Well, I dare someone to post a close up picture of this so called "zig-zag" sharp angle hair. I question whether this texture actually exists. I have never seen anyone post an example of this type- and I don't believe hair grows out of the head at sharp angles.
Andre needs to reexamine this 4b category and throw the very tightly coiled people in there where they belong. From my researched of the whole issue- hair gets its shape from the hair follicle. Under a scientific view, I cannot locate anywhere a report of a follicle that produces hair that throws out "z's".
**Someone please post a close up picture of their "z" shaped hair (like Mwedzi's siggy picture; or Nonies closeups). Then we can settle this for once and for all.
Andre: "There are two subtypes of Type 4 hair: Type 4A, tightly coiled hair that, when stretched, has an "S" pattern, much like curly hair; and
Type 4B, which has a "Z" pattern, less of a defined curl pattern (instead of curling or coiling, the hair bends in sharp angles like the letter "Z")."
lol, i can't take the madness anymore
i don't think 4b hair exists. (for me 4 a & b are the same. what
a lot are calling 4a, is really 3-type hair ... but i digress) i've given it a chance after all these years, lol, to see someone with this z-shaped pattern ... and after over 10 years of looking, i've yet to see it.
all 4-type hair has some type of coil. therefore if 4b hair = z-shaped, sharp-angled hair, & no one has z-shaped, sharp-angled hair, then by definition 4b hair dne (does not exist) .... with that said, to me the "z-shape" is just describing a
small coil from its side view -- stretched-out & tiny. all curly hair -- when stretched or elongated -- forms s's, z's, 5's, o's and the like -- it's the nature of curly hair. but the diameter of the curl determines whether you see these shapes easliy "type 3", or not "type 4". if you look at an individual strand of "4b" hair it is still usually a tiny coil, or shrinks up into an "o".
i bought andre's book when it came out. read it, & from his descriptions determined that i had type 4a hair. because even though my hair is nappy, undefined, afro-texture, i could see it was composed of a bunch of tiny curls/coils. [for clarity's sake, i gradually switched to 4 a/b because -- especially on hairboards -- i saw more & more people with my hair type describing it as 4b.]
i took andre's word -- & accepted that because he was a hair professional -- that he'd had contact with this so called "4b" hair -- i've yet to see it.
every c-napp, 4b picture someone's posted, i see a density of curls: small, tiny, frizzy, nappy, condensed,
usually dry, shrunken curls -- but curls none the less.
just because your hair doesn't form loopy ringlets, doesn't mean you don't have a curl pattern.
an afro is made up of tiny, separated curls. you have to get up close to see the curls, but they are still there all packed together
. the reason shingling or other defining types of manipulation work is because nappy hair has coils. that is the nature of our hair -- you can't bring out what ain't there ... and your hair may not form perfect, coily, loopy ringlets but the curl pattern that is there will be more pronounced -- still a little frizzy & nappy, but still more defined.
i think we're also experiencing a paradigm shift -- because long, loose, afro-textured hair isn't the norm ... it's usually relaxed. so there's all this confusion with what our texture is and looks like longer, and in it's natural state. before, the
main examples of
long, nappy, tightly-afro textured hair were locs. now, there are more & more examples of longer, loose nappy, natural hair -- and it is new, and exciting.
what i'm discovering as my hair grows longer is that with maintaining increased strand moisture levels & retaining length -- my afro hair will flop & fall like other curly heads of hair. that doesn't mean the texture or nature of my hair has changed -- it's still nappy -- but its looks/characteristics will change as it gets longer, heavier, & is kept more hydrated -- as my afro hair has grown longer, and as i've kept the strands more hydrated, the coil/curl pattern has elongated.
i'm almost through with andre's whole system
i see it's general form -- types 1-4 (even if somewhat hierarchical) -- being useful with products, but beyond that .. trying to break it down more than that is too much. (4a-z)
i think we can agree that within each type (especially 3-4) there's a spectrum.
regardless, you can learn & find products that will work for your hair from any hair type, if you're open to it. i know i have
... water, henna & olive oil come to mind ... still no matter where you get it from, you still have to try it on your hair to see if it works.