Type 4 hair

[Leona28]

Type 4 hair is the driest of all hair types. I get that. However, if it is, why is it the most difficult to manage? We relax, add heat and dye this hair type but in the end, it leaves this hair type raw, lifeless and damaged.

Is Type 4 best left natural and then the use of alternatives to Relaxers more advised?
I find the hardest part about managing type 4 hair is the crown and kitchen area. Has anyone found a good solution? Or once all natural, is it much easier to take care of?

 

[southerncitygirl]

i disagree about type 4 hair being hardest to manage cause when i was a kid there were tons of long haired type 4 girls whose hair didn't have issues till it was relaxed.

 

[Bunnyhaslonghair]

Hair is easier to manage post transition IMO. It's easier to work with the consistent texture.

Type 4 hair isn't hard to manage unless u are trying to get it to look like something it isn't.

One has to change their mindset when going from straight hair to kinky hair. If someone aspires to have straight hair (type 1) yes they will believe type 4 is harder because it is the farthest texture from the desired type 1. Thus, the more aggressive techniques that are used to achieve this look: relaxers, heat etc.

Think about it. All the techniques we have learned (ppl who were relaxed) have been to manage straighter hair. We have to un-learn those techniques and create or utilize new ones. I.e. wet combing, wet bunning, co washing, finger combing, just to name a few.

Yes this type is drier and more fragile, but u have to change your techniques when going back to ur natural texture. You have to go through a mental transition as well as a physical one, IMO.

 

[Nonie]

i disagree about type 4 hair being hardest to manage cause when i was a kid there were tons of long haired type 4 girls whose hair didn't have issues till it was relaxed.

I concur. I think type 4 hair gives people problems when they try to make it do things that aren't normal to it. WNG will not give you dangling ringlets like you get with type 3 hair. If you want to create that look, you'll have to shingle which is more work than I care to put in.

OP, you answer your own question when you start off saying that type 4 hair is the driest of all. Well, if that is true, why would you expect it to get "moisturized" after you fry it with heat, or break it down with chemicals?

Type 4 hair was never meant to be combed out everyday like white folks do to their hair. It wasn't meant to be fussed with the way some people tend to do and then complain of it being a pain. It's low manipulation hair. It's the easiest to hold a style which means you can set it and forget about it. It doesn't unravel and keeps the style till you decide you want a change. How is that hard work?

Also type 4 hair is the only hair that can sort of mimic every other hair and still rock its own styles that others can only envy. It can go from being very long to being very short. It can be flat-ironed to be straight. (When I flat-iron my hair, I don't moisturize it at all for the entire week it's straight and it stays soft and moisturized because I DC it well and seal it well with a serum.)

My hair has not been moisturized since 2010 and it isn't dry, because I wash it often (which is when it gets its moisture) and while I honestly haven't baggied in months, my hair still isn't as hard as I remember it being before I learned about DCing.

I think another mistake type 4 people make is believing in products "catered to natural hair" like CON shampoo. Just coz it feels good when you have it on wet hair, doesn't mean it's good at all. All it does is turn your hair into a dry brush when your hair is rinsed and dry. It's like it coats your hair with sap or snort.

 

[BraunSugar]

Type 4 hair isn't hard to manage unless u are trying to get it to look like something it isn't.

I definitely concur with this.

 

[AHeadOfCoils]

My hair isn't dry, even when I don't use any products. Now that my hair is longer, I can wash and go and my hair will hang with no issues. I don't spend hours shingling and my hair retains moisture for days on end. I can dye my hair without any problems. I can even flat iron w/o heat protectant and my curls and coils will spring right back into place with a little bit of water.

My relaxed hair was also easy to manage. It grew and retained length just like my natural hair did. It was thick and had body.

All "type 4" hair is not created equal.

Oohhh and btw, the natural hair that grew out of my scalp right after I stopped getting relaxers, is not the same hair that grows on my head today. People say that scab hair doesn't exist, but that's some bull.

 

[TheVioletVee]

I agree with the other posters. Type 4 hair is not necessarily the most difficult to manage. Once you figure out what your hair needs, you're good to go. That goes for any hair type, by the way. Nonie makes a great point about trying to get to do things that aren't normal for it. Basically, you have to work with your hair's needs and preferences. Unfortunately, it can take a lot of experimentation to find those preferences.

 

[Crackers Phinn]

My type 4 hair is not easy for me to deal with.

I had zero talent for styling my hair when it was relaxed and that lack of talent carried over to me being natural and doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon.

So I toss my hair in a ponytail/puff in the morning that I'm lucky if my hair hasn't shrunk its way out of by the end of the day.

It sucks, but it is what it is. I'm not going back to relaxing and I'm too cheap and lazy to heat train.

 

[southerncitygirl]

i think density, texture (cottony, thready or silky), and thickness of the entire head and individual strands are more important that the curl diameter as it relates to retention.

i'm a cottony 3c/4a and i've had varying issues stemming from dryness, not knowing proper detangling techniques and even not trimming on a schedule which have led to me not retaining length over the years. as i've tweaked these methods my hair has improved.

 

[southerncitygirl]

i also forgot to mention my hair loves lots of moisture,ceramides, and protein and i like many has been told that natural hair just needs tons of moisture. once again in tweaking this my hair improved and retained more.

i think density, texture (cottony, thready or silky), and thickness of the entire head and individual strands are more important that the curl diameter as it relates to retention.

i'm a cottony 3c/4a and i've had varying issues stemming from dryness, not knowing proper detangling techniques and even not trimming on a schedule which have led to me not retaining length over the years. as i've tweaked these methods my hair has improved.

 

[faithVA]

I think there are different hair properties that have to be considered. And some can make type 4 hair difficult. You have to factor in shrinkage, density, strand size, curl pattern and porosity. I would also include whether your hair hangs or grows out to the sides.

If you get a very unique combination I think working with the hair can be very difficult. But I think most people, even 4s don't have combinations that make their hair a pain.

 

[SimJam]

Oohhh and btw, the natural hair that grew out of my scalp right after I stopped getting relaxers, is not the same hair that grows on my head today. People say that scab hair doesn't exist, but that's some bull.

^^^^^^^^ amen to that is^^^^^^^^

This the third time within the last 13 years that ive gone natural. I gave up after 1+ years each time because I just didn't know how to manage it. The last straw was when I got a comb tangled in my hair and had to drive to the salon with the cursed thing in my hair for them to extract it.

Now that i know how to manage my hair, I love doing my own hair, actually find it cathartic.

And I really would not describe my hair as being dry now, but for the first maybe 18 months of being natural I would have had a different answer.

Sent from my Galaxy Tab 2 using LHCF

 

[shunta]

AHeadOfCoils how long did you experience scalp hair?

 

[AHeadOfCoils]

AHeadOfCoils how long did you experience scalp hair?

Not very long. I'm not 100% sure of the exact time frame though. I BC'd like 4 months post relaxer and that hair was so rough and didn't have any curl pattern. One day, I was paying close attention to my roots and noticed that it had a distinct curl patter and was MUCH softer. I snipped all of that damaged hair off and rocked a curly mo hawk. So, after about 6-7 months post, my real hair texture started to grow out. Two totally different porosities, curl patterns and an extremely different texture.

 

[AHeadOfCoils]

Wrong thread.

 

[faithVA]

^^Funny!. I was wondering who signs up for Type 4 hair

 

[AHeadOfCoils]

Too many threads open at one time!!

 

[Evolving78]

get the book "The Science Of Black Hair"

 

[Leona28]

get the book "The Science Of Black Hair"

I've been considering it. I have just looked at Chicoro's book and Austyn Phoenix. Would you recommend your suggestion above these books?