Type 4's....where you at?

Hi Ladies,

Im pretty new to this site and Im currently transitioning for the 2nd time. Right now I have a pixie cut and Im still fresh in so I have more relaxer than natural. I am eager and excited to get my new growth and gradually ween off my relaxed ends. I am working on my own personal perception of my hair and excepting curls/kinks/coils as beauty...however I must say that I have not been as inspired by type 4's. Not that type 4 hair isnt beautiful but I honestly dont see any styles or techniques that peek a genuine liking. As we know type 4 hair can be extra dry, frizzy, un-defined curl pattern and grow upward. I know the natural make up of this type of hair can not be altered to do what type 3's can do but I am interested in receiving some advice of the right products/techniques and styles for type 4's that will exude luscious shiny hair with moisure and not dry frizzy fuzziness....and yes I am obviously type 4...i cant say yet if Im a, b, or c...but I probably have a mixture.
Im not keen on braids, two strand twist (actually wearing twist), afro's...even though I may not have curly curls...I still want to ravish in my wavy waves mixed in coils and have definition that doesn't look dry and too fro-ish. Am I being unrealistic?
To my type 4 hair beauties...may you please bring some insight. I want to know products, techniques, and styles that compliment type 4 hair.

Thanks Luvs!

From what i've seen/read/heard knowing your hair "type" won't really help much. Most of us have to simply use trial and error because even if you find someone with hair that looks exactly like yours, there is no guarantee that what she uses will work for you. I learned through experience that my hair like oils and butters. I learned the hard way that even though Karen's Body Beautiful works wonders for lots of sistas, it does nothing for me. If you're patient, this part of the journey (finding product) can actually be quite fun (it can also be expensive if you're a product junkie-- I ain't sayin no names, lol). As for styles and product suggestions, check the butter n bars thread, the product thread and youtube. HTH!

Thanks @Erica5417...
I have read how this transition will be a trial and error experience on figuring out what will and will not work for my hair. I guess I just have nerves of whats to come with this transition.
I actually am a product junkie *hangs head* but still its too soon to really know whats working and whats not.
Guess I will just have to wait and see...

Erica5417 wrote:From what i've seen/read/heard knowing your hair "type" won't really help much. Most of us have to simply use trial and error because even if you find someone with hair that looks exactly like yours, there is no guarantee that what she uses will work for you. I learned through experience that my hair like oils and butters. I learned the hard way that even though Karen's Body Beautiful works wonders for lots of sistas, it does nothing for me. If you're patient, this part of the journey (finding product) can actually be quite fun (it can also be expensive if you're a product junkie-- I ain't sayin no names, lol). As for styles and product suggestions, check the butter n bars thread, the product thread and youtube. HTH!

She is exactly right. I found my hair twin on this forum (Hey Eden!) and her hair hates what my hair loves. It's all about trial and error.

My hair also loves oils and butters like Erica's but like she said she cant use KBB and my hair loves it.

You may already have what your hair loves, but you may be expecting it to make your hair look type 3ish, won't happen. It seems like you don't really like having type 4 hair, but before you can actually find what works with your hair, you must except your texture. I am a type 4 myself (btw I hate typing my hair lol), and I love it. There are people with type 4 hair, and their hair looks amazing to me--Lynnieluvie, Erica5417, kimmaytube, BeautifulBrwnBabyDol, and many others. I wouldn't trade mine for anything in the world, and besides it holds many styles.

Aww Thank you MissFierce21. I am in the 4 hair family too and I wouldnt trade it for anything.

Im in the 4 family as well and I adore it....my staple products are raw unrefined shea butter, giovanni direct leave in, and herbal essences hello hydration....

Thanks Ladies!
I definitely dont know as of yet what my hair loves (staple products) but I am still experimenting. And as I said, I am still transitioning and more so a newbie. Right now my scalp is just extremely itchy...not sure if its the new growth or what...
@BrownSkinDiva...I am currently using giovanni direct leave in and HH Hello Hydration...like it for the most part but still to early to see what my natural hair thinks about it. Ordered some shea butter from butters n bars...just waiting for it to come in. So we shall see...but thanks for the advice.

I'm a 4. Well my hair is more like 4 b-z with lots of shrinkage. It's taken me about a year to figure out what works- flat twist outs. It doesn't last that long but when I do it looks fly. I've also learned that my hair dries out very easily with gels. Coconut oil and shea butter are my best friends. Co-washes and deep conditioning have saved my life, also. All I can say is that don't use a product just because it works for your friend. Be very observant to how your hair reacts to everything. Anyway here are some photos for inspiration. One is from one of the first time I wore an afro and the other was when I wore my signature twist out this February. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Your fro is so pretty and even. I love it!

On naturallycurly.com and just got blown AWAY on how fly some 4a and 4b hair is. Totally was just inspired. http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/showthread.php?t=63416

I see versatility and even better beauty in the texture. This was just what I needed to be inspired and motivated during this process.

I am so happy you found some inspiration. Sometimes that's all we need to reach our goals.

Juices-n-Berries wrote:Your fro is so pretty and even. I love it!

Thanks, I appreciate the compliment Your hair looks great too.

Model have u tried Qhemet Biologics. Myself, as well as many others find those products very moisturizing for dry type 4 hair.

No I haven't...never heard of it before. Let me look it up. Where do you normally purchase this?

They have a website. That's where I ordered mine. However, they also distribute to other places. I recently found out a store in my area sells these products so next time I'll buy there. Online they sell sample sizes of the products for you to try and see which ones work best for your hair. I like the Amla and Olive Heavy Cream, as well as the Olive and Honey Hydrating Balm.

Juices-n-Berries!!! You are feeding my PJ habit! lol
Looks like I'll be making another order real soon. Im still waiting on my order from butters-n-bars...
So does the amla and olive cream really leave your hair soft for days???

I have yet to use it as my sole moisturizer. But it definitely softened and derangled my hair. Some people even use it to twist. I did some dry twists with it last week and didn't have any problems. I used the balm to seal
and it's also good to smooth down edges.

One more thing, if you don't like wearing the twists or braids out, you could always twist and then put on a cute hat until you're ready to do the twistout. Or depending on the length of your hair, you could twist or braid at night and take down in the morning. Hth

Hey modelnik, I had the same issue as you with my hair texture, its one of the many reasons that it took me so long to finally go natural (I just started transitioning). It seemed like the only girls who were natural and had hair that looked good to me did not have my hair "type". But like you I just needed some inspiration, youtube has definitely been a hair saver . Now I try to only seek out ladies whose hair "type" is similar to mine for style inspiration. I still have a little curl envy (not gonna lie) but it takes time. As for products I'm still working on that one myself, I'm becoming a PJ and mixtress lol.

@MS. Fenty...well thanks for your honesty and I'm glad I'm not alone... support helps.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I am a 4a - 4b curly....

My staple products include...Hello Hydration, Jessicurl Weekly Deep Treatment (I use it for a leave in, too), shea butter, olive oil, and henna. My style of choice is the braid out.

The most important advice I have for a type 4 hair beauty is to keep it simple. Find what works for you and stick to it.

Luvs it!!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
It's beautiful!

Moniero wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Love the hair and your skin is beautiful.

Thanks ladies! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

@modelnik- I'm a type 4 and I just recently BC'd after transitioning for 4 months.

Twist n curl outs and flat twist outs got me through my transition... you can see pictures on my blog site (address below). It gave me nice definition that could last for a couple days.

Now that I'm 100% natural, I'm so excited (and yeah, anxious) to see how my hair grows and what my curls will look like. My hair is still quite short but I definitely have REALLY TIGHT spirals throughout most of my hair. But even if I didn't have a distinct curl pattern, I would love it. One of my #1 hair idols (blackonyx77) doesn't have a really distinct curl pattern but she rocks some awesome styles.

And it looks like you're on your way with some type 4 inspirations!!! But try the twist and flat twist outs for transition (I never wore the twist or flat twists out of my house).