Aww crap, my hair is stretchy.

[Alix]

Whats the remedy for elastic hair again? It's only when it's wet, but I know that it isn't good. And probably has to do with the fact that it's been frozen a few times.

[christine1989]

I have heard that hair that stretches is actually healthy hair. Hair that breaks eaisly is unhealthy. My hair is pretty healthy (dry though) and it stretches a lot when wet. Back when I heat styled it daily and had tons of splits it would just break without stretching because it was so damaged.

[gizelle]

I think that when it is wet, the water gets in the little spaces between the cells and makes the hair stretch out, that and the heat of the shower make the strands expand. If you rinse with cold water it will cause the hair to thermally contract, making it less stretched out.

[Barniie]

I nelieve stretchy hair is lack of protein. Hydrolised wheat protein in condish is good i think

[lundmir]

How stretchy, like a rubber band? Less?

When I had really bad bleach damage, it would feel like chewing gum if I stretched it wet. I think that means protein loss.

[StarryNight]

If when stretched it does not go back to it's normal length, that is bad. If it stretches and returns, like a new rubber band, that is healthy.

[Arctic_Mama]

What starry night said. If it is the damaged kind of stretch, I also recommend a good protein and moisture pack on it.

[nytquill]

Stretchy hair just means you COULD need some protein, if your hair seems "oversoft" or weak and fragile. It can also just mean you have a good healthy amount of moisture in your hair. Hair that just snaps instead of stretching is either very dry or has a protein overload (protein makes hair stronger but it also makes it less flexible, too much so and it will simply break rather than bend).

Plus, nearly all hair is stretchy or stretchier when it's wet. This is part of why we're supposed to be very gentle with wet hair and only use a wide-tooth comb. If you snag and pull at wet hair it's very easy to damage it, in part because it's soaked up water and has become stretchy and vulnerable.

[Anje]

A little stretch that rebounds is good (as opposed to hair that just breaks when you apply tension to it, rather than stretching), but I imagine that by the time you start complaining that your hair is stretchy, it's clearly more than normal.

You want a protein treatment.
You'll probably want to follow it with a moisture treatment like an SMT, since protein can be drying.

Hydrolyzed proteins are generally seen as better, but I suspect that even letting a couple eggs sit in your hair for a while (covered! Don't let them dry there!) might make a difference. Look for deep conditioners that say things like "reconstructer" on them. I've heard that the Joico K-Pak is really good, and I know they sell it at my Pay-Less (Kroger). No personal experience though -- my hair can't stand protein. You may also want to make sure you have a protein-containing conditioner in your normal rotation if your hair is prone to this sort of thing.