Hair Typing For Type 4 Hair

[icsonia22]

I feel like everyone in the type 4 category kind of get lumped into one big category when it comes to hair typing. It makes it so much more difficult to find videos of people with your hair type and it can be down right frustrating for a newbie. I'm creating this thread to show the differences in hair texture for type 4 ladies

4a

This hair type has small uniformed ringlets that resemble tiny Shirley temple curls. 4a girls generally don't have an issue getting defined wash and goes. The curls generally have a natural sheen. However like most type 4 girls, their hair is prone to dryness and tangling


4b


Here is how 4b looks dry without any product

4b and 4c hair look almost identical when they don't have any products which is probably where all the confusion lies. However think of defined 4b hair as silly straw. It resembles cotton prior to the application of products, is generally soft to the touch and is mostly cooperative with wash and goes. I say mostly because it can be difficult to get root to tip definition on 4b hair due to the cotton like texture

4c


this hair type is probably the most under represented yet overly claimed on YouTube. People tend to claim 4c hair when they're not sure what the differences between the other hair types are. There is much debate as to whether or not 4c hair can successfully wash and go. Shingling with gel doesn't seem to make the natural curl pattern on this hair type pop. However, some 4c women who previously had never seen their natural curls pop were able to get results with the maximum hydration method.

The ability of 4c hair strands to clump together may vary from one head to another but for those that do, 4c coils are smaller in diameter than 4a curls and tend to switch between the o shape and the z shape. The z shape of the coil is not as tight as the 4b hair listed above. Root to tip definition is not common for 4c ladies that do manage to get coils to clump. Most of the definition, if any, can generally be found more so towards the ends.

I hope this thread is helpful for those trying to figure out their hair type. Most of us have a combination of multiple hair types through out our hair. Some say natural hair typing is unimportant. I think that while it isn't the final determinate of how your hair will respond to a product or process, it definitely gives you a starting point and a bit of an idea of how certain styles may look on your hair. Each hair type is beautiful and unique. No other race has hair as unique and versatile as ours is. Embrace your beauty.

 

[Jana.elyse]

Not sure what my hair type is but I’ve been natural for 3 months still trying new things with my hair! My hair is pretty dry some danp areas

 

[I Am So Blessed]

This is Helpful.

 

[Theresamonet]

I don’t agree that these examples represent those hair types as Andre Walker describes them, particularly the 4b examples.

 

[Soaring Eagle]

Yeaaaaa, I don’t agree with this, particularly the 4a and 4b pictures.

But at the end of the day, there are more important things, like texture (width of the strand), density and porosity.

 

[FoxxyLocs]

Can someone post what they think are better examples of 4a and 4b? These are the two types I have the most trouble identifying.

 

[Karmi]

I also disagree with the pictures shown for 4a and 4b. I think the key to caring for your natural hair is to understand your hairs characteristics rather than curl pattern.
I have:
3c (ish) at the front. Bigger S type curls but more importantly, the texture is silky and high porosity. The strands are strong and can withstand my heavy hands when detangling.
4b (small section at my crown). This section has no curl at all, it waves in a Z pattern, the texture is cottony, I believe high porosity as well and very fragile.
4a (the majority of my head), this hair is kinky with loose to tight springy spiral curls from root to tip. It's low porosity and the strands are thick. It's my easiest section to deal with (although it tangles easily) and it retains length the best.

I say all that to say, understanding my hairs characteristics has helped me much more with treating my hair, product selections and styling.
Oh, and accepting that every head of hair is unique and beautiful in its own way.

 

[Alma Petra]

I don't agree with the examples me neither. 4a and 4c are shown to have the exact same curl diameter while 4b is shown to have bigger curls than both?!!

 

[Chanteuse]

The original hair typing system created by Andre Walker is very different from what people interpret it to be today. His system was simply:

Type 1 - straight
Type 2 - wavy
Type 3 - curly
Type 4 - kinky
=> 4a - curl pattern, 4b - no discernable curl pattern

There was no 3c or 4c. Those were added later by the internet hair communities.

There is no agreement now because the hair typing system has been modified many times based on various individuals' interpretation and presented as fact.

The chart at the website below has the closest resemblance to what Andre initially presented in his book (although 3c and 4c have been added there as well). If anyone knows how to post the chart in the thread please feel free.

https://www.brkeratin.biz/blogs/news/what-kind-of-hair-is-suitable-for-thermal-reconditioning

In my opinion there is no right or wrong answer. Andre made it up and people continue to come up with their own interpretations but there is no universal truth here. Strand diameter, density, and porosity are more important factors in learning how to care for your hair anyway.

 

[FoxxyLocs]

I think what throws me off about hair typing is that 4a is always shown with spiral curls and 4b is zig zags. My hair is S shaped waves instead of spiral curls, but it is not as kinky as what I think is 4b.

 

[Bette Davis Eyes]

I go by the Andre Walker system for my hair because it describes it to a tee. I’m around 98 % 4a and above each ear 4b.


My 4a defines with and without gel My curls are coffee stirrer and slightly bigger but not bigger than a marker size.

My 4b waves up and clumps together to make one big S but it does not curl.

 

[icsonia22]

Ok ladies, help me out. I don't want to be out here spreading false information. I've always thought those pics were examples of 4a and 4b. What are some good examples of 4a and 4b?

 

[yamilee21]

One of my kids with "Type 4" hair has hair that can look like every single one of the pictures in the first post, depending on the products used. I can't find the threads on this right now, but someone else had come up with a "LOIS" hair typing system that took into account some of the other equally important factors, such as porosity, strand size, maybe even shrinkage. It made so much more sense than focusing on curl size, which does not really tell much about how the hair behaves.

 

[Fine 4s]

ITA- I also think that manipulated hair doesn’t help to distinguish the a,b,cs.

 

[snoop]

I claim 4c...but I feel like my hair at the beginning of my hair journey looks a bit different than now...because of moisture that I'm able to retain. I see "more definition" now. When it's wet, the weight gives it some hang and I think it would look a bit like 4b? In either case if i pull a wet strand then AND now, it curls up to from a pen spring...TIGHT coils.