What is the difference between 3c and 4a hair?

[peachfuzzz]

Great info ladies! Now if only I could figure out my texture and porosity!! Any tips for this?

 

[Nonie]

Great info ladies! Now if only I could figure out my texture and porosity!! Any tips for this?

I don't know how accurate this test is but here's a suggested test for porosity:
http://www.hair-styles-secrets-revealed.com/hair/255/hair-porosity-test/

As for hair texture, just do what we all do: post pics of your hair after you wash off all products, uncombed and then combed. Or just closeups of your styled hair.

 

[Embyra]

Not really sure. I think she could be 3C/4A. Her hair reminds me of LynnieB's hair:

I don't know if it's pressed here but it looks that way to me:

​

Thanks nonie her hair is very similar to mine 4a /4b pi cs i seen have much more texture than my own hair but im no way a 3c

 

[Nonie]

Just wanted to add what 3C/4A looks like to me. With LynnieB's permission, here are some pics of her hair--notice how the first pic in the album below looks a lot like 3C and then later you see hair that looks a lot like 4A:

http://public.fotki.com/IsItOnlyHair/textureshair-typing-/no-product-hair-tex/

Her coils are way bigger than 4A hair looking more like 3C but they shrink up into an afro-ish puff...almost looks like it can't decide which way to go.

To me it looks very much like Rudy's hair. Pity I can't get a very good pic of Rudy's unstretched hair:

 

[MonPetite]

It's also important to note that strand diameter can play a role in making it hard to make visual distinctions.

Fine 4a hair with product may look more "3c-ish" than dense, thick 3c hair with product in terms of ringlets and "stretched" out looking spirals. However if you were to compare how well they made rounded fros or how they looked sans product, the difference due to CURL diameter would be more obvious.

Hair typing, on the Joy! Nonie, your explanations are fantastic.

 

[Nonie]

I havent read the thread but for my hair it just all comes down to the size of my curls. Texture wise Its cottony, not at all silky, and fluffy. But curl wise they are a little bit larger in diameter compaired to the 4a hair Ive seen.

I'd say you were 3C.

 

[LadyRaider]

I did a porosity test when I first started my journey. I mean real early. Supposedly you are supposed to put your hair in water and see how long it takes to sink. Mine never sank. Never. I forgot what that meant. I guess I should try it now after I've been working on my hair for over a year.

 

[Nonie]

I did a porosity test when I first started my journey. I mean real early. Supposedly you are supposed to put your hair in water and see how long it takes to sink. Mine never sank. Never. I forgot what that meant. I guess I should try it now after I've been working on my hair for over a year.

According to that site I linked to, it meant it wasn't porous. But hair whose cuticle is that tightly shut can also be difficult to moisturize...but once moisturized (perhaps with DCing) it holds onto moisture well.

Overly porous hair would sink immediately. That sort of hair absorbs water easily, so gets wet easily but also dries up just as fast. That sort of hair may need to be moisturized more often because it doesn't hold onto moisture. If the cuticle is intact, it may just need it closed (increase hair acidity) by doing an ACV rinse or using Roux Porosity Control. Otherwise if hair is damaged, cuticle broken/torn off, there's probably little that can be done to improve porosity.

 

[Duff]

this is my hair taken a few days ago. I figure I have a mixture of 3b to 4a on my head. I still say my head is 3c/4a. they are all coils of 3 different diameters; the smallest is about the size of a coffee stirrer. I tried to capture all three of them on this pic (please dont be grossed out, I cleaned afterwards ). my strands are fine also. let me know if you guys disagree with my accessment....

 

[Nonie]

this is my hair taken a few days ago. I figure I have a mixture of 3b to 4a on my head. I still say my head is 3c/4a. they are all coils of 3 different diameters; the smallest is about the size of a coffee stirrer. I tried to capture all three of them on this pic (please dont be grossed out, I cleaned afterwards ). my strands are fine also. let me know if you guys disagree with my accessment....

It's hard to tell from the attached photos because the coils look so tiny and we don't have anything beside them to use as a reference to get an idea of the size of coil. But I don't think 3C when I see those. From your siggy pic, it's hard to tell coz as long as relaxed hair is adding its own pull, the texture will look different. The pics you posted look a bit like my shed hair:

 

[jerseygurl]

Nonie as usual your explanations are usually on point. I used to get confused also but your explanation and BMP's make a bunch of sense. It will be interesting to see what my hair type is since I'm transitioning now. For now I just say it's a mixture of 4a and 4b

 

[Mandy4610]

Here is my hair, its not the most recent pic, but maybe it works for now FYI my hair texture in the back is a lot looser than the rest of my head, its looser and a little silky

 

[Nonie]

Here is my hair, its not the most recent pic, but maybe it works for now FYI my hair texture in the back is a lot looser than the rest of my head, its looser and a little silky

Your hair is 4B. It reminds me a lot of Afrokink's WNG and Mwedzi's.

 

[lilsparkle825]

for whoever wanted to see 3c/4a....i am a 3c/4a with a mix of silky strands and not-so-silky strands. my 3c is around the perimeter, my 4a towards the crown. i have about 50-60% shrinkage. these are all WNG pics.

 

[FlowerHair]

I love these explanations, Nonie!

I just wanted to add that for 3 hair, wetting your hair is not going to tell you anything about your curl size. For most type 3 hair the hair stretches when wet and looks like 2a/b hair.

For some other hair types, the hair shrinks when wet.

That's also a distinction between type 3 and 4, I think?

For type 3 hair, it's better to wait until your hair has dried with no product to see what type it really is (curl size).

 

[skegeesmb]

Nonie your explanations are terrific!

I'm a 3c/4a. When my hair is wet my hair looks like 3a/3b hair, but after the second day my hair looks like 3c/4a hair. Without any product on my dry hair my hair is definitely 3/4. I have curls that you can see, but they are different sizes (i.e. my hair wet makes curls the size of sidewalk chalk and pen (not pen spring) sized curls. But when my hair is completely dried it is pen sized (not pen springed) curls small waves.

I know a difference between 4a and 4b hair is that you can manipulate 4a hair to mimic 3c hair dried. But from Nonie's pictures with product on wet 4b hair you can mimic 4a hair without product, but not 3c.

Nonie please help me here. Am I talking out the side of my neck?!?

 

[FlowerHair]

Nonie your explanations are terrific!

I'm a 3c/4a. When my hair is wet my hair looks like 3a/3b hair, but after the second day my hair looks like 3c/4a hair. Without any product on my dry hair my hair is definitely 3/4. I have curls that you can see, but they are different sizes (i.e. my hair wet makes curls the size of sidewalk chalk and pen (not pen spring) sized curls. But when my hair is completely dried it is pen sized (not pen springed) curls small waves.

I know a difference between 4a and 4b hair is that you can manipulate 4a hair to mimic 3c hair dried. But from Nonie's picutures with product on wet 4b hair you can mimic 4a hair without product, but not 3c.

Nonie please help me here. Am I talking out the side of my neck?!?

That sounds right. Just like you can manipulate 3 hair to look like a 2 with the right technique...

 

[SerenavanderWoodsen]

OT but can I really test porosity by dropping a strand of hair into a glass of water? I'm about to do that now lol. I'm very curious. I think my hair is overly porous since it dries so quickly. I've been doing ACV rinses after every wash for a couple of months now and my hair seems happier...

 

[DarkVictory]

My question is the shine factor, my son has I believe 4a hair but so does my cousin, her hair has no natural shine to it, yet his shines similar to mine, any of you girls understand what I am saying?

I know exactly what you mean, because several people in my family have the no-shine hair. Someone on another hair board was telling me about how shine figures into hair type, but here on LHCF the consensus is it's about the curl size only.

 

[JJamiah]

I love these explanations, Nonie!

I just wanted to add that for 3 hair, wetting your hair is not going to tell you anything about your curl size. For most type 3 hair the hair stretches when wet and looks like 2a/b hair.

For some other hair types, the hair shrinks when wet.

That's also a distinction between type 3 and 4, I think?

For type 3 hair, it's better to wait until your hair has dried with no product to see what type it really is (curl size).

I find the opposite in my household on some. My 9 year old 3c/3b hair short seems to appear tighter (chalk) but when let dry it seems looser, yet his hair is not real long, so no real weight.

My 7 year olds 3b/3c hair the 3b hair stays straight and has a wave when dry, and the top 3c gets half a curl when dry.

My 10 year old 4a hair seems to draw up when dry, heavy but same coil size when wet.

My baby has such a mixture it is sad, his hair is just confused ear to ear different texture, back different and top crown, his color is sandy brown, while all of us have black hair, my 10 year old has a brown color too.

My hair seems to flop the longer it gets which is why I usually relax it at a certain point, it has a great shine, and when wet it looks like chalkboard chalk until I comb it out took me a while to find the no comb keeps the curls formed.

I only go by the curl size myself, shine or no shine. It's like out of all the years working in the salon and going to school I never questioned the shine, it was all just beautiful hair to me. There is no good hair or bad hair, I love it all. I love milking damaged hair back to health, I love keeping healthy hair healthy. Weird fetish I am just glad I am not alone.

 

[glamazon386]

Perfect explanation Nonie, and the pictures are right on point.

I think the confusion between 3c and 4a comes in when a person has both textures on their head. Then it can be hard for someone trying to learn the differences in hair types. For example, I personally consider myself a 3c/4a. I used to think I had more 4a than 3c, but now I think it may be the other way around.

ITA... Many people have both so it gets confusing. I always thought I was primarily 4a but as my hair got longer I started to see a mixture. IMO, 3C looks more like a corkscrew or spiral whereas 4a looks more like a spring or coil. It's tighter. If that makes sense

 

[JJamiah]

ITA... Many people have both so it gets confusing. I always thought I was primarily 4a but as my hair got longer I started to see a mixture. IMO, 3C looks more like a corkscrew or spiral whereas 4a looks more like a spring or coil. It's tighter. If that makes sense

Totally makes sense

Like you need pen and paper to go left crown 3/4/5

But all textures live happily on our heads LOL,


What did you do to your hair in your siggy? Rollerset? ( I like it and want body waves that is why I bought some soft rollers)

 

[glamazon386]

Totally makes sense

Like you need pen and paper to go left crown 3/4/5

But all textures live happily on our heads LOL,


What did you do to your hair in your siggy? Rollerset? ( I like it and want body waves that is why I bought some soft rollers)

Thanks... That's not my hair. It was a weave. It was body wave hair. I took it out a while ago. I need to change my siggy pic.

 

[JJamiah]

Thanks... That's not my hair. It was a weave. It was body wave hair. I took it out a while ago. I need to change my siggy pic.

I bought some soft rollers to duplicate Macheries Body/Beach waves I just wanted to know if others have tried it. That is a route I might take next winter. I have some Virgin Indian hair I told my husband I must have that has been sitting for a year and I might do that. But I want my real hair to get that wave on

 

[FlowerHair]

I find the opposite in my household on some. My 9 year old 3c/3b hair short seems to appear tighter (chalk) but when let dry it seems looser, yet his hair is not real long, so no real weight.

My 7 year olds 3b/3c hair the 3b hair stays straight and has a wave when dry, and the top 3c gets half a curl when dry.

My 10 year old 4a hair seems to draw up when dry, heavy but same coil size when wet.

My baby has such a mixture it is sad, his hair is just confused ear to ear different texture, back different and top crown, his color is sandy brown, while all of us have black hair, my 10 year old has a brown color too.

My hair seems to flop the longer it gets which is why I usually relax it at a certain point, it has a great shine, and when wet it looks like chalkboard chalk until I comb it out took me a while to find the no comb keeps the curls formed.

I only go by the curl size myself, shine or no shine. It's like out of all the years working in the salon and going to school I never questioned the shine, it was all just beautiful hair to me. There is no good hair or bad hair, I love it all. I love milking damaged hair back to health, I love keeping healthy hair healthy. Weird fetish I am just glad I am not alone.

I don't quite understand - is their hair straight?
In that case it's not a 3 anything?

My hair has always been straighter when wet, even when I had a TWA.

For the people I know their curl is definately looser and the hair looks longer when wet (type 3s).

LOL @ your baby's hair! I bet it's really cute in spite of all the different textures. My hair was sandy brown when I was a child too, especially in the summers.

Kudos to you for dealing with so many heads of hair every morning!

 

[peachfuzzz]

I don't know how accurate this test is but here's a suggested test for porosity:
http://www.hair-styles-secrets-revealed.com/hair/255/hair-porosity-test/

As for hair texture, just do what we all do: post pics of your hair after you wash off all products, uncombed and then combed. Or just closeups of your styled hair.

Thanks for the link! I tried that test and the hair just floated. After a few hours I discarded it...it was still floating. I also found a couple of other tests but the outcome was the exact opposite. So I am officially confused. LOL

I attached 3 pics for curl typing. The one w/green flower was highly manipulated. It's actually a closeup of my siggy. The second pic is wet w/no prod but finger detangled (after DC). The last pic was actually Sept. of last year, wet w/ no product.

 

[Nonie]

Thanks for the link! I tried that test and the hair just floated. After a few hours I discarded it...it was still floating. I also found a couple of other tests but the outcome was the exact opposite. So I am officially confused. LOL

I attached 3 pics for curl typing. The one w/green flower was highly manipulated. It's actually a closeup of my siggy. The second pic is wet w/no prod but finger detangled (after DC). The last pic was actually Sept. of last year, wet w/ no product.

Just as I guessed (visitor's message I left you after stalking your album), you seem to be 4B.

 

[peachfuzzz]

Just as I guessed (visitor's message I left you after stalking your album), you seem to be 4B.

LOL, I just realized I had a message! I'm like, man! Nonie works quickly!

So is that why racking gel through my hair is nothing but a big mess?? I thought my hair was just too short! Edited to add: I think my gel application was just wrong! I tried gel today with great success!!

 

[song_of_serenity]

Does gel ever work for 4b hair then?

 

[chebaby]

I havent read the thread but for my hair it just all comes down to the size of my curls. Texture wise Its cottony, not at all silky, and fluffy. But curl wise they are a little bit larger in diameter compaired to the 4a hair Ive seen.

this is exactly how i would explain my hair. i didnt know if i were 3c or 4a so i would usually say 3c/4a mix. and my hair is very fine and not dense at all.