"I would never have touched a relaxer if I had pretty hair like that!?"

[JustSimplyTish]

The types have always amazed me...and I truly never understood them...I am still fairly new to the natural thing...But then I came across a site last week that showed type 5 hair....I had no clue there was Type 5 hair....I just say all Black hair is curly..there are just different degrees and types of curls...loose, tight, coiled, kinky etc

This is the site I saw 5a,b,c

http://www.naani.com/hair-texture-degrees?page=show

 

[EccentricRed]

my mom had i would say 2b/3a silky fine hair. her wash and goes required not products and she had well defined curls (unless it was humid). she had no clue what to do with my head of hair and i, to this day, still have the "kinkiest" hair on that side of the family. i grew up hearing that i had "pelo malo" meaning bad hair in spanish.

My mothers hair is the same way. However, she is about to do her BC in a few weeks. I'd say she has 2b/3a hair. She had WL hair as a teenager and when I was a kid she had BSL hair. Now she has SL (by choice). She's been getting relaxers since she was a child. Much of what my mother learned about hair was the oldschool grease (BLUE MAGIC), hotcomb, braid, and then when you hit a certain age...relax. When I first told her I was thinking about going natural, she looked at me like I was crazy. I didn't know what my texture was going to look like...it spirals way more than hers, and I just don't think she knew what to do with all my hair as a kid. Now...I'm teaching her...go figure!

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

The types have always amazed me...and I truly never understood them...I am still fairly new to the natural thing...But then I came across a site last week that showed type 5 hair....I had no clue there was Type 5 hair....I just say all Black hair is curly..there are just different degrees and types of curls...loose, tight, coiled, kinky etc

This is the site I saw 5a,b,c

http://www.naani.com/hair-texture-degrees?page=show

Ummm I'll pass on any site that categorizes the tightest african-american hair as Nappyohwell:

Aint no type 5

I prefer 4b thank you very much.

If you wanna know about the most universal hair typing system check it out here (their main pictures arent accurate but when you click for more examples those are more indicative of the hair type).

I'm not blaming you though Tish since you're now learning about hair-typing.

 

[JustSimplyTish]

Ummm I'll pass on any site that categorizes the tightest african-american hair as Nappyohwell:

Aint no type 5

I prefer 4b thank you very much.

If you wanna know about the most universal hair typing system check it out here.

I'm not blaming you though Tish since you're now learning about hair-typing.

Don't worry I never take things personal....yeah I just never understood it or knew why there was even typing to begin with...But I guess it helps in the care of the hair as far as products, etc if you know

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Okay cool yea....trust...it can help alot....finding out what my texture was called was one of the biggest turning points in my journey because then I understood why the products and techniques curly heads do never worked on my hair, I finally knew what to look for and research....it helped me specify the best styles and build my reggie

 

[beautyaddict1913]

The types have always amazed me...and I truly never understood them...I am still fairly new to the natural thing...But then I came across a site last week that showed type 5 hair....I had no clue there was Type 5 hair....I just say all Black hair is curly..there are just different degrees and types of curls...loose, tight, coiled, kinky etc

This is the site I saw 5a,b,c

http://www.naani.com/hair-texture-degrees?page=show

The pic that they showed for type 5a is what I always see girls on youtube claim as 4a...yet my hair looks like the 4b pic that they displayed, even though the term nappy is vulgar and defensive I see this chart as more believable, more inclusive and less confusing than the Andre system

 

[yamilee21]

... This is the site I saw 5a,b,c

http://www.naani.com/hair-texture-degrees?page=show

The examples are just moved over a step or two on that chart, I think. The "1C" looks like what is usually categorized as "2a" ... the "3a" and "3b" looked the same - sometimes the curl is simply stretched out from the weight of longer strands... the "4a" without product looks like my hair does without any product, and the "5c" looks too short to truly show a pattern, but I've seen some 4a that looked just like it.

Honestly, refining the "hair charts" into evermore detailed sub-categories doesn't seem to add much to general hair care knowledge... do we really want to see posts entitled, "4a cottony L and O, with coarse strands, medium density, low-porosity crown and 3c spongy S medium strand nape needs help choosing a deep conditioner" here? Then someone will provide what she think is a helpful answer, but since her hair is actually 4b silky S and O, with medium strands, high density, average porosity crown and 4a spongy O fine strand nape, her answer won't count, .

 

[HappilyLiberal]

Unpopular thing to admit out loud, but I constantly find myself thinking that whenever see someone BC and they turn out to be a 3 a, b, or c. Of course I'm biased as a 4a/b but for me I can understand why a type 4 would relax. The number of products you have to go through to find what works. The hours of twisting braiding and cornrowing, washing hair in sections, the debil also known as single strand knots, I mean without true dedication to being an natural it's easy to give in to the creamy crack lol.

But type 3's? Why? I would love to be able to just do a wash and go, to have curls without a twist or braid out or rollerset, to have hair that can be brushed flat into a pony tail without having to use a scarf to tie down the edges etc, to be able to retain more length since the hair is less fragile, less dry and less likely to ssk.

Anyway, I know I'm supposed to think all hair type are pretty and maintenance and care on a 4a/b head is just as quick and easy as any other hair type but I'm not there yet.

I don't think type 4 type hair is "bad" and 3 and under is "good" perse, just a bit easier i.e. less bulk. Nobody can rock a fro like a type 4 though

I agree.

 

[Tiye]

The types have always amazed me...and I truly never understood them...I am still fairly new to the natural thing...But then I came across a site last week that showed type 5 hair....I had no clue there was Type 5 hair....I just say all Black hair is curly..there are just different degrees and types of curls...loose, tight, coiled, kinky etc

This is the site I saw 5a,b,c

http://www.naani.com/hair-texture-degrees?page=show

^^ Huh??

I just followed the link. Haven't looked at naani in many yrs and didn't know whether it was still up. I say if naturally curly could add 3C (I believe it was posters on that board anyway who thought that they didn't quite fit into with 3A or B but weren't exactly 4s either) then naani can add a whole nother section. Truthfully the four section hair system is confusing to many coz everyone past a 3 gets lumped into the 4s and there is quite a lot of variation within 4. What ends up happening is that people see a lot more of the curly/medium coily side of 4 than the tightly/densely coiled side. The super/ultra nappies that she's separated into category 5 don't get much exposure. I think the difference between 5b and c as shown in those pics is good conditioner.

I digress ...

I don't think type 3 is better than type 4 or 4 is better than 3. I think hair is good/pretty when it's thick, lustrous and well cared for. I was raised around mostly 4 so I was always familiar with it and what it did from day 1 and never felt negatively about it. Also I don't think anyone needs a relaxer - that is a matter of choice. But I can see where OP is coming from and I think the same thing when I see someone with type 3 hair talking about needing to perm, or struggling not to perm. However, I do understand that in a society where we are shown hair that's kinda wavy with a few large curls and told it's an afro - it gets confusing. For example I know someone with type 3 hair who actually once got a jeri curl. Did a person with naturally curly hair need a curly perm - absolutely not - but it was a question of knowledge.

 

[FlowerHair]

I think a lot of people get relaxers when they're really young so they don't even know what their real hair looks like?

For me - I had no clue how to take care of my hair. I just wanted it to lie down like all the other girls' hair. Little did I know that relaxers don't really do anything for my hair, there was almost no change whatsoever. I've heard many 3's say the same thing on this board. I wonder why that is?

I had to learn how to deal with my hair on my own and it's been a long journey! LOL!

All I can say is: my hair is farrrrrr from ideal or standard over here, it's only these past ten or so years when I knew how to style my hair that I have started to get compliments. You have no idea how many times people called me "troll" when I was a kid.

I have friends with straight hair that have relaxers because they think it's too coarse. They are from Chile.

I only did have 2 relaxers in my life because I was hoping that it would do something with my hair, but when I realized all it did was destroy it I decided to learn how to work with my natural hair instead.

I found information in Ebony and Essence in the early 90's and around 1998 or so I stumbled on some hair boards...those were the good old days! I read about people who grew their hair really long and I never thought that was possible with black hair. If anyone would have told me my hair could look like it does today I would have laughed them in the face.

What I want to say with this long post is that it's a journey for all of us. There are 3's and 4's on this board and we all come here to learn and share. I've learned so much from people with all hair types, natural and relaxed.

Hair is just hair and it basically needs the same things, we just have to figure out what it already has naturally and what we need to add from the outside. (Moisture, protein, oil etc.)

 

[AfroKink]

Nah, I don't complain about shrinkage much. But since there seem to be many misconceptions about "type 3" hair, I thought I should mention that type 3 hair can shrink A LOT too. And I was "stuck" around APL stretched for years; it took me much longer than four years to reach this length.

I know type 3 hair comes with its own set of issues. I know come in these threads and point that very thing out. I was just making fun of your, "I have issues too... with my tailbone length hair!" lol.

 

[brg240]

I think i have some type of 3 (3b/c?) hair but idk.
I relaxed because everyone relaxed and I begged my mom to do it.(she never really planned on it) I kept on relaxing(well more like texlaxng) because idk upkeep/that's what people did?

but my hair has always tangled/matted very easily. When it's relaxed it didn't Also, my hair has never been quick/easy to do. :/

I'm transitioning now and wish I had never got the relaxer in the first place

 

[SummerSolstice]

The types have always amazed me...and I truly never understood them...I am still fairly new to the natural thing...But then I came across a site last week that showed type 5 hair....I had no clue there was Type 5 hair....I just say all Black hair is curly..there are just different degrees and types of curls...loose, tight, coiled, kinky etc

This is the site I saw 5a,b,c

http://www.naani.com/hair-texture-degrees?page=show

I actually think that website made sense... what they said was "5" textured hair... there really are so many different types of "4s..." cottony, wiry, thick, thin... I think this is a good way to classify hair. How can we really decide whats right or wrong? Its really whatever helps the person keep up their hair on a daily basis, and whatever helps a stylist decide how to take care of that person's hair. Granted I hate the word nappy, but that website makes a lot of sense. My hair is a 4 and I can get a curl definition... how is another woman's a 4 who has a z pattern and next to no shine going to use the same products as I do? certain things I used on this site that were recommended for 4s made my hair a mushy over-moisturized mess. I think all the typing systems work personally. You can't really say what is right and wrong across the board... just for yourself. And of course terminology use... nobody's hair is nappy.
BUt anyways justsimplytish I like that website it gave a different perspective. thanks for posting it.

 

[sunnydaze]

Most of us 3's were relaxed b/c that is what our mom knew to do with our hair...like everyone else.

Chiming in on what Flowerhair said, I can remember back in the day looking at all my fellow relaxed heads swinging and blinging and wondering why my hair never, ever, looked like that after a fresh relaxer..it went from pin straight and limp day one..back to frizzy and semi-straight every day thereafter.

Also, chiming in that not all 3s have defined silky curls. Many of us have lots of frizz..or yes maybe curls, but they don't have that chunky clumping action that makes it cute...moreso a curl pattern that resembles a jheri curl..not always cute (just my opinion).

So if you set aside the segment of 3s that have silky strands that make uniform coils (which is also present in silky 4s btw)..maybe that changes the perception a bit.

 

[SummerSolstice]

I think a lot of people get relaxers when they're really young so they don't even know what their real hair looks like?

For me - I had no clue how to take care of my hair. I just wanted it to lie down like all the other girls' hair. Little did I know that relaxers don't really do anything for my hair, there was almost no change whatsoever. I've heard many 3's say the same thing on this board. I wonder why that is?

I had to learn how to deal with my hair on my own and it's been a long journey! LOL!

All I can say is: my hair is farrrrrr from ideal or standard over here, it's only these past ten or so years when I knew how to style my hair that I have started to get compliments. You have no idea how many times people called me "troll" when I was a kid.

I have friends with straight hair that have relaxers because they think it's too coarse. They are from Chile.

I only did have 2 relaxers in my life because I was hoping that it would do something with my hair, but when I realized all it did was destroy it I decided to learn how to work with my natural hair instead.

I found information in Ebony and Essence in the early 90's and around 1998 or so I stumbled on some hair boards...those were the good old days! I read about people who grew their hair really long and I never thought that was possible with black hair. If anyone would have told me my hair could look like it does today I would have laughed them in the face.

What I want to say with this long post is that it's a journey for all of us. There are 3's and 4's on this board and we all come here to learn and share. I've learned so much from people with all hair types, natural and relaxed.

Hair is just hair and it basically needs the same things, we just have to figure out what it already has naturally and what we need to add from the outside. (Moisture, protein, oil etc.)

that is the truest thing I've ever seen posted LOL

 

[wavezncurlz]

Back to the fro...
I wore a fro in the 70/80s. I wore it much longer than it was considered stylish. We didn't let our curls form back in the day. We picked them out. We didn't use any moisturizer (maybe some old school blue grease for shine). We PICKED out our curls. My hair was thicker than it is now so it didn't fall. It wasn't long so it grew out and up.

My mom (in my signature) has fine 3c hair. In order for her to get hers to stand up, she'd twist it up everynight while it was wet and pick it out. Defined curls was just not the style.

I don't see why you can't do a fro. Your tools, products, and styling products will just be different.

 

[Keshieshimmer]

Great topic OP! I have thought the same things about those dang on beautiful 3c heads. I am transitioning now just because I want to see my natural hair. However I am not afraid to admit that if as a full natural I can't get some defined curls, at some point I will probably relax again. I don't like the picked out fro or compact fro look.

 

[Ms Lala]

My mother has type 2b/3a hair. It is very fine, wavy,and thin. Her hair seems like it would be easy to manage but it is actually quite challenging. It won't hold a curly style or a press. It puffs up easily in humidity. She wear a ponytail 99% of the time. I wouldn't trade my 4a/b kinks for her hair. She also has problems with breakage because it is fine and very fragile.

 

[ivy_isabella]

Unpopular thing to admit out loud, but I constantly find myself thinking that whenever see someone BC and they turn out to be a 3 a, b, or c. Of course I'm biased as a 4a/b but for me I can understand why a type 4 would relax. The number of products you have to go through to find what works. The hours of twisting braiding and cornrowing, washing hair in sections, the debil also known as single strand knots, I mean without true dedication to being an natural it's easy to give in to the creamy crack lol.

But type 3's? Why? I would love to be able to just do a wash and go, to have curls without a twist or braid out or rollerset, to have hair that can be brushed flat into a pony tail without having to use a scarf to tie down the edges etc, to be able to retain more length since the hair is less fragile, less dry and less likely to ssk.

Anyway, I know I'm supposed to think all hair type are pretty and maintenance and care on a 4a/b head is just as quick and easy as any other hair type but I'm not there yet.

I don't think type 4 type hair is "bad" and 3 and under is "good" perse, just a bit easier i.e. less bulk. Nobody can rock a fro like a type 4 though

I agree, I will never relax my hair again. My mom relaxed my hair when I was younger because she didn't know what else to do with it (She's of west indian and cuban parents) .. ugh! It damaged my hair. When I got older I completely stopped relaxing it, let it all grow out, and now I have all natural hair. It seems so much healthier.

3's... don't relax!

 

[NikkiGirl]

I am a type 3 and I didn't like my hair that much growing up. I grew up in SC and couldn't do a thing with it because it would be curly and cute in the morning and a big puffball in the afternoon. That being said, it is also about region. Everyone around me was relaxing their heads, so it became like a rite of passage almost. My mom let me do it as a "I am going to high school" kind of thing. And honestly in the south, I don't see that many naturals, that being 3 or 4.

However, this lady at work ask me if I relaxed my hair a while back and I told her no. (I didn't then) I am transitioning now. Anyway, she said "well you have that good hair you don't have to". She has dreads by the way, and very cute IMO. I quickly told her that hair is just hair and it is how you take care of it. I wasn't taught to think I didn't have to relax because my mom thought my hair was hard to deal with and would keep me in braids and only take the braids out for church on Sunday.

ETA: By the way, my mom and oldest sister are type 4 and she thought their hair was easier to care for. This was just her opinion.

 

[MissMusic]

I completely understand OP. I was natural for a good bit of time and loved my type 4 hair. I had the maintenance of it down and could create most any style I wanted, but I like to wear it out mostly in an afro. Of course I loved this, but once it reached APL no one could see around my hair in orchestra, so I had to wear it in twists and braids all of the time. Since playing in orchestra's and band's is my profession, I simply decided to relax cause it was just more practical and had to actually learn to embrace the relaxed texture.

But boy do I miss my natural hair...

Here's a pic of my hair in a twist out while conducting (not my usual place in the band/orchestra, lol):

Wash n Go:

Boy I loved my big hair, lol!

 

[Cisselette]

I am guessing this because I have been around type 4 hair more than any other hair in my life and I have never envied any other hair type.

's like when some of you as kids wore towels on their heads and pretended it was long flowing hair. You saw that hair on TV, in movies, in books and around you, and while your hair was relaxed so you hair sorta looked like that, it may have been too short to swing, so you dreamed of having hair down your back that flows and moves when you move your head. I think the "envy" is really more from familiarity with hair that looks more like 3, 2 and 1...than anything else. And then because it's on every person who's called "beautiful" in magazines and movies...it grows on you and you believe in it and come to associate it with beauty. You'll be surprised how a seed planted in a young mind grows into a tree way back in the subconscious that keeps waving it's branches even if only in the dark.

I grew up in Gabon, central Africa, surrounded by mostly types 4. Still, most of us envied the few mixed girls around us with types 3 or 2 hair.

We viewed them as the most beautiful amongst us and they were always the most popular in school(boys and girls).

We did the towel on the head thing too. I think it's not so much about what you see around you but rather what you are taught. Most of the shows we used to watch came from France or the States. As you said, we rarely ever saw our type of hair on TV or in magazines and ended up associating it with being ugly and undesirable.

In an African country, by the time I was in 8th grade, we were only two in my classroom with natural hair... and I remember us getting viciously teased and ostracized because of it. The pressure was tremendous.

My mother wouldn't let me get a relaxer because she wanted to preserve my natural hair as long as possible and I hated her for that. She didn't know the first thing about kinky hair or how to take care of it but she knew she didn't want chemicals on both her daughters heads.

On my 14th birthday she finally gave in and bought me a relaxer as a birthday present. That was the happiest day of my life! The next day I went to school with my APL straight hair and everyone congratulated me for having such beautiful long hair... as if it was the first time they ever saw me


I'm natural again and I had to unlearn a lot of things that I thought to be true. And yes, at the beginning of my hair journey, I did think type 3 was better, prettier and easier to manage than type 4 and didn't understand why someone with such hair type would wanna relax.

That was no more than a year ago... It's really HARD to undo decades of alienation and dare I say it? Self-hate.

I don't see my hair type as anything less than, anymore. But this realization had to come from within, when I finally understood that the "problem" was not on my head but in it.

BlackMasterPiece said it so beautifully in one of her post:

- Always bear in mind that if you have an issue with your hair, then that means that there is something amiss with your techniques and/or products. Never look at your hair or your texture as the issue.....it never is.

I couldn't agree more.

 

[sheca]

subscribin...bumpin...all of it, love the pics and info in this thread

 

[hopeful]

In the end all of us have to come to terms with and fully accept our texture or our multiple textures despite what others (parents, boyfriends, strangers, the media, etc.) tell us. We just have to care less about others opinions if they are negative. And we have to silence our own inner voice that whispers negative crap about our hair: I hate the multiple textures, I wish I was a 3 or 4 or 2 instead of what I am, my hair is too nappy, kinky, coily, dry, fragile, thick, IMO it all boils down to hating an aspect of ourselves. And that is a painful pill to swallow.

We have to find a way to accept the hair that grows out of our head, embrace it, then be patient and kind enough to give it what it wants and needs, then wear it with pride regardless of frizz and any other seeming imperfection. I have come to fully accept everything about myself: my past, my personality, my skin color, my face, my figure. I kind of adore me, so it stands to reason that I simply must come to terms with my hair and learn to completely adore it too.

 

[GreenD]

Interesting topic! My neighbor calls type 2-3 hair "Jesus Grass". IDK where he got that term from, but he said his dad told him he had it. So I give him grief with that one, as I must have "Devil Dirt"!

I scratch my head at people with 2-3ish type hair say their hair is "nappy", "difficult", or so "unmanageable". For example, my neice has 3 something type hair (but VERY thick) and whenever I would comb/detangle it (or get ready to) in her nape area, she would grab her nape and scream. My sister and I would look at her like she's crazy and joke about how she has these huge curls and all you need to do is lick your fingers and run though it and BAM the tangle is gone. So in my opinion she would never need to get a relaxer for manageability, which is why I thought people relaxed.

But I guess everyone as individuals has learned what they can and cannot deal with and what's manageable for some isn't manageable for others.

 

[JustSimplyTish]

I actually think that website made sense... what they said was "5" textured hair... there really are so many different types of "4s..." cottony, wiry, thick, thin... I think this is a good way to classify hair. How can we really decide whats right or wrong? Its really whatever helps the person keep up their hair on a daily basis, and whatever helps a stylist decide how to take care of that person's hair. Granted I hate the word nappy, but that website makes a lot of sense. My hair is a 4 and I can get a curl definition... how is another woman's a 4 who has a z pattern and next to no shine going to use the same products as I do? certain things I used on this site that were recommended for 4s made my hair a mushy over-moisturized mess. I think all the typing systems work personally. You can't really say what is right and wrong across the board... just for yourself. And of course terminology use... nobody's hair is nappy.
BUt anyways justsimplytish I like that website it gave a different perspective. thanks for posting it.

I have to admit the Nappy wording threw me...But the descriptions themselves did help me with my understanding....I guess there is no hair typing chart that is the "certified" rule or one that is guaranteed to be correct...it is all up to which one makes more sense and logic to the person reading and trying to understand it

 

[Vshanell]

I don't understand all the wondering why. We were all at a point where we didn't know how to care for our hair. We weren't educated. I hated my curls at that time, that's why I relaxed mine. Everyone had relaxed hair and I hadn't come into my own yet to accept myself and step out there with a natural head.

 

[Egyptjones]

I wish I'd never gotten a relaxer. Not sure of my hair type...never really spent any time trying to figure it out but I DO know that I love it!!

 

[Vshanell]

Just wanted to add that my mom has type 4 relaxed hair. Her hair is long pretty and straight....I wanted that. The only way she knew to give me that was a relaxer, and I didn't know anything, lol. I didn't get relaxed until high school. I remember in middle school I would look at all the girls hair and the straw that broke the camel's back was this one day at field day they sprayed us with water and my bangs curled up and poofed, I was horrified. All the other girls had straight, relaxed wet hair....nothing crazy looking like what was going on on my forehead, lol. Even though these girls all seemed to have damaged relaxed hair I still wanted it because it was straight and didn't poof up as soon as I stepped out the door......typical teenage mentality I guess. The relaxer was like a evolution for me. It was a learning process. I don't think I'd be where I'm at now without that experience. I started coming into my own.

 

[JustSimplyTish]

In case I didn't answer it...I grew up in Ohio....and the area I grew up in was predominantly white....so I wanted my hair relaxed because I wanted long straight hair like my white friends and classmates....Yeah I was 14 and didn't know any better then...as you know better you do better...But yeah I wanted to be and look like everyone else and everyone else wasn't kinky curly at the time.....And at the time...my mom was not knowledgeable on hair and it's care either...she is bi-racial and has straight hair...so she did not know how to give me straight hair other than to perm it like she was told by a stylist at the time was the only way to achieve it other than pressing it every week and she was not about to be pressing no hair loll..there were no flat irons when I was 14