How I Style & Stretch My Natural Hair

Over the past year, it was very rare to find me wearing my hair in a wash ‘n’ go. Although it’s a style that was essential to me when I first went natural, over time it began to feel too high maintenance. I hated spending hours in front of the mirror defining my curls, dealing with the knots and tangles I got from type 4 shrinkage, and having to walk around all day with wet hair that drenched my shoulders as it air dried (especially in the winter). Twist outs and braid outs quickly became more my speed.

With all this time that’s been on my hands because of miss rona, I decided to experiment with products and learn more about my hair. It turns out that when I use the right techniques for me and listen to what my hair needs, the process of styling it becomes less of a hassle and more of an opportunity to practice self-care. Here is how I style and stretch my low porosity, 4a natural hair.

Moisturize

After unraveling a section, the first thing I do is thoroughly wet it with a spray bottle to help encourage my curls to clump. I then go in with a small amount (and I mean just a pea-sized amount) of my Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie, raking it in starting at the ends and working it up the hair shaft. After every strand is coated, I like to use the praying hands method to smooth the hair and clump the curls back together.

Define

Next, I use about half a pump of the Jane Carter Solutions Coiling All Curls Elongating Gel, similarly raking it in from ends to root then following with the praying hands method. I absolutely love this gel. It has a very slippery consistency which makes it extremely easy to work into my hair, and it has great hold without any crunch, gel cast, or flakes. Jane Carter Solutions is also a Black-owned and plant-based company which I love!

Seal

Lastly, to seal in all the moisture from the products I’ve applied I use a few drops of extra virgin olive oil. I smooth this down the entire section of hair and focus the oil especially on my ends.

Stretch

After I’ve repeated this process throughout my entire head, I lightly stretch my hair using two jumbo claw clips. I do this by pushing all my hair in front of my shoulders and clipping it together, using the weight of the claw clips to gently stretch my hair as it air dries. I prefer stretching this way because it doesn’t change my texture or curl pattern like a lot of other methods do. I leave the clips in until my hair is about 70% dry then I take them out to complete the drying process.

I absolutely love my new wash ‘n’ go routine. My hair feels healthier, the style lasts longer, and the process of achieving this look is much more enjoyable. I hope this post encourages anyone who is in a bit of a rut when it comes to their hair to try something new, research, and experiment with techniques that might help you achieve the look that you want.

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