The Shrinkage Club

[Bat]

Updated to be more Neutral

Wavies Whurlies, Curlies, Zigizags and cheese! All of us get it some, more than others. You can either love it or you don't

What am I talking about you ask?
That's easy the word is Shrinkage, The Devourer of Length

Join us share your shrinkage joy and woes.

[lapushka]

There's already this big thread:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=19574

[Ylva]

There's already this big thread:
https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=19574

I went ahead and did that merge last night as I found two threads dedicated to shrinkage pictures in particular, but since it is a picture thread rather than a discussion thread, I left this one out. Further merges are of course possible, but I decided to leave it as it was for the time being in case someone else knew more than I did.

[Hairkay]

I have a lot of shrinkage. I don't think of it as a curse though. It's a mixed blessing. You can play around with different hairstyles and visual hair lengths without resorting to a hair cut.

[lapushka]

I went ahead and did that merge last night as I found two threads dedicated to shrinkage pictures in particular, but since it is a picture thread rather than a discussion thread, I left this one out. Further merges are of course possible, but I decided to leave it as it was for the time being in case someone else knew more than I did.

Yes, I realized it was a picture thread a while after I posted the link. :( Woopsie, sorry!

[blackgothicdoll]

I'm not a fan of calling it a curse either. It can be inconvenient and a struggle but it has its pros. Shrinkage can make hair more versatile to style as HairKay says.

[lapushka]

I'm not a fan of calling it a curse either. It can be inconvenient and a struggle but it has its pros. Shrinkage can make hair more versatile to style as HairKay says.

I agree. And... And nothing worse than a practically straightie calling it a curse. There, I've said it. ;) :p

Shrinkage is just a sign of healthy hair, you guys! The more your curls or even waves "boing" up, the more it means your hair is healthy and doing its thing. The thing that it should. Hair that won't shrink up more than likely has heat damage. Anyway, that's just my little 2€cts on it. :p

[blackgothicdoll]

I agree. And... And nothing worse than a practically straightie calling it a curse. There, I've said it. ;)

LOL I held my tongue this time but I was thinking it too :rollin:

[Bri-Chan]

I actually want more shrinkage, I'd like my hair to be wavier! It seems like it has this potential (at least, this is my impression from a lot of strands), so probably I'll have it when healthier. Yes, it needs more time to grow this way, but shrinkage is a sign of healthy hair.
Obviously my shrinkage is nothing compared to other textures... so I don't truly feel like someone with shrinkage's issues tbh ...

[lapushka]

LOL I held my tongue this time but I was thinking it too :rollin:

Your thoughts just came right through the screen to inspire me. ;) :p

[Bat]

I'm not a straightie and to me I don't like shrinkage and some don't either no one's forcing any of you to post here if you don't like the thread title, none of you have the right to judge what I call something. It isn't that fair.

[blackgothicdoll]

I'm not a straightie and to me I don't like shrinkage and some don't either no one's forcing any of you to post here if you don't like the thread title, none of you have the right to judge what I call something. It isn't that fair

It's also not fair to call another person's hair type a curse, so we absolutely have the right to state that.

And I can post here if I want, it's a free forum.

[Bat]

It's also not fair to call another person's hair type a curse, so we absolutely have the right to state that.

And I can post here if I want, it's a free forum.

I never said anything about hair type just Shrinkage can be annoying for anyone, you are just putting words in my mouth, shrinkage isn't just curl specific,I got a mod to Change the name anyway.

[neko_kawaii]

I'd love to have more shrinkage! *sigh*

Granted, I don't have very much shrinkage, so it is mostly my thin ends that make it look like my hair is not as long as it actually is.

[Ylva]

For the sake of conversation, I think a more neutral title/disposition is nice. :) Naturally, we are still free to feel as we please about any characteristic. Even a little bit of shrinkage could really annoy one person, while another welcomes a host of it with open arms.

As mentioned, for my hair as well shrinkage is definitely a healthy characteristic. I'm seeing a lot of wurling up in the virgin parts of my hair. Right now, I get a few cm of shrinkage, which can sometimes make length shots a bit of a pain to compare due to the different moods of my hair, but regardless, I am looking forward to seeing exactly how much shrinkage I CAN get later on as well.

[Bat]

I'd love to have more shrinkage! *sigh*

Granted, I don't have very much shrinkage, so it is mostly my thin ends that make it look like my hair is not as long as it actually is.

You can take mine xD I'm the low end of wavy but still lose atleast a cm, it's like magic

[blackgothicdoll]

I never said anything about hair type just Shrinkage can be annoying for anyone, you are just putting words in my mouth, shrinkage isn't just curl specific,I got a mod to Change the name anyway.

I appreciate you having the title changed. Just realize that the higher the number someone is on the hair chart (i.e 3s and 4s), the more shrinkage they have, so it is specific and more relatable in that aspect. I can promise you I have more shrinkage than you and that it effects me a lot more, which is why I feel like calling it a curse is not very nice.

See example here: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43803&d=1608865971

And that's not even my final form!

[Bat]

For the sake of conversation, I think a more neutral title/disposition is nice. :) Naturally, we are still free to feel as we please about any characteristic. Even a little bit of shrinkage could really annoy one person, while another welcomes a host of it with open arms.

As mentioned, for my hair as well shrinkage is definitely a healthy characteristic. I'm seeing a lot of wurling up in the virgin parts of my hair. Right now, I get a few cm of shrinkage, which can sometimes make length shots a bit of a pain to compare due to the different moods of my hair, but regardless, I am looking forward to seeing exactly how much shrinkage I CAN get later on as well.

My hair is the opposite,the more damaged mine is the more textured it gets you can tell from when my hair was bleached and dyed red, compared to before I dyed it

[Ylva]

My hair is the opposite,the more damaged mine is the more textured it gets you can tell from when my hair was bleached and dyed red, compared to before I dyed it

It's not the first time I hear of hair behaving like that! Perhaps that can serve as additional inspiration for you to not go berserk with the dyes, then? :D

[Bat]

I appreciate you having the title changed. Just realize that the higher the number someone is on the hair chart (i.e 3s and 4s), the more shrinkage they have, so it is specific and more relatable in that aspect. I can promise you I have more shrinkage than you and that it effects me a lot more, which is why I feel like calling it a curse is not very nice.

See example here: https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=43803&d=1608865971

And that's not even my final form!

I honestly didn't mean it as an Insult, I've always liked your hair. I only get about a cm of shrinkage somedays which makes it hard for lengthshots!

[Bat]

It's not the first time I hear of hair behaving like that! Perhaps that can serve as additional inspiration for you to not go berserk with the dyes, then? :D

You'd think so but the 10 black dyes I have at home say otherwise z

[neko_kawaii]

I’ve always called/measured my length stretched so my length shots never match the markers. I find it to be more replicable. That is the reality of having shrinkage. Some people prefer to call milestones unstretched and that is their choice.

I think my hair finally looks at knee, but I’m almost to mid calf. *grin*

[Bat]

I'm lazy so I do mine un stretched
My hair is currently past chin stretched but can sometimes look like it mouth length

[Chromis]

I used to be quite annoyed with shrinkage as well! Not so much these days, but back when I was aiming for that next milestone, it made me a bit grumpy. You would think my hair is too straight to see much of this, but even I have several inches of stretch. Not nearly as much as a true wavy or a curly haired person would have, but still significant. (I'm pretty sure what small amount of wave I really have is just perma braid waves) Anyhow, impatient and rulesmonger made the difference between wet and dry quite irritating. I prefer not to "call" a given milestone until I have reached it with dry hair* and in fact I usually don't call it until I am a good inch past. Otherwise I second guess myself.

*This is how I do! You do you! I can totally see the logical either way and besides you my friend are the master of your own hair, not I!

[Bat]

My thoughts are the same as yours I prefer to call mine when dry, but that's my preference, streached/wet measurements are valid too

[squirrrel]

I get some of this. It can get a bit frustrating on length check days, but most of the time it doesn’t register with me. I tend to go for the length+ method of calling it. I prefer for a good bit of my hair to have reached a marker, rather than just the tip of a few hairs. Of course, I am going to want to know whether I can thicken some of my length up when I finally reach a milestone where I decide to begin trimming some. That’s going to be after fingertip, I think, or mid thigh on me. Most of two years to go to reach that, though.

[lapushka]

I love the more neutral thread/title! :thumbsup: Thank you so much. :)

I just take it as it comes, I guess. I am not one to easily complain on the hair front, whatever way it turns out. One time it's a tad bit more stretched, and we are talking about an inch here! So not a lot, other times it can be pretty nice.

Does it show that I like shrinkage? ;)

[0xalis]

Even with how straight my hair is nowadays (1b now when I used to be more of a 1c/2a) I still lose like a whole inch to shrinkage.
I absolutely still technically have a wave pattern, I'm not a 1a by any means, but it's a very loose and stretched out wave. Much like Bat's hair, basically straight with a little flippy-ness mixed in.
I much prefer when my hair is wavy though, so even more shrinkage is something I'd be willing to deal with. I think shrinkage is cute and fun, your true length is a secret! Mystery hair! :D

[Hairkay]

Even with how straight my hair is nowadays (1b now when I used to be more of a 1c/2a) I still lose like a whole inch to shrinkage.
I absolutely still technically have a wave pattern, I'm not a 1a by any means, but it's a very loose and stretched out wave. Much like Bat's hair, basically straight with a little flippy-ness mixed in.
I much prefer when my hair is wavy though, so even more shrinkage is something I'd be willing to deal with. I think shrinkage is cute and fun, your true length is a secret! Mystery hair! :D

Yeah mysterious hair! It does mean that I don't notice hair milestones for ages since it will shrink around the same visual length regardless. Whereas some use plaits/braids to produce shrinkage I use it to help with some hair stretching. My plaits look longer than having my hair out.

[lapushka]

Just had my wash day, typical Sunday, if it weren't for that curl (gray curl) at my forehead no less. It's down to half my nose stretched, but when I let go it's above my eyebrow. :D :inlove: I don't get these that often, but when I do they are in my hairline, somewhere.

[jojo]

That makes feel a bit better now! Hip when wet and bsl dry....it does nerk me...a little. I forgot how to post pics :mad:

[Ylva]

That makes feel a bit better now! Hip when wet and bsl dry....it does nerk me...a little. I forgot how to post pics :mad:

You can upload it to a hosting service such as ImgBB (https://imgbb.com/), then right-click the photo and copy the photo URL (not the page URL!). Then post that within the IMG tags here.

You can also upload photos in your LHC album and post the BB code.

[CuteCrow]

Reviving this thread because I was just thinking about shrinkage yesterday. I think it's mostly because my hair is baby fine, but most of it is like a very loose wave and it shrinks about 2-5cm, but then just the very ends of my hair (when curly it's the last 1cm) shrinks about 10cm. I often feel like I don't fit my hair type because of that haha.

I always wish for more shrinkage because it would mean more definition for me, but it makes me wonder how short my hair would look if it curled all the way up as in the ends (probably it would be around chin length :lol: )

[Bat]

I'm the opposite, I want as little shrinkage as possible :D

[paulownia]

I have lots of shrinkage. I've been ranting about it many times here:D as it makes growing hair a very slow process.
As it is now I'm at APL on wet stretched hair but it will probably be APL on fully dry waves ... hmm I hope to get there by the end of 2021;). It's around solid 3-4 inches of difference.
Peachy :doh:

[CuteCrow]

That's so interesting, I've noticed via completely unscienctific observations that most people in certain range of "curlyness" have more or less the same views about shrinkage.

The ones in the straighter side 1c-2b usually dislike their shrinkage and often complain about how it doesn't allow them to show their real length or how it shrinks differently every day.

The ones in the middle 2c to 3b tend to be neutral about their shrinkage "yeah, it's there, what do you want me to do about it?" Kind of sentiment. They don't like it nor dislike it, it's just happen to be part of their texture.

The ones in the curliest side 3c - 4c usually like and embrace their shrinkage but I've also seen a lot who wear their hair stretched all the time because they consider it easier to manage.

But as with everything, we are all different so there are also people with 4a who hate shrinkage and people with 2a who would love to have more. I just found interesting how a large part of certain textures tend to have similar views about shrinkage :D