Stretch your Afro Hair for Braids Without Heat

Stretching your Afro hair beforehand can make the braiding process easier and prevent damage. We often use heat to stretch hair, which is responsible for hair damage and hair fall.

There are ways to stretch your Afro hair without heating. These methods of stretching your Afro hair often require washing it, undoing any knots or twists, partitioning your hair into sections, and drying out your hair.

On this note, we have compiled this ultimate guide to demonstrate the process of stretching Afro hair without heating, the benefits of doing this, and stretching techniques for different hair types and styles.    

The Ultimate Guideline to Stretch Afro-textured Hair

Inadequate care for Afro hair can make it dull and detrimental. It takes proper attention and care to keep Afro hair strong and healthy. Stretching can be an important aspect of Afro hair care since it can reduce breakage, minimize tangling, and improve manageability. The process involves elongating and straightening your Afro hair without using heat.   

Do you know how to prepare your Afro hair for stretching without heat? If you don’t, then follow the steps below,

Steps to Prepare Afro Hair for Stretching Without Heat

Step 1: Start Cleaning Your Hair

Using shampoo and conditioner, gently wash your hair. This will prepare your hair for stretching by removing any buildup.

Step 2: Detangle Your Hair

After cleaning, you need to untie any knots or tangles from your Afro hair. You can use a detangling brush and a wide-toothed combo for this.

Step 3: Apply Conditioner

After removing knots and tangles from your hair, you need to moisturize it by applying a leave-in conditioner. This will mitigate the chances of breakage.

Step 4: Make Sections in Your Hair

Next, divide your hair into at least four or six sections. In this case, you can use hair clips or elastic bands.

Step 5: Twist or Braid Your Hair

After creating several sections in your Afro hair, braid or twist. You should do this with each section, starting from the root to the end. Additionally, make sure you tighten each braid or twist securely.

Step 6: Dry Your Hair

If you have completed Step 5, then it is time to air dry your hair for a whole day or a couple of hours. You can also use a hair dryer to complete this step quickly.  

Step 7: Undo the Twists and Braids

Undo all the twists and braids that you have done in Step 5. In this case, you should start at the end, working your way up to the root for each braid or twist. Doing this in a rush can damage your hair, so be gentle.

Step 8: Get Your Desired Hairstyle

Finally, it is time to style your hair according to your desires. Your Afro hair should now be all stretched out. While styling, you can apply a bit of serum or oil to add shine to your hair. This will also reduce frizz.

The Importance of Afro Hair Stretching: Is There Any Benefit? 

Hopefully, you have found an easy procedure to stretch your Afro hair. The question is, why do you need this? Well, there are some benefits of stretching Afro hair, such as

• Reduced Tangling: It is easy to get knots and tangles when you have an Afro hairstyle. Stretching can reduce them and help you get rid of hair breakage.
• Reduced Breakage: By reducing tangles, stretching ultimately minimizes the chances of breakage. Stretching can ensure your hair strands don’t rub with each other and cause friction.
• Improved Length Retention: Since you are stretching your hair without using heat, your hair strands will have a chance to grow longer. This will lead to improved hair retention over time.
• Improved Manageability: Compared to thick hair, stretchy hair is simpler to maintain, style, and untangle. By lowering the chance of damage, stretching may gradually encourage healthy hair growth.
• Hair Regeneration: According to studies, mechanical stretching encourages hair regrowth and increases the cellular activity of your hair. This occurs when the extension stimulates your hair stem cells, promoting hair regrowth.
• Improved Hair Smoothness: Your hair is silky when it regains its previous form. Using hair care products during this period is recommended since it is simpler to evenly spread the proper quantity of product from your hair’s roots.   

Stretching Techniques for Different Types of Afro Hairs and Popular Styles

Depending on your hair type and style, you may need to use a variety of stretching treatments, but they all follow a similar general procedure. Don’t worry, we have explained the stretching techniques for the popular Afro hairstyles and hair types.

So, let’s go…

1) Long Afro Hair

Who doesn’t love long and strong hair, right? Long hair adds more beauty to the face when it is Afro. You can stretch your long Afro hair by following the steps below,

• Wash your hair gently with water and shampoo.
• Leave your hair to dry or use a blow dryer to accelerate the process.
• Make a ponytail either at the top or back of the head using a hair tie.
• Divide your hair into sections and start twisting them from the ponytail.
• Continue twisting all the way to the bottom of the ponytail.
• Once you are done, leave it for a couple of hours or overnight.
• Untie the ponytail and let it dry while stretching it.       

2) Short Afro Hair

The short Afro hairstyle is a popular choice for many, regardless of gender. Follow these steps to stretch your short Afro hair,

• Wash your hair by rubbing shampoo on your head.
• This time, you don’t need to dry your hair. Instead, use a wide-toothed comb to gently comb out the hair while it is still wet, from root to tip.
• Now, rub your hair with a towel and let it dry.
• Brush your hair the way you like while stretching it.
• You can also go for the “Pineapple” style (which will be discussed next) using a headband.

3) Pineapple Method

Although the pineapple style is more suited for preserving curls, you can also use it to stretch Afro hair. You can stretch your hair by using the pineapple method by following these steps,

• Gather all your hair on top of your hair as if you were making a high ponytail.
• Use a scrunchie or hair tie to secure it loosely.
• Keep your hair like this for a while.
• The next morning, remove the hair tie gently to allow your hair to fall.
• Before untying, you can use a dryer with a diffuser attachment to dry the hair while in the pineapple position.
• If you have done the above steps accordingly, your Afro hair will be stretched and elongated.

4) Bantu Knots

These knots are popular with Afro hairstyles. You can stretch bantu knots with the following steps,

• First, untie all the bantu knots.
• If possible, wash your hair with a gentle shampoo.
• Next, comb through the hair using a hair pick.
• This will increase the length to create more volume.
• After separating the curls, let your hair dry.
• Alternatively, use a dryer to dry your hair quickly while stretching.    

5) Banding

This can be an effective way to stretch the Afro hairstyle. To stretch with banding, start with these steps,

• Untie any knots or twists in your hair.
• Wash your hair thoroughly after this.
• Separate your hair strands into sections.
• Starting at the ends of the hair strands, wrap a band around each section.
• At this point, leave your hair to dry for a couple of hours.
• Once dried, remove the band and you should have stretched hair.     

6) African Threading

This kind of threading can stretch your hair similarly to how banding can. To go with this approach, you need to follow these steps,

• Remove any twists or untie any knots in your hair.
• It is better to wash hair before dividing it into sections.
• Wrap threads around them this time, similarly to how you would wrap bands into each section.
• You need to leave your hair overnight until it is fully dried.
• After drying and removing the threads, your hair will be stretched out.

7) Flexi Rods

Okay, if your hair is already styled with flexi rods, then you need to follow these steps to stretch your hair out,

• First of all, remove all the flexi rods when your hair is dry.
• Separate all the curls gently with your finger.
• Wash your hair and leave it to dry for a whole day or several hours.
• A blow dryer may also be used to swiftly dry your hair.
• Your hair will be stretched once you are finished.

8) Roller Setting 

This process is much like the previous one, except this time your hair is styled with rollers rather than flexi rods. Let’s see how to stretch hair that has been styled with rollers,

• Once your hair is completely dry, remove the rollers.
• Use a comb with large teeth to gently comb through the curls.
• After that, wash your hair using shampoo.
• Leave your hair for air drying or use a blow dryer.
• After drying, your hair will be stretched.
• You can apply oil or serum for better results.

9) Using Stretching Creams or Gels

You can also stretch your Afro hair using stretching creams and gels. In fact, this method is quite popular. There are various stretching creams and gels, some of which contain moisturizing ingredients. For example, TGIN Twist & Define Cream, Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Defining Cream, and Adwoa Beauty Baomint Moisturizing Curl Defining Cream are some of the best ones.

To start with this process, follow the steps below,

• Apply a leave-in conditioner or moisturizer after detangling your hair.
• Apply a generous amount of stretching creams or gels on small hair strands.
• Rake the cream or gel through each hair strand with your fingers or a wide-toothed comb.
• Pull out your hair and hold it in place by using your hand or finger.
• In the meantime, secure it with a hair tie or clip.
• This process should be repeated until all your hair is stretched.
• It may take several hours to dry your hair. During this period, your hair should be covered with this stretching cream or gel.
• Remove the clips or ties after your hair has dried.
• Finally, style your hair with a comb or your fingers while stretching it. 

How to Use Curlformers for Stretching Afro Hair?

A great way to stretch your Afro hair without heat is by using Curlformers. Basically, Curlformers is a hair styling kit for creating spiral or other types of curls without using heat. So, there is no chance of damage or breakage to your Afro hair while stretching.

A variety of Afro styles can be achieved by using Curlformers. This also includes Shirley Temple’s iconic style of having 56 curls in the hair. Here is a detailed video to achieve this style,

To start stretching your hair with Curlformers, follow these steps,

• Keep your hair clean and detangle before starting the process.
• Insert the opening of a small section of hair into the top of a Curlformer hook.
• Hook through Curlformer with ease. You must ensure that the hook emerges from the Curlformer.
• Twist the hair section’s end and fasten it on the hook.
• Pull a piece of hair gently back through the Curlformer with the hook.
• Once all of your hair is in Curlformers, repeat the procedure.
• At this point, let your hair completely dry for the whole night.
• Remove the Curlformers with care. Next, use your hand or a finger to separate the curls.
• Don’t comb or brush the curls, it will mess up your stretched hair.

How Long Should Afro Hair Be Stretched?

Once a week is sufficient for stretching your natural hair. Natural stretching techniques are risk-free, and some, such as using big bread, pineapple, or buns, may be left overnight.

You can do a brief session ranging from 15 to 30 minutes for other operations.

If you would like, you may extend these sessions a little bit. However, make sure your hair has enough room to breathe. Moreover, be mindful of your comfort and watch out for any scalp irritation brought on by tight hair.

Afro Hair Heat Damage and Hair Shrinkage: What You Need to Understand?

Afro hair is also known as “Kinky Hair.” This type of hair texture originated in the Sahara, Africa. The texture has a unique structure, making it prone to shrinkage and heat damage. Individuals can take proper care of their Afro hair by understanding these phenomena and the challenges associated with shrinkage.  

For those with Afro hair who wish to show off their hair’s full length, hair shrinking can be annoying. Due to hair shrinkage, the length of hair can be reduced. This is because of the shape of the hair follicles in Afro-textured hair, which are oval or elliptical. This shape causes the hair to coil or curl, ultimately reducing the hair length.

Afro hair is prone to heat damage as well. When the hair is subjected to high temperatures, such as those from hair straighteners or curling irons, damage can occur. This type of damage breaks the hair strands. As a result, hair eventually becomes weaker and more prone to breakage, which can lead to hair shrinkage.

There are other challenges and frustrations with shrinkage in Afro-textured hair. For instance, it can be difficult to achieve certain hairstyles, especially when the hair length is short. Partially, this can generate a lack of self-consciousness in individuals to showcase their hair. Ultimately, they will end up frustrated.

On top of that, it will be difficult to determine the right amount of hair product to use when your hair is dealing with frizz. The best hairstyle will be challenging to accomplish and will take a lot of time, which can be frustrating.

Those with Afro hair should avoid using heat styling equipment excessively, use hair treatments that lengthen and strengthen hair, and adopt hairstyles that emphasize the hair’s natural curl pattern to overcome these difficulties and get rid of frustration. Therefore, they must understand the harm that shrinking and heat may do.

FAQ

Let’s Wrap it Up

There is no doubt that stretching your Afro hair without heat is far better than doing it with heat. It can be a great way to prepare your hair for braiding. Braid-outs, twist-outs, and branding are some of the many ways to stretch your hair naturally. The aforementioned procedures can help you achieve the desired hair length and volume.

You can ensure long-lasting and comfortable braids on your Afro hair by following these instructions. In addition, you just need to take some time to stretch your hair properly.