I take my time to get as many knots out and using heat with my hair helps identify these monsters.
Another added benefit is that the more your hair is stretched, the less knots your hair will have. Curly hair is prone to knotting and since stretching you hair prevents your hair elongates your curls, you have less of a chance running into troublesome knots.
3) Easier To Trim
This is a HUGE benefit in my opinion. When my hair is stretched in a blowout or a flatiron look, I always take the time to trim my hair. As a curly head, it’s hard to identify our split or dead ends. But when you stretch out your hair, you will definitely tell if your hair needs a trim or not. Most importantly, it will give you a more accurate sense of the exact amount of hair you need to cut off.
For me, one big way I can tell I need to trim my hair is when I hear a sound as I’m detangling it. Usually for me, these are my fairy knots breaking off my hair. By the time I blow out my hair, 80% of these knots are gone.
4) Easier To Style
The most obvious benefit is that your hair will be easier to style since it’s at a looser state. I love turning my blowouts into mini twists or a stretched out twist out. And if I’m lazy, I’ll just rock a low puff and call it a night.
Cons
1) It Can Take Forever
One major con is that blowing out your hair, or worse flat ironing it, is very time consuming. Depending on your hair length and thickness, you may not spend that much time.
But since I have very thick medium length hair, it takes me TWO days to flat iron my hair. I will say that it is possible for me to do my hair in one day, but it will take many hours to do so. I usually take two days to give myself a break from standing on my feet all day.
2) Too Much Manipulation
Because many of us desire that straighter look, it can take many passes to get there. I know I manipulate my hair a lot when I stretch it. And the more you manipulate your hair, the more prone it is to breakage. In fact, sometimes heat can cause split ends themselves.
3) Chance of Heat Damage
I always jump with excitement when I see my curls pop right back up in the shower. Sometimes, I find myself going overboard with the flat iron and trying to get that straight look.
I try to lower the flat iron when I’m doing this to anything below 400 degrees. And to be honest, I haven’t gotten heat damage yet, and I do think it’s very preventable with heat protectant. That being said, I don’t stretch out my hair very every wash day because I don’t want to ruin my natural hair journey.
4) It Won’t Always Come Out Right
I hate spending hours on a hairstyle only for it to poof up in 3 hours. I’ve had moments like this and dread every hour I wasted on my hair. Sometimes, things like weather really ruins your hair and makes you wish your hair wasn’t so dependent on external factors.
Also I’ve purchased pricey items to straighten my hair because when I usually do, it comes out dead stiff. I can never run my fingers through it and my ends still look raggedy. I did manage to get a new straightener and it does wonders for my hair. It’s much easier than the chase comb method and worth checking out. I’m still practicing, but I’ve gotten way better results with it than any other flat iron.
Verdict
So there you have it, the pros and cons to stretching your hair. Personally, I think stretching is worth it, but I would not go overboard. This year I stretched my hair about 5 times and I’ve notice way less knots and split ends. However, I never want to risk ruining my beautiful curls and at the end of the day, I prefer curly over straight hair any day. The decision depends on the person’s preference, but I hope the information above helps you out.