What Causes Hair Shrinkage and How to Appreciate It

Ask any person with natural hair, and they'll probably tell you that shrinkage is one of the most annoying styling problems they face. The struggling of spending hours twisting, stretching, tugging and styling your curls, only for them to shrink in size once your hair dries, is real. But is hair shrinkage really all that bad? And do you what actually causes hair shrinkage in the first place?

Below, we asked expert hairstylists to explain more on why shrinkage occurs, and how to embrace it.

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What Causes Hair Shrinkage?

Shrinkage is caused by the absorption of water which causes the hair cuticles to expand and elongate due to the weight of the water. "Once the water begins to evaporate, shrinkage occurs," says Powell. If you have natural hair, you'll usually find that your kinks, coils, curls or waves contract or spring back when your hair shrinks, versus when the hair strands are completely dry and pulled taught.

"Some hair, particularly afro hair, can shrink by up to three quarters or even 90% of its stretched-out length," says Vernon François, celebrity hairdresser, educator, and founder of Vernon François Haircare.

Why Are We So Opposed to Natural Hair Shrinkage?

Well, in a world that associates longer hair with beauty, it's easy to see why.

"Usually, elongating the pattern of kinks, coils, curls, or waves is about achieving a desired look, and I'd ask yourself why you want to do that," says François. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to change up your look, but know that your hair in its most authentic state is beautiful and good enough."