4A Hair Guide: Hair Care and Styling Tips + Top Products To Use

Table Of Content

• Pros and Cons of Protective Styles
• Editor’s Choice: I Found the Best Wavy Hair Cream for My Mixed Hair Type
• Type 4: Coily/Kinky Hair
• What Is Type B vs Type C Hair?
• Pattern Jojoba Oil Hair Serum
• The Glycolic Acid Serum Your Skin Care Routine Needs
• Hair Ideas: 6 Hairstyles for Layered Cuts to Wear
• 4a Hairstyle Ideas That Are Beyond Easy to Recreate

Then, use your co-wash if you have to wash your hair more often than that. Nkwate adds that heat will always cause some damage but its effects can be minimized. Products filled with ingredients like silicones may be able to reverse heat damage on 4A hair.

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Pros and Cons of Protective Styles

1C hair is the coarsest and most textured form of straight hair. It remains straight but has more texture than straight hair types like 1A. For instance, 1A is pin-straight from root to tip and lacks body or volume. If your hair is entirely straight with some texture but without waves, it’s more likely 1C. As it’s got a very coily structure, type 4 hair is the most prone to dryness and frizz as the scalp’s natural oils have no way of getting distributed through the tightly-wound strands. Every person’s hair is different, and 4a hair can come in a wide range of hair textures and curl types.

Editor’s Choice: I Found the Best Wavy Hair Cream for My Mixed Hair Type

Type 4 curls usually have a corkscrew structure and a very small circumference compared to type 3 hair. Restore moisture and shine to dull, lacklustre curls with this sweet-smelling colour-safe shampoo. Aloe, sweet clover and rose extract add softness, detangle, and add shine.

Type 4: Coily/Kinky Hair

I would imagine that the Type 4C hair type was created by a member within the natural hair community – just like the Type 3C hair type. This curl type and length add so much personality and texture to a look, who wouldn’t want to give this style a try? Easy to style and keep up with, this medium length really is the best of both worlds. Finer, thinner curls can work a finger-waved or Flapper vibe with a curly pixie. Use a hair gel to lay your curls in this flapper-inspired style and let your vintage curls do all the talking.

What Is Type B vs Type C Hair?

"You may have more than one texture in your hair, which is common," she says. Your hair follows this same principle, with every bend and curve acting as a weak point where breakage is common. You can shore up the strength of your hair with protein-enriched products and masks that help fortify your strands to protect against breakage. Sebum’s job is to moisturize and lubricate strands, and moisturized strands feel smooth and clump into coil groups easily without frizz. For example, your hair may hang down to your bra strap when it’s wet and gently stretched out, but hangs near your shoulder blades when it’s dry. Compared to type 4C, which experiences the most shrinkage (up to 75%), shrinkage is thankfully not one of 4A’s main concerns.

Pattern Jojoba Oil Hair Serum

Type 3 includes curls that range from loose, soft ringlets to tight corkscrew curls. Then, in the 90s, Oprah Winfrey’s stylist Andre Walker developed a revolutionary hair typing chart (very appropriately named The Andre Walker Hair Typing System). And that’s where our understanding of curls and curl patterns really began to deepen. We’ve also tucked in some expert curl styling tips for each type! Keep reading to learn about the different curl types and how to determine which one your curls fall under.

The Glycolic Acid Serum Your Skin Care Routine Needs

In this article, we’ll help you figure out if this is your accurate hair type. Then, instead of rinsing, cover your hair with a cap or bonnet, and sit under a steamer for at least 20 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer, a warm towel around your cap can do the trick. While cotton sucks water from your strands, silk and satin help the moisture stay put. If you have trouble keeping a scarf on your head throughout the night, you can use a silk or satin pillowcase instead. Your hair still needs to be deep cleaned every so often, so make sure you’re using shampoo at least once every one to two weeks.

Hair Ideas: 6 Hairstyles for Layered Cuts to Wear

If you can’t identify a defined, specific curl pattern, then your hair type is 4B. We see your not-quite-wavy, not-totally-curly hair and raise you a not-quite-a-bob for a look that’s totally wearable and haute couture. Ideal for those in between textures, this length will let your built-in curls be lightweight enough to really bounce. When applying hair oils, detangle and separate your hair with your fingers to ensure the products are evenly distributed. Nelms also recommends sleeping on a silk pillowcase or wearing a hair bonnet for further protection.

So a lot of people prefer to straighten it or wear it in protective hairstyles. If you use a braiding method to protect your hair, remember to give your hair time to relax too. Eight weeks is the maximum recommended time to keep braids in but please check with a professional stylist to ensure you know how long is healthy for your unique hair. Even though your hair is braided, it will still need regular maintenance to ensure your protective style doesn’t cause unnecessary damage. This is the ideal time to show off your 4a hair in all its glory by wearing it down, emphasizing the beautiful tightly curled s-pattern ringlets. Another option is to wear your hair in a simple, but high impact half up, half down style by putting half of your hair in a high ponytail.

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To minimize any damage, use shampoos and conditioners that are rich with moisturizing agents and gently pat hair dry without excessive rubbing. Try Herbal Essences Bio Renew Hydrate Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner, as this duo provided the highest level of conditioning in our Beauty Lab’s test of moisturizing formulas. Another one was when I decided to consider natural hair as a hairdresser, switch my whole clientele, and start from zero.

"The numbers in the typing system refer to the curl families whilst the letter (from A to C) points to how tightly wound your curls are within that," says Mensah. She goes on to explain that a person with type 1 hair would have no curl pattern and type 2 hair tends to be wavy. Type 3 hair tends to consist of spiraled curls and type 4 hair is kinky and coily in appearance. The four main types of curls include wavy, loose, tight, and coily. These terms were coined by Ouidad, the first ever hair salon for curly hair.

I remember going to Japan in 1999, and I remember I didn’t see anybody who looked like me. You didn’t even see mixed-race couples or families because they would never get married to somebody outside their culture. This is a really good question because everything is related, right? I grew up in a third-world country in a humid little town by the beach with no possibility of having any beauty experience. So, my struggles and my connection with my hair started at an early age due to different factors. One, I’m a mixed-race kid– my mom didn’t know how to do my hair, and on my dad’s side, my grandma passed away, so when she passed away, my mom was like, what did I do right now, right?

"Use styling creams or puddings that moisturize. Deep condition at least once a week to try to help retain elasticity and moisture," says Breyer of this curl type. "3b curls are defined by more springy ringlets and these type of curls can tend to get more dry," Taylor says. "I recommend looking for a curl gel to hydrate and define curls, especially a water-based option that has a buildable, light hold. While 4B and 4C coils seem to interlock together, forming a mass of dense hair, 4A coils spiral away from each other and don’t naturally lock together. Since your coil pattern is the loosest of all type 4s, it’s easier to style and manage your individual coil groups.

As a dynamic husband and wife duo behind Curl Centric, our passion for curly hair has fueled a transformative journey. As per usual, the goal of this hair typing system is to clear up the confusion so women can embrace their naturally curly hair and find the best hair products for their hair. In this example, your hair would contain primarily a combination of “O” shaped spiral curls and “S” shaped curly waves with defined hills and valleys. There are so many ways to style this beautiful hair type, so if you’re in need of a change there’s sure to be some inspo for your next cut. This two-tone look—straight bangs, curly lengths—is also another way to switch up one of the best haircuts for curly hair. This dual-textured style allows you to embrace your curls while also incorporating a straighter texture into your look.