Updated November 12, 2021 l by Calynn Lawrence
All curly girls know that having textured hair is both a curse and a blessing. Your beautiful locs of hair look fabulous, both natural and straight. However, depending on how tight your curl pattern is, natural hair shrinkage can be a problem. We have the solutions for you! This article is going to teach you four fun ways to stretch natural hair without damage.
The Pineapple Method: Easiest Approach to Stretch Natural Hair
The pineapple method is the simplest because it only requires two tools, a brush and a scrunchy. Here’s how you do it.
1. Start off with air-dried hair. You want your hair to be completely dry and detangled to achieve the best results.
2. Bend over and begin brushing your hair in an upward motion towards the forehead.
3. Once all of your hair is gathered on the top of your head, secure it with a scrunchy.
Tie it ONE time so that you do not leave a dent. You may tie a scarf around the edges as well to avoid frizz. Afterward, you are done!
The Banding Method: Most Familiar Method to Stretch Natural Hair
The banding method is all too familiar to most women of color. It’s how we wore our hair as children. Although this style may appear to be kiddie, it effectively stretches out your curls, leaving you with a lovely wave pattern. You need a wide-tooth comb, a brush, and lots of scrunchies or rubber bands for this method. Here’s how to get the look.
- Begin with freshly moisturized hair. Section your hair into at least 4 sections of equal size. Be sure that you detangle each section individually using your wide-tooth comb.
- Taking your section, gently brush the roots with a boar bristle brush to smooth them. Afterward, you may continue to the end of the shaft.
- Begin tying the scrunchies around that section. Depending on how big you want your waves, that is how you determine the distance between them. Bigger waves call for more space. Smaller waves call for less space.
- Do this to all your sections, and you are finished!
The Tension Method
The tension method will give you the straightest results of the four. This method is suitable you are trying to maximize the length of a braid-out. It also works well for a trim. However, this method does require heat for those naturals who are heat sensitive. The necessary tools for this method are a blow dryer, a wide-tooth comb, clips, a leave-in conditioner, and a paddle brush. Here’s how to get the look!
Start with freshly washed hair. Apply a leave-in conditioner to the hair to serve as your heat protectant. Detangle with your wide-tooth comb after this has been applied.
1. Now, section your hair into several sections for blow-drying. The smaller the section, the greater the stretch.
2. Take each section, run your paddle brush from root to tip, stopping directly at the end. Hold it there so that it is taught. But, do not pull too hard. You don’t want to pull your hair out.
3. Using your other hand, apply the blow dryer on low heat, moving up and down the section until it is completely dry. DO NOT MOVE THE BRUSH! If you move the brush, it defeats the purpose of the tension method.
4. Do this to all your sections, and you are finished!
The Pin-Up Method
Unlike some other methods, the pin-up method can be worn as both a style and a stretch! This method takes the most time out of the four, but it lasts the longest! You will need a wide-tooth comb, lots of bobby pins, and a styling lotion. Here’s how to get the look!
1. Start with completely detangled hair. This can be done either damp or dry. Apply your styling lotion all over the head, being sure to reach the ends.
2. Next, begin parting your hair with your wide-tooth comb in small sections and creating two-strand twists. Do this all over until the entire head is twisted up.
3. Now, you may decide how you want to style your twists. If you are doing this just to stretch natural hair without damage, you can just pull each twist over to the opposite side and pin it down. If you plan on wearing this as a style, you want to be more creative in how you pin your twists. This part is entirely up to you.
4. Secure your style overnight by sleeping with a satin bonnet, and you’re done!
There you have it! These are your four fun ways to stretch natural hair without damage.