Smooth coils and/or kinky coils (pics) - What do you have?

[anon123]

This is a spinoff on the curly/kinky/coily thread. My hair is primarily cottony in overall appearance. But there are a couple of sections that want to act differently.

One section is where devil's horns would be, on either side of my head. This tiny section can make perfect spirals:

The hair at my nape is different. I've always known this, but since joining hair boards, I've paid more attention. That hair wants to clump up to form kinky spiral curl, though it usually doesn't do a good job of it. Every once in a blue moon with enough conditioner and minimal combing, though, it will. You can see bends along the length, like the famous Teri's curls, and unlike the perfect coils above.

So what do you find on your head? Smooth spirals/waves/curls? Or kinky ones?

 

[1QTPie]

All of my hair looks like the hair in your first picture. They range in size, but they are identically coiled from root to tip.

 

[luvn_life]

Both of your hair is beautiful... I'm relaxed so I don't really know. But, I just wanted to comment.

 

[tatiana]

I have smooth curls/coils. Actually my hair is satiny-- it is not silky and it not cottony.

I am glad you brought this up. For some reason this never gets talk about too much on this forum.

A lot of people are wrap up in "Am I 3c or 4a or 4b" which okay but IMO knowing if you have fine, thin, thick, cottony, silky, satiny, or coarse hair is just as important or more important than knowing what letter and number you belong to.

 

[silvergirl]

hair without product: wash n go dry hair

smooth coils, regardless of size, the pencil sized one and fat marker sized one all seem to behave mostly the same.

my hair washed only with water: wash n go dry hair

my hair with product: wash n go dry hair

 

[Vshanell]

Wow, look at that pretty coil. It reminds me so much of a pen coil. Your hair is amazing mwedzi.

I guess my hair is kinda smooth spirals/curls/waves but I think my curls are highly textured and frizzy so I'm not sure I'd classify them as smooth. Actually I think I'm unclear of what would classify as smooth coils, any examples?

My nape is more kinky, dry, brittle and wiry textured. It's basically just a mound of fluff w/o much definition unless I gel it to death. I can't really get that section to grow either.

 

[poookie]

my new growth comes in as tiny kinky coils. my sis is natural, and hers look EXACTLY like yours, mwedzi. they are SO cute!

 

[Soliel185]

I have smooth curls/coils. Actually my hair is satiny-- it is not silky and it not cottony.

I am glad you brought this up. For some reason this never gets talk about too much on this forum.

A lot of people are wrap up in "Am I 3c or 4a or 4b" which okay but IMO knowing if you have fine, thin, thick, cottony, silky, satiny, or coarse hair is just as important or more important than knowing what letter and number you belong to.

I always wondered about this. I noticed that some naturals - particularly in the 3 and down (though the occasional 4 too) have hair that looks "silky". It's almost like really tightly coiled relaxed hair if that makes sense. But I don't think that that characteristic is dependent on hair type -- I just never knew what caused it.

Does the relative coarseness/fineness of one's hair determine how "silky or satiny" its appearance would be?

To the OP -

The ends through my nape and sides going up to the crown form spirals. The front and crown have curled ends. While wet - my hair has texture to the root, but it's different depending on the area -- nape/sides = perfect coiled up spirals, the crown and top is wavier, and gets looser the closer you get to the crown.

Looking at old pics I don't see this so much, but maybe it's a result of my taking better care of my hair and really looking at it.

 

[anon123]

Wow, look at that pretty coil. It reminds me so much of a pen coil. Your hair is amazing mwedzi.

I guess my hair is kinda smooth spirals/curls/waves but I think my curls are highly textured and frizzy so I'm not sure I'd classify them as smooth. Actually I think I'm unclear of what would classify as smooth coils, any examples?

My nape is more kinky, dry, brittle and wiry textured. It's basically just a mound of fluff w/o much definition unless I gel it to death. I can't really get that section to grow either.

Hmm, not sure. I think Cheleigh's coils are smooth, maybe I'm wrong. It's a good point, though. What makes a curl/coil "frizzy" or silky or cottony or whatever. I don't know.

Thanks, Tyna!

 

[Soliel185]

Hmm, not sure. I think Cheleigh's coils are smooth, maybe I'm wrong. It's a good point, though. What makes a curl/coil "frizzy" or silky or cottony or whatever. I don't know.

Thanks, Tyna!

When I say "silky" I mean what I imagine the hair would feel like - tactile texture. I don't think silky hair is immune to frizz.

 

[Vshanell]

Silvergirl's hair seems like it would classify as smooth. I'm thinking because her curls are so defined and frizz free even w/o product. Mine would be extremely poofy and frizzy.

 

[MummysGirl]

Still transitioning, my siggy is a picture of my coil a few months into my transition.

After looking at responses, I definitely have kinky coils although I have no idea what the difference is. I guess I'll know my hair more when I BC.

 

[tocktick]

I like your kinky coils.

I think I see more smooth coils in my hair. They range from pen spring size to pencil size now (the weight of my hair has elongated some of the coils). Although my hair is mainly 4a (I think), I also have 4b mixed in there too but that part of my hair is a mixture of very, very small coils and just plain frizz. Here is a (bad) tex pic of my hair when I had a twa:

I don't really have any recent texture shots showing how my coils look now that my hair is longer because I tend to only show my hair stretched out. My camera sucks too .

 

[Vshanell]

I found some pics of my texture. This is the smoothest part of my hair, I don't have any pics of my nape. My hair has products in this pic.

 

[silvergirl]

my hair is very fine as well, this is one reason why dont normally use product, because when i do it weighs it down and makes me look like i have no hair on my head. you can see in that dried product picture it looks very "spanish wave" like.. thin very defined curls .. nothing wrong with that type of curl but on me it just look weird, unless it was super long, kind of like teris. then it may look better with product. if i do use product, i usually have too use a barely there amount and mix it with water.

id describe my hair as fine stranded, medium density, smooth some silky strands even with "frizz" it can still have a natural shine. coily, spirally, wavy. hates oils, butters.

i also believe texture is not based on curl size type 1-4 can all have smooth textured hair

 

[anon123]

I found some pics of my texture. This is the smoothest part of my hair, I don't have any pics of my nape. My hair has products in this pic.

See, looking at that first pic, I would have said you have kinky curls. They are like the much bigger version of the 2nd pic I posted. I can see bends in your curls.

 

[PeaceFlow]

Ever since I was around 18 I have times where my hair likes to clump into curls/waves/coils all over my head for months, and then it settles into a cloud fro for the majority of the year.
No Idea why it does this.

 

[Neith]

I think I'm mostly kinky coils

I do have some smooth coils though.

This is my best shot of it...

I really need to pick up some batteries for my camera. This pic is pre denman. With the denman my texture shows through a little bit more.

 

[nappi]

i have kinks and naps

 

[ajoyfuljoy]

My hair makes small coils, they range from the size of a straw to the size of a pen spring. The nape of my hair seems to grow in as satiny, sheeny small spirals. The crown of my head is kind of satiny. But other parts of my head seem to be course and not as satiny.

I'm still figuring it out. This is from playing with 1.5 inches of NG mind you lachen. It seems that when I use coconut oil and a nice leave in, my hair lays pretty smooth and the coils lay down nice and uniform like. But a couple of days after the wash. They fluff up and go afro on me!

The side of my hair seems to not coil as much. It is just soft. They all coil but in a disorganized way. I think this all has to do with the short amount of NG I'm using to determine all of this. Heck, I probably shouldn't even be posting up in here but this is all I can figure out for now.

My hair is THICK! If I let my relaxed hair airdry out it will fluff up like you wouldn't believe.

So I think my new hair type will be kinky coils with some afro thrown up in there

 

[Ediese]

I think my hair is pretty weird. It forms a lot of kinky spiral/curls on the sides and at the back. The crown area is textured, but straight. I classify it as kinky curly, 4a. It's definitely not smooth. I know exactly what you mean by smooth though.

Wet hair no product










Semi Dry



Dry w/product

 

[Junebug D]

Mostly cotton & kinky coils. Though I do have a few of the smooth coils in the crown that look exactly like Mwedzi's, and they feel like perfect cylinders.

 

[Wildchild453]

Mine is kinky curly with a cotton texture

 

[yamilee21]

Interesting... ALL the coils and curls I see on my head have bends, no matter how tight or loose they are. Doesn't look like there is even one smooth coil.

 

[Oasis]

Kinky, and very very coarse.

 

[SEMO]

I have smooth curls/coils. Actually my hair is satiny-- it is not silky and it not cottony.

I am glad you brought this up. For some reason this never gets talk about too much on this forum.

A lot of people are wrap up in "Am I 3c or 4a or 4b" which okay but IMO knowing if you have fine, thin, thick, cottony, silky, satiny, or coarse hair is just as important or more important than knowing what letter and number you belong to.

I agree. I'm still learning in this area. I have my curl size down (3c/4a) at least. When I first started typing my hair I typed it as 4a/b (until I got told otherwise). Now I have to move on and figure out the texture (which I have more than one of). Some of my strands are fine and some are thick/coarse.

But I don't know if it's cottony or satiny (or both). I'm pretty sure it's not silky (though I used to think it was).

I think my hair is pretty weird. It forms a lot of kinky spiral/curls on the sides and at the back. The crown area is textured, but straight. I classify it as kinky curly, 4a. It's definitely not smooth. I know exactly what you mean by smooth though.

Wet hair no product










Semi Dry



Dry w/product

I love your hair in all these pics.

 

[princessnad]

fine strands, medium density, 4a size cottony/ kinky coils in the middle, 4a size satiny coils in the front, 2b silky waves in the back.

 

[Fine 4s]

I'm too scared to let my hair airdry with no product (I don't do WNGs) ! Talk about a tangled mess! But I'm willing to try one day...
I have kinks not curls. I also have fine strands, medium density (borders on large), 4b texture cottony (no real definition) / kinky coils in the middle, 4a size satiny spirals at the nape.

 

[NikStarrr]

My hair is more small S-curls then coils only at the ends really.

 

[Solitude]

Interesting... ALL the coils and curls I see on my head have bends, no matter how tight or loose they are. Doesn't look like there is even one smooth coil.

What would a smooth coil look like?

This is an excellent thread.