NappyHairCareDiaries 101: Afro Hair Textures - Defining your Curl pattern! Heya!!! I hope you all had a luvly weekend and that you are enjoying this beautiful week! Did you know that African hair is sooo versatile, that it comes in sooo many shapes of coils and kinks??? Do you realize that the hair on your head is not uniform throughout and that you probably have more than type of curl pattern on your one head.... I discovered that when i reverted to my natural hair...for instance the hair on my edges in the front and the sides has a looser curl pattern than the hair in the middle of my hair and the hair at the back of my hair has a more coilier coil to it than the one in the front which has more of a zig zaggy pattern.... So in all this myriad of curls and kinks and coils, how does a natural sista know what her hair type is???? Let’s talk Hair Typing People!!! Whether or not you feel that hair typing is important, the fact remains that it can be difficult to follow along with online discussions without knowing the various texture references. Understanding my hair type helped me accept my hair for what it is and not for what I would have liked it to be….. After months of peeving after the lusciously defined curls of naturals on the internet and on YouTube and entertaining false hopes of having lose curls framing my face, and finally realizing (after buying the umpteenth so called ‘curl defining gel/ cream/ custard’ and lord knows what else, hundreds of dollars later) that no matter what styling agent I used on my hair, it was just not going to form those cute curls I longed for so much, and after some frantic searching I found NaturallyCurly’s hair typing guide. This guide helped me understand the different hair types found amongst African hair and also helped me realize that no matter what shape or size of curls or kinks or coils my hair had, it was still beautiful the way it was. When I finally realized my hair actually had a type, I started doing research along the lines of my hair type and looked up fellow YouTubers and natural hair bloggers with similar texture and only then did I begin to look for the right hair care information for my hair. This has helped me tremendously in choosing the right hair care products, selecting styling options best suited for my hair and knowing the limitations of my hair. It was then that my hair started thriving and being happy & healthy! (Probably breathed a sigh of relief as well….. the things I put it through!!!! Sigh!) Although the hair typing guide above does not include a type 4c category which is what I predominantly find amongst my local sisters—so here are a few excerpts. Type 4 – Kinky Hair Type 4 is kinky, or very tightly curled, with a clearly visible curl pattern. Its circumference is that of a Crochet needle or even smaller. The hair is very wiry, very tightly coiled and very, very fragile (needs to be handled with TLC!!!). Type 4 hair can range from fine/thin to wiry/coarse with lots and lots of strands densely packed together. Type 4 hair has fewer cuticle layers than any other hair type, which means that it has less natural protection from the damage you inflict by combing, brushing, curling, blow-drying and straightening it, even natural rubbing against coarse textures may cause it to break, hence sleeping on a satin pillow is essential if you want to avoid Single Strand Knots (SSL) and breakage. (I stay away from combs and brushes as much as possible!!!).Type 4 hair is known to shrink up to 75% of the actual hair length (just at the sight of moisture..kikikiki!). There are three Type 4 subtypes: 4a: Tightly coiled hair that, when stretched, has an “S” pattern, much like curly hair. It tends to have more moisture than 4b; has a definite curl pattern (My sister in the Flax Seed gel pictures has a combination of type 4a and 4b curls). Keep it healthy by….. • Starting your Coily Springy regimen with co-washing. This will cleanse and condition your coils without stripping out its natural oils • Restore and renew your dry Coily Springy hair with a deep conditioner once a week. Hydrate, soften and nourish your Coily Springy hair with moisturizers and lighter butters such as mango butter and *avocado butter. 4b: Has a “Z” pattern, less of a defined curl pattern. Instead of curling or coiling, the hair bends in sharp angles like the letter “Z”; has a cotton-like feel Keep it healthy by….. • Using a heavy creamy cleanser to keep your coils healthy and moisturized – Herbal InFusions MudClayWash is excellent for this! • Detangling your Coily Crimpy hair should be an essential part of your hair care routine. Detangle with a conditioner that has lots of slip and your favorite wide-tooth comb. We lurv lurv our homemade pre-poos with the Banana & honey Smoothie being our favorite! • Seal in moisture and add shine to your dry fragile Coily Crimpy hair with styling butters such as the Herbal InFusions Trio of Butters Mélange. • Deep condition weekly to ensure strong healthy and hydrated coils. To intensify your deep treatment, add heat (baggying is and steaming are great ways of adding heat). 4c: type 4c hair is composed of curl patterns that will almost never clump without doing a specific hair style. It can range from fine/thin/super soft to wiry/coarse with lots of densely packed strands. 4c tends to look identical to 4b except that the curls are so tightly kinked, there is seemingly no definition, hair looks like a cotton ball than individual strands. Keeping it healthy… • Limit your cleansing to heavy co-washing conditioners. We’ve tried and liked the Banana Conditioner by The Body Shop as well as Tresemme Naturals. • Use products like oils (castor oil, jojoba oil, olive oil etc), creams and butters (HI’s mango, shea, mafura, *avocado, *macadamia, *cocao) to moisturize and seal your coils. • Use heavy pudding and creams (HI’s *Mongongo Jelly and Shea Butter Crème) to help elongate your Coily Ziggly hair. Dont forget to deep condition every 3 days to ensure healthy strong coils General Tips for type hair… • Use styling creams, butters and oils for type 4 hair. • This hair type needs extra moisture and tender-loving care because it can be fragile Detangle hair with a lot of conditioner in your hair and use a comb or detangling brush Let hair air dry or use a hooded dryer on the lowest het setting. • Do not use a brush or comb on your dry curls • Reduce tangles by sleeping on a satin pillowcase or wrap hair in a satin cap Check out the post on pictures of these hair types. I’m a 4b / 4c afro chic……Which hair type are you??? Asterisked products coming soon at Herbal InFusions! *At Herbal InFusions, we dont focus on numbers or letters when it comes to your hair. We know that a curl is curl, a coil is a coil and there is no curl / coil that we cant tame! How do we know what product to use? On your first visit, we will shampoo and deep condition your hair (all services come with a deep conditioning treatment. Once your hair is clean, free of product, conditioned, wet, and in its natural state, your hair will be evaluated. We will then be able to determine your curl pattern, texture, straight pieces, breakage, and shrinkage. Then we will suggest the best style for your curl/ coil/ zig-zaggy type; and hand select the best styling products for your texture specifically.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 14:56:41 +0000
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