There is so much about Afro hairstyles and natural kinky hair that we need to discuss and share. Afro – textured hair also known as Kinky hair has tightly coiled hair almost with no visible definition pattern. This hair type is found in individuals with African origin.
What is the difference between 4C, 4B 4A hair texture?
4C hair type category is classified as tight curls hair types as created by hairstylist Andre Walker. Within the system, curly hair ranges from type 2A (loose waves) to type 4C (tight coils)
According to Latoya Moore, a hairstylist at Devachan, "4C hair is a tightly coiled curl type in which the hair strands can be very fine to super coarse." "This gives the hair its unique characteristic of tightness, softness, proneness to breakage, and potential dryness."
Afro Kinky Hair Care Tips: How to Keep Your 4C-4B-4A Hair Thriving
Real People, real problem with afro kinky hair. We asked several people to share their problems and we came up with different ideas and suggestions to help you overcome your afro hair challenges.
Here's a guide to caring for your 4C curls and tips on how to keep them thriving — regardless of where you are in your curl journey.
10 Ways to Determine if your 4C Hair is Healthy?
When your hair is healthy, you get a peaceful mindset to focus on other things. Your afro kinky hair can be a tone of work ranging from 24 hours to days if you have not found ways to care for your 4C curls. We found ways to help you determine if your fro is in good shape.
- Afro Hair viscosity
- 4C Hair Elasticity
- Kinky Hair Breakage
- Hair Porosity
- Kinky Hair Moisture content
- Kinky Hair Breakage
- Kinky hair knots
- Afro texture and feel
- 4C hair weight
- Kinky Oily, dandruff and dirt
Once you have determined that your 4C in or is not healthy, you need to find out more details on how to care and maintain your 4C hair
“Healthy 4C hair should be soft in texture, easy to comb through, zero knots and shiny curls
HEALTHY AFRO 4C, KINKY STRAIGHT OR CURLY HAIR
When your afro hair can retain its moisture, you sure will know that it is healthy, as indicated by Amika and young king
Healthy fro hair strands has an aligned cuticle (the outermost part of the hair shaft) that is able to lay flat to lock in moisture
Your hair porosity reflects on how well products and moisture can pass through the cuticle layer 
How to test for kinky hair porosity
Step 1: Place a single strand of 4C hair into a bowl of water
Step 2: Observe the behavior of the hair. If the hair sinks to the bottom, your hair has a high porosity as it's absorbing all the moisture. If your hair floats on top of the water, your hair has a low porosity and doesn't absorb moisture easily. With this knowledge, you'll be able to choose products that either add more moisture to your hair (if you have lower-porosity hair) or that focus more on defining your curls with a tighter hold (if your hair is on the porous side)
CARE TIPS FOR LOW-POROSITY AND HIGH-POROSITY HAIR
As discussed earlier on how to determine if your hair is of low-or high porosity here
Let us focus now on how we can care for the 4C and maintain its porosity to a natural balance for a healthy kinky fro.
Hair porosity is the ability of any hair type to absorb moisture and keep it in the strands, “says Kari Williams, Ph.D., trichologist and celebrity hairstylist.
A healthy hair has an aligned hair cuticle.
Hair cuticle acts as a gatekeeper to control the moisture content penetrating your hair strand. If the so-called singles are more raised (or the cuticle is open), there are larger spaces—or pores—in between each, making it easier for moisture to both enter and escape. This is considered high-porosity hair. On the other hand, if your cuticle layer is tightly closed (read: fewer gaps or pores,
it's—as you probably guessed—harder for moisture to escape and enter and is considered low-porosity hair.
According to exploratorium, “underneath the cuticle is the cortex, which is made up of long proteins that twist like the curly cord on a telephone. When you stretch your hair, you are straightening the coiled proteins in the cortex, and when you release the kinky hair, the proteins coil up again.
How to Treat Low-Porosity Hair
Closed-off cuticles are challenging to deal with, you'll need products that can penetrate stubborn strands to deliver some much-needed moisture. Look for formulas containing lightweight ingredients, such as grapeseed and jojoba oils as well as glycerin, suggests Petrillo. ICYDK, glycerin is a humectant, which means it can draw moisture from the air to your hair.
In addition, "When it comes to low-porosity hair, you don't want to apply an excessive amount of products because it won't all absorb into the strands, and it may even leave behind residues," says Petrillo. That's why Pretrillo recommends shampoos with anti-residue formulas (often labeled as "clarifying shampoos") and conditioners specifically marked as "lightweight." (But if you do end up with product buildup and residue, just treat your scalp to a detox.)
5 TOP Best-Products for Low-Porosity Hair
- Use Clarifying shampoos such as Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo $5 - (also available on Amazon.com. Apply this to your naturaql hair or hair with protective braids or wigs once a week to help prevent build up of dead skin, excess oil and hair dirt
- Maui Moisture Lightweight Hydration + Hibiscus Water Conditioner ONLY $7 on amazon.com. This product is formulated to deliver hydration to low-porosity hair without weighing it down
- Jojoba Oil Hair Serum found at Nyla Beauty Supply or ulta.com. Jojoba and rosehip oils are vital in keeping your kinky hair moisturized
- Shea Moisture Manuka Honey and Yogurt Hydrate and Repair Multi-Action Leave-in from target.com at $12 is a perfect lightweight leave-in hair spray that has honey useful to seal moisture, a natural humectant
- Satin Scarf – for all type 4
- Jamaican Black Castor Oil for Hair Growth also available on amazon.com at $12– also known as JBC is produced by cold pressing fresh castor beans. No chemicals are used during the process of extracting the castor oil. Jamaican black castor oil has a ton of different benefits – it treats dandruff, moisturizes hair, promotes hair growth, treats acne, and even relieves muscle pain. These properties set it apart from other nourishing oils, like coconut or argan. You should use Jamaican Black Castor Oil because
- Rejuvenate your hair, skin and feet with this wide growth oil. Jamaican healing oil as its called is a raw castor oil that is not refined. iQ Natural black castor oil is 100% effective.
- Natural hair conditioner for black hair: Our black castor oil a perfect leave in conditioner for natural hair. Works great for your skin too!
- Hair growth + skin conditioning: Hair care for damaged hair begins with black castor oil. Our oil is filled with 100% natural nutrients. When applied to the scalp, hair, beard, or skin, its conditioning effects are felt immediately.
- Black hair products for natural hair: Organic black castor oil for hair growth starts at the source your hair scalp and strengthens hair roots and promotes hair growth.
- Pure black castor oil: Promotes black natural hair care and works excellent as a Jamaican black castor oil for eyelashes. Black castor oil is the best castor oil for hair growth.
5 TOP BEST products for HIGH Porosity Hair
As indicated before, high porosity hair is characterized with a tende4ncy to tangle easily and is susceptible to high heat, heavy chemicals and bleaching. Pretrillo suggests, "You want to properly condition this hair type with formulas that lean more towards sealing in moisture." That means oils and butters are your friends. (See also: The Best Hair Oil for Your Hair Type). Hair butters and hair oils, like olive oil, coconut oil, argan oil, castor oil, and shea butter are vital in keeping high porosity hair moisturized. They really help to infuse moisture into the hair and seal in the moisture." For people with high-porosity hair, deep conditioning using a hoodie, each time you wash your hair is a necessity. Its more useful to even use natural products as they are less processed and contain enough nutrients needed for your hair. Try These DIY Hair Masks to Treat Dry, Brittle Strands) otherwise you can buy hair products below
- Shea-Moisture Extra Moisture Deep treatment Masque from ulta.com only $13. Shea moisture restores dry or damaged hair with shea butter and argan oil, keeping the moisture well sealed in your 4C type hair
- A moisturizing mist between shampoo days is also as important. You can use these thermal deep conditioning Cap which seals strands and locks in moisture
- Since high porosity hair frizzes quickly, Advanced Climate Control Restore + Revive Bi-Phase at $32 from amazon.com can help seal the cuticles to keep moisture in even in humid environments
- As with all hairs, satin scarfsashlabelle.com/collections/sash-satin-scarves is a necessity to ensure that your hair is well protected when washing, drying, and sleeping.
Hair Elasticity
When kinky hair is wet, if stretched at end and released, its behavior also indicates if it is healthy or not. In this case, if the 4C hair stretches and immediately bounces back to its original length when released, then be sure to celebrate its elasticity. Your fro is healthy and is able to retain enough moisture and nutrients flow. If your kinky hair takes longer than normal to eventually return to its original length, it probably has poor elasticity. Since it Is not retaining its moisture, you may need to amp it up through additional moisture products to ensure that your curls are receiving the love they need). According to exploratorium, “underneath the cuticle is the cortex, which is made up of long proteins that twist like the curly cord on a telephone. When you stretch your hair, you are straightening the coiled proteins in the cortex, and when you release the kinky hair, the proteins coil up again.
Also SEE
HOW CAN I FIX MY DAMAGED KINKY 4C HAIR
Breakage and Knots
Healthy kinky 4C hair should be able to maintain its thickness from the root to the ends. In doing this, the afro 4C hair indicated minimal breakage and strong cuticles. According to afrocenchix, dry hair and frequent manipulation are the main causes of breakage. Understanding this will allow you to keep your afro hair moisturized and in low manipulation or protective styles to reduce breakage and maximize growth. In addition, african american hair tend to break frequently specifically to those with curly or more defined hair coils which are pron to tangle and loop around itself. Trimming african american hair is one such step that you can follow to reduce hair breakage, while frequent moisturizing ensures that your african hair has adequate moisture, its smooth and slippery, hence less likely to tangle.
Belinda Momi also indicated that black hair breakage could be as a result of frequent manipulations.
HOW THEN CAN I STOP MY AFRICAN AMERICAN HAIR FROM BREAKAGE AND DAMAGE?
First before we discuss how to stop African American hair from breaking, let us discuss what causes African hair to damage and then we can understand how to fix it.
Kinky hair problems may go beyond one particular issue such as dryness or frizzes. When they go beyond repair, no amount of conditioning and protein treatment can help. According to Exploratorium, “When you get split ends, you're seeing the cortex at its worst. You've worn away the protective cuticle on the tips of your hairs with harsh treatment like hard brushing or too much sun and water. Without the cuticle, the fibers of the cortex fray like the strands of a rope. Since the cortex can't heal itself, the only way to get rid of split ends is to cut them off.”
While black hair trimming is never the solution to majority of many African Americans, we decided to investigate this matter deeply to help us be proactive with our hair problems rather than reactive to our hair problems.
- Use of Harsh Chemicals – relaxers, texturizers and hair colors may lead to damaged hair. However, you can still maintain a healthy hair with these services as long as you are doing it right. While relaxers and texturizers are easily accessible to many users, ensure you get the best training on when it should be applied on your hair type. For example, Hair colors may also damage your hair especially when your hair is chemically processed already. Blonde dyes on an already chemically processed or relaxed kinky tresses should be avoided.
- Excessive Heat on Kinky Hair – whether your 4C hair is processed or natural, too much heat can hurt it. The use of flat irons and pressing combs should be limited as the damage would be irreversible.
- Night Routines – Preserving your hair at night by wrapping it or pinning it down is vital. While wrapping your hair at night is vital, the use of proper 4C hair wrap materials is also a game changer. Satin wrap is one such products that is 4C hair friendly and creates a good foundation according to Larry Sims, master hairstylist and co-founder of flawless by Gabrielle Union
Satin scarves should be every girls gift. "Polarizing your hair at night is really great for longer hair generally because the movement during sleep often agitates and knots up your curls," says Massey. She recommends a "pineapple-like updo" to secure your curls at night, especially if you're hoping to stretch your washday curls out for a few days. "Think of it as a Christmas tree in a netted wrap, all bundled up in its natural position, and when you get home, you take it off, and [it] splays open into its natural state." If you find your curls in need of a little fluffing, Massey recommends applying, "[a] silicone-free conditioner in your hands, slightly run it under the water tap and refresh your curls or spray with lavender water and some conditioner mixed."
- Healthy Diet and lots of drinks – when you are dehydrated, your hair reflects the lack of water as well. Drinking plenty of water and eating healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids are essential to growing strong healthy hair. Sims agrees. "In some cases, you may need to look internally and assess your lifestyle—diet, water intake, and exercise to improve hair health." Avocado, salmon, chia seeds, and eggs are all healthy food staples that may nourish your body (and hair) from the inside out.
- Hair Routine – Healthy hair doesn’t just happen. You need to invest your time and routine to reduce damage to your 4C hair. Set up time to shampoo, condition, deep condition and protein treatments to your 4C kinky hair. Pre-poos are vital and oil rinse are needed to ensure that your hair is not left for a long time to dry out.
- Wear protective styles
Protective styling is one of the most sorted for hair solutions in many African 4C hair communities. While it may be used to protect the hair, technology has advanced the styles, to ensure that beauty is included in the picture.
