Wet hair = Longer Hair / Dry hair = Shorter Hair

[KinksnCurlz]

Hmmm, that sounds odd but that is exactly what is happening to me. I notice a few months ago (November to be exact) after i got my hair relaxed my hair was darn near tapping my bra strap - maybe about 1 1/2" shorter. The stylist even commented on how long my hair was (i guess she saw me staring at my hair like

WHOA!) In any event, the next day i got the weave and when that stylist cut it *weave*, i told her it was too long and i wanted it shorter, she mentioned that my hair and the weave was the same length and even grabbed a section of my hair just to show me. I told her that my hair is longer when wet and she looked at me like 'yeah, okay... rite'. Needless to say, when my hair dried, she cut the weave

. I wash my hair about 1x a week (sometimes 2) and my hair is never past my tattoo - that's my 'my hair grew/didn't grow guideline

) This past Sunday, i washed my hair and my hair is now 2" past my tattoo (YEAH!!! FINALLY

) - when wet - and now that it's dry, it looks like it's at the end of my tattoo. What gives? This is sooo frustrating. Does anyone else have this issue/problem? If so, please share. Thanks.

 

[Armyqt]

This may actually be a good thing for you CH. It sounds like your hair has a lot of elasticity. It stretches more when wet and and returns to "normal" when dried. Just a theory

 

[katie]

My hair looks longer when wet.I thought that was the norm

 

[katie]

My hair looks longer when wet.I thought that was the norm

 

[KinksnCurlz]

But i don't want to b 'normal'

I want my hair to stop 'teasing' me and grow already

I love it, i hold it, i squeeze it, i clean it... i do everything imaginable to get my hair to cooperate and grow grow grow but it won't stop playing these games with me...
yes, i know i need help

 

[Isis]

Your hair is just trying to tell you, "I did grow long and beautiful just like you wanted, can't you see?!"

 

[Honi]

Yep! I agree. My hair when wet looks way longer than dry. After my touch up I was like YEAH! I'm gettin close to waist length. Then it dried...and now I'm like

.

 

[karezone]

Yeah mine does that too especially after a relaxer. After abotu 8 weeks my hair starts to grow out instead of down.

 

[Lindy]

Yes, wet hair usually looks longer than dry. That's why some people like to do their trims on dry hair...

 

[KinksnCurlz]

I never really thought about getting my ends trimmed when dry

but that darn sure makes a whole heap-o-sense now

 

[lunalight7]

Am I the only oddball whose hair looks shorter when wet?

 

[KinksnCurlz]

R u natural luna?

 

[lunalight7]

Heck naw!! Relaxed 4a w/ bleached hilites...barely grazing shoulders.

 

[KinksnCurlz]

Okay than let me shut up b/c i know nothing about hair, as you can tell from my initial post

 

[butterfly7]

Is it because the water weighs it down and as long as it's wet it's stretched? Sometimes when I am going to measure my hair, I wet the ends so it will be stretched to it's fullest length.

Long hair Miss CH!

 

[KinksnCurlz]

Thanks Butterfly7

Next time i wash it, i'm gonna get out the good ole measuring tape. But is that cheating?

 

[butterfly7]

You're welcome.

Nope. (I don't think so.)

 

[LondonDiva]

CH I have the exact same "problem" I say it like that cause I don't really mind it. Officially when wet I am bra strap. When dry with no heat it can be as much as 2-3 inches shorter.

 

[KinksnCurlz]

But isn't that frustrating LD? Don't you get all souped up (well at least i do b/c like i said, it's not always that long after every wash) and then when your hair is dry ur like WTF?

 

[FlowerHair]

This is normal for natural hair (esp 3b/c and 4a), so I guess your hair has a lot of elasticity as someone said earlier. It's also normal for other people to have "shrinking" hair when wet. It depends on what kind of hair you have naturally.

 

[chicamorena]

My hair is exactly like that. When My hair is wet, it's touching the top of my brastrap. But when it's dry, it can shrink to 2 even inches above brastrap. I think it's because my hair isn't relaxed bone straight, so I have a lot of shrinkage.

 

[KinksnCurlz]

Darn that SHRINKAGE!!!!!

 

[Nessa]

Believe me, it happens to me.

 

[ChasingBliss]

This happens to me too, it used to bother me a lot, but Im okay with now, either way it looks, it will continue to grow and Im happy with that.

 

[MoezThunder]

Well atleast i know I'm in good company now. I was beginning to think my shoulders were double-jointed or something else weird like that!

 

[licutiexx]

I thought I was the only out there. My hair is about 2-3 inches shorter when dry it's very annoying

 

[DahomeyAmazon]

Re: Wet hair = Longer Hair / Dry hair = Shorter Ha

Hi Caramel Honee,

I know why wet hair is longer than dry hair.
When human hair is exposed to humidity it stretches. Being that when wet, your hair experiences 100% humidity and is totally saturated the strands will stretch up to 4%, as your hair loses water it will shrink back to normal. It doesn't matter if your hair is processed or not. There is actually a scientific instrument used to measure humidity with human hair it's called a hair hygrometer.
yay, this proves my education is good for something.

...

anyway, hth,
Sia

 

[KinksnCurlz]

Re: Wet hair = Longer Hair / Dry hair = Shorter Ha

It does... Thanks DahomeyAmazon

 

[moneychaser]

So what do ya'll think the difference is in inches?? My hair while wet is definatley bra-strap

but this is far from the case when it is dry

 

[KinksnCurlz]

I think at least 1" at most 2"

It's amazing isn't it? i find myself looking at my hair moreso when it's wet, then when it's dry and out