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

[Embyra]

just so all of you ladies know 3c though its a sub hair type is classified as a curly kinky texture.....i thin many 4b's have preconceived notions about 3c hair and truthfully i think 4a is an additional subtype as there seems to be a big difference btw 4a and 4b/c napp hair,imo....most people on this board that are labeled 3c look like 3b's to me as their curls seem larger than a drinking straw and more like a kids jumbo crayon/pencil.....i can easily see how 3c and 4a hair typing could be difficult for many.
people that are 4b's also tend not to realize that you don't have to be silky to be a 3c and that one can be cottony or thready or have a combo of these textures on their head, hair type and hair texture are 2 totally different things, which also makes things confusing for many.

right on sister



ellepixie IMO is a good example of a 3c hair with a ''coarse'' texture because of her texture she could get a afro i think......whereas rachel true has a much silkier finer texture which i couldnt see getting a dense afro without some backcombing or something of that nature

my 2 pence....

 

[Gleek]

whoops Repost

 

[growinghealthyhair]

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

Platinum

Lol @ you Bc'ng 3days later.

 

[AvaSpeaks]

right on sister



ellepixie IMO is a good example of a 3c hair with a ''coarse'' texture because of her texture she could get a afro i think......whereas rachel true has a much silkier finer texture which i couldnt see getting a dense afro without some backcombing or something of that nature

my 2 pence....

Rachel True to me is a real good example of true 3c hair

 

[Platinum]

Platinum

Lol @ you Bc'ng 3days later.

growinghealthyhair I forgot about that. I really didn't plan to BC that soon, I wanted to wait another 6 months to a year. I was planning to go to braid shop but my started to tangle like mad so I chopped out of frustration with the detangling process.

 

[Nonie]

I don't think hair being silky or not has anything to do with whether an afro can be formed or not. Small kinks tend to form a microphone afro better than large coils. The girl below has very silky hair but that afro is as good as any I've seen on dull type 4 hair. She's able to do that coz she's got tiny kinks in her hair (Her hair reminds me of LynnieB's 3C/4A hair:

This little girl also has silky looking type 4 hair which forms nice afro puffs:

100% type 3 hair can't from a microphone afro even when combed out. It just flops as seen in this image that's too big to post here: http://loveisntenough.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ayla.jpg

The kinkier the hair is, the harder it is to see its silkiness because the absence of a long section that is straight means light reflection isn't as good as in the 3's. So it's easy for folks to think a 4 isn't silky when it is.

ETA: My theory about type 3 hair not being able to form a perfect afro changed on May 27, 2011 after wavezncurls posted images of her hair when she was a kid. She's type 3B/3C IMO and yet her hair was clearly formed into an afro puff. In that discussion I clearly I stood corrected on this note, and I was beyond thrilled to see this. In my defense, my "knowledge" of type 3 hair has been from simple observation, not really from working with it. I even asked then why nowadays type 3 folks ack like their hair can't do what type 4 can, and wavezncurlz explained that products had a lot to do with it.

Here's a link to the discussion in which I got my education on the fact that type 3 hair can form a microphone afro, starting from wavezncurlz very informative post: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?p=13516425#post13516425

 

[theNaturalWonders]

so i read all 19 pages and i kinda sorta have an idea of what my hair type is but i would love to hear everyone's opinion. i have always been confused with my hair...it gets very frizzy and i have like 3 different textures on my head..it is def not silky maybe cottony???~i think i am a 4a/4b mixed

a dry twist out

a wash n go doing the tightly curly method-(product still drying-made this big so you can see my texture and curl pattern-pls excuse the anime-too early in the am to take pics)

a twist updo

another dry twist out

 

[theNaturalWonders]

DOING THE DA BUMP!!
anybody somebody please help!!

i went to urbanbella this past friday and she told me i have a kinky texture with a looser curl that was more wavier in some areas and that a finger style(wash n go) would not produce good definition~ which made me even more fustrated as i peeped at the other ladies who seemed to have a more consistent (tighter) pattern. i honestly don't know what to do with my hair. i can do really good twists, but wash n gos-negative! anything loose my hair is a hot mess. so much frizz and the poof factor. i may have a porosity problem. definitely a ph balance problem with the products i am using. i am really debating if i should just be a heat trained natural, or texlax my hair or cut it off and start over. i am bummed for real

 

[knt1229]

I agree with you on the 4a/b. Also, have your tried anything to fix your PH problem. And what's wrong with your wash n go's it looks nice in the pic.

 

[theNaturalWonders]

^^^thanks!!
well when i do wng and its dripping wet with conditioner it looks really good but as soon as its dry its a hard, tangly mess with tons of frizz...

i ventured over to walmart to pick up GDLI after reading the ph thread and used AV juice as a spritizer and twisted my hair last night...i will use GDLI and AV juice as a styling product for my twists for 6-8 weeks to see if there is a difference

i do have porosity control but i dont know how to include it in my regimen~any ideas??

 

[Poohbear]

Nonie - whether type 3 or 4, natural hair can either form a microphone or flop down.


I have type 4a/b hair and look at these two different fro instances with my hair:

Microphone fro (not perfectly shape) picked out from shrunken hair:

Floppy fro blowdried

Now here's a few pics of my hair completely shrunken:

 

[Chiquitita]

Ok, I am now more confused than ever regarding my own hair type. IMO, trying to type your hair right after BC can be misleading, and I'm sure others will disagree, but I strongly believe in the notion of 'scab hair'. After all, I was relaxed for over 20 years of my life so I am sure using a chemical for that long could affect the hair underneath the scalp.

I also believe that a person needs to have some length to really see how their hair is going to form curls. Now that my hair has grown out more to CBL, I am thinking that I am more 4a than 4b as I thought before. For one, it has taken me a whole year to figure out what products work best for my hair (i.e bringing out the curls).

Another issue I've had is with porosity control, if my porosity is off, then my hair will not form curls, just frizz. There are many factors than can affect what type of curls your hair will form and it takes time and research (thank you LHCF) to really learn about your hair.

 

[AuNaturalMaMa]

Nice thread! I loved every page of it. I'm pretty sure about my hair type now! Who hoo! I love the ramen noodle explanation I have lots of that in my crown but the typical 3c curls in the back and sides. Question: Does 3c hair change as it grows? For instance from a twa to neck length to BSL. Would the curls get looser? Or could they be loose while it is short and get tighter as it gets longer? Thanks.

ETA: Pictures
The first two are wash and go's with just a little cantu shea thats it and i pinned them up or did a style with them.

The first one is one month from my BC.
Second 3 months post bc

Third my nape with product wet and conditioner defined curls wet tightly curly method.
Fourth one side of my head dry from doing the tightly curly method
Fifth 9mo post bc

Nonie
Poohbear

 

[AuNaturalMaMa]

I know its thursday night and the experts might be busy but BUMP!!

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

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[Amoreofcurls]

Poohbear im jealous of your fro!!!

If tried to do it straight from a wash or when dry,some of my curls and coils will find a way to return and flop...Unevenly erplexed

I'm its seem the only way I can get a fro close to that perfect is when I twist or braid it first then pick + humidity...but even then with humidity my coils will try to form at the ends...I found that grease combats that a lil...

Here's my hair totally dry and unmanipulated with nothing but my leave in

 

[Amoreofcurls]

Question: Does 3c hair change as it grows? For instance from a twa to neck length to BSL. Would the curls get looser? Or could they be loose while it is short and get tighter as it gets longer? Thanks.

With weight that comes along with length, the shape of your curls may change...
Some area's of my head have went from from coily ended curls to just waves...Some have formed a looser curl but maintained the coily ends...

but hair texture, and is also a factor in this...Ive seen some 3c's with the same kind of shrinkage they had when their hair was shorter...


My hair was definitely alot more coily when shorter

 

[CurlsBazillion]

wow I'm offically confused....
I'm still 4a, right?

....and of course this is dry product free hair.

 

[AuNaturalMaMa]

With weight of the length the shape of your curls may change...
Some area's of my head have went from from coily ended curls to just waves...Some have formed a looser curl but maintained the coily ends

but hair texture is also a factor in this...Ive seen some 3c's with the same kind of shrinkage they had when their hair was shorter...

Thanks. @Amoreofcurls. I love your hair by the way! So pretty! I was asking because looking at pictures it seems mine have changed shape. They went from tight(1 month post bc) to loose (3mo post bc) to tight (9months post bc) and back and forth since then. Now I feel like my smaller curls in the back are slowly changing and my front has went from loose ringlets to the ramen noodle ppl were talking about! When I was a baby my hair was straight then it slowly had ringlets to curls kinda like my sons hair. Thats why I ask about length cause some say they get looser with length but my sons have gotten tighter and mine did at a time too.

My son went from straight to curly 3c id say. Thats going from loose to tight vs tight to loose with more length.
.

 

[tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT]

Okay, what do I have, LOL? My hair's just plain old weird IMO. (calling on @Nonie @tHENATuRALhAiRpRoJEcT and anyone else who care's to give their two cents...)

wet hair, freshly washed/conditioned

dry hair with shea moisture curl enhancing smoothie n ecostyler (smoothed front)

girl you have such pretty hair... who cares...

it looks like your "freshly washed" pics have stretched hair though

as in...maybe you washed in twists or hair was stretched for a long period, manipulated or something. The curls are clumping (as it would if loose--IMO)
i have this issue as well b/c i do my best to wash,condition, rinse in twists

if not heat-laxed.... is this (or can you) twit pic a shot of a cowash on loose hair?....that may help you

 

[MyAngelEyez~C~U]

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[MWilson569]

I found this online....

 

[deja86]

Hi it's been 1 month post BC and I'd really like to know what my hair type is please

Not sure if you'd be able to tell from this image below

[/IMG]

 

[LadyRaider]

Your hair type is:
Drumroll, please!

























Pretty!