Caring For Coily Natural Hair.
Although many would rather not place their hair into any category, truth is your hair type does influence the routine required to keep it healthy, although both are curly, what may work on ‘corkscrew’ curls as those seen in type 3 hair, may not work on spring-like coils as seen in type 4 hair. Today I shall be focusing on tips for caring for coily hair (tips on caring for type 3 curls coming soon). Aside from the general guide on caring for and growing afro hair, certain tips should be kept in mind when caring for 4a,4b and 4c hair.
Mostly 4a hair, my hair in a puff, Image shot by me.
Stretch
Because of how tightly coiled our beautiful type 4 hair tends to be, the ends can knot very easily. It helps to think of our coils like a small spring, the more stretched the spring is , the lower the chances of the coils intertwining. Keeping your hair lightly stretched by wearing it in twist outs and braid outs would prevent constant tangling. Your hair does however require breaks between twisting and braiding, wash n go’s provide the perfect break. As your hair would be more prone to tangling with a wash n go, detangling often would keep webbing and knots it at bay, if you wear one out for a week gently finger detangle and moisturize at least once every two days.
4b/4c hair queens, Tk Wonder and Ciprianna quan, Image from stylecaster.com
Moisture
Moisture is vital for any type of curly hair, to prevent both frizz and tangling.The difference is type 4 hair can get very tanged in a relatively short period of time if dry. Again using the spring example, when our hair is wet it stretches out , and as it dries it slowly shrinks like a spring recoiling, as the coils get closer, more knots can form. To boost moisture, use the L.O.C method, always use a sealant when you do moisturize your hair, opt for a heavier cream (Shea moisture’s Curl enhancing smoothie is pretty great) Shea butter is also fantastic for type 4 hair and I would definitely recommend you try that out.
4c hair, Teyonnah parris, Image from Essence.com
Detangling
Detangling. AKA the arm workout, once again detangling should be included in every curlies regimen, but it is vital for type 4 hair, because of how close our coils are, not only can our strands tangle easily, but they can form full on knots (number one enemy of length retention). Wash day would be the best day to thoroughly detangle your hair. I tried finger detangling the past weekend and it was even more effective than using a finger comb, make sure your hair is WET and add a generous amount of conditioner, separate the tangles and knots from the bottom of your strands , once your ends are tangle free, you can gently work your way up to your roots. When you are done you should be able to run your fingers through your hair (with the help of a really good conditioner, a lot of it). Use a cotton t shirt to blott out excess water (a towel will cause frizz and dryness). After you style your hair, especially for a wash n go, Shake your hair out, this will separate the coils from each other.
Thank you for checking this post out, that’s all for this article. If you would like to keep up with posts; (receive a notification once a month with details on latest posts as well as exclusive content) subscribe at the bottom of the page (no spam mail,I promise !)
Xo - Alex
