Pregnancy is a magical period of time. Your body actually grows another human with their own DNA, personality and bright future. For nine months, you have two (or more, with multiples!) hearts beating in harmony within your body. Every action you make can impact this vulnerable creature. Your body changes drastically, which is both beautiful and challenging. Your hair grows thick and shiny. Your skin sometimes looks better than ever, but sometimes teenage-like acne makes an unwelcome return. Labour and delivery are the hardest physical activities you’ve ever dreamed of doing. The pain you endure, whether vaginally or by Caesarean, a re unrivaled. Your beautiful, perfect angel arrives in your arms and your heart is suddenly beating outside of your body. This extension of you becomes more important than your own comfort or your own life. And you may not have noticed right away, but your hair starts to change again. It falls out, seemingly, in clumps. It’s dull, tangled and matted.
Ok, get George Costanza in the pool out of your head and bear with me. Shrinkage in the curly community is completely different! An in our case, it's a good thing. Shrinkage means that curls hair appears shorter when it's curly as opposed to when it's wet, or stretched out (like when you straighten it). Natrually curly hair looks shorter than it actually is when it's stretched out. Shrinkage = Healthy Hair When your hair absorbs water and dries, your hair will curl, or shrink, into its natural hair pattern. Wet hair appears stretched, because water weighs down the curls. When the water dries, the hair is lighter and bounces up or "shrinks," resulting in shorter looking hair. What Does it Look Like? Shrinkage can be an issue amongst curlies with kinky and/or coily hair (4A, 4B, 4C curls.) 4C natural hair is the most tightly coiled. Wavy hair can also experience shrinkage, though it is less noticeable. But it is a sure sign that your hair is healthy.