Looking for some 4c hair care tips? Then you have landed just at the right place.
It’s very true that you can have different kinds of textures in your hair so much so that even two strands of hair can appear different.
For instance, you could have strands of 3c hair type but its edges could be of 4a hair type. Or a majority of your hair could be 4c hair but its edges may be of 4b type.
Of all different hair types, 4C hair type is of particular importance as it lies at the end spectrum of hair types and hence requires a different set of hair maintenance.
For example, while you might think of them as wash and go 4c hair type, but it is not that simple.
Rather, these types of hair of different set of properties and hence demand a different set of priorities i.e their shrinkage, detangling and breakage problem set them apart from other hair types and ultimately their look after.
On the other hand, they have some unique properties that make them your favourite choice for attractive hairstyles; they are able to hold on protective hairstyles like twists and braids etc for quite a long period of time as compared to other types.
In short, if these types of are properly taken care off, they are purely loved just like your other favourites hair type.
So, if you are looking for some of the best 4c natural hair care tips, then missing this post is out of the question. Read below to understand 4c hair type and give the best care possible!
Unique characteristics of 4C natural hair types
Let’s first briefly go through some of the differentiating characteristics of these types of hairs.
1. 4C natural growth is relatively slow
This is the most common defining characteristics of these types of hair. These 4c hair types are one of the most difficult to grow primarily because they require too much maintenance, and a lot of people just can’t do that.
More specifically, these types of curly hair need a lot of moisture and a lot of deep conditioning. When you are unable to do that, they are prone to regular breakage because of extreme dryness creeping in because they become coarse and brittle.
Similarly, to grow them back, you need a lot of healthy eating and drinking plenty of water which obviously takes time which makes their regrowth relatively slow as compared to other hair types.
Rather, the healthier your body becomes, the healthier and quicker your 4c natural hair growth.
Unfortunately, this is something, everyone can’t do with such consistency and discipline and a net result, your hair growth further slows down to your undesired levels.
2. 4C natural hair has difficulty retaining moisture
This is another distinguishing characteristic of these type of hair which is their inherent difficulty to retain moisture and become dry and brittle too quickly, making them prone to breakage and falling off.
This is quite understandable.
Since these hair types have more bends and curves which means a lot of tighter curls. This all makes their ends difficult to moisturize and ultimately they lose their water and undergo frequent breakage.
3. 4C natural hair type are prone to extreme shrinkage
This is another common concern associated with these curly hair types which distinguish them from others. This shrinkage can be as extreme as up to 70-80%.
Moreover, this is because they lack a clear curl definition as these have the tightest hair curl pattern forming some of the tightest coils.
Also, the diameter of their strands is very fine and smaller which makes them look coarse but very dense. These all properties combine to give you a unique hair behaviour.
4. 4C natural hair does not have defined curl pattern
This type of hair has the same pattern as the Z-shaped curl pattern of 4b type hair but a major difference between the two is extreme coiling. So much so that, when it is freshly washed free of any product, it does not express a clear definition to this hair
Due to this delicate nature of these hair type, to add some definition and style to these hairs, women resort to braiding, shingling and some sort of twisting to their undefined curls.
What does this have to do with hair? The follicle is housed in the scalp skin and needs blood circulation to push the hair through the skin all while simultaneously pushing an oil gland to the surface.
That is why it is important to massage your scalp with your fingertips every chance you get. Using a light oil while massaging your scalp will increase blood circulation and also nourish a dry scalp.
You should only use oil if your scalp is dry. Prematurely oiling your scalp, if your scalp doesn’t need it can clog the follicle and also delay the strand from being pushed through.
How to get long and healthy 4C natural hair?
Since they are the unique types of hair, they require some special hair care regimen to protect these delicate types of hair. These maintenance tips, not only would teach you how to soften this hair but 24/7 care routine.
Let’s dig deep into these useful strategies and tips to help you manage these efficiently.
1. Never let your hair run out of moisture
This is a very crucial step in the effective care of these types of hairs and the low porosity quality of hair should not stop you moisturizing it.
As explained above, since the nature of these hairs prevents the uniform distribution of natural oil secreted from our sebaceous glands on these hair, these are bound to become extremely dry, way faster than you can expect.
So, it is very important for you to get a good moisturizer which effectively seals this too. A good choice for you can be to choose moisturizing creams like shea butter or oils like olive oil and coconut oil.
In short, you have to apply these moisturization elements on a regular basis to save such delicate hair type from loss of moisture.
2. Do a regular detangling job
This is super important too since these types of extremely curl pattern hair get into extreme coiling, leading to very close-knit tangles which ultimately risk their easy breakage and very slow growth.
Use the following tips to do proper and careful detangling.
- Use a wide-tooth combing brush most preferably on wet damp hair as drier hair can break away while combing but avoid regular brush at all costs.
- You can use some conditioners to ease the process and if knots come up, don’t just bulldoze them with the same combing brush which can break them, rather use your finger gently to pull your hair strands out.
3. Do only moderate styling & products
This is another important maintenance tips because we often are used to loading our hair with plenty of styling products which took a toll on the natural beauty of hair.
Particular, some of the ingredients in them rob your hair of its moisture, build a thick layer of build up on your scalp ultimately weighing them down and leading to breakage in the end.
So, the best possible option for these delicate hair types is to always be moderate with your products and instead make more use of natural remedies which are not only effective for your desired objectives but rarely harmful too if used in moderation.
4. Deep condition at least once a week
Deep conditioning your 4c hair weekly is very important too. This would save you from many problems like tangling, snagging and losing shining.
Moreover, this conditioning is crucial to provide nourishment and strength to already delicate hair. There are a lot of very good deep conditioners available online which you can explore to find your best possible option
5. Only do 4c hair-friendly hairstyles
Since 4C hair is very delicate and is prone to easy shrinkage which leads to difficult tangles and knots, you need to become very careful with the choice of hairstyles you can use.
Most preferably, heat freestyles that enable your hair to stretch out easily are your best choices for optimal 4c hair type care.
Natural 4C hairstyles that are friendly to 4c hair
The following are some of the 4c hair type friendly hairstyles that never disappoint.
- Puff
- Bantu knots
- Buns like space buns
- You can use clip-ins and extensions
- Crochet braids
- Strand twists
- Twisting outs
6. Don’t forget to shampoo regularly but carefully
Obviously, shampoo is important for proper clean up of your scalp and add some moisture to your dryness-prone hair but in the case of 4c hair types, you need to exercise some caution.
Effective shampooing tips for 4c hair type
Not all shampoos are created equal and not all hair can get along with the same types of hair. You need to adhere to the following tips to make the most of your shampooing strategy.
1. Steer clear of any sulphates – You should always try to avoid sulphates in a lot of beauty products. Especially, they are not fit for delicate hair type like 4c natural hair as they can easily strip off moisture and important moistures from an already dryness-prone hair.
2. Always check for ingredients first in your shampoo – Make it a habit to check the ingredients list of your beauty products. You would often find such ingredients which you never heard off and these are often some type of preservatives but they are not healthy for your hair.
Don’t hesitate to ask the shopkeeper about a confusing ingredient in your product and never return home with doubts in mind about your recently bought hair products.
3. Never hesitate to some extra money on finding a good fit – You already know that good things are never cheap and the same is true for finding good beauty products.
More often than not, cheaper hair products are likely to contain such ingredients that dry out your hair very easily and are generally harmful.
While this is not true for 4c hair type, where unlike oily friendly shampoos are not the best fit because they are dryness prone and they need a same concerning shampoo product.
If you can’t find a fitting shampoo product, you can try out some of the natural shampoo recipes like this gentle, sulphate free Cleansing Avocado Shampoo.
Or if you find your hair getting dirtier more often, than you can try a natural hair cleanser like apple cider vinegar rinse.
7. Finally, Give your 4c hair their desirable love
This is out of the question and makes obvious sense. If you have 4c natural hair, you need to accept the fact that you have to live with them for your whole life. You can’t change your genes to change them.
So the final option left for you is to love them or lose out. You need to find some motivation for yourself to get along with them with care, love and celebration.
In short, their uniqueness gives you a unique opportunity to make them work for you and savour the incredible versatility and infinite styles and looks they have to offer as compared to other curly hair types.
Natural remedies for 4c natural hair
How unique your hair type are, you would never run out of some great natural remedies thanks to our generous mother nature. Let’s find some great natural remedies for your 4c hair type in the form of great natural oils.
Best natural hair oils for 4C hair type
The following are some of the best natural oils remedies for 4c hair types that would make them healthy and help grow long.
1. Extra virgin olive oil for 4c natural hair
Benefits
Extra virgin olive oil is a very good choice for your unique 4c hair type.
1. A natural conditioner – It is a natural conditioner and moisturizer and it has the ability to penetrate deeply into your hair shafts and hence goes deep to properly nourish, soften and strengthen your delicate 4c hair
2. A natural anti-inflammatory – Extra virgin oil is a powerful anti-inflammatory that helps your delicate 4c natural hair to fight dandruff-causing fungus and buildup on your scalp.
3. An excellent hair growth stimulator – Since it is a powerful hair nourisher and imparts moisture and conditioning to your hair, which means it is a strong stimulator of hair growth and is very helpful in maintaining overall scalp health.
How to use it?
It is never advisable to use nakedly on your sensitive scalp. Rather a few drops to your spray bottle which will help in retaining its qualities like moisture level while it is enclosed.
Or alternatively, you can mix and use it with other suitable hair oils or products.
2. Avocado Oil for 4c natural hair
Benefits
- Avocado oil offers great nutritional value for your 4c hair types as it is rich in hair-friendly vitamins like A, B, D which ultimately is crucial to promote overall strong well being of your unique hair types.
- While it offers great nutritional value, it is a great hair moisturizer but not only imparts the required moisture buy seals it effectively too.
- Finally, due to its antibacterial properties, it can treat any itchy scalp and ward off any dandruff risk while also deep conditioning your hair to make handling of tight curls of 4c hair a lot simpler.
Moreover, since it is rich in monounsaturated fat content ( i.e up to 75 %), it can bestow super black shine to hair which is even better than coconut oil. Other nutrients found in avocado oil are:
- Iron
- Copper
- Magnesium
- Proteins
- Fatty acids
- Folic acids
3. Pure coconut oil for 4c natural hair
Benefits
Coconut oil in its purest form is another great asset to have for your delicate 4c hair types.
- Coconut oil is nutrient-rich just like avocado oil as a high content of unsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E not only provide adequate nourishment for your delicate hair to promote growth, bestow strength and reduce breakage.
- Coconut oil is a great water regulator in your hair. While it inhibits dry hair to intake excess water by sealing hair strands but this also means it effectively seals the moisture that your hair has achieved from applying coconut oil and this is especially very useful for high porosity hair types like 4C
- It is a natural deep conditioner and hence it helps with curls management of these curly hair types by effectively dealing with frizz. Furthermore, it’s amazing qualities have the potential to make your hair shiny and silky- a dream of any hair-loving girl.
Curly hair types: Do you have 2a, 3b, or 4c curls?
It is very important for you to know which types of hair you have before you even think about carving out a perfect hair care regimen. The reasoning is simple.
Every one of us has different hair concerns which are due to the different nature of our hair types. Following are the differentiating factors that set apart different types of hair we have.
Factors determining different hair types.
- Density
- Diameter
- Porosity
- greasiness
- elasticity
- curl pattern
Based on the above-listed factors, these are twelve comprehensive categories of hair. Go through it and in the end you would find some general tips to manage them.
Different hair types due to above-listed factors are.
1. Type 1 – straight hair
Unique Characteristics
Since they have straight hair strands, they tend to become greasy and oil too quickly because the oil produced from your scalp is able to travel down your hair ends with quite an ease. They have further these subcategories.
Subcategories
- Type 1A – found commonly in Asian descent women
- Type 2A – this type of straight here is slightly more voluminous and thicker than type 1A hair types.
- Type 3A – So the level of thickness is greatest of all three subcategories of hair types
Haircare tips for type 1 – straight hair
- Since they are straight which means their growth is easy, however, being straight, they tend to become easily oily as the sebum is easily able to flow down the hair end – so they need a lot of cleaning and washes more often than any other hair type.
- The best-recommended products types for these types of hair are volumizing shampoos and conditioners especially a good hair drying shampoo
The bottom line: Keep them clean and use volumizing products
Type 2 – Natural Wavy hair
Unique Characteristics
As the name indicates, these hair types have natural waves and generally thicker than the type 1 hair category.
Subcategories
Their subcategories are defined by the nature of their waves and their thickness level. Keeping this in mind, there are essentially 3 main subcategories of wavy hair.
Type 2A – hair of this subcategory is fine with having S-shaped waves of hair. Also, they are easily styleable.
Type 2B – It is more frizzy than its previous hair category but thickness level starts to increase as compared to type 2A hair type
Type 2C – Just as previously said, in the increasing spectrum hair starts having a shape which is thicker, waiver and more coarse than its predecessors and hence making them difficult to style and manage due to increasing frizziness.
Haircare tips for type 2 hair – Natural wavy hair
- By nature, they are prone to suffer from frizz. So your key to managing these hair types effectively is to keep them light and easy by controlling their frizz and adding a lot of moisture.
- The best products for these types of hair are moisturizing shampoos and conditioners that are hydrating and don’t hesitate to apply moisturizing masks too.
The bottom line: Do a lot of moisturization and manage their frizz
3. Type 3: Natural Curly hair
Unique Characteristics
As the name indicates, this type of hair is curly which is only straightened when it is wet or damp but as soon wetness goes, curliness takes over again.
However, these are easy to style as their curls are properly defined and visible.
Subcategories
Type 3A – known by very thick, shiny but frizzy defined curly texture.
Type 3B – This has tighter curls and has a range of textures.
Type 3C – This has extremely tight curls but remains easy to style
Haircare tips for type 3 hair – Natural curly hair
- By naturally curly, they have one major concern which is never going frizz and ensuing lack of moisture. So, anything that effectively manages their frizz by adding a lot of moisture is the best choice for them
- Your choice of products for these hair types should be primarily based on their moisturizing ability. Or you can even by a customized shampoo, conditioner only for your curly hair types.
Other effective products could be hair oils, jellies, and mousse that could give you frizz-prone some clear definition and shape.
The bottom line: Deal with frizz and loss of moisture
4. Type 4 hair – Natural kinky hair
Unique Characteristics
As the name indicates, these types of hair are extremely curly or kinky where some categories could have defined curls, but others don’t. However, these are generally very coarse, breakage-prone, and very delicate and too vulnerable to harsh beauty products.
Subcategories
Type 4A – it is known by very defined curls but overall soft in texture
Type 4B – Further down the spectrum goes down further below, this type of hair has less defined curls and is very prone to damage or breakage.
Type 4C – This is the extreme hair types that have the tightest curls which are hardly defined and hence are most delicate and most prone to breakage to damage due to beauty products or environmental factors.
This is the hair type we have been discussing all through this post. Hope you find it very informative and practical for your 4c hair type hair problems.
Haircare tips for type 4 hair – kinky (very curly) hair
- Since these types of hair are at the extreme ends of hair types, this means extreme efforts to keep them in order. In other words, you can try anything and everything that makes them better, heavily moisturize them, and control their stubborn frizz.
You can even approach professional hair care specialists for best-customized results.
- Products that promise to heavily moisturize them be it shampoo or conditioner is best for them. You are free to use any hydrating or moisturizing masks any other creams, jellies or lotions that properly moisturize them and seal in their moisture.
The bottom line: Use heavy moisturizers and do anything that makes them better
FAQs
Q: How do I take care of my 4c natural hair?
Ans: No doubt, 4c natural hair types are the toughest to manage as there are easily prone to damage and breakage given their inability to retain moisture and retain their natural oils.
However, that does not mean you should be disappointed and careless. Rather, if you start loving them and give them the care they deserve, you would be able to enjoy their versatility and unique beauty of their own.
Follow the following 4c natural hair managing techniques, tips and strategies.
1. Never let your hair run out of moisture
2. Do a regular detangling job
3. Do only moderate use styling products
4. Deep condition at least once a week
5. Only do 4c hair-friendly hairstyles like Puff, Bantu knots, Buns like space buns, Strand twists, Twisting outs
6. Don’t forget to shampoo regularly but carefully
Q: What products are good for 4c hair?
Ans: By nature, 4c hair type has a problem with loss of moisturization and ensuing frizz. So, understandably, any product that primarily provides effective moisturization and hydration is a very good fit for them.
So, look for deep moisturizing shampoo and conditioner and all those natural remedies that save your dryness prone hair from drying and seal and lock in moisture.
Following is the list of 4c hair-friendly products, natural and manmade.
1. Moisturizing shampoos but mind that they should be sulphates free
2. Deep hydrating conditioners
3. Natural moisturizing oils like Virgin oil, Coconut oil, Avocado oil, Jojoba oil, Olive oil
Q: How can I moisturize my 4c hair every day?
Ans: You definitely need to moisturize every day and heavily if you want to properly take care of 4c natural oils.
To moisturize your hair 4c hair daily, start the morning with a moisturizing shampoo followed by deep conditioner.
Furthermore, You can use some natural moisturizing oils like olive oil, coconut oil and Avocado oil at night before going to sleep, that not only properly moisturize your hair but give them their desired nutrition as well that makes them grow and grow strong.
Q: What products are best for 4c hair?
Ans: By nature, 4c hair type has a problem with loss of moisturization and ensuing stubborn frizz. So, understandably, any product that primarily provides effective moisturization and hydration is the best fit for them.
So, look for deep moisturizing shampoo and conditioner and all those natural remedies that save your dryness prone hair from drying and seal and lock in moisture.
Following is the list of best 4c hair-friendly products.
1. Moisturizing shampoos but mind that they should be sulphates free
2. Deep hydrating conditioners
3. Natural moisturizing oils like Virgin oil, Coconut oil, Avocado oil, Jojoba oil, Olive oil
