4c hair styling, a task that can seem like an insurmountable hill at times, especially if you’re a new natural…trust me I’ve been there. With all the do’s and don’ts in the natural hair community when it comes to hair styling, I know it can get a bit overwhelming. That’s why I wanted to share with you my key tips and techniques for styling 4c hair. Let’s jump in.
- Find safe ways to stretch your hair before styling.
Since our hair is tightly coiled, pre-stretching before styling goes a long way and helps our styles come out smoother. People with looser hair, like the type 3s, also stretch their hair but they do it by simply brushing their hair or with a quick light blowout. Mere brushing of each section can be enough to stretch and smooth out looser hair before styling because the curls aren’t that tight. But for us type 4 girls, especially 4c, we need more effective stretching methods. You can try doing African threading, putting your hair in cornrows before styling or finger-detangling each section before twisting or braiding. Make sure to apply good products to your hair before stretching to ensure your hair is soft and moisturized. It gives a better stretch. I recommend Super Curl or Extra Butter for African threading or corn rows and Supercurl with Thirsty Curls or Midnite Train for finger detangling.
- Use smaller sections.
If you’re doing stretched styles (twistout, braidouts, roller sets, bantu knot outs), doing smaller sections helps to smooth your hair out and give you better definition. The number of sections you do will also depend on the thickness of your hair. The more hair you have and the coarser your strands, the more sections you want to do. For example, personally, I do my most defined and elongated twistouts in 25-30 sections. I have a lot of hair and my strands are very coarse. Try playing around with the number of sections you do to come up with an optimal amount for your hair.
- Use thicker butters and creams.
These help with the manageability of your hair and help your hair have better definition. They soften your hair so it’s easier for it to take the shape of whatever style you set it in. Two of my absolute favorite butters and creams are Super Curl and Extra Butter. I use both together sometimes. Because Super Curl is an intense moisturizer, layering Extra butter on top of that is like icing on a cake for my thick, coarse hair. Both products also contain Shea butter and good fatty alcohols which are excellent softening and conditioning emollients for 4c hair.
- Explore Updos and twisted styles.
In my opinion, these will always be the best styles for 4c hair. They work perfectly well with our natural kinky texture. They are protective styles that help us retain length and reduce split ends, they usually involve low manipulation (which means less breakage), they are very versatile and can definitely be worn in professional settings. They also last longer if done properly and your hair is more likely to retain moisture in these styles if you use good products. What more do we need? I couldn’t ask for a better deal. This is definitely an area I feel needs to be explored more within the 4c hair community. Doing styles that work with your natural hair type and texture always makes your styling experience better. Don’t forget to check out all products mentioned above at your local drugstore or at www.unclefunkysdaughter.com!
Xoxo
Aboyowa
@westafricanby
