KNOWING YOUR TYPE 4 HAIR AND ITS POROSITY.

We have so many types of hair starting from 1 (straight) to 4(curly) but today my major focus is going to be on the type 4 hair because it’s the most common type among Africans.

The type 4 hair is considered to be the most fragile and is characterized by full and tight curls which is sometimes called kinky. It has very fine and thin hair strands which could appear coarse and it is divided into three;

1. 4A

It is very easy to identify because of its well-defined ‘S’ shaped pattern when stretched. It has two type of textures which are the wiry texture and the fine texture.

It is very fragile and prone to dryness but it has more moisture retaining capacity than any other hair in the type 4 category. To maintain a type 4a hair you need to;

• stay far away from shampoos with sulphate product 

• condition your hair regularly after a shampoo and even when you don’t shampoo

• moisturize your hair daily

• sleep with a silk scarf or a satin bonnet

 • avoid shampooing too regularly

2. 4B

The type 4b is characterized by tight and loosely defined curls or kinky. The hair follows a Z-shaped pattern and can be said to have the circumference of an ink pen. The type 4b hair is prone to shrinkage such that it coils up very tightly making it look shorter than it originally is. The hair texture varies from coarse to fine and thin. To maintain type 4b you need to;

• Moisturize frequently. 

• Use more of leave in conditioners.

 • Do hot oil treatments with essential oils like castor oil or jojoba oil or

coconut oil at least once a week.

• Condition more frequently than washing.

 • Try protective styling too.

3. 4C

These type of hair looks more like the 4b type, has the tightest curls and shrink more (about 70%) than any other type of hair. They have less curl definition, no defined curl pattern, are the most fragile and its texture ranges from soft, fine, thin to coarse.

To maintain type 4c you need to;

• Do more protective styling

• Use a satin bonnet or a silk scarf before sleeping

• Deep condition regularly

• Finger detangle your hair

Note; type 4c is the most fragile of all types,make sure you care for it very well if you want to keep it longer, fuller and healthier, the same applies to other types too.

POROSITY: KNOWING AND MAINTAINING YOUR HAIR’S POROSITY

Porosity refers to how your hair can retain or absorb moisture after

being in contact with oil, water or whatever products you use for your hair.

We have three types of hair porosity. Before I list them I’ll teach you

one method you can use to know what hair porosity you have which

is called the FLOAT-TEST METHOD

Using this method, you will need a bowl or a cup of water with 2 or 3

strands of your hair (should not be more than that). place the strands

of your hair to sit on water for about 5 minutes then watch what happens. If your hair sinks it means it has high porosity. If it floats, it has low porosity and then if it settles in the middle of the water (i.e. it doesn’t sink or float) then it has normal or medium porosity which is perfect. If your hair doesn’t have normal porosity its fine, I’ll teach you how to maintain it …just keep calm.

Back to where I started from… I said I’ll be explaining the three types

of hair porosity which I’m going to do now starting with;

I. HIGH POROSITY

When you have high porosity hair, it means that water, oils and any products you use is absorbed very fast. The hair doesn’t retain moisture which may not be too good for your

hair because natural hair needs a lot of moisture to keep alive.

I know it’s kind of saddening but no! don’t be sad, I’m here for you.

Maintaining your high porosity hair

The maintaining process of high porosity hair requires much attention. You need to stay calm and try them out with care

• condition regularly (do more of deep conditioning) and avoid shampooing too regularly.

• Stay away from heat products

• Do more of protein treatments. Mayonnaise and egg treatment is a good example. check…

• In order to retain moisture, use sealants such as Olive oil, Coconut oil, Castor oil, Shea butter, Jojoba oil.

II. LOW POROSITY

If you have low porosity hair, your cuticles are tight and a little resistant to water just like the test you did.

You discovered that your hair strand floated at the top of water because water couldn’t weigh it down to sink. These means your hair cannot easily absorb products unlike other porosity types.

To maintain your hair, you’ll need;

• Products with alkaline ingredients. Avoid acidic products because they keep your hair cuticle closed.

• Try steaming to maintain moisture

• Shampoo less, say twice or thrice a month (could be less)

• Let protein treatments or products be far away from your hair.

• Use oils like coconut oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil.

III. MEDIUM POROSITY

Those with medium porosity hair don’t need much hair maintenance because the cuticle layer is looser and allows the right amount of moisture to penetrate through the hair.

For you to maintain your medium porosity hair you can:

• Deep condition regularly

• Use protein treatments but not regularly

• Stay away from harsh chemicals

• Moisturize when needed

• Don’t use too much of heat products. 

• Use oils rich in omega7 and 9 acids such as almond oil,

avocado oil, jojoba oil, grape seed oil, coconut oil (not highly recommended but could also be used), rice oil.

Hair porosity is one of the most important key points to note in your natural hair journey. Most girls have gotten it all wrong because they feel “if this treatment works for my friend then why not me also?” they have forgotten everybody has different hair porosity so what works for A might not work for B. Try to find out what hair treatment works for your hair before trying it and notice the wonderful improvement in your hair. 

Note:

• You don’t need to worry much about your hair type. If you’re confused, focus more on your hair porosity.

• Your hair porosity can change if proper care isn’t taken. Ensure you give your hair the right treatment, follow the right hair routine and stay positive with whatever hair type or porosity you have.

Thanks to Naomi,Success and Oluwabamise for their special picture support.