Black Hair Magic

Type 4 Hair is characterized by tight coils in various shapes. It is very dense and can become quite dry, so conditioning hair and maintaining that moisture are very important in caring for 4A, 4B and 4C hair patterns.

If you’re unsure of exactly what kind of type 4 hair you have, this is an easy way to tell the three variants apart:

• 4A Hair: these are dense, springy curls that form more of an S shape.
• 4B Hair: this type of hair bends in a sharp angle to form a Z shape.
• 4C Hair: when you have 4C hair, your coils are so tight they don’t have as much definition as 4A of 4B curls.

4A,  4b and 4c Bloggers to Follow

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Type 4 Hair Guide

Type 4A, 4B and 4C hair has to be cared for in a specific way that allows it to stay moist with a beautiful texture. This guide will help you care for your type 4 hair to keep it looking stunning day-in, day-out:

Pre-Poo Your Hair

Many Type 4s find the doing a pre-poo before shampooing provides additional moisture and helps to detangle the hair. Using oil or conditioner, saturate the hair and then leave it for 30 minutes before washing. Some common products are:

• Avocado Oil
• Coconut Oil
• Almond Oil
• Argan Oil
• Aloe Vera
• Mango Butter

Focus on Scalp While Shampooing

Whether you have 4A, 4B or 4C hair, you want to focus on the scalp. 4A hair gets tangled easily while 4C hair is quite fragile –  so don’t do the typical thing of piling your hair on top of your head and scrunching the shampoo in.

Wet your hair by letting the water run over it, and make sure it’s fully saturated. Just apply whatever product you’re using onto your fingertips and put them under your hair so you’re going straight for the scalp. When rinsing – again – don’t get your ends involved.  Some of the best shampoos for Type 4 hair are:

• The Wild Curl Gentle Cleansing Curly Shampoo
• Mixed Chicks Sulfate Free Shampoo
• Cantu Sulfate Free Cream Shampoo
• Alikay Naturals Moisturising Black Soap Shampoo
• Briogeo Scalp Revival Microexfoliating Shampoo
• Ouidad Advanced Climate Control Defrezzing Shampoo
• SheaMoisture Strengthen, Grow and Restore Shampoo

Only shampoo once, and then use conditioner to get rid of the rest of the dirt and residue. Apply it to your scalp and down through to your ends. Then, rinse it like you would a shampoo.

Condition and Detangle

When you condition and detangle, you can also use this step to gently wash your hair. So, if you need to wash your hair more than once a week, then simply use your conditioner to clean it. Be sure to avoid using conditioners with silicones; eventually, you’ll have to use a clarifying shampoo at some point to get rid of the build-up – so, it’s best to just avoid ‘cones altogether. Some of the best conditioners for type 4 hair are:

• DevaCurl One Conditioner
• Aveda Rosemary Mint Conditioner
• EDEN Bodyworks Jojoba Monoi Deep Conditioner
• Curly Coily Tresses Nourish Treatment
• Ouidad Curl Immersion Deep Condition

Air Dry Whenever Possible

Avoid using heat when it comes to drying 4A, 4B or 4C hair. This will only dry it out and stop your texture from shining for as long as it usually would.

Use the LOC Method to Style

The LOC Method is used by just about every person with Type 4 hair to retain moisture and have beautifully textured hair. LOC stands for:

1. Liquid: hydrate your hair with water
2. Oil: use oil to retain that moisture (coconut oil, olive oil and avocado oil are hair penetrating oils that are best for the LOC Method)
3. Creme: use cream or a leave-in conditioner to seal the cuticle

Mix It Up If You Have Low Porosity Hair

If you have low porosity hair, then you’ll want to mix up the LOC Method. You can tell the porosity of your head by dropping a strand in water. If it floats, your hair is low porosity; if it sinks, it’s high porosity. So, low porosity hair should switch the last two steps:

1. Liquid
2. Creme
3. Oil

Best Curl Creams for Type 4 Hair

Stick to creams when it comes to styling 4A, 4B or 4C hair. These are the best curl cremes for styling type 4 hair:

• Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream
• Pantene Gold Series Curl Defining Pudding Cream
• OBIA Naturals Curl Moisture Cream
• Cantu Coconut Curling Cream
• Camille Rose Naturals Curl Moisture Milk
• Curl Junkie Beauticurls Leave-In Hair Conditioner
• TGIN Butter Cream

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