4c hair...

[mousee09]

hello, im not new to this site i have been lurking around for a very long time.

i had my hair up in twist braid for 4 months until yestersday when i removed them and decided to do the "big chop"....not soon after i figured out that im a 4c hair type. A type with no curl and EXTREMELY dry hair. I currently live in japan, and i brought my own my hair products...which im starting to figure out it not going to keep my dry hair happy for long...i kindda feel fustrated at my hair type because i was hoping to have something more manageable or prettier sort of speak but it fine..i guess.

I have been searching for the pass day to get more information about this hair type with i found very few so far.

I was wondering if there was anyone here who might have this hair style who can get me some advice on how to manage it? i would also like to know if they is anyone who has type 4c hair who has long waist lenght or shoulder length?

thanks for you time

 

[blaqharmoni]

My natural hair is also tightly coiled and extremely dry... I always thought that if you left conditioner in your hair it would be too strong and make your hair break off, but my hair likes it. Regular conditioner works well to keep my hair moisturized and define individual curls. I just use whatever i have at the time, i like Aussie moist and Herbal Essences Hello Hydration.

Curl activator is good too, I like Care Free Curl Gold formula. HTH : )

 

[mousee09]

thanks for the reply, so i should just leave conditioner in my hair without rinses? i was thinking about doing that but i alway here it a bad idea, but i might start doing that.

how often do you wash your hair?

 

[Tiye]

You may or may not have 4C hair but dry hair doesn't mean 4C - it just means you probably don't have the right products for your hair type and maybe the climate and water is playing a part as well. Maybe you should consider products made in Japan. I've never been to Japan but I know they have products with things like green tea and tourmaline that I'd love to get. Just look for anything that says it's "moisturizing" or "smoothing" and give them a try. If they have sample sizes that's a good way to start because you don't want your house cluttered with full sized bottles that didn't work for you.

 

[Rei]

4c hair is not a designated type, you are very likely a 4b. if 4b hair is dry and unmoisturized it will look like it has little to no curl pattern. look to people like mslala, nonie, mwedzi, sonce, and many others on this board for inspiration. what makes my 4b hair soft is aubrey organics honeysuckle rose conditioner. this can be purchased from drugstore.com, which ships to japan.

 

[femmemuscle]

yep, i have 4b hair...could you check to see if Japan is known for it's "hard water"? if it is... then get a filter, you'll notice the difference.

A great place for ordering products, i.e., Jamaican black castor oil, shower caps for holding moisture, etc., is AMAZON.COM.. I live right here in the U.S. in Santa Fe.. and believe me, there is no place here for 4b hair textures.

Not unless i'm willing to drive to Albuquerque. Once i found Amazon.com, that has been a huge help. Hope this helps you as well..

 

[Nonie]

OP, I agree with Rei; I'm yet to see 4C. What people have called 4C is hair that looks like this 4B to me. (I think people with coarse 4B hair tend to call it 4C when strand size has nothing to do with type.)

I agree with Tiye on the criteria to use to find products that might work. I don't know if jheri curl products can be found in Japan because I think any would help.

Also a shower filter would help if the water isn't as good as what you're used to. And going to bed with a plastic cap on your head will help your hair not lose moisture and encourage sebum production so that your hair doesn't dry up.

Lastly, maybe this blog will help: how to find the haircare you need | Surviving in Japan: (without much Japanese)

 

[mousee09]

thanks for the information, and the urls links, i really appreciated it.

I guess i was going based on the look of my hair my instead of external reasons. exactly what would be a good to start off with as far as how many to times to wash the hair in a week?

right now im putting my hair in tiny twist. i combined my leave-in conditional, tree tea oil and alittle bit of apple cid vinger to put in my hair and seal it with caster oil.i think its holding the moisture alright for now.

 

[Nonie]

I say wash your hair when it feels dry or when it starts to itch or smell.

Before I determined that my wash regimen was twice a week, I would just wash my hair whenever it felt dry. I wasn't using any product but I was baggying nightly. I considered dry hair a sign that my hair needed a wash because water is moisture galore.

I imagine even when using products, there comes a time when your hair is so dirty or so laden with products that it is no longer responding to the products due to build-up. And a good shampoo helps to remove that layer and bring it back to where it starts to feel normal again.

So maybe you could use that for now till you find what frequency works for you.

I enjoy the massage that comes from washing my hair so much that I live for wash days!

 

[virtuenow]

My hair is kinky, not curly and I am 4b, and sometimes call my hair 4c because I am defintely no where near 4a, and nothing like alot of 4b hair that I see; so I decided I must be in a new category of kinkiness! Anyway, I did the bigchop and discovered this, but I already knew my type so it was no surprise like u. Now my hair is past APL. My sig pic is 1-1/2 year ago. I rely on hair butters (like shea butter and elasta qp mango butter) and oils that are strong in fatty acid content (like extra virgin cococnut oil, jojoba oil, castor oil, emu oil for scalp). For starters you can just get the Shea butter and coconut oil. I mix the 2 in my hand and it does wonders to soften my hair. My hair is so strong, regular conditioner does nothing for it, I have to melt a little shea butter and coconut oil into them to be effective. I also remain in a constantly stretched state since I have nearly 100% shrinkage. I blowdry using tension after each wash.

 

[LadyRaider]

I think you just have to find the right products/regimen for your hair. You have to be a bit of a product junkie at first, but eventually you find what works for your hair. My hair loves Shescentit products. I try others and have yet to find other lines that work as well keeping it moisturized. This hair business is a funny one.

 

[mousee09]

thanks for the comments. I have been hearing that oils like virgin cococnut oil and jojoba oil are pretty good oils for our type of hair. I think im going to order some from the website that ya'll gave me and start from there. thanks so much

 

[Mrs. Verde]

This is going to be a journey, and that's OK. As others have stated you are going to have find what works and what doesn't. BE PATIENT. It can take a long time before you find what works for you? Have you read any of the newbie threads? It's a lot of information, but you it wil only help you along the way.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/ha...ssion/50291-newcomers-guide-starting-out.html

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/ha...ie-manual-links-useful-important-threads.html

Do you have family in the states that can ship stuff to you?

 

[mousee09]

yeah i have some family who can ships me some things if when i need them to. Thanks for the links i will read them in a bit.

I took my twist out today and really didnt like how they look, so I ended wearing a plastic cap and hat for most of the day, then i shown my hair to my friends and they said they love my hair...(i dont knoow if they were telling the truth or just being nice)

So that kinda made me feel better . I order some products online, but I find wearing a plastic cap over my hair really does work. I havent had to moisture it that much today. I really want to try my best not to style my hair too much. I know that it better to just leave your hair alone. So i was going to try for washing my hair maybe once a week (deplending hair smell or itches) and wear tiny twist and twist out for one week, and see how that goes.

 

[Chameleonchick]

For me I up my moisture level. Steaming (even though baggying at night is just fine too) has done wonders for my hair. I used to co wash often but now since it is cold about every two days I make sure to let the shower steam get into my hair to add moisture. I would spray my hair with water for moisture but I don't want my twists to shrink up too much. I also make sure to moisturize and seal my hair like nobody's business on wash day. This has been my key to making sure my hair stays moisturized that way I don't have to add too many additional moisturizers to my hair. I maybe add a little cream moisturizer in the middle of the week but that is it.

 

[dm81]

hello, im not new to this site i have been lurking around for a very long time.

i had my hair up in twist braid for 4 months until yestersday when i removed them and decided to do the "big chop"....not soon after i figured out that im a 4c hair type. A type with no curl and EXTREMELY dry hair. I currently live in japan, and i brought my own my hair products...which im starting to figure out it not going to keep my dry hair happy for long...i kindda feel fustrated at my hair type because i was hoping to have something more manageable or prettier sort of speak but it fine..i guess.

I have been searching for the pass day to get more information about this hair type with i found very few so far.

I was wondering if there was anyone here who might have this hair style who can get me some advice on how to manage it? i would also like to know if they is anyone who has type 4c hair who has long waist lenght or shoulder length?

thanks for you time

A couple of questions....how old were you when you started relaxing? You honestly didn't know your hair type??

 

[Papoose]

A couple of questions....how old were you when you started relaxing? You honestly didn't know your hair type??

I'm not sure why this is so surprising. There are MANY of us that were relaxed too early to know what our real texture is. I have a friend that got her first relaxer at TWO! Appalling isn't it? Couple that with inadequate haircare and it's clear why people are often surprised by their natural texture. Kudos to mousee09 for being real enough to admit it.

 

[dm81]

I'm not sure why this is so surprising. There are MANY of us that were relaxed too early to know what our real texture is. I have a friend that got her first relaxer at TWO! Appalling isn't it? Couple that with inadequate haircare and it's clear why people are often surprised by their natural texture. Kudos to mousee09 for being real enough to admit it.

It is surprising to me, hence me asking when she got her first relaxer. I got my first when I was around 11-12 and prior to that would go and have my hair washed and pressed...I remember looking in the mirror and seeing my shrunken, non-curly/wavy hair....what I now know to be type 4 c/d/e/f/g....whatever hair.

I just don't understand how people think they're going to have type 3 and 2 hair sprouting from their heads...when they didn't have it before.

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

Vitacost.com is a good place for Aubrey Organics, Abba, castor oil, coconut oil, and other natural haircare items, and they have $4.99 shipping.

 

[Papoose]

It is surprising to me, hence me asking when she got her first relaxer. I got my first when I was around 11-12 and prior to that would go and have my hair washed and pressed...I remember looking in the mirror and seeing my shrunken, non-curly/wavy hair....what I now know to be type 4 c/d/e/f/g....whatever hair.

I just don't understand how people think they're going to have type 3 and 2 hair sprouting from their heads...when they didn't have it before.

I feel you on the last statement. I knew that I didn't have loose curls, but I never wanted anything different than what I have. I was raised to believe that I'm beautiful as is. Let's be thankful that we knew when others didn't.

 

[IrrationalThoughts]

I feel you on the last statement. I knew that I didn't have loose curls, but I never wanted anything different than what I have. I was raised to believe that I'm beautiful as is. Let's be thankful that we knew when others didn't.

Hair textures do change...maybe not drastically, but they do. Also depending on products, and how the hair was taken care of, it may appear to be different than what they saw prior to their first relaxers. I watched one niece have hair that appeared to be 3c change to a redonks THICK 4b/a as she got older, and she is only 9. Her sister went the other way. She seemed to have super thick 4a/b hair when she was younger to 3c/4a hair now. My texture changed several times and depending on what I do to it now, it can have no curl one wash to coils, kinks and 5s the next.

I believe I read somewhere that around age 21, hair (may) change(s) - but I could be wrong.

 

[Mrs. Verde]

Another thread that might be helpful.

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/ha...ion/462862-~*~*-newly-natural-thread*~*~.html

 

[Ms Lala]

hello, im not new to this site i have been lurking around for a very long time.

i had my hair up in twist braid for 4 months until yestersday when i removed them and decided to do the "big chop"....not soon after i figured out that im a 4c hair type. A type with no curl and EXTREMELY dry hair. I currently live in japan, and i brought my own my hair products...which im starting to figure out it not going to keep my dry hair happy for long...i kindda feel fustrated at my hair type because i was hoping to have something more manageable or prettier sort of speak but it fine..i guess.

I have been searching for the pass day to get more information about this hair type with i found very few so far.

I was wondering if there was anyone here who might have this hair style who can get me some advice on how to manage it? i would also like to know if they is anyone who has type 4c hair who has long waist lenght or shoulder length?

thanks for you time

Hi OP. I just want to encourage you that everyone's hair can be manageable. The first thing is to accept your texture as is. If you are trying to do things that don't work for your texture it is going to be difficult to manage. Next I agree w/the posters that said you may have to try different products. Once you find what works stick to it. If you hair feels dry it just means it is not being properly hydrated. I deep condition after every shampoo, I also use a shampoo that is gentle and doesn't strip my hair. Please post more about your products and regimen to get more specific help.

 

[Keshieshimmer]

thanks for the information, and the urls links, i really appreciated it.

I guess i was going based on the look of my hair my instead of external reasons. exactly what would be a good to start off with as far as how many to times to wash the hair in a week?

right now im putting my hair in tiny twist. i combined my leave-in conditional, tree tea oil and alittle bit of apple cid vinger to put in my hair and seal it with caster oil.i think its holding the moisture alright for now.

I usually find Apple cider vinegar to be very drying if I don't rinse it out, and tea tree oil doesn't moisturize. Try coconut oil or a ceramide oil (sunflower, walnut, etc.) to seal in your creamy leave in conditioner.

As for washing that can vary, but once a week with a deep conditioner should help out.

 

[finickyone]

When I first bc, cantu shea butter leave in conditioning cream worked great for my twists. I would also use a little aloe vera gel down the length of each twist & seal with coconut oil or blue magic coconut hair grease. That combo gave me the best twist outs. You have to go light on the blue magic because its greasy but its great for protecting your ends.

You may also find that as your hair grows your texture may change. My hair texture in the front & nape is looser then the rest of my hair & I have just noticed that in the past couple of months. Good luck & have fun experimenting with your hair. I didn't think I could wear a wash & go & this past weekend my 4b coils were popping all over the place. My husband thought I was wearing a wig. Appreciate what you have & just learn to work with it.

 

[Missjae09]

There's so great advice given in this thread. I am a 4a/b mix and I have found that the more moisture I can put in my hair the better! I'm always Deep conditioning, hot oil treating or steaming my hair. I have an arsenal of natural oils that I always mix with my conditioners. This keeps my hair soft and moist. even if you don't have a steamer.. putting conditioner on and a plastic cap and doing chores around the house is a great way to condition. Also keeping my hair stretched is a must!!! which works fine because wash n' go's are flattering to me. I will stretch with a braidout/twistout/2strand twist/banding or I may wear it straight.. but I am sure be left with lots of tangles and knots with a wash n'go.

I think moisture and stretching is the key. I hope this helps and wish you much success on your journey! HHG

 

[mousee09]

i was relaxed ever since i could remember, so no i dont know my hair type...until now.

 

[k.belle]

Hi there mousee09,

I am new to this site, but not quite new to the natural thingy.
Question for you: How long is your hair now?
Also, what kind of shampoo are you using. I noticed that if it has sulfates (or some kind of agents that foam) in it, my hair is instant dry. Also, have you tried co-washing (conditioner wash only) on most days. I have found doing that and then using a very creamy leave in helps seal in moisture for me.
With it getting cold (not sure about in Japan) here, I use heavier oils like Castor Oil to seal as well.

And don't worry about understanding your texture before becoming natural, but I bet your hair is gorgeous, it is sometimes a process to understand how to care for it as a natural vs relaxed.

 

[mousee09]

I have I believe 2 to 3 inches on my hair in some places now.

I am using Tresemme shampoo and Conditioner (moisture rich, fro dry or damaged hair)
and i alway deep condition afterward for 2 hours, then i would rinse and try to detangle my hair. The I would bag every night and wear my hair out or in a hat. I washed once a week.

I had order some items from the drugstore.com site, but i have yet to recieve an email or my products....(so im going to see if my mother doesnt mind shipping them to me)

I recently just braided my hair in twist braids, and I am wanting to keep them in for 3 to 4 months? would this be idea to do or a bad one? Is there any regime to being able to keep them in for this long and not have extreme problems with my natural hair?

 

[EllePixie]

^^ I don't recommend that at all. If people keep braids in long term it's usually for about a month or so.