How To Grow & Retain 20" Of 4c Hair

SAPNK · Apr 12, 2017

Reading through some of these comments has been refreshing, because I thought it was just me. A couple months ago, I posted a mini rant in another thread and part of it was about how I suddenly realized one day that none of the people I used to follow with long natural hair had my hair type. When I weeded them out and searched for specifically 4c people, the results were very few. I definitely felt discouraged.

To me, the issue goes beyond people saying they have a type that they don't as that can be just an honest mistake. For me, the issue is that 4a naturals (and above, for some reason) are the face of the type 4s. But their hair is completely different from mine and unless it's for some general (obvious) good hair practices/ tips, I can't relate.

You'll see a lot of videos, tutorials, and product ads that lump us all together saying "This is how you do xyz when you have type 4 hair," or "This is what you should use when you have kinky hair" and the person they show you has much softer coily/ culy 4a hair. Do that with my hair and let's see how that works out, lol.

I don't usually mention this because I don't want to be part of any divide in the natural hair community, or make this into a them against us situation, as I really don't feel that way about it. I just realized what can happen when you lump people together as one big group. Some people get left out and their struggles aren't heard.

VinaytheMrs · Apr 12, 2017

I've typed "fine hair 4c" into YouTube a million times. It seems impossible.

MizzBFly · Apr 13, 2017

My 4c hair..pin sized curls. Yay or nay? A lil' larger curl in the front 4b
3rd day puff after using moisturizer & gel (today) to define,wng same method July 2016 ( no heat damage the front doesn't curl right frizzy wavy)

<--this pic still wet 7/2016

GGsKin · Apr 13, 2017

Here's a view of some of my freshly shampooed and dry 4c/b hair .

Here's a closer look:

With conditioner:

Dry wash n go:

bubbles12345 · Apr 13, 2017

Should there be a 4d category? Because my hair looks a lot kinkier than what is considered 4c in this thread.

MizzBFly · Apr 13, 2017

AbsyBlvd said:
Here's a view of some of my freshly shampooed and dry 4c/b hair .View attachment 394583Here's a closer look:View attachment 394585 With conditioner:View attachment 394587Wash n go:View attachment 394589

Yasss sis come through!!!
this is me all day :clap:

SAPNK · Apr 13, 2017

bubbles12345 said:
Should there be a 4d category? Because my hair looks a lot kinkier than what is considered 4c in this thread.

Lol, I'm starting to get confused because some of these ladies have curls I don't see in my hair. When it's wet its just a mass of nothingness. Some of the hair will come together and curl up at the ends, but nah, a wash-n-go on me is not going to look like these.

Sharpened · Apr 13, 2017

@MizzBFly and @AbsyBlvd I would consider y'all to be 4a, due to the way the hair clumps. 4b can clump, but the shrinkage is higher due to having pensprings, which I have. True 4c cannot clump at all, wet or dry.

charmtreese · Apr 13, 2017

My understanding is that 4b hair has zigzags more like tiny undefined waves with little to no coils. My hair puffs and kinks, it's easy to stretch because it does not have a lot of springy curl or coil action going on.

In my opinion 4b hair does not have a curl or coil pattern, because this hair type really does not want to clump. It's almost like each strand has a mind of it's own and wants to roam freely. So when I hear people talk about their 4b curls, I can't relate.

4c came along later when people felt like they did not fall into the 4b category. From what I see, most of the people claiming 4c fall into a sub category of 4a, because their hair forms tiny curls and or coils.

GGsKin · Apr 13, 2017

Sharpened said:
@MizzBFly and @AbsyBlvd I would consider y'all to be 4a, due to the way the hair clumps. 4b can clump, but the shrinkage is higher due to having pensprings, which I have. True 4c cannot clump at all, wet or dry.

This is the first time someone has described my hair as 4a. I would never. My hair only clumps because I don't use combs or brushes and even then (as in the first product-free pic), not all of my hair clumps, and if I pass a comb through my hair, it is frizz city.

Sharpened · Apr 13, 2017

AbsyBlvd said:
This is the first time someone has described my hair as 4a. I would never. My hair only clumps because I don't use combs or brushes. If I pass a comb through my hair, it is frizz city.

Same with mine, but notice the difference in behavior between yours and mine.

Prettymetty · Apr 13, 2017

Sharpened said:
@MizzBFly and @AbsyBlvd I would consider y'all to be 4a, due to the way the hair clumps. 4b can clump, but the shrinkage is higher due to having pensprings, which I have. True 4c cannot clump at all, wet or dry.

I agree. I would consider both of these ladies 4a because of curl size, clumping and shrinkage. 4a tends to hang a bit, while 4b doesn't hang at all even when it's really long.

beingofserenity · Apr 13, 2017

Sharpened said:
@MizzBFly and @AbsyBlvd I would consider y'all to be 4a, due to the way the hair clumps. 4b can clump, but the shrinkage is higher due to having pensprings, which I have. True 4c cannot clump at all, wet or dry.

I was going to say they were 4b lol because I see some curls/coils.

I guess my hair would be classified as 4a/4c according to this thread.

Prettymetty · Apr 13, 2017

This is my hair after coloring and doing a dc. I think it's damp in this pic. I consider myself 4b. I use heat on a monthly basis, so my hair is naturally tighter than this

beingofserenity · Apr 13, 2017

Sharpened said:
Same with mine, but notice the difference in behavior between yours and mine.

Your hair has bigger curls and appears to clump more easily than hers. I think it looks even looser than mine!! Lol

beingofserenity · Apr 13, 2017

This is soaking wet hair. What I always considered 4b. This is after a clay wash, I think. If I let it dry unstretched, it would shrink up and look stuck to my head and totally undefined, or what is considered 4c.

Alma Petra · Apr 13, 2017

This thread is so much fun to read. So many people have tried to claim that they are 4c but from what I see, it seems that the real 4c hair simply does never exist.

And what makes things more complicated is the absence of an unambiguous official definition of 4c. Some people think 4c has the teeniest tiniest coils (how small should it be to qualify, nobody says or knows). Some think that anything that curls or coils or clumps is not 4c, period.

But if I'm not mistaken, the MHM people claim that there is no such a thing as hair that can never curl or clump and that if your strands are adequately moisturized they will eventually clump.

I once came across this article named Curl Clumping in type 4c hair, whereby the author a hair scientist who never had clumpage in her life was surprised with the level of clumpage that she got when she clay washed for the first time. The photos in the article are a must-see.
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2014/09/curl-clumping-in-type-4c-hair-hair.html

Needless to say I went and tried clay and sadly it did nothing for my virgin roots. I will revisit when and if I go totally natural.

GGsKin · Apr 13, 2017

Alma Petra said:
This thread is so much fun to read. So many people have tried to claim that they are 4c but from what I see, it seems that the real 4c hair simply does never exist.

And what makes things more complicated is the absence of an unambiguous official definition of 4c. Some people think 4c has the teeniest tiniest coils (how small should it be to qualify, nobody says or knows). Some think that anything that curls or coils or clumps is not 4c, period.

But if I'm not mistaken, the MHM people claim that there is no such a thing as hair that can never curl or clump and that if your strands are adequately moisturized they will eventually clump.

I once came across this article named Curl Clumping in type 4c hair, whereby the author a hair scientist who never had clumpage in her life was surprised with the level of clumpage that she got when she clay washed for the first time. The photos in the article are a must-see.
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2014/09/curl-clumping-in-type-4c-hair-hair.html

Needless to say I went and tried clay and sadly it did nothing for my virgin roots. I will revisit when and if I go totally natural.

It is an interesting thread. The bolded was me. My hair never clumped when I've previously had natural hair. My cousins used to tease me as a child because my hair was frizzy but as a child my hair was kept combed and braided. I just didn't have visible coils. Unless undisturbed, my hair doesn't want to clump like @Sharpened. The fact that my hair can clump now is down to me not combing it, and using products and techniques (smoothing and keeping my strands in the same direction) that agree with my hair and encourage clumping. My coils and zig zags and squiggles wouldn't clump otherwise.

VinaytheMrs · Apr 13, 2017

This is my hair freshly washed. You can see tiny curls on the end but not throughout my hair. I can get definition if I shingle in product. If I let it dry like this it would shrink down more.

I am neck length and been on this board forever trying to figure this hair out.

Sharpened · Apr 13, 2017

The only reason my hair clumps is from oil rinsing and finger-detangling, nothing else, and I have been natural for over 20 years.

This what my hair looked like before mainly oil rinsing and finger-detangling:

As far as size, most of mine are the ones near the protractor; the one near the straw is only in the front. The tighter the coils, the greater the shrinkage:

MizzBFly · Apr 13, 2017

Alma Petra said:
This thread is so much fun to read. So many people have tried to claim that they are 4c but from what I see, it seems that the real 4c hair simply does never exist.

And what makes things more complicated is the absence of an unambiguous official definition of 4c. Some people think 4c has the teeniest tiniest coils (how small should it be to qualify, nobody says or knows). Some think that anything that curls or coils or clumps is not 4c, period.

But if I'm not mistaken, the MHM people claim that there is no such a thing as hair that can never curl or clump and that if your strands are adequately moisturized they will eventually clump.

I once came across this article named Curl Clumping in type 4c hair, whereby the author a hair scientist who never had clumpage in her life was surprised with the level of clumpage that she got when she clay washed for the first time. The photos in the article are a must-see.
http://www.thenaturalhavenbloom.com/2014/09/curl-clumping-in-type-4c-hair-hair.html

Needless to say I went and tried clay and sadly it did nothing for my virgin roots. I will revisit when and if I go totally natural.

The bolded made me chuckle but I think ALL textured hair can curl or clump. Product and technique is key, my curls didn't last when I tried only conditioner. I couldn't prevent frizz and shrinkage doing the Anthony Dickey method, I really tried out stuff until it worked. I did the MHM when I was transitioning dragged my son and daughter into it just to see.
ETA...I believe the size of the curl in relation to skrinkage matters. Pen spring curls is 4c using the hair system we all know.

Coilystep · Apr 13, 2017

This thread has proved to be very interesting. @AbsyBlvd I've always thought we had similar hair and I believe I'm mostly 4a with some 3c mixed in but I'm not sure. I always just described my hair as very coily.

GGsKin · Apr 13, 2017

Coilystep said:
This thread has proved to be very interesting. @AbsyBlvd I've always thought we had similar hair and I believe I'm mostly 4a with some 3c mixed in but I'm not sure. I always just described my hair as very coily.

To me, your curls are way larger than mine but the way your hair curls creates more shrinkage than mine. I know for sure Andre's system doesn't have enough numbers and letters for all of us lol.

There are so many factors when comparing types/ patterns etc, that I can't be bothered to compare and separate, although I do understand the desire for folks to see hair similar to their own . I just love all the pics in this thread. I see similarities and differences with many; whether it be curl/coil size, sheen, shrinkage, unmanipulated vs manipulated. I just love hair and learning/ knowing how to handle it in ways to see it prosper.

VinaytheMrs · Apr 13, 2017

This YouTuber has hair just like mine! Can't believe I've found this. Is this 4c?

SAPNK · Apr 13, 2017

I think this looks kind if like my hair. It doesn't really curl when wet.

Honi · Apr 13, 2017

I'm confused by some of y'all. Some I can see are definite 4c but others appear to be some what a variation of both 4a and 4b. Not really pen spring coily but a tight 4a wavy. It's like an in between before 4b but close to 4b but not full blown 4b. Not as cut and dry as I thought.

Love the pictures

Vshanell · Apr 14, 2017

Britt said:
I remember that for years. I'd watch her videos and she seemed to see her hair as kinkier than how it really is. I figured she'd never go natural. She looks elated as a natural now, but I think it's because she realizes her hair isn't as tight/nappy as she thought it would be. Her hair is a 4a at best and thick and gorgeous.

Yea I remember her on the forum saying her hair was the kinkiest texture on the chart and she would never ever go natural lol. It's funny that she never saw a curl come through as her perm grew out. She does seem excited to be natural now. She's come a long way from never wanting to stop bone straight relaxing.

Vshanell · Apr 14, 2017

AbsyBlvd said:
Here's a view of some of my freshly shampooed and dry 4c/b hair .View attachment 394583Here's a closer look:View attachment 394585 With conditioner:View attachment 394587Wash n go:View attachment 394589

I've always loved your texture. It's so gorgeous

Honey Bee · Apr 14, 2017

According to this thread, I'm 4 a/c. Which sounds kinda right to me, oddly. Odd cuz I was just considering the possibility that I'm 4 a/b, but it didn't seem right to me bc my clumping is like whoa.

@AbsyBlvd Still twins, I see. :wave:

(As an aside, I notice that mhm brings the clumping from about halfway up the stand all the way to the root in the 4c area and tightens my 3c/ silky 4a? nape to 'regular', more cottony 4a, leaving me with amazing coils all over. :up:

Sadly, as is so often the case with hair

, it nonetheless manages to defy any attempt to be great because the 4c is in the crown. Wngs be looking craaaazy. :whyme:

)

DarkJoy · Apr 14, 2017

VinaytheMrs said:
This YouTuber has hair just like mine! Can't believe I've found this. Is this 4c?

I think this is 4c. she had to use products to get definition and her crown still defied the product :lol:

How To Grow & Retain 20" Of 4c Hair

Well-Known Member

Loving Life

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

A fleck on His Sword

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

A fleck on His Sword

Natural/4b/medium-coarse

Well-Known Member

Natural/4b/medium-coarse

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Loving Life

A fleck on His Sword

Well-Known Member

@imperial_acquisitions

Well-Known Member

Loving Life

Well-Known Member

There is no board.

FKA Pokahontas

FKA Pokahontas

Well-Known Member

Bent. Not Broken.

Similar threads