Texture vs. Coil Pattern

[cocoberry10]

Oh im waiting untill we pull the microscopes out in class I dont know what their going to be doing, but im looking at my hair. Oh yes.


But anybody can have frizz hair from what i've read. Moisture weighs hair down, and frizzy hair is drys which allows it to fly all over the place. Coarser hair probally gets it easier since it has a tendacy to be dry.
Your hair doesnt look coarse at all though---what do you use on it again? ---did you say you oil it while it was still wet and wash every 2 weeks?

I feel like my entire hair type is frizzy lol if that's possible!

 

[nymane]

this is a very interesting thread!

 

[halee_J]

I was thinking about this only yesterday. I think that texture plays as large a role as coil pattern. My texture is 3c/4a, and my natural hair even after intense steaming with a moisture DC, literally feels like brush bristles with no product on it. When I was natural, it took alot of heat to straighten my hair and it was always kinda dull looking, water used to bead off of my hair I'd have to stand under running water for a good minute before it bacame wet, and all the clarifying and chelating never changed that; characteristics of coarse hair. People when they looked at my hair would be like 'wow you have that nice curly soft hair' just looking at it but when I said, really? It looks soft,touch it...they go like . My hair is super coarse and resistant to the point where leaving regular relaxer on for 1hr leaves my hair looking tex-laxed. I need super for 30min to get it bone straight. My hair does better relaxed because my cutlices have been lifted so my hair can get moisture better and its consquently much much softer.

Disclaimer: I am in no way implying any natural vs. relaxed anyting I'm just sharing my experience.

So texture and coil pattern do not correlate at all, at least for me.

 

[Neith]

Texture, curl pattern, and density have a lot to do with the way your hair looks and behaves. There are a lot of variables when it comes to hair.

That's why two people may have the same curl pattern, but their hair acts and looks different.



halee_J - I can relate to the really coarse hair. Looks soft, right? If you touch it, you'd get a surprise.

I'm sticking with being natural though... it's not so bad when you get the hang of it.

 

[luckiestdestiny]

I was thinking about this only yesterday. I think that texture plays as large a role as coil pattern. My texture is 3c/4a, and my natural hair even after intense steaming with a moisture DC, literally feels like brush bristles with no product on it. When I was natural, it took alot of heat to straighten my hair and it was always kinda dull looking, water used to bead off of my hair I'd have to stand under running water for a good minute before it bacame wet, and all the clarifying and chelating never changed that; characteristics of coarse hair. People when they looked at my hair would be like 'wow you have that nice curly soft hair' just looking at it but when I said, really? It looks soft,touch it...they go like . My hair is super coarse and resistant to the point where leaving regular relaxer on for 1hr leaves my hair looking tex-laxed. I need super for 30min to get it bone straight. My hair does better relaxed because my cutlices have been lifted so my hair can get moisture better and its consquently much much softer.

Disclaimer: I am in no way implying any natural vs. relaxed anyting I'm just sharing my experience.

So texture and coil pattern do not correlate at all, at least for me.

Is your hair relaxed in your siggy? I thought you were natural there. But then again my siggy is straight and I'm a natural who just flat ironed it there so assumptions are foolish anyways. Just curious.

 

[halee_J]

Is your hair relaxed in your siggy? I thought you were natural there. But then again my siggy is straight and I'm a natural who just flat ironed it there so assumptions are foolish anyways. Just curious.

Yeah I'm relaxed with super my hair is resistant

ETA: My siggy pic was taken 3 wks post relaxer

 

[halee_J]

Texture, curl pattern, and density have a lot to do with the way your hair looks and behaves. There are a lot of variables when it comes to hair.

That's why just because two people may have the same curl pattern, but their hair acts and looks different.



halee_J - I can relate to the really coarse hair. Looks soft, right? If you touch it, you'd get a surprise.

I'm sticking with being natural though... it's not so bad when you get the hang of it.

@ the bolded: Girl.....people are shocked every time

 

[Fine 4s]

I'm very late on this but I agree with Glam.

My hair can get silky when blowdried (not this light blowout in my siggy) but it's a lil' kinkier than Manuela's. This is due to the fine texture of my strands.

I have a lot of fine strands on my head....

IMHO it's more about the actual strands fine, medium or coarse texture that would define how silky or how easily one can blowdry rather than the actual pattern or design of the hair strand. Although a combination of all basic characteristics of hair and its health I'm sure affect the straightening ability.

 

[melodies815]

For those with smooth texture, do you find that your hair will pull "straight" if pushed back into a ponytail?

I have 4a/b. My strands are thick and coarse, but not rough. As I have learned to take care of it, it gets smoother and smoother. What I thought was roughness was actually single strand knots that I didn't know until now how to avoid.

When I push back into a ponytail, my edges and hair until the ponytail are wavy...not straight...but the hair is very, very smooth. It's easy to pull back. It was surprising to me when I did this a few nights ago, but I don't think I will do this a lot since I like my edges and don't want stress there from pulling...

 

[LoveCraze]

Thanks for bumping this thread NYMANE.
Though I'm transitioning, my hair is fine and thin with a coily curl pattern. Maybe 3C in nape and 4ish everywhere else. I can lay down the top with gel and get small waves. When I would get it relaxed it would be super silky to almost slippery. And it had much swang. But it would just be so plastered/flat looking in need of texture bad. That's why I'm transitioning. I'm anxious to see what my true texture will be once these relaxed ends are gone. But I'm patient.

 

[almond eyes]

Great thread!!!!!!. My hair is still a mystery to me. My hair is dense with fine strands and very soft. I am natural and have no seemingly visible waves or curls. When I used to get relaxers, my hair would get waves. However, my hair would end up snapping off very quickly in the touch-up and combing process which is why I eventually stopped wearing relaxers. My hair thrives off of oils and butters and people always ask me if I have a mild texturiser that needs to be touched up. My nape though is naturally wavy and not that short. When I pull back my hair, it does not get or look straight at all.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[Vshanell]

LOL @ cat fur fine
I know exactly what you mean! I think fine hair has more shrinkage because it's so light. I love silky soft hair

Yes yes yes.

 

[southerncitygirl]

thanks for this post...very informative. I get very confused when people try to equate shine to hair type because I've seen all hair types(1-4) with varying amounts of shine, shine, or coarseness, so for a long time hair typing didn't seem to make sense to me.

 

[curlydrea]

Interesting.

Although my hair is a strong 4a, It isnt coarse like one would assume. Although i have alot of shrinkage, it is very easy to stretch without heat. It is also very managable pliable and behaves very well.
The back and sides of my hair is 3c curl pattern, but fros and behaves like my 4a hair. And i have a quarter size spot at my crown that is 4zzzz and is very hard to stretch and gets horrible SSN. I really have work with it and baby it.

So i can see how curl pattern and texture are different, thats why hair typing is broad and not always accurate.

 

[FindingMe]

This is VERY valid.

I have very coarse wiry dense hair with coils from pencil to cigar width that really don't clump and play nice together. My hair does well with braidouts, twists and twistouts and is awesome in a fro (it stand up and out and maintains it's shape, even in inclimate weather). Although I can't wear pulled/slicked back styles effectively (It doesn't lay down and alwys puffs up and swells at the root), my hair tends to maintain whatever style I wear easily. I dont have knotting or tangling issues either but I have to use a LOT of product on my hair.

My DD has very fine, very thin strands that are sparse on her head. Her coils are actually very tiny, from penspring to large crayon width and clump together without a lot of effort to form pretty spirals. Her hair pulls back into puffs and buns VERY easily and smooths and straightens out when done like this (almost to the appearance of 2b-3a type hair). Her puffs and buns are gorgeous. Her hair has a difficult time keeping a loose style as it almost always reverts back to its tiny coils bc the hair is very soft and very thin. Braidouts and twist outs don't work very well on her hair and even though her hair coils are smaller than mine, her hair will only stay in twists if I do a 3 strand twist. 2 strands unravel on her hair, but braids are very effective and hold well. She can only use a tiny bit of product or her hair will get limp and her hair knots VERY easily and we deal with single strand knots and tangles on the daily....

This is VERY valid. You need to undertsand your hair and what it will do. Becuase we have two completely different types of hair, we can't use the same products and have to manage our hair differently with different styling techniques. Most of my products are too heavy and constricting for her hair and most of hers are too light and have no effect on mine.

 

[kblc06]

Most definitely.... I personally feel styles are much more versatile for silky 4a/b hair than thready or cottony 3a/b/c (like the hair on my head right now looking like a pile of frizz erplexed)

Okay ladies! I didn't find anything that really addressed this when I searched.

I know all about 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4zlol.

Anyway, I am still transitioning and haven't done a BC (and am trying to hold off until June or July)!

My question is: Do you think that texture plays more into what you can/cannot do with your hair than simply coil pattern?

Meaning, do you think that if you had the pattern of 3a/b/c, but a very coarse, rough texture, that you would be more limited than someone with 4a/b/c/d/z that had very soft/silky texture but very tightly coiled strands?

I'm really trying to learn my natural hair, and I'm starting to wonder if texture is more determinative of a hair's styling options than simply the pattern.

I am just curious and hope someone with knowledge can share! I hope this doesn't offend anyone, b/c I know on this board that we have all learned how to do much with the beautiful diverse hair we were given!

I'm going to search for some photos to show what I mean!

 

[kblc06]

Precisely ....Your daughter's hair reminds me very much of my mom's hair. TaraDyan (sp?) also comes to mind as someone with 3c/4a silky hair that's easily manipulated. It is very difficult to manipulate my hair dry with minimal product because the strands tangle and stick together like velcro, raising the cuticle. Any style I do has to be set or reset only when its wet and it stays there until I wet it again . Only thing is, unlike your hair, my hair is fine (but the strands have the texture of thread). Braids & twist unravel as soon as I put them in and it doesn't fro unless its 6 inches or shorter. In effect, I look sideshow Bob most of the time

This is VERY valid.

I have very coarse wiry dense hair with coils from pencil to cigar width that really don't clump and play nice together. My hair does well with braidouts, twists and twistouts and is awesome in a fro (it stand up and out and maintains it's shape, even in inclimate weather). Although I can't wear pulled/slicked back styles effectively (It doesn't lay down and alwys puffs up and swells at the root), my hair tends to maintain whatever style I wear easily. I dont have knotting or tangling issues either but I have to use a LOT of product on my hair.

My DD has very fine, very thin strands that are sparse on her head. Her coils are actually very tiny, from penspring to large crayon width and clump together without a lot of effort to form pretty spirals. Her hair pulls back into puffs and buns VERY easily and smooths and straightens out when done like this (almost to the appearance of 2b-3a type hair). Her puffs and buns are gorgeous. Her hair has a difficult time keeping a loose style as it almost always reverts back to its tiny coils bc the hair is very soft and very thin. Braidouts and twist outs don't work very well on her hair and even though her hair coils are smaller than mine, her hair will only stay in twists if I do a 3 strand twist. 2 strands unravel on her hair, but braids are very effective and hold well. She can only use a tiny bit of product or her hair will get limp and her hair knots VERY easily and we deal with single strand knots and tangles on the daily....

This is VERY valid. You need to undertsand your hair and what it will do. Becuase we have two completely different types of hair, we can't use the same products and have to manage our hair differently with different styling techniques. Most of my products are too heavy and constricting for her hair and most of hers are too light and have no effect on mine.

 

[LongCurlz]

I think texture and coil pattern are two different things thats why the hair typing system is so inaccurate to me, for instance my curl pattern is a 3c but my texture and strands are very course and frizzy like a 4a/b, I have very defined curls but very course, low shine without products, and frizzy.

 

[Oasis]

People always say thick, coarse stands can withstand more than finer stands but my hair doesn't work that way.

Whenever I have breakage the little "C's" are always very thick and come from my coarser strands. My fine strands are very strong and rarely break. I wonder why that is.

My hair looks different depending on what style it's in. When it is dry and shrunken it looks very 4b. I think 4b has a very distinctive look even when it's in braids or twists but my hair doesn't look like that at all when braided or twisted. It looks 4a.

 

[purplepeace79]

I have read through this whole thread and all it does is reinforce that for every person on this earth, there is a hair type. There are SO many things to consider, from curl pattern, to density, to strand size, to "silkiness". If you have those 4 major characteristics, and each has sub-catergories and such, there's going to be tons and tons of "hair types".

Does it affect styling choices? OF COURSE. We're limited in doing some things and we can do other things well. We just have to learn what works for our hair and go with it. Like with me, two strand twists look a hot mess. So, I dont do that style too often.

I have: hair that has an S wave from the root until about 75% down the shaft, then coils into a pen spring coil. The only section that isnt like that is the back, which has no coil at the end, its just the S wave. My strands are fine, as in smaller than a piece of thread. My hair is NOT dense, meaning I dont have a LOT of strands. I dont know much about the difference between shine and sheen, so I cant comment on that lol. As for silkiness, some parts are, some parts arent. My shrinkage factor is SICK and I think its like a sista said upthread that fine hair shrinks more because it is lighter and wont hang as much on its own.

I can pull my hair back into a bun with no problem and have no bulk. I can brush out a whispy fro thats soft and sways in the wind. My hair blowdries pretty straight and Ive never used a flat iron. My wash n gos dont require a lot of product and I dont use a lot of product to define my curls as they do that on their own. I'll never have chunky fat twists. Box braids look corny on me. SSKs used to be a big issue, but I've managed that.

However, my hair is nappy. And I love it. I love being nappy. Will always love it. So instead of focusing on what my hair can't do, I just focus on what it CAN do and keep it moving lol

 

[FindingMe]

Most definitely.... I personally feel styles are much more versatile for silky 4a/b hair than thready or cottony 3a/b/c (like the hair on my head right now looking like a pile of frizz erplexed)

See, I don't. I think my hair with it's coarse wiry strands are more versatile than my daughter's. If you twist or braid my hair when wet, let it out, it will stay that way. I can use flexirods, curlformers, rollers, etc and my hair responds well. My daughter's hair is so soft, her hair starts to shrink and coil within minutes.

Her hair mkes the prettiest buns, though. My hair doesn't do that as well.

I love her hair and I love my hair...it's just different and does and requires different things.

 

[FindingMe]

I have read through this whole thread and all it does is reinforce that for every person on this earth, there is a hair type. There are SO many things to consider, from curl pattern, to density, to strand size, to "silkiness". If you have those 4 major characteristics, and each has sub-catergories and such, there's going to be tons and tons of "hair types".

Does it affect styling choices? OF COURSE. We're limited in doing some things and we can do other things well. We just have to learn what works for our hair and go with it. Like with me, two strand twists look a hot mess. So, I dont do that style too often....

...So instead of focusing on what my hair can't do, I just focus on what it CAN do and keep it moving lol

I agree. It's imperative to know what type of hair you have when accessing your styling options and making product choices...which has pretty much been said over and over on the board. My post was another validation of that fact.

pp79, exactly! Don't focus on what your hair can't achieve, bc there are modifications for everything and every style that you can use to fit your hair type. (We do have a hair "type," it's just a lot of the commonly used classification systems don't take into account all of the factors required to accurately type hair, which leads to confusion.) Options are pretty much limitless, so I don't bother with trying to type our hair. You just have to have the basic knowledge first of your hair's strengths and limitations and then the sky's the limit...

 

[purplepeace79]

I agree that knowing whats going on with your hair types is important to making the right product choices. I had to learn that as well. The time when I was loose in between my sets of locs, I had NO knowledge at all of any of this stuff, so I used all the wrong products, and when my hair began to break off in clumps, I went back to locs. Now, I know better, so I choose better products.