Stretching natural hair has a variety of benefits: it prepares the hair for other styles, allows you to see your length, and can make for an easier detangling session. One of the quickest and most common ways to stretch hair is by simply blow drying all of your hair, but there are many ways to stretch your hair without resorting to this. Here are a few techniques that can be done on wet or dry hair to get your hair stretched out naturally and easily:
1. Buns
Simply divide your hair into two sections, twist your hair in on itself, and bun it up. Secure with a ponytail holder.
2. Banding
To band your hair, section it off and wrap a ponytail holder around the first section. Continue to place ponytail holders down the hair shaft, spacing them out a bit in order to let the hair “breathe.” Doing this elongates your hair and will result in a bomb faux blowout!
3. Pineapple
Flip your hair up into a high ponytail and secure with a clip or ponytail holder. Doing this stretches out the roots of your hair and is great to do overnight.
4. Set, then separate
Install a style that will stretch your hair such as braids, twists, flexi rods, curlformers, or rollers in your hair. For braids/twists, the amount will depend on your length but typically, anywhere from 2-8 braids is sufficient. If you have tightly curled hair, braids will produce a better stretch than twists will. If you choose to install a roller of some sort and want maximum stretch, wrap your hair after taking them down and wear a scarf overnight.
5. Blow dry your roots
Make sure to do this on a cool setting. Simply pull a section of hair taut and blow dry your roots, using the nozzle end on your blowdryer. This will provide instant stretch if you’re pressed for time. This is called the tension method.
