If you have 4C hair the way I do, the following 10 tips can help to change your entire life! Well, perhaps not your entire life, but it definitely will make it a lot easier for you to work with your 4C hair. When I look back, I really wish that I had known this information then since it would have made transitioning to natural hair so much easier. Use the following tips to transform the manageability and health of your 4C hair.
1. For most natural girls this is true, but particularly for 4C women who never comb their hair if it is bone dry. If you do that you are really asking for a lot of breakages, and you will have a hard time even being able to get through your hair. The best thing to do is to use a comb on damp hair. However, if you would like to style your hair when it is dry, make sure to always put a product in your hair to provide you with enough slip before using a comb.
2. To detangle 4C hair, avoid using a small tooth comb. You are just asking for it when you do this. Only use wide tooth combes or try to detangle your hair with your finger for an even more gentle approach. Use the Bass Wooden Brush or Wide Tooth Anne Bamboo Comb.
3. Try to not use any brushes at all on 4C hair. That might sound funny to new naturals, but try eliminating using brushes. A brush will pull at rip at your hair which causes breakage and splits. If you need to use a brush on your nape or edge, a boar bristle brush should be used, but only infrequently. Brushing thins out your hair quickly; each time I happen to see somebody brushing their hair I do cringe a little. Girl, you’re losing a lot of your hair when you do that!
4. Wash n’ gos might not be for you, particularly if curl definition is what you like. For many 4C women, this “shortcut” won’t be the route to take. However, go ahead and try it if you are cool with having no definition. Just be prepared for a lot of matting and shrinkage in your 4C hair. You might be better of having a faux wash n’ go instead, which I have outlined here. Wash n’ gos simply don’t work for many of us who have 4C hair, and we end up looking something like this:
5. When going to bed you don’t need anything special to your 4C hair. Just put your hair in very chunk twists or a sloppy ponytail. Your goal is simply to prevent your hair from becoming matted. If you go to sleep with just a bare-bones fro, your hair, over time, will become tangled, matted, and will result in breakage.
6. For some people, wet styling simple doesn’t work with their 4C hair! It might, in fact, cause severe shrinkage, matting, and tangles. When you first air dry your hair, the result will be more stretched out for your style and you will have less tangles that you need to deal with.
7. Water can be used to moisturize hair. The trick is to not saturate your hair when using water on your 4C hair; just lightly spritz it. Sometimes you will discover that using product during the week will not be enough. To restore balance, you might need to use a bit of water in some cases.
8. Select a 4C friendly hairstyle you can stick with for a week at least and don’t require a lot of styling every day. The less your 4Chair needs to be manipulated the better. My go-to style lately has been my puff, because I just moisturize whenever necessary and go. I love using the Puff Cuff.
9. Do you have any trouble areas? The middle of my head appears to have the kinkiest and driest texture. If this is something that you relate to, the best way of dealing with this is to apply more conditioner and moisture to the area. Also, do your best to not lay on a lot of heat to the area or when you are applying heat to avoid dryness use it on a lower setting.
10. Conditioner is your best friend! Try deep conditioning 4C hair as frequently as you can. That will help with moisture problems, and it will also improve the manageability of your hair.
