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I have long hair, but it draws up really tightly when dry. How can I keep it from drawing up so much?
I have to say I find our tight curls beautiful. I feel that the tighter our curls and coils are, the more beautiful and special they are. However, I went through too many years to count feeling absolutely frustrated (back in my texturizer days) that my hair would hang past my shoulders when wet, but draw up really tightly when it dried so it still looked short. It would drive me nuts. So I totally understand wanting to show off that length you've worked hard to get. Also know that so long as you aren't damaging your hair, it will keep growing. And the longer it is, the more it will start to weigh itself down. Especially if you use the following techniques:

I've found that the biggest help in showing length has been leaving in the conditioners I recommend. These give my hair weight, and keep it from drawing up.

In order for the conditioners to work, and to keep your curls from drawing up, you'll need to comb about two full handfuls of it into your hair. It will foam up, but that just means you used enough. After combing your hair, while it's still very wet, run your fingers through it a few times to separate your curls. Then let it totally dry without combing, brushing or finger combing. Don't put it up until it's dry.

The other important step to "stretching out" tighter curls is what you do with it after it dries. When you hair has dried, braid it up at night. This will also help "relax" your curls. In the morning, unbraid (but never finger comb, brush or comb dry hair). Wet your hands, add a quarter size of the combing conditioner, and smooth this over any fuzzy spots. Do this again for your ends. This will help refresh your curls, but they won't draw up so much.

If you braid up your hair in a braid or two, or a few buns at night and sleep on them, this (plus leaving in a good combing conditioner) will help stretch out your curls. Make sure when you braid your hair you braid (or bun) it up firmly (without pulling too tightly) when it's dry. After you sleep on your hair overnight, then undo it in the morning and don't comb, brush, fingercomb your hair, your curls will look more stretched out.



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