The best way to retain length whilst natural, and especially in the type 4 category, is to protect your hair. If protection is not your thing, the next best way to retain length is to minimize daily manipulation. The need for protective styling may not be as critical to other hair types for length retention, as for type 4 gals. This is simply because our hair is the most fragile of all hair types, and therefore, the most susceptible to breakage.
For clarification, let's define the two practices:
