Posted these a couple days on my blog - here are a few things that help me -- my usual stretches are between 10-12 weeks.
1. Deep conditioning, specifically applying the conditioner to the line of demarcation (the area where the relaxed hair meets natural hair). During stretches, the line of demarcation becomes susceptible to breakage, but deep conditioning helps restore elasticity to the hair strand, decreasing the chance of breakage.
2. Along those same lines, spraying my new growth with a little watered down moisturizer has been a great help in stopping breakage at the line of demarcation. I've only been doing this for the past couple of months and still wonder why I didn't start sooner.
3. The use of protein helps to strengthen my hair. I've learned that I do not need to plan schedule my protein treatments. What I do is rotate protein focused products and that helps keep my hair strong.
4. Roller setting my hair. One of the biggest issues I run into during my stretches is tangling. Roller setting helps flatten and straighten my new growth without using direct heat.
5. Moisturize and sealing either daily or every other day. Keeping my hair moisturized decreases breakage.
6. Black tea rinses and recently, scalp massages with mix of jojoba, lavender, and eucalyptus oil to decrease shedding and hair fall.
7. Cross-wrapping my hair rather than wrapping it around my head. This has decreased the stress I place on my hair through manipulation.
8. Pre-pooing with grape seed oil and applying to my hair throughout the week to lubricate my strands, smooth my hair, and decrease tangles in my new growth.
9. Low manipulation, low manipulation, low manipulation. I try to leave my hair alone as much as possible since hair becomes rather fragile when stretching, especially in a longer stretch.