What I've noticed about 4a/4b hair

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Bublnbrnsuga

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No, I don't have this hair type, but since I've been relaxed and now natural, I can speak of the differences I noticed/notice.

When I was relaxed, I wanted ALL the styles that I knew I could get, from fingerwaves, ringcurls, roller wraps, crimps, etc. The problem was those styles lasted by the time I got home from the shop! My rollerwraps?? Pheesh! The only way my hair could remain in the wrapped style was if I didn't move my head. I slight breeze or me turning my head would result in hair everywhere. My hair always ended up in a bun. I had friends in college who had 4a/4b hair that was always SLAMMING! One in particular would wear her hair in a straight wrap with a swoop in the front. The girl could stand in a windstorm but her hair wouldn't bulge and no, she didn't use holding spray! Her hair was ALWAYS pretty, even in her buns!

Now that I am natural, I am also noticing a difference in style upkeep. I can't braid my hair without it bending and twisting. Ugh! Those with 4a/4b hair can do some slamming box braids. Also their dry twists look great- after a while, mine look stringy and straight. I remember this one girl (before she got another relaxer) would have the cutest, plumpest squisshiest two strands imaginable,while mine would flatten if I placed more than 10 in my hair.
 
i made a thread about this a while ago. im not saying type 4 is better but i noticed that a lot of people with fine type 3 hair gets frizz easily. i have a friend who has what other people have called "good hair" but her hair wont stay straight for long and gets frizzy fast but my hair is so coarse it seems to stay straight even when it was pressed soemtimes it could last 3 weeks.
 
Whatchall talkin about? :grin:

I have 4a/b hair and my hair easily gets frizzy. And sometimes when I do twists and braids, they bend and twist in different directions. When I was relaxed, my hair didn't hold curls from rollersets too well nor side sweeps in the front.

I think it has something to do with the products you use and how you go about styling your hair, not so much your hair texture, and maybe even hair density, porosity, and length plays a factor. JMO. ;)
 
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Poohbear said:
Whatchall talkin about? :grin:

I have 4a/b hair and my hair easily gets frizzy. And sometimes when I do twists and braids, they bend and twist in different directions. When I was relaxed, my hair didn't hold curls from rollersets too well nor side sweeps in the front.

I think it has something to do with the products you use and how you go about styling your hair, not so much your hair texture, and maybe even hair density, porosity, and length plays a factor. JMO. ;)
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I agree with the frizz, i have 4a/b hair and when i had hair, pshh you could plait it in box plaits, or the finest plaits on earth, even individual braids with extensions, cornrows what ever itain't lasting no longer than 3 days to a week it will just F.R.I.Z.Z and my family never understood why, especially since they always done my hair my auntie, and cousin would get vex because they thought i was messing it up, not wearing my head scarf etc etc, and the only reason why my hair could hold a press was because of keracare pressing creme, anything else, and my hair will not straighten under no circumstances...
 
made a thread about this a while ago. im not saying type 4 is better but i noticed that a lot of people with fine type 3 hair gets frizz easily. i have a friend who has what other people have called "good hair" but her hair wont stay straight for long and gets frizzy fast but my hair is so coarse it seems to stay straight even when it was pressed soemtimes it could last 3 weeks.
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This is why I stopped being natural. I was doing my hair every day! I mean it was more work being natural than it was being relaxed. Twists had to be redone every day because sleeping on them would flatten them. If I tried to plump them up with steam from the shower they would frizz. My hair is too soft. Not to mention I've got a lot of hair! When I say a lot, think Simba, (in the Lion King) when he jumps into the water and then shakes his hair. Big stuff!
Get cramps combing through it! OK I'm done now......

had some flashbacks:ohwell:
 
I agree it may also be the thickness of the hair. I had a college roommate that had the most gorgeous 4b hair and the individual hair was thick like a piece of thread:eek: !! It was resistant and strong and she wore that Halle Berry type cut in the 90's. She would wrap it every night and I swear it looked like a wig it was so thick and beautiful.
 
Bublnbrnsuga said:
No, I don't have this hair type, but since I've been relaxed and now natural, I can speak of the differences I noticed/notice.

When I was relaxed, I wanted ALL the styles that I knew I could get, from fingerwaves, ringcurls, roller wraps, crimps, etc. The problem was those styles lasted by the time I got home from the shop! My rollerwraps?? Pheesh! The only way my hair could remain in the wrapped style was if I didn't move my head. I slight breeze or me turning my head would result in hair everywhere.My hair always ended up in a bun. I had friends in college who had 4a/4b hair that was always SLAMMING! One in particular would wear her hair in a straight wrap with a swoop in the front. The girl could stand in a windstorm but her hair wouldn't bulge and no, she didn't use holding spray! Her hair was ALWAYS pretty, even in her buns!

Now that I am natural, I am also noticing a difference in style upkeep. I can't braid my hair without it bending and twisting. Ugh! Those with 4a/4b hair can do some slamming box braids. Also their dry twists look great- after a while, mine look stringy and straight. I remember this one girl (before she got another relaxer) would have the cutest, plumpest squisshiest two strands imaginable,while mine would flatten if I placed more than 10 in my hair.
Click to expand...

I'm 4a/b relaxed and when I get a roller wrap or blowout or flat iron my hair it moves ...a windstorm would have me looking a hot mess because my hair would blow all over the place. I don't think these observations apply to ALL 4a/b heads.

But, I thank you for thinking my texture is lovely...I love your hair.
 
I think I know what you're talking about, Bubln.

I have 4B hair that is very wiry. Once my hair is set or styled in a certain way, it stays put for days and days as long...as I don't over moisturize. Just this past summer, even, I decided to try a nice rod set at the salon thinking my hair will look great when the curls separated and dropped. Boy, was I wrong! Those curls did not move for days, and I had to wash my hair a few days later to knock those things out. :mad: :ohwell:

But, like I said, my hair is like wire with very thick strands, so if my hair is bent, it hold its shape until I alter it by adding water. I don’t mind too much because I know my hairs wily ways. ;) This hair trait only gets to be a problem when I make a parting and it becomes nearly permanent. I parted my hair down the middle a few weeks ago...and the crazy thing is still there!!!!!! :eek: I have to keep my hair pulled back.:lol:
 
This thread is proof that all hair types and textures have their pros and cons when it comes to styling versatility.
 
B_Phlyy said:
This thread is proof that all hair types and textures have their pros and cons when it comes to styling versatility.
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so true!!!

I have 4a/b but I can't where Kenya Moore's style because my hair is not as thick. :( I am constantly looking for styles that my hair and me like. :)
 
I think 4a/4b hair has some weight to it that can hold a style better. I wish I had that extra thickness, my hair only seems to be thick because I have a lot of it.
 
those with extra kiny hair can have their braids looking fresh for a month .....mines look jacked by day 2 no matter how much I tie them down
 
Most of my hair is 4a/b and holds twists and braids beautifully, but my crown area is maybe 3b/c and a day or two later I have to retwist and rebraid either to make them neat or because they came aloose so I agree with you, there are some definite benefits to being 4a/b, especially if it's thick too.
 
Legend said:
I think I know what you're talking about, Bubln.

I have 4B hair that is very wiry. Once my hair is set or styled in a certain way, it stays put for days and days as long...as I don't over moisturize. Just this past summer, even, I decided to try a nice rod set at the salon thinking my hair will look great when the curls separated and dropped. Boy, was I wrong! Those curls did not move for days, and I had to wash my hair a few days later to knock those things out. :mad: :ohwell:

But, like I said, my hair is like wire with very thick strands, so if my hair is bent, it hold its shape until I alter it by adding water. I don’t mind too much because I know my hairs wily ways. ;) This hair trait only gets to be a problem when I make a parting and it becomes nearly permanent. I parted my hair down the middle a few weeks ago...and the crazy thing is still there!!!!!! :eek: I have to keep my hair pulled back.:lol:
Click to expand...

You just described my 4a hair when I had a relaxer. In the early 90's I had a short feathered hair cut. I would get it done and sleep on it like that and the curls would last for days without me redoing them. My hair is a wiry texture. And rod sets, it would take a few days for the curls to loosen up. My hair shapes very easily and hangs on to curls.
 
Bublnbrnsuga said:
No, I don't have this hair type, but since I've been relaxed and now natural, I can speak of the differences I noticed/notice.

When I was relaxed, I wanted ALL the styles that I knew I could get, from fingerwaves, ringcurls, roller wraps, crimps, etc. The problem was those styles lasted by the time I got home from the shop! My rollerwraps?? Pheesh! The only way my hair could remain in the wrapped style was if I didn't move my head. I slight breeze or me turning my head would result in hair everywhere. My hair always ended up in a bun. I had friends in college who had 4a/4b hair that was always SLAMMING! One in particular would wear her hair in a straight wrap with a swoop in the front. The girl could stand in a windstorm but her hair wouldn't bulge and no, she didn't use holding spray! Her hair was ALWAYS pretty, even in her buns!

Now that I am natural, I am also noticing a difference in style upkeep. I can't braid my hair without it bending and twisting. Ugh! Those with 4a/4b hair can do some slamming box braids. Also their dry twists look great- after a while, mine look stringy and straight. I remember this one girl (before she got another relaxer) would have the cutest, plumpest squisshiest two strands imaginable,while mine would flatten if I placed more than 10 in my hair.
Click to expand...

Nuh-UHHHH!!!!! *ROFLOL*

Girl, I have that true 4a/b hair, and I WISH this stuff was true about my hair. When I was permed, and got my hair curled, the curl was gone by the time I walked from the chair to the shop door...

I think the real difference is in the fineness of the hair - I have VERY fine strands - I'll give you the fact that they are wiry like piano wire, but they are so fine that they can't stand up to wind, brush, scarf, nothing at ALL. My two strand twists are tiny, frizz up within a day or two, and start trying to lock in a week and a half. I'm SCARED to do box braids on my hair, because I don't think I'll be able to take em out. *LOL*
I have a LOT of them, so they also make it LOOK like I have a lot of hair - but when I had a perm I looked like a wet cat because most of my thickness was volume, not strands....
 
I LUV HAVING MY 4A/B HAIR… I LUV THAT ITS THICK AND THAT IT CAN WITHSTAND ALMOST ANY DAMAGING THING I HAVE DONE TO IT..

BACK IN THE DAY B4 LHCF I WOULD TAKE OUT MY BRAIDS THAT I WOULD KEEP IN FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS AND RELAX MY HAIR THE SAME DAY.. NOW I KNOW YOU SHOULD WAIT AT LEAST A DAY OR 2 BUT BACK THEN MY BEHIND DIDN’T KNOW…BUT MY HAIR WOULD WITHSTAND ALL OF THAT.. AND STILL BE LONG PAST BRA STRAP.. I WOULD ALSO COLOR/BLEACH MY HAIR AND IT WOULD STILL BE ON MY HEAD VERSUS ON THE FLOOR OR DAMAGED…BUT NOW SINCE LHCF IS ON THE SCENE..ITS HAPPY TRAILS FROM HERE.. I STILL DO RISKY THINGS TO MY HAIR NOW BUT AT LEAST I KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY CORRECT IT…AND MY HAIR IS THE HEALTHIEST ITS EVER BEEN… THICK AS HELL ESP SINCE I WENT NATURAL…PPL THINK I ROCK A PHONY NATURAL CURLY PONY BUT ITS ALL MINE AND THAT’S THANKS TO LHCF…
 
I think this very true about coarse 4a/b hair more fine 4a/b hair behaves similarly to 3c in terms of styling. My hair will hold any style you put it in because it is SUPER thick and coarse. I can keep 2-strand twists in my hair for 4 weeks without alot of fuzz and frizziness.
 
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