So I've looked around to get some idea of how Andre Walker defines the 4's. Should have done this from day 1, especially if I planned to describe my hair as a "4".
I haven't read his book but according to
http://www.curlcentric.com/hair-typing-system, "
Type 4 Kinky Hair: Type 4 is “kinky” or more appropriately full of tight coils (tightly curled hair). Typically, Type 4 hair is also extremely wiry and fragile. Often times, it appears to be coarse, however it is really very fine, with several thin hair strands densely packed together. Note that type 4 hair is one the most common hair types found in black hair (african american hair).
- Type 4A hair is full of tight coils. It has a “S” pattern when stretched, much like Type 3 curly hair.
- Type 4B hair has a less defined pattern of curls and looks more like a “Z” as the hair bends with very sharp angles.
- Type 4C hair isn’t a part of the Andre Walker Hair Typing System. Please see the “what’s missing” section below for more information.
...Type 4C, like Type 3C, isn’t an actual hair type according to Andre Walker’s Hair System.
His comments are actually very simple regarding Type 4 (Kinky) hair – if you can see a definite curl pattern, then you have Type 4A hair. If you can’t identify a defined, specific curl pattern, then your hair type is 4B. I would imagine that the Type 4C hair type was created by a member within the natural hair community – just like the Type 3C hair type."
This makes more sense to me as it is curl-pattern specific like the curly girl method. I think 4c was created by women who perhaps didn't understand his "system" or just wanted to add to it.
@Mische
