Black Hair Types: Type 3 and Type 4 – What’s Yours?
If you’re new to natural black hair community, you may have heard a little bit about different black hair types. This pretty much gives you an idea of which category your hair type(s) falls under so that you can get a better idea of which products and methods work best for your hair. There are 4 different hair types, but the main ones discussed within the natural black hair community are type 3 and type 4 hair, which is predominant within the black community.
Black Hair Types
As discussed earlier, black hair types generally refer to 2 types: Type 3 & Type 4 hair. So, let’s discuss these 2 black hair types so that it gets easy for you to understand which type your hair falls into. Knowing your hair type will help you to take care of it the best way.
Type 3
- 3A– Very large curls and/or crinkly waves
- 3B– Loose spiral curls
- 3C– Springy tight spiral curls
The Type 3 hair is typically soft in nature, but still requires a lot of moisture, maintenance and care. Usually, this hair type is best styled in a wash & go, but the versatility of styles you can achieve is virtually endless.
Type 3 hair tends to frizz up easily, so look for a gel, sebum or edge control product that will keep the frizz and flyaways to a minimum.
You will also want to stay away from very heavy products since they have the tendency to weigh down your curls, leaving them with a limp, greasy appearance. Although 3C hair types can typically handle heavier products, if you’re closer to a 3A sticking to lightweight moisturizers and oils would be your best bet.
Naturally Curly Hair Types
Type 4
- 4A– Loose/Tight coils
- 4B– Very tightly coiled/ zig-zag pattern
- 4C– no real “curl” pattern
Type 4 is the curliest of them all, featuring tight curls, coils and kinks. This texture is also one of the most versatile since shrinkage gives the illusion of shorter hair even if the hair is waist-length.
