Why I’m Now Blow Stretching My Fine Natural Hair
Last updated on November 11th, 2023 at 11:07 am
Wash and go’s, twist outs, buns and twists. Those are my go-to natural hairstyles. I do the occasional roller set but that’s a rarity. Yet, I find that blow stretching fine hair like mine helps in so many ways.
A year ago after I got my first deva cut, I vowed to no longer allow the professionals to perform regular trims on my fine natural hair. There always seems to be way more cutting than I like.
Of course, I will trim away knots and tangles as I encounter them on my own but for the most part I’m just letting my hair grow the way it wants.
When I’m ready for a shaping, I’ll allow a professional stylist who specializes in natural hair to do so (just not a deva cut).
As my hair gets longer, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to keep tangling at bay.
There’s only one surefire way to prevent tangling in natural hair – stretch it.
Of course you can opt to straighten your hair but that will cause damage over time. Stretching is a much safer practice.
Ways to Stretch Natural Hair
There’s many ways to stretch kinky natural hair and those include:
- Threading
- Banding
- Roller setting
- Twist/Pinning
- Plaiting
- Using satin strips
- Flat ironing and…
- Blow drying
Benefits of Blow Stretching Fine Hair
Blow drying or blow stretching your natural hair is a personal choice. It’s not to be taken lightly and it needs to be done cautiously.
Any time you apply heat to hair, especially fine natural hair – there’s a risk of breakage. So, always proceed with caution.
The benefits however, can outweigh the risks. Here are some of the benefits of blow drying your hair:
- Shortens your wash day
- Preps the hair for more elongated hair styles
- Allows you to see more of your hair’s true length
- Cuts down on styling time and most importantly….
- Keeps tangles at bay
Main Reason I’m Blow Stretching My Fine Natural Hair
The main reason I’ve chosen to blow stretch my fine hair is to keep tangling down to a bare minimum while also cutting down the time to do so.
The other methods that stretch the hair are effective but require a bit more time – a luxury I don’t seem to have lately.
Stretching hair with a blow dryer does not eliminate all tangles but it helps to greatly cut them down, unlike when doing more curly styles like the wash and go.
Wash and Go Regimen – Video
In the following video I demonstrate the hair dryer I use and the settings I use it on.
I go into a bit more detail about my reasons for choosing to blow “stretch” my fine natural hair and even discuss how my hair goals have changed…a little.
Notice my hair is not straight. It’s stretched. The goal is only to eliminate my natural curl pattern and elongate my hair. If I had used this hair dryer on the high setting, the results would have been that of a flat ironing – not the goal.
Products Used to Blow Dry (Stretch) Natural Hair
One thing I didn’t mention in the video are the products I use to get the job done. Here’s what I used (with a link to each product):
- The Mane Choice Hair Type 4 Leaf Clover Leave in Conditioner
- Melanin Haircare Multi-Use Pure Oil Blend
- Eden Bodyworks Almond Marshmallow Hydration Serum
Don’t get me wrong. I still like to see and experience my fine natural hair in it’s God created state so the wash and go will always be a style I do on my hair. However, minimizing the frequency by which I style in this manner helps with length retention.
Blow stretching fine hair can be an easy way to prevent the risk of breakage by other means of styling.
