What is the difference between 3c and 4a hair?

[Gleek]

I am really confused by this hair typing thing. Can someone show me pictures of the two?

Thank You.

 

[JayAnn0513]

4A- kinks

3C- curls

 

[Gleek]

Okay, what is the difference between a kink and a curl?

 

[Nonie]

A kink is a tiny curl. So anyone with big curls doesn't have kinks. So all kinky hair is curly but not all curly hair is kinky. Curly hair made of big curls is not kinky.

Examples of 4A hair:

A WNG on 4A is clearly visible from a distance but notice how the hair stands:

Also 4A can be combed out into a perfect microphone afro...and the curls can still be seen from far (4B would just look like a cloud):

Examples of type 3C hair:

The curls are much bigger and flop more than stand up:

I think if you brushed out or combed out type 3C hair, it'd look like this and I think it's hard to form a round afro with 3C hair:

 

[Sapphire_chic]

Thank you Nonie i've always been just a lil confused

 

[NIN4eva]

ooh. Love that first 4A picture!

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Here is a picture of my friends hair she is the perfect example of type 4a hair we are texture twins.

Type 4a

Type 3C

This is me rocking one of my favorite protective styles done with added
synthetic hair but if it were real it would be 3C

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[Platinum]

Those type 4 pics make me want to chop right now!

 

[SEMO]

Perfect explanation Nonie, and the pictures are right on point.

I think the confusion between 3c and 4a comes in when a person has both textures on their head. Then it can be hard for someone trying to learn the differences in hair types. For example, I personally consider myself a 3c/4a. I used to think I had more 4a than 3c, but now I think it may be the other way around.

A kink is a tiny curl. So anyone with big curls doesn't have kinks. So all kinky hair is curly but not all curly hair is kinky. Curly hair made of big curls is not kinky.

Examples of 4A hair:

A WNG on 4A is clearly visible from a distance but notice how the hair stands:

Also 4A can be combed out into a perfect microphone afro...and the curls can still be seen from far (4B would just look like a cloud):

Examples of type 3C hair:

The curls are much bigger and flop more than stand up:

I think if you brushed out or combed out type 3C hair, it'd look like this and I think it's hard to form a round afro with 3C hair:

 

[Kurlee]

curl size/diameter. That's it.

 

[lwilliams1922]

great thread/info!

I'm confused myself. I don't think I have the body/thickness like the great looking 4's. I also think I don't have the popping curls that 3's have.

my hair tends to look diff depending on what i've done to it or put in it.

 

[Gleek]

Thanks you Ladies. I am new and transitioning(6-7 months). I this has really been confusing me.

 

[Nonie]

Those type 4 pics make me want to chop right now!

Don't be too quick to chop. There's also 4B hair, like mine which will not look at all like that and can be quite a shocker for one thinking all 4's look like that.

Here's 4B beside the 4A I posted:

4B hair sort of curls back into a compact mass whose curls are not easy to see.

Also here's a comparison of 4A puff vs 4B puff:

 

[Platinum]

Hmm...I think I may be more of a 4b than a. I guess I won't really know until I BC. Thanks for the demonstrations, Nonie. You're my She-Ro.

 

[JJamiah]

My question is the shine factor, my son has I believe 4a hair but so does my cousin, her hair has no natural shine to it, yet his shines similar to mine, any of you girls understand what I am saying?

 

[drappedup]

Here is a picture of my friends hair she is the perfect example of type 4a hair we are texture twins.

Type 4a

Type 3C

This is me rocking one of my favorite protective styles done with added
synthetic hair but if it were real it would be 3C

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Wait....I'm confused.....the first pics look like what was just said to be 4b....at least I think I can tell between 3C and 4A now, lol. erplexed

 

[SEMO]

My question is the shine factor, my son has I believe 4a hair but so does my cousin, her hair has no natural shine to it, yet his shines similar to mine, any of you girls understand what I am saying?

I understand what you're saying. Though two people may have the same size curls and curl pattern (4a for example), their hair can also differ based on hair texture (silky vs. cottony).

 

[JJamiah]

I understand what you're saying. Though two people may have the same size curls and curl pattern (4a for example), their hair can also differ based on hair texture (silky vs. cottony).

U hit the nail on the head that is exactly what I am saying, hers is more cottony and his is more silky I am like they look to have the same curl size, She alway tries to get the same effect but I am like "I Dunno".


Thanks so much!

 

[Gleek]

What is the best way to get your hair typed? Washed and conditioned? Just washed? leave-in no leave-in?

 

[lushcoils]

Wait....I'm confused.....the first pics look like what was just said to be 4b....at least I think I can tell between 3C and 4A now, lol. erplexed

Yea, the first 2 pics look 4b to me.

 

[lwilliams1922]

What is the best way to get your hair typed? Washed and conditioned? Just washed? leave-in no leave-in?

wet/damp/dry?

combed or not combed?

 

[Nonie]

Wait....I'm confused.....the first pics look like what was just said to be 4b....at least I think I can tell between 3C and 4A now, lol. erplexed

Actually, the reason you think that is because that first pic is not shiny but if you pay close attention, you can clearly see that the puff is made of curls. Here it is again (hope you don't mind BMP):

Type 4a

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Compare that with 4B hair:

In the enlarged pic, the curls are kiiiiinda visible, but notice what happens when I shrink the pic to about the size of the pic BMP posted: the curls are no longer visible because of their size. Does that clarify it for you?

 

[Spring]

My hair type is definitely between the 4a and 3c pics.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

Wait....I'm confused.....the first pics look like what was just said to be 4b....at least I think I can tell between 3C and 4A now, lol. erplexed

Yea, the first 2 pics look 4b to me.

No dont be confused....the 4a nonie posted is the same as the 4a I posted its just in the one I posted you can't see her coils because her hair is naked with no products.

4b is an even smaller curl diameter like the pictures nonie posted....me and nonie could have the same hair length but hers will have much more shrinkage and look more like a cloud whereas with 4a when the hair is moisturized you can identify tiny pen spring sizedcurls with the naked eye.

To use my friend again as an example:

When I did comb coils on her (using only gel and a fine tooth comb to define her coils) this is her natural coil diameter: (she has maybe 50-60% shrinkage)

Then contrast that with a type 4b/c little girls hair I recently did: (she had 70-80% shrinkage meaning her hair would shrink up to appear to be about 1/3 its actual length....that is due to her very tiny coil diameter)

*Note the extremely tiny size of the coils at the ends of her twists*

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[HarySituation]

great thread, pics, and explanations! thx!

 

[Nonie]

wet/damp/dry?

combed or not combed?

I think to get a good idea it'd have to be clean (so shampooed and hence free of products) and then you can post a pic of not combed as well as combed.

Since it's hard to comb most types of hair dry and w/o product, maybe comb with conditioner and rinse while combing under water and then leave well alone (for the combed look). And if you want to show the uncombed look, comb with conditioner or finger comb with conditioner if you prefer (separate strands using fingers), rinse while finger combing and let be (for the uncombed look).

My naked hair finger combed with conditioner then rinsed with finger combing (ie very little manipulation) looks like this:

My naked hair combed with conditioner and then rinsed while being combed looks like this:

 

[lushcoils]

Her hair still looks 4b to me.. especially in the above 2 pics. I don't see curls. I see a cloud like in Nonie's hair.

I don't think you can compare twists and coils. If I do my hair in coils, it will act/look different than if my hair was in twists, braids, etc.

So our hair texture is defined with what our hair looks like with product in it?

In that case, I have 4a hair.


See, Nonie, the top pic in the post you just made makes your look like its 4a. This hair typing stuff makes no sense.

 

[JJamiah]

It makes sense in the fact that it goes by the size of your curls, my hair size curls are that of Chalk, not side walk chalk.

I would go by wet hair as well, my hair when combed out is poofy, frizzy and buffont like, LOL. As the question I asked above my son's hair is between 4a/3c my cousin is 4a his hair is shiny while her hair more dull would probably make people think otherwise.

 

[BlackMasterPiece]

I posted the pictures of her comb coils to simply make her coil diameter more obvious since it hard to tell in the pics I posted .....when you do comb coils on someone you're simply defining their natural coil diameter....it doesn't alter the width of the coils like setting it in rollers would.

Hair typing is all about curl diameter and nothing else....thats the most important thing to keep in mind. Really the biggest point that was made here is that 4a is the widest coil of the kinky hair types and the coils get smaller from there

 

[Nonie]

Her hair still looks 4b to me.. especially in the above 2 pics. I don't see curls. I see a cloud like in Nonie's hair.

I don't think you can compare twists and coils. If I do my hair in coils, it will act/look different than if my hair was in twists, braids, etc.

So our hair texture is defined with what our hair looks like with product in it?

In that case, I have 4a hair.


See, Nonie, the top pic in the post you just made makes your look like its 4a. This hair typing stuff makes no sense.

I think your confusion is you assume 4B doesn't have coils coz they don't show from afar. The photo you are talking about that I just posted is what anyone with 4B hair would look like if they clarified their hair (Please do this on a small section or you'll have a nightmare to deal with) then conditioned and combed through, then during rinsing, used fingers to separate strands (please be sure to stretch strands when separating or you'll knot your hair up). In other words, open the springs up and then pull the strands apart or let the weight of the water provide that stretch for you so you can separate strands.

That same hair I posted that you think looks like 4A seen here beside real 4A hair, as I posted before:

Notice the ends of the Turner's hair in the 4A pic look like the hair of the chick BMP posted.

And for another perspective of the difference in coil size between 4A and 4B, the ends of my twists show you the size of my 4B coils which are way tinier than 4A coils: