CALLING ALL LADIES WITH TYPE 4 HAIR!!! NO 3'SS PLEASE!

I'm a little new in this natural game when it comes to hairstyles and products. So could you help me out. It seems to me like more women with 3 type hair get represented the most online, I seldom see any 4's.Anywho, what products work best for you, hairstyles... Got any tips, real good moisturizing regimens? Anything and everything would help!

Thank you.

Much Appreciation,
aliyakeys

"None are so blind as those who cannot see."

Welcome!!!
Are u transitionning? Or completely natural?
I think that'll help us give you better tips...

I'm a 4a here to help. I'm on curltalk, lhcf, and youtube. there are so many products that a lot of us have tried and can recommend, can you tell us more about your hair?

I agree with fanmnatirel. Are you completely natural? I have 4a type hair and I have just started using SheaMoisture products that cost only $9.99 each at Target. The key to managing "our" type of hair is moisturize and deep condition. I keep my hair in tight finger curls or two strand twists for protective styling.

I hope some of this has helped you a little.

I have 4A hair on the front half of my head. You could try going to Curl Street and following the journal of a 4A ladies. I found that to be very helpful when I was transitioning and now. It helped me to build my regimen as well.

Hello!! You must check out the Curl Street 4's threads, like Renny said. I think what would be particularly helpful is to moisturize by water and then sealing with oils. Also if you find products that are heavily moisturizing to put in after the conditioners and sealing, like Qhemet products or something comparable..It will be most helpful..Blessings

am a 4a

Welcome!
Lots of 4s all over the board.
Here are some things that have worked for me.

Products Made with Natural Ingredients
Aubrey Organics - White Camelia, Blue Green Algae Hair Rescue Mask are my favs. Honesuckle Rose, GPB and Island Naturals have also worked well for me.

Here's the link to the Aubrey Product Matrix. Click on any product and you can see the ingredients and their corresponding benefits.

http://www.aubrey-organics.com/custom.aspx?id=23

Desert Essence - Coconut Conditioner, Green Apple Conditioner, Jojoba Oil
Kiss My Face Whenever Conditioner
Jane Carter Solution Nourish & Shine
Burts Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Treatment
Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-In (I use it to make Kimmaytube recipe)

Products with Other Ingredients
David Babaii Hydrating Conditioner
TIGI BedHead Moisture Maniac Conditioner
TIGI Catwalk Oatmeal & Honey Conditioner (protein)
L'Oreal EverStong Masque
Aussie Moist Hair Insurance Leave-In

Look for bargains at TJ Maxx, Marshall's & Ross.

I have not used heat since July I blot excess water from my hair, twist and airdry. I moisturize between wash days with KimmayTube Leave-In recipe.

HTH

all though i am not one to "type" hair, i believe i am a 4 something. my hair is very kinky, course, and full. I use KCCC, shea moisture, cantu shea butter, suave products. so far i havent found a product that didnt work "ok" on my hair. check out my blog if you like, the link is in my signature

Im 4a too woot woot!!

but there are many natural on youtube that are in the 4 family..u got MrsVcharles (my fav), 160Days2Lose2, Africanexport, allthatsgold, blackonyx77, kinkykurlycoil, and sheacocoluv..and thats just naming some of them..

When it comes to styling i found that wash n go's are now a headache for my hair..because its soooo thick it takes loads and loads of gel to get definition..soo i use twist outs to get definition and looove them..

i think the trick to 4a hair is keeping it moisturized and protective styling..with those 2 things you will never go wrong and will retain all the length you want!

oh yea my hair bff is qhemets AOHC..i tell you ever since i discovered that product i have been in heaven!! it keeps my hair moisturized for days

Im still transitioning so i haven't really got my type down but im incline to think im in the 4 family from what i understand
Type 4 hair needs moisture moisture and more moisture , the best moisturizer is water , than you can seal it with an oil of your choice like (coconut oil , olive oil , castor oil , jojoba oil to name a few ) also you can use shea butter to do the sealing job . after you saturate your hair with water apply the oil or shea butter to your strands and ends ,
For my personal experience shampoo seem to dry my hair out so i been washing with African black soap , than Deep condition with Giovanni , also there are a few good recipes like avocado, honey and olive oil , and you must use a leave in i use giovanni and i mix it up with aloevera juice and olive oil or castor oil depending on witch i have at the time
also protective styling ( like braids , cornrows , twist , etc help with retaining length
So far this is what i've learned

I am a 4 too. And sincve this is my second time going natural, i'll tell you this. Love your hair and use what works best

I'm a 4 too. Everyone was also given suggestions. Also you can check out my Curl Street Journal. Also, remember that your hair in unique so son't get frustrated just because what works for one 4 doesn't work for you.

I would say I am a 4b/4c...

As far as conditioners:

-HE Hello Hydration...
I will stick with this for life... This has worked wonders for MY hair for Co-washing and as a Leave-in... Although, I am still trying to find a good oil to SEAL with and also good STYLING products...

But as far as using HE HELLO HYDRATION, #1 for life, lol

Hello!

aliyakeys wrote:I'm a little new in this natural game when it comes to hairstyles and products. So could you help me out. It seems to me like more women with 3 type hair get represented the most online, I seldom see any 4's.Anywho, what products work best for you, hairstyles... Got any tips, real good moisturizing regimens? Anything and everything would help!

Thank you.

Much Appreciation,
aliyakeys

"None are so blind as those who cannot see."

Believe me - I went through a lot of heartache and products until I understood that my 4c curls are TOO SMALL AND COILY for "shingling-like" techniques. I was wondering, "what am I doing wrong! - it's supposed to work for kinky hair!".

Well, Kinky is subjective, and like beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

That said, as my hair grew out I started "banding" it for length, and then twist-outs for length and curls.

This is just my experience and just my opinion - because I am not a "natural hair expert"! LOL!

4a curls can shingle or coilout or twists.

4b curls can coilout or twists.

4c curls rock the twists!

p.s. I'm still working on the moisture balance thing too, but I like HEHH and YTCu for shower detangling!

Cupcake415 wrote:I would say I am a 4b/4c...

As far as conditioners:

-HE Hello Hydration...
I will stick with this for life... This has worked wonders for MY hair for Co-washing and as a Leave-in... Although, I am still trying to find a good oil to SEAL with and also good STYLING products...

But as far as using HE HELLO HYDRATION, #1 for life, lol

I LOVE LOVE LOVE HEHH I too use it as co-wash/leave in cond.
I use EVOO to seal my ends =D

Naturally_Hollie wrote:

Cupcake415 wrote:I would say I am a 4b/4c...

As far as conditioners:

-HE Hello Hydration...
I will stick with this for life... This has worked wonders for MY hair for Co-washing and as a Leave-in... Although, I am still trying to find a good oil to SEAL with and also good STYLING products...

But as far as using HE HELLO HYDRATION, #1 for life, lol

I LOVE LOVE LOVE HEHH I too use it as co-wash/leave in cond.
I use EVOO to seal my ends =D

If i were to type my hair it would be 4a/b mostly b....I cant use Hello Hydration because this dries out my hair SO.... I stick with products that are paraben and SILCONE-free I love using Giovanni leavin because it leaves my hair soft for the whole day. Shea moisture line is really great for our hair type as well.
Experimenting is your best bet!
This is a perfect way to describing what works for some may not work for others

I am going to try SheaButter!!! I am also going to try Hot Oil treatments.

My shea butter mixture is a staple for me. It has EVOO, honey, and burt sugar pomade in it. It's great in the colder months. In the warmer months I style with only leave-in conditioner and EVOO. I also deep condition every week with a mud hair mask from butters-n-bars. Those are the key things that I do to keep moisture. Listening to what my hair told me it wanted was the best thing I could ever do. Good luck.

Naturally_Hollie wrote:

Cupcake415 wrote:I would say I am a 4b/4c...

As far as conditioners:

-HE Hello Hydration...
I will stick with this for life... This has worked wonders for MY hair for Co-washing and as a Leave-in... Although, I am still trying to find a good oil to SEAL with and also good STYLING products...

But as far as using HE HELLO HYDRATION, #1 for life, lol

I LOVE LOVE LOVE HEHH I too use it as co-wash/leave in cond.
I use EVOO to seal my ends =D

Isn't it off the chain?

You might also want to identify whether or not your hair is fine or thick (strand wise). Fine hair tends to not need as much product or heavy products. I have mostly "type 4" hair and its mostly thick, but there are a few small sections that are fine and they get overwhelmed when I put the amount of product in that is necessary for the rest of my hair. AND I've heard/seen plenty of girls w/fine "type 4" hair who use totally different products than girls w/thick "type 4" hair.

Right now my hair is loving Aussie Moist, but I have to use a clarifying shampoo every three weeks to get rid of the build up from the silicones that begin to make my hair feel dry (after the three weeks). I would say be careful w/products with silicones or you could end up w/hair that won't hold moisture. I also like Tresseme Naturals conditioner and SheaMoisture curl and style milk.

rayray19 wrote:

When it comes to styling i found that wash n go's are now a headache for my hair..because its soooo thick it takes loads and loads of gel to get definition..soo i use twist outs to get definition and looove them..

i think the trick to 4a hair is keeping it moisturized and protective styling..with those 2 things you will never go wrong and will retain all the length you want!


A twist out leaves your hair(especially the ends) exposed, which could lead to setbacks in retaining length. Whether someone is transitioning or has done the BC, the ends are the oldest part of your hair and are prone to breakage from manipulation and exposure to the elements.

My experience has been that "out" styles(even with moisture and minimal manipulation) usually result in tangles and single strand knots which require manipulation to remove. That may not be what happens to you & others, but I wanted OP to know the potential downside of "out" styling techniques.

Try using Coconut milk as a DC on dry hair before you wash it your hair will be so moisturized. I use Thai Coconut milk in the can for 2.00 and some change from Publix. Hope This helps

I'm also a HE HH fan! But as I'v done more research, I heard the Aussie Moist was cheaper and just as good. Ofcourse I HAD to try it out! The Aussie feels GREAT, but kinda like the great feeling I already get from HEHH. Looking at the back of both bottles for the ingredents, they both have almost ALL the same ingredents. So I guess depending on your preference of scents and pricing, either or is a great choice for our 4b hair...

This post helped me out a whole lot! I am new to the natural game too..not a transitioner I`ve always been natural but never wore my hair in it's natural state.. I thought something was wrong with my hair geesh it's soo dry..Im gonna have use some of these moisturizing and conditioning tips! You ladies are such a BIG HELP!