What is this?? (pics)

[Amber_moon]

Right now Im so confused. All this time Ive been relaxed Ive just assumed that my natural texture was little 4a coils. So why, when I rinse my hair today in the shower am I seeing a totally different texture than what I originally thought I had. What texture is this? What is this stuff? Can somebody type it for me?

Somebody care to help me out on this one? Can this still be considered 4a? or am I something else? 4b perhaps? Does this mean I cant have little curls??

 

[writtenthought]

I think it's too early to tell

 

[LynnieB]

i have a head full of the larger size version of those things, i just call 'em curly q's and leave it at that .

the hair typing thing is whack (to me) so i can't offer help there.

let me correct that........i've got a variety going on.
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thinking about transitioning or just stretching?

 

[keluric]

That's not enough hair to type, really. You need at least one inch. Even then, you can't see the end of the hair because of the relaxed ends... it could be something totally different than you'd expect when you get rid of the relaxed ends.

Chop it off and see.














just kidding.

 

[Moroni]

Henna does that to my hair. It relaxes the curl, and I get a wavy pattern like that. Do you henna?

 

[Amber_moon]

That's not enough hair to type, really. You need at least one inch. Even then, you can't see the end of the hair because of the relaxed ends... it could be something totally different than you'd expect when you get rid of the relaxed ends.

Chop it off and see.




just kidding.

You crazy as hell.

I thought I had an inch up there. Maybe not. How do you measure that inch? Stretched or unstretched?

 

[Amber_moon]

Henna does that to my hair. It relaxes the curl, and I get a wavy pattern like that. Do you henna?

No But ive been REALLY thinking about it! Maybe my hair sensed that I was REALLY thinking about henna and started to do some crazy stuff to "prepare" for it LOL.

 

[shunta]

Im thinking 4a???

 

[Moroni]

No But ive been REALLY thinking about it! Maybe my hair sensed that I was REALLY thinking about henna and started to do some crazy stuff to "prepare" for it LOL.

You're TOO funny!!!! Sorry, that doesn't count. I have noticed more of that wavy pattern, though. It was so smooth when I went for my last relaxer, the stylist said I only had 1/4 inch of NG! "The H3LL you preach!" Then I told him to follow the wave out....it was about 1.5 inches!

 

[Amber_moon]

Im thinking 4a???

Cool! Will i still get to have those little cute coily curls...?

 

[Amber_moon]

You're TOO funny!!!! Sorry, that doesn't count. I have noticed more of that wavy pattern, though. It was so smooth when I went for my last relaxer, the stylist said I only had 1/4 inch of NG! "The H3LL you preach!" Then I told him to follow the wave out....it was about 1.5 inches!

Yeah this is really smooth too. I dont know if you can tell but the relaxed part of the hair shaft is crooked/warped/twisted and rough looking and the new growth is SMOOTH as butter. Not kinks in the shaft, no twists, twirls or knots... just real smooth.

LOL 1/4 inch... I would have slapped him!

 

[keluric]

You crazy as hell.

I thought I had an inch up there. Maybe not. How do you measure that inch? Stretched or unstretched?

Unstretched. If I had to guess, I'd say 4a but you really don't know for sure until you cut the relaxed ends off. You can't see how the hair will coil or curl if you have relaxed ends. It could be 3c curls or little 4a coils.

 

[Amber_moon]

Unstretched. If I had to guess, I'd say 4a but you really don't know for sure until you cut the relaxed ends off. You can't see how the hair will coil or curl if you have relaxed ends. It could be 3c curls or little 4a coils.

Whats the difference between 3c and 4a?

 

[locabouthair]

my hair looks JUST like that, well the first two pics.

 

[keluric]

Whats the difference between 3c and 4a?

3c curls are about the circumference of straws. 4a curls/coils are about the size of coffee stirrers and can be even smaller.

4b hair doesn't really have a defined curl/coil pattern. Your doesn't really appear to be in the 4b range.

 

[Amber_moon]

3c curls are about the circumference of straws. 4a curls/coils are about the size of coffee stirrers and can be even smaller.

4b hair doesn't really have a defined curl/coil pattern. Your doesn't really appear to be in the 4b range.

But how can you tell what the circumference is if the hair isnt "coiling" up like mine? What if its just growing back and forth in a wave pattern and the "curl" doesn't actually complete itself? Can the hair be typed?

 

[aloof one]

I think if you really want to know you're going to have to BC.

I gave up trying after a while because it really doesn't matter whether I'm a 4a, 4b, 3c or 4z regardless as long as its healthy--- especially since a lot of people are 4b, but some have fine hair, some have thick... blah balh. However, as far as what it does, your hair looks like it is little waves right now... but then again my hair started out as waves.. then turned to curls... now its coils for the most part. Some of it is still curls and some of it is just plain cottony with no texture at all. But I wont let myself get comfortable till I chop it off.

BUT--- Your hair looks soft and healthy though!

 

[aloof one]

But how can you tell what the circumference is if the hair isnt "coiling" up like mine? What if its just growing back and forth in a wave pattern and the "curl" doesn't actually complete itself? Can the hair be typed?

Coils typically look like waves until you chop. The only way I knew my hair is all coiled up now is because I cut off a hidden small section after washing one day. It was wavy before the scissors hit, then all of a sudden when I cut it it shrunk back into my head like a slinky. I can't find it to this day because of shrinkage.

 

[Amber_moon]

Coils typically look like waves until you chop. The only way I knew my hair is all coiled up now is because I cut off a hidden small section after washing one day. It was wavy before the scissors hit, then all of a sudden when I cut it it shrunk back into my head like a slinky. I can't find it to this day because of shrinkage.

AH! Interesting! Im so happy to know this because I really want those little slinky like curls and I did get sad for a min thinking that I wouldnt be able to have them

I hope this is what happens for me.

 

[keluric]

But how can you tell what the circumference is if the hair isnt "coiling" up like mine? What if its just growing back and forth in a wave pattern and the "curl" doesn't actually complete itself? Can the hair be typed?

No, you can't really type it. We're all throwing guesses in the dark as far as how certain hair types look when stretched a little. That's not always indicative of hair type, though. If you're really, really curious, you have to cut the relaxed ends.

 

[aloof one]

AH! Interesting! Im so happy to know this because I really want those little slinky like curls and I did get sad for a min thinking that I wouldnt be able to have them

I hope this is what happens for me.

just remember theres no way to be sure, you dont know how all your hair looks together until you cut off those ends. I have some 3c coils.. some 4a and some 4b... but that could change anytime between now and when I do my last chop. Especially since it changed so much in the past 8 months.

 

[glamazon386]

Coils typically look like waves until you chop. The only way I knew my hair is all coiled up now is because I cut off a hidden small section after washing one day. It was wavy before the scissors hit, then all of a sudden when I cut it it shrunk back into my head like a slinky. I can't find it to this day because of shrinkage.

I agree. That's how my hair looked. Once I got maybe 4 or 5 months in, I saw coils in some spots but it was waves for the most part. Then when I chopped it all curled and shrunk up. The relaxed hair was weighing it down.

 

[HAIRapy]

That's kind of how my hair, which is 4A, is when I get NG. If you let it grow out more, I believe it will form a coil. That's how it looks when you lay it down, but if you picked it up and looked into it, the wavy part (I don't think I'm explaining it right) you would probably see that it's forming a coil. Let it grow out more and see what happens HTH

 

[audacity.]

Hey, Amber!

It is hard to tell. But whatever it is, it is pretty!

 

[kbfluff]

I'm no expert, but that curl pattern is too loose in my book to be a 4 anything...perhaps ur in the 3 range.

 

[Amber_moon]

I'm no expert, but that curl pattern is too loose in my book to be a 4 anything...perhaps ur in the 3 range.

Yeah but the curl/wave is SOOO tiny. (the size of the penny next to it) I dont know...

Im so confused.

 

[HoneyDew]

Im thinking 4a???

I don't think so. My 4a is curled tighter than that. way tighter.

 

[Whimsy]

I dunno, i'm not an expert but I think you would need to let your hair grow a couple months before you can begin to think about typing it.

Also, the texture i thought i had versus what i saw when I did the BC were two different things. I think the relaxed hair weighs down the natural or something cuz i couldn't get a true "reading" till after the texlaxed ends were cut off...

 

[HoneyDew]

If that is a 4a, then I am a 16c.

Even with just that bit of NG, I see a tight coil. Less tight in some areas, but still tighter that the loose section she is showing in the picture. That ain't no 4a! If it is, then 4 needs more than 2 types. Maybe 4a and 4b are not enough for the types of tightly coiled hair.

 

[bbdgirl]

That's what my hair looks like. I think that the whole typing this is confusing. Cuz i went on naturallycurly.com and the examples that they had for the type 3c and 4a were still confusing for me. My hair has at lest two diff textures. Around the perimeter my hair is wavy and at the crown of course is thicker and coarser. But generally just wavy. If your hari is anything like mine when it grows out further it may continue to be wavy, and curly but not coily (meaning that it is not gonna curl back on itself).