We are almost through with 2020! Can you believe that? Wow, I must say I am quite happy time’s moving so fast. Welcome to my blog queens and kings, let’s talk!
We have learnt so many things throughout the last 8 months but I have noticed that many of us are still not clear on a lot. One such thing being our hair types. You may have missed previous entries detailing the characters of each hair type so I’ll leave it right here- Know Your Type
Still not clear? No problems here, today I will be helping those of us who think that just because we have type 4 hair, hair that definitely looks like there is some black in us, that doesn’t mean it is 4C. I know the natural hair wave on social media is currently powered by hashtags such as #type4hair, #naturalhaircommunity and #4chair. The latter being the most popular. I love that more people are comfortable accepting and promoting what was once not the most socially acceptable hair type; but I do believe it’s exploitative when you claim a specific type simply because it is popular and you are certain that is not what you have. If you really don’t know the category which you fall in but you boldly claim one anyway, that can appear silly. So let’s clear the air:
Having natural hair doesn’t mean you have 4C hair.
Having curls doesn’t mean you have 4C hair.
Being able to sport an afro doesn’t mean you have 4C hair.
Just because you’re black and beautiful doesn’t mean you have 4C hair.
Saying you have 4C hair doesn’t mean you have 4C hair.
Am I missing anything else? Feel free to leave any other points you may have in the comments.
So what constitutes having 4C hair?
Let’s look at a few pictures found on the internet which show this hair type:
- Type 4 hair that has no curls/ curl pattern without products being added. The straightest looking type 4 hair.
- Densely packed hair. This makes it thick and shrinks to over 70% less than its actual length. This means shrinkage like crazy!
- Tight Z-shaped coils. Not S, O, or C-shaped. The bends are much sharper in a zig-zag pattern which may not be visible to the eye so the hair appears straight.
- Regularly confused with 4B hair but it has way less definition.
- Feels wiry to the touch.
- Hair will not clump together without manipulation or products.
- Again no curls whatsoever unless styled or covered with curling product.
Note briefly: if you have more than one hair types present that is totally fine. This may be a result of repeated styling and product use. For example, your hair may be type 4B at the roots and more like 4A towards the end, this could result from repeatedly using curling products and twisting the hair. If this is the case, you may describe your hair as being mixed type 4 hair.
If you are still not quite sure of your hair type, Blacknaps offers a quiz which can help and Allure has created the perfect guide for you.
I do hope I have helped to clear things up so you can tell your confused ” girl your hair is not 4C” and present these facts! Thanks for stopping by.
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Manes and Crowns 