This is where shrinkage stops being a footnote and starts changing what you order.

All lengths are measured stretched. A deep curly texture worn in its natural pattern loses a substantial share of that, commonly a third and sometimes more on the 3C end. An 18 inch bundle worn curly will not read as 18 inches, and that is the texture behaving correctly rather than a mistake in the listing.

What to do about it

• Buy longer than your target. If you want it to sit at collarbone when curly, order the length that reaches mid back when stretched.
• Account for it in a mixed install. If you are blending lengths, the shrinkage applies to all of them, so the proportions hold.
• Check length stretched, not curly, when your order arrives. Pull a strand straight and measure it. Measuring curly and concluding you were shorted is the most common false alarm in this texture.

It also takes more hair than a looser texture at the same length, because the pattern occupies volume rather than length. If you are moving up from a wavy or 3A texture, add a bundle to your usual count.

Same texture, three different commitments. The question is not which is better, it is how often you want to change your hair and whether you have a stylist.

Bundles

Wefts installed by a stylist, usually in a sew-in, worn for weeks at a time. The fullest and most seamless result, and the lowest cost per wear over the life of the hair. Your own hair is braided down underneath, which is protective when it is done well.

Clip ins

In and out on your own, same day, no appointment. Right if you wear your natural hair most of the time and want length or fullness occasionally, or if your hair needs a break from tension. Never sleep in them.

A wig or closure unit

Nothing of your own hair left out, so nothing has to blend and your edges are fully protected. The right answer if your leave-out will not match, if you are transitioning, or if you want to change texture week to week.

Dense curl patterns hold definition well once you get it, and get it badly if the technique is off.

• Soaking wet, product first. Leave-in, then gel or cream, then define in sections with a defining brush, by raking, or by twisting.
• Six to eight sections. More than a 3A pattern needs, fewer than type 4 needs.
• Once through each section. Going back over it is what breaks the clump.
• Let it dry fully before touching it, then break the cast.

Refreshing

Mist lightly, smooth a small amount of leave-in over the surface with flat palms, and fluff at the roots only. Do not re-rake or re-brush dry hair. There is not enough water in it to form a new clump and you will lose the one you have.

Well defined, this texture holds three to five days before buildup starts mattering more than technique.

With proper care, True + Pure Texture extensions last up to 2 years or more. Because this is textured hair, treat it like your own natural hair rather than like processed extension hair.

• Hydrate lightly. Ultra lightweight leave-in conditioner. Heavy oils weigh the pattern down and flatten the movement that makes the texture work.
• Detangle gently, in small sections, from the ends upward, with a real detangling brush. Pulling causes shedding.
• Cleanse regularly. Buildup is what causes tangling. Moisturizing shampoo, then moisturizing conditioner.
• Heat protectant every time, and go easy. Repeated high heat gradually relaxes a pattern and it does not come back.
• Maintain overnight. Pincurl, twist or braid nightly and tuck into a satin scarf or bonnet. Never sleep on wet or damp hair.

Texture reveal. The hair arrives flatter than it will be, because of packaging and shipping. Once shampooed or co washed, gently detangled and air dried, the full pattern returns.

Length and shrinkage. All lengths are measured stretched. Textured hair shrinks when worn in its natural pattern, and the tighter the pattern the more it shrinks.

What is deep curly hair?
Deep curly is a tight, dense corkscrew curl in the type 3B to 3C range. The strand closes into a defined spiral and holds it down the length, with real volume at the root.

What is the difference between deep curly and deep wave?
Deep wave is a wave pattern tightened. The strand bends sharply but never closes into a ring, and the pattern repeats uniformly down the length. Deep curly is a curl pattern that closes into a spiral, reads as more organic, and carries more volume with less shine.

Which should I buy to blend with natural 3B or 3C hair?
Deep curly. Deep wave will read as visibly manufactured against natural texture because its pattern is too uniform.

Does Sasha Curl cover both 3B and 3C?
Yes, deliberately. Most people in this range are not cleanly one or the other, and different areas of your own head usually are not the same either. A texture spanning both blends across that variation.

How much does deep curly hair shrink?
Substantially, commonly a third of the stretched length and sometimes more at the 3C end. All lengths are measured stretched, so buy longer than your target length.

How many bundles do I need?
More than a looser texture at the same length, because the pattern occupies volume rather than length. If you are moving up from a wavy or 3A texture, add a bundle to your usual count. For a full install, 12 to 16 inches usually needs 2 to 3 bundles and 20 to 24 inches needs 3 or more.

My order looks shorter than the length I bought. Was I shorted?
Measure it stretched rather than curly. Pull a strand straight and measure from the weft to the tip. Measuring in the curly state is the most common false alarm on this texture.

Should I choose Sasha Curl or Layla Curl?
Sasha Curl is 3B and 3C, a rounded corkscrew spiral. Layla Curl is 4A and 4B, coily curly with sharper bends and more density. If your hair shows angles rather than a rounded spiral, Layla Curl will blend closer.