What Is 4c Hair ?

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What Is 4c Hair?

To understand what 4C hair is, we need to understand how hair is categorized. In an interview with Allure, hairstylist Vernon Francois says that a person’s curl type is discovered by “the shape of the follicle that your hair grows out of from your scalp. The flatter or more oval-shaped the follicle, the curlier your hair; the more circular the cross-section, the straighter your hair. Your curl pattern is also identified by the shape that the strands of hair make, whether they kink, curve, or wind around themselves into spirals.”¹ Once this is assessed you can fit into one of four hair type categories:

• Type 1
• Type 2
• Type 3
• Type 4

 

The different types can be very confusing, so we’ll use a few celebrities for reference. Type 1 would be like Cher or Gwyneth Paltrow’s hair. They’re the extreme end of the straight hair texture chart. Whereas type 4 would be celebrities like Lupita Nyong’o, Kerry Washington, Lianne La Havas, Taraji P. Henson, Cardi B., or Viola Davis. Their curls are so defined that we refer to them as coils.

You may have also noticed that when people discuss types, they usually mention a letter after the number. These subcategories are extremely useful because they tell us how wide or large your curl pattern is. I encourage you to look at different celebrities or even people around with these varying types.  When you’re really looking at it, the differences can be stark. Lupita Nyong’o is going to style her hair very differently from Lianne La Havas. Though their hair is within the same type, their subcategory puts them in a totally different ballpark.

Now that you know how hair typing works, you might be wondering where this method came from.

Where Did Hair Typing Come From?

Believe it or not, there are many methods that naturals can use to categorize their hair. Methods like the FIA system and the LOIS system exist but aren’t as common. At the moment, the most popular hair categorization method is the Andre Walker Hair Typing System. This one has been, by far, the most popular method since the 90s. But with its popularity comes controversy.

Andre Walker is a highly influential figure in the hair care community. Andre Walker is a famous, Chicagoan hair care stylist. According to Wikipedia, Walker has won seven Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling between 1989 and 2003. He’s also been a hairstylist for the likes of Halle Barry and Barbara Bush. But he’s most known for being Oprah Winfrey’s personal stylist, and has been for the last 25 years. She credits him with saving her hair, which was severely damaged before he came along. Walker eventually started a haircare line called Andre Walker Hair: The Gold System. He wanted to sell hair care products specifically for certain clients and developed the hair typing chart that we use today. Though it caused a spike it Walker’s sales, down the road it has caused some controversy within the natural hair community.

The first issue with Walker’s method is that it didn’t cater to kinky hair types, i.e., type 4. Walker believed that if you had this hair type, your best option was to relax it. It wasn’t until 4C hair came into style that he started to create brands specifically for 4C hair. Secondly, Walker’s chart doesn’t account for influential changes in our natural hair like chemical damage, natural porosity, or heat damage. These changes alone can alter the makeup of your significantly. If you’re concerned about these aspects of your hair, you’ll have to conduct different tests and purchase additional products for these issues. Thirdly, Walker’s chart doesn’t account for people with various textures in their hair. Most naturals will agree that the hair on the back of your head will have different needs, and textures, than that of the front. Regardless, Walker’s hair typing system has become a renowned styling system that many people rely on for accurate hair care information.

So now that you know a little bit about the history of hair typing, it might be time to discuss what it means to have 4C hair in general.

 

How do I know if my hair is 4C?

There are several ways to figure out if you have 4C hair. Each one can range from how much time you want to spend on figuring out your hair type and may require some extra steps to get the most accurate hair type possible. If you are transitioning from relaxed hair to natural hair, it might be a little difficult to tell what your hair type is. But don’t worry, make your best guess, and consider getting a big chop to help you assess your type more accurately.

Here are a few ways to determine if your hair is 4C:

• Go to a stylist: Though most hairstylists specialize in type 1 to 3 hair, they are trained to identify different hair types. If you’re not comfortable determining your hair type yourself, make a consultation appointment and ask them what they think your hair type is.
• Try an online quiz: When I first became a natural, I took a plethora of quizzes to help me figure out what my hair type was. At first, I thought I was a 4A but the quizzes helped me realize that I was a 4C. After that, buying hair care products, establishing a routine, and cleansing my hair became significantly easier.
• Conduct Some Tests: There are a few common tests to see what your hair type is. I recommend conducting at least 3 of them to make sure that your answers are roughly the same. Make sure that you conduct all of these tests on freshly washed hair that doesn’t have any product in it. Hair lotions and curl enhancers may cause your hair strands to change.
  • The Drying Test: 4C hair typically takes a long time to dry. If you find that it takes your hair longer than 4 hours to dry on its own, there’s a chance that you have 4C hair.
  • The Scalp Test: The scalp test will help determine how dense your hair is. 4C hair is typically very dense. Gently try to part your hair on two sides and see how much of your scalp is present. If you find that seeing your scalp is difficult then you may have 4C hair.
  • The Shrinkage Test: If you have some time to spare, I highly recommend the shrinkage test. This is a great test for those of you who are transitioning to natural hair. All you have to do is wash your hair well. Without detangling or adding product, observe how your hair naturally shrinks. If it coils closely to your head, doesn’t move when you shake your head, and you can’t manipulate it without stretching, then you have 4C hair.
  • The Strand Observation Test: The first test will require you to observe your strands. Pull out one strand and look at the curl pattern. Compare it a natural hair chart to see what your hair type is.

If you’ve passed all these tests, then congratulations! You have 4C hair. And if you didn’t, congratulations anyway! You’re one step closer to knowing your hair type. As you navigate your hair care lifestyle, here are a few quick misconceptions about 4C hair to help you out.

 

Myths and Misconceptions About 4C Hair

1. You can’t have natural 4c hair and be successful – Though it was a common belief for may decades that “kinky” or “nappy” hair was unprofessional, it certainly isn’t the case today. There are many famous celebrities, entrepreneurs, and politicians with kinky hair who have worn beautiful and professional styles in their everyday lives.
2. Natural 4C hair is hard to take care of – 4C hair is only difficult to take care of when you don’t know how to take care of it. Fortunately, there are many outlets, communities, blogs, and books that discuss how to properly care for your hair type.
3. Natural 4C hair isn’t attractive – Though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we can say without a doubt that most people who behold natural hair find it attractive. Now, if you come across someone who isn’t attracted to your cute coils then they might not be the one for you; there are plenty of fish in the sea after all.
4. You can’t have long hair and be natural – Methods like hair stretching, banding, and flexi-rods are great for stretching your hair and displaying your true length. Never fret if you feel like your hair is too short.
5. 4C hair isn’t soft – Though 4C hair is known for being course, it can become very soft. You simply need to find the right products, methods, and/or techniques to keep it feeling fluffy.

 

 

Citation

1. Amay, J. (2018, January 19). The simple way to figure out your hair’s curl type. Allure. Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://www.allure.com/gallery/curl-hair-type-guide.
2. Hair products for natural and black hair. Andre Walker Hair. (2021). Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://andrewalkerhair.com/.
3. Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, June 13). Andre Walker. Wikipedia. Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andre_Walker.
4. The disappointing truth about the most popular hair chart. Mello Hair Solution. (2020). Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://www.mellohair.ca/blogs/news/the-disappointing-truth-about-the-most-popular-hair-chart.
5. Trebilcock, J. (2017, October 29). Jennifer trebilcock. Black Hair Spot. Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://blackhairspot.com/blog/hair-talk/fia-hair-typing/.
6. (2020). What is Hair Typing? | All About Hair Typing with Andre Walker’s Hair Typing System. YouTube. Retrieved September 20, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=498BHAYzYPE.