Should type 4Bs texturize to retain length?

[softblackcotton]

I know 4B is the best type of hair to loc and retain length. But what if you don't want to loc? I've observed a lot of 4Bs reverting to locing after struggling to retain length with loose hair. Many 4Bs I have seen so far with very long hair (MBL and Beyond) are either loced, texturized or relaxed. Those with hair types lower that 4B retain length easier since the curl is looser, thus less opportunities for the breakage through combing and de-tangling. I mean 4B hair from my experience wraps around itself, combs, fingers, anything that tries to touch it. It's extremely difficult to not experience breakage (even with well moisturized, strong hair) when your own natural hair texture is the culprit for breakage (tiny pieces of hair everywhere). I know chemically altering your hair doesn't have to mean damaging it as long as you take great care of it. I know the straighter my hair is, the less breakage through combing and detangling I experience. Is it best for 4Bs to loosen their curl permanently through texturizing or relaxing in order to achieve super-long hair?

 

[Lebiya]

Good question. I’m struggling with this right now. Should I texturize or bkt. Without a doubt single/double /triple strand knots are hindering my growth tremendously.

 

[softblackcotton]

Good question. I’m struggling with this right now. Should I texturize or bkt. Without a doubt single/double /triple strand knots are hindering my growth tremendously.

I so feel you. I though dryness was the culprit until I took my cornrow extensions out last time and my hair was very well moisturized and conditioned (twice daily for two months) and I still got too much breakage (not as much as before when it was dry) but still it was just too many little pieces of hair. It seems like my hair tangles up on itself by the minute I finish de-tangling it. Like it's rebelling or something

 

[softblackcotton]

bumping need to know more women experiences!

 

[Lynnerie]

No its not necessary for type 4's to chemically treat their hair to retain length. There are many women on this board that have proven the myth wrong that type 4's need to relax or texlax. Its all in how you handle your hair. There's a thread out there of natural type 4's that are BSL and longer. I will try to find it.



ETA: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=214279

Also, I think its best to keep your hair stetched in order to avoid it from curling around itself. But length can definitely be achieved without texlaxing. Look at Mwedzi, Sera, Blackmasterpiece just to name a view. They are all type 4.

 

[softblackcotton]

No its not necessary for type 4's to chemically treat their hair to retain length. There are many women on this board that have proven the myth wrong that type 4's need to relax or texlax. Its all in how you handle your hair. There's a thread out there of natural type 4's that are BSL and longer. I will try to find it.



ETA: http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=214279

Also, I think its best to keep your hair stetched in order to avoid it from curling around itself. But length can definitely be achieved without texlaxing. Look at Mwedzi, Sera, Blackmasterpiece just to name a view. They are all type 4.

I know I've seen their hair, but I there is just something about my hair that continues to frustrate me. I've been stuck at SL for about a year now and its very uneven due to breakage. I'm starting to really take care of my hair now but it's still breaking. Thanks so much for the link to the thread!

 

[Lynnerie]

How are you wearing your hair? What are your preferred styles? Whats your regimen? There is a 4b on this site with beautiful texlaxed hair thats waistlength. Hopefully some texlaxed 4b's will chime in on their experiences.

 

[Rikku]

I have 4B hair (or 4a..not sure yet >.<) and I am thinking of texlaxing my hair because after washing there is so much shrinkage so its almost impossible to detangle without a ton of breakage >.<

have you thought of texlaxing aswell? =D

 

[hopeful]

OP your siggy pics are beautiful! I understand your frustration. I am a 4a/4b I think and I became frustrated when I was natural. My hair was so dense and took so long to detangle. After relaxing again I really missed all that dense, lush hair. Can't wait to be natural again. Have you had success with relaxers in the past? I will also say that it is hard to get consistent texturizing/texlaxing results. I hope you can figure out how to retain more length without relaxing. Maybe give it another year of trying different techniques and products.

 

[MissNadia]

I don't think texlaxing/relaxing is necessary to have long length for 4B's. I still have this issue and I am currently texlaxed. For example, when I decide to wear braid outs on fresh washed hair I experience more breakage than braidouts on hair that was previously straightened by rollersetting/flat ironing. It becomes more tangled and prone to breakage if I wear it out. I have to keep it bunned. It drives me up the wall. I am actually contemplating on relaxing my hair straighter than I previously have been to experiment with this theory.

 

[MizzBrit]

no ma'am/look at sera,rustic beauty and mwendzi. i believe its all about protective stylingg,PATEINCE and technique in order for us 4b's to retain length.

how are you wearing your hair and what is your regime?

 

[Fhrizzball]

when I think of 4b hair I think of Sera who has WSL hair that's uber thick and kinky. There was a link also to a mom who grew her child's hair to way past WSL too. I believe it's technique of grooming and being constantly in lo-mani and PS that help with retaining hair. For me though only my nape has 4b tendencies, moisture is key and so is one porosity. Also I found that combs and brushes do more harm than good for me. Though I haven't tried any unseamed ones so maybe my opinion would change. What's your regimen for your hair currently?

 

[loolalooh]

Nope not necessary. I'm 4B and have no problem retaining length so long as I keep my regimen low manipulation. Been relaxer-free for 3 years (natural for 2 of those years) and going for MBL in 2010.

We can achieve long lengths!

 

[softblackcotton]

How are you wearing your hair? What are your preferred styles? Whats your regimen? There is a 4b on this site with beautiful texlaxed hair thats waistlength. Hopefully some texlaxed 4b's will chime in on their experiences.

I'm following a braid extensions regimen. I wear my hair in braid, cornrow, or twist extensions for up to two months at a time. I take my extensions out for week, clarify with ACV, co-wash with V05 Moisture Milk, deep condition twice during that week with a moisturizing conditioner like DPR-11. Whether my hair is loose or in braids I moisturize my hair twice a day with Glycerin, water, and aloe vera gel. I also oil my scalp daily with Jojoba and Vit E oil. When my hair is loose I seal the moisture with Castor Oil twice a day. My hair always feels amazingly moisturized and super soft since I started this regimen. So I know it's not a dryness problem. My hair doesn't overstretch when I do the strand test so it's most likely not a protein problem. Still many little tiny pieces of hair. I think I know who you are talking about that lady with waist length texlaxed. Actually I had her in mind when I made this post. I forget her name right now.

 

[softblackcotton]

Nope not necessary. I'm 4B and have no problem retaining length so long as I keep my regimen low manipulation. Been relaxer-free for 3 years (natural for 2 of those years) and going for MBL in 2010.

We can achieve long lengths!

I know ladies with hair like mine can grow long, but I must be still doing something wrong. Do you use bone or seamless combs? I just read a recent post about that.

 

[kblc06]

Why don't you try heat straightening or light blowdrying to help keep your hair stretched? I know plenty of 4bs who've had success using those methods.

 

[softblackcotton]

when I think of 4b hair I think of Sera who has WSL hair that's uber thick and kinky. There was a link also to a mom who grew her child's hair to way past WSL too. I believe it's technique of grooming and being constantly in lo-mani and PS that help with retaining hair. For me though only my nape has 4b tendencies, moisture is key and so is one porosity. Also I found that combs and brushes do more harm than good for me. Though I haven't tried any unseamed ones so maybe my opinion would change. What's your regimen for your hair currently?

Yes! I also know of Sera! She was my first hairspiration! Isn't she amazing? I stalked her fotki for months and saw some of at 2.5 years in the hair journey and I believe we are hair twins. But my hair seems to not be making the progress her's was in the same amount of time. My current regimen has been very low even before LHCF with braid extensions 97% of the time, even though I just started adding true moisture and deep moisture conditioning to the regimen since LHCF. I'm seriously considering adding seamless combs. Maybe I'm just being impatient.

 

[almond eyes]

It depends. If you have fine textured 4b hair definitely not. I have 4a/4b and sparse 3c's did the texturiser route many times and failed. It thins my hair down and because of my fine texture any over lapping of the chemical causes breakage and thinning. In the end, what I realised is that my hair texture was the same without the texturiser because my hair is resistant to chemicals.

Sera it seems also wears a lot of protective styles. When you have 4a/4b hair especially fine and dense unless it is worn straight with heat, in a natural state it is healthier when it is kept in a protective style. I think that is her secret. There is a little girl who was featured in a blog her mom is AA and dad is Ghanaian with 4b hair and the mother said people are constantly asking if her little girl has a texturiser or 3b hair and the mother explained that her secret was moisturiser and protective styling.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[softblackcotton]

no ma'am/look at sera,rustic beauty and mwendzi. i believe its all about protective stylingg,PATEINCE and technique in order for us 4b's to retain length.

how are you wearing your hair and what is your regime?

I wear my hair in braid extensions most of time only taking it out to deep condition and clarify. I do wash my extensions bi-weekly and saturate with braid spray and infusium 23 strengthening formula kind of like the Crown and Glory Method from Robin's site. I am being impatient. I just now really started to take care of my hair only since Dec.

 

[almond eyes]

I stopped with the braid extensions. I found that it was drying to the hair and caused more breakage. My hair always stopped at CBL (collar bone length) when I was in extensions. Now without, in the year I reached SL.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[softblackcotton]

It depends. If you have fine textured 4b hair definitely not. I have 4a/4b and sparse 3c's did the texturiser route many times and failed. It thins my hair down and because of my fine texture any over lapping of the chemical causes breakage and thinning. In the end, what I realised is that my hair texture was the same without the texturiser because my hair is resistant to chemicals.

Sera it seems also wears a lot of protective styles. When you have 4a/4b hair especially fine and dense unless it is worn straight with heat, in a natural state it is healthier when it is kept in a protective style. I think that is her secret. There is a little girl who was featured in a blog her mom is AA and dad is Ghanaian with 4b hair and the mother said people are constantly asking if her little girl has a texturiser or 3b hair and the mother explained that her secret was moisturiser and protective styling.

Best,
Almond Eyes

I believe it! I always thought it was only little girls who could grow very long natural hair before LHCF, Sera, and such. My hair isn't fine. It's coarse and dense like my mom's. Each individual strand is big and when it's straight it still has a lot of volume. I just can't stop the tangling when its not straight.

 

[softblackcotton]

I have 4B hair (or 4a..not sure yet >.<) and I am thinking of texlaxing my hair because after washing there is so much shrinkage so its almost impossible to detangle without a ton of breakage >.<

have you thought of texlaxing aswell? =D

yes I'm thinking of it every time I take out my braid extensions and have the deal with wrath of my hair.

 

[sharifeh]

maybe you should consider straightening more often?

 

[softblackcotton]

OP your siggy pics are beautiful! I understand your frustration. I am a 4a/4b I think and I became frustrated when I was natural. My hair was so dense and took so long to detangle. After relaxing again I really missed all that dense, lush hair. Can't wait to be natural again. Have you had success with relaxers in the past? I will also say that it is hard to get consistent texturizing/texlaxing results. I hope you can figure out how to retain more length without relaxing. Maybe give it another year of trying different techniques and products.

Thanks so much Hopeful, although my hair is really a mess right now with uneven-ness! I really feel you. The only time I feel at peace with my hair is when it's in braids and I don't really have to comb/detangle. Whenever I have to comb or detangle and I see breakage/scalp hurting I get so frustrated and want to straighten without heat. I am going to give it another year and really put greater effort into hair care than I have done in the past.

 

[softblackcotton]

maybe you should consider straightening more often?

I do. But the heat also breaks my hair. I've been using an old fashioned pressing comb until I could afford a good flat iron (I feel like a hypocrite) last time to make my hair easier to comb and suffer less breakage with I go to the braiders who are sometimes rough with my hair after I've been so gentle.

 

[almond eyes]

By the way, you have beautiful hair.

I know what you mean about heat, my hair doesn't take to heat too well. And the pressing comb is a bad idea for fine and dense strands the teeth can literally root the hair out. Whenever my mother does a press for me I get sick looking at the strands in the comb and she knows how to press. I prefer the flat iron. I have not used any heat since August though.

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[loolalooh]

I know ladies with hair like mine can grow long, but I must be still doing something wrong. Do you use bone or seamless combs? I just read a recent post about that.

I use the bone combs. What kind of tools are you using? (Going back to see if you mentioned it already.)

 

[msdeevee]

I'm with you SBC.

I have been natural for close to 6 years now.

I have been doing mostly protective styling and I am a PJ I have used all of the best products and have jumped on every reasonable bandwagon to promote and keep growth and nothing has worked for me. I have done the OCT/Mega Tek thing. I have done the deep conditioning and the baggying which I still do. I have done the twists and the braids and I comb only when I wash. I have done the wash 1-2x a month and the co-washing frequently. I have done the sealing the ends w/ castor oil and any other oil. I have BKT'd>

I am at APL and I'm stuck there . The pic in my profile was taken about 2 years ago and my hair is still the same length. I have had to cut off about 3-4" but it grew back and still stuck at the same length.

I'm not going to relax ever again and texlaxing in my humble opinion is the very same thing. A texlaxed "natural" is an oxymoron. That goes for me , no judgement on anyone else.

What I'm going to do now is trying to straighten it more the old-fashioned way like Pinkskates did to see if that will help me to retain growth.

I know that my hair grows because it always has but no matter what I do I lose the growth. No matter how gentle I am I lose little coily pieces every time because of my 4B texture. I have little "o's" all around me.

I just think everyone is different every time I see Mwedzi's hair I know it's very close to mine if not identical but mine will not retain length no matter what I do. I'm about resigned to the fact that it won't get to my goal length.

 

[loolalooh]

Hey softcotton, A couple of questions:

1) When you use heat, what products do you apply to your hair beforehand?

2) Maybe you should incorporate coconut oil (for strength) into your regimen. Have you tried that?

3) What is your detangling routine? Do you detangle in sections with deep conditioner? What conditioner do you use to detangle? Also what tools?

 

[TemiLnd]

I can empathise with your frustration. I am learning to do low maintenance style that protect my hair but still give me diversity e.g. twists.
When washing, i keep my hair in sections to prevent too much tangling.
Have you considered Henna/Amla treatments? The can loosen your curls and make them stronger. I also blow dry my hair once in a while, as long as you use heat safely I think it can be ok.
I think you can avoid texlaxing unless it is what you want but not to retain length. I believe you can retain length as a 4a natural. I have been and I hope to be APL by December.