The boom in the natural hair movement in recent years marked a cultural shift towards rethinking our conceptualization of beauty. Despite this trend, people with 4c tresses still deal with massive texture discrimination, especially those with 4c hair. The truth is, managing 4c hair demands a little bit of more tender loving care, patience, and commitment than most other hair types. But that doesn’t make this type of hair any less glorious and beautiful. In fact, once you hack what works for your hair, caring for it is no more difficult than caring for any other type of hair. From definitions to wash-day tips, here is everything you need to know about 4c hair to help you maximize the growth and length of your hair.
What is 4c hair?
4c hair is considered the kinkiest hair texture of all hair types on the natural hair scale. Its most defining characteristics is its tightly coiled hair strands, which sort of form very tight ‘S’ and ‘Z’ patterns. Due to its kinky nature, this type of hair has little to no curl definition without product and manipulation. Individuals can experience extreme shrinkage of between 70 -75%. If not correctly cared for, 4c hair easily gets tangled. People with 4c hair tend to have different hair densities and porosities. 4c hair is the most fragile out of all the four hair types.
Tips for Handling 4c hair
- Moisturize.
4c hair usually dries out faster than other curl patterns, so you have to keep your hair moisturized daily. There are several products you can use to seal moisture in your hair, such as coconut oil and Shea butter.
- Deep condition regularly.
Deep conditioning your hair should be an indispensable part of your wash day routine. This usually helps in preventing tangling and will leave your hair looking and feeling healthy and shiny. If possible, deep condition your hair weekly since 4c hair thrives on this.
- Detangle for growth.
As mentioned earlier, 4c hair is prone to tangling because of its tight curl pattern. If left unaddressed, tangles can result in breakage, which hinders growth. Therefore, you need to detangle your hair regularly and gently. Ideally, you should detangle your hair when it’s wet and use a wide-toothed comb for minimum breakage.
- Shampoo Often and Mindfully.
Shampoo your hair every 2-4 weeks to keep your scalp and hair clean. Besides, this helps avoid any product buildup, ensuring that hair remains moisturized. Stay away from shampoos with sulfate, as they tend to do more harm than good.
- Trim your hair.
There are a lot of benefits to trimming your hair. Yes, you are going to lose some of the precious inches you have achieved thus far. But this shouldn’t matter because trimming your split ends lets you create space for healthy hair to grow and prevent breakage.
Best 4c Hairstyles.
Going natural is usually frustrating and more, especially so if you can’t find the perfect way to style your hair. Due to its fragile nature and vulnerability to breakage, 4c hair demands low-manipulation styles. Here is a list of some of our favorite styles for 4c hair.
- Bantu knots.
- Two strand twists.
- Twist outs.
- Afro.
- Puff.
- Buns or space buns.
Wrapping up.
4c hair is undoubtedly unique from other types of hair, which traditionally has made it the subject of disdain. However, this uniqueness is what makes 4c hair so beautiful and incredibly versatile, and let no one tell you otherwise. So if you have 4c hair, embrace your kinks and celebrate your hair with pride.