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What is the difference between 3c and 4a hair?

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You typed yourself correctly Janet:)

Just to reiterate:

**From here on in people should try to type themselves and if you called it correctly you'll know because I'll thank:up: your post(or Nonie if she's game)**...for those that are off I'll make a post to clarify:yep:
 
BlackMasterPiece said:
You typed yourself correctly Janet:)

Just to reiterate:

**From here on in people should try to type themselves and if you called it correctly you'll know because I'll thank:up: your post(or Nonie if she's game)**...for those that are off I'll make a post to clarify:yep:
Click to expand...

Thanks BMP!

I get really nervous about hair typing...I don't know why.
 
BlackMasterPiece said:
@ Proudnapps: First of all your hair is absolutely beautiful!:love3: Wow love the color love the texture love the styles! You weren't wrong, you're definitely a 4a...its just that your hair type is whats known as type 4a silky. Which is to say that you have the pen spring sized coils typical of a 4a, but you have fine strands which means that not only can you achieve an afro....your hair behaves in many of the same ways curly hair does like clumping curls, effortlessly slicking down into styles like wet buns and your (gorgeous) puff with the slicked edges, you can achieve a smooth rollerset when you wanna straighten and get sleek results and even as your hair grows longer....you'll probably always be able to do wash and go's on loose hair with ease regardless of length.

~*~*~*~*~​

Hey hun!:wave: Ediese your fotki is one of the most extensive around soo many styles and pics! Its awesome! Your hair is beautiful and your progress is remarkable.

As for hair type, you seem to be really attached to the notion that you're a type 4a.....and I hate to disappoint you but you're definitely not lol maybe a small patch of 4a silky comprising like 10% of your hair but thats about it lol just being real but its pretty evident.

Here's why....when looking at your hair texture album the size of your curls are clearly that of the 3 family....although some of them fall in the tighter 3c curls its still clearly curls...not coils.

A great example is your (stunning:love2:) Halley's Curls Creole Curly Weave, there is no type 4 hair that could ever blend with your weave with the crown hair left out the way your curly hair does. Even though you have waves in some spots they're very loose waves...on a type 4 silky the waves would be wayyyyy tighter then yours....so yea I'm like 100% certain that you're mostly a 3c, maybe a tiny patch of 4a silky but predominantly 3c:yep:
Click to expand...

Ooop..I totally forgot about this thread. Thanks BMP!! Yea, you know I'm stuck on that 4a wagon. :grin: On this site, it's easier that way. :look:

CelinaStarr said:
Edise, hair type aside, I've seen your pics and I *heart* your hair. I think it's so cool how uniform your little curls/coils are. Your wash and goes almost reminds me of a straw set but they are natural.

Proudnapps, your hair is such a lovely color in your first pic and your coils are gorgeous.


BlackMasterPiece, thanks. My hair is looser on top. Gel makes this more evident. Here's my hair with conditioner and gel in it:


^^^^This is either 2nd or 3rd day hair.

My hair takes on many different looks. That's the beauty of natural hair.

Interesting thread and I enjoy reading your interpretions, BlackMasterPiece. :yep:
Click to expand...

Thanks so much Celina. I absolutely ADORE your hair. It's drool worthy! :)

glamazon386 said:
It's funny that you say this because looking at my hair and looking at your pics I think our hair looks very similar. Everything else is the same but I wouldn't consider my hair cottony. I hope that made sense :lol:

Looking at proudnapps pics my hair looks similar to hers too. It depends on how I style it and what products I use. So what the heck type am I? I thought I had this figured out.

ETA: I finally bought that HCCC. I haven't installed it yet but I see what you meant about the "looser curls" in it. It doesn't really look kinky either. I think the Bohyme Brazilian was a better match for my hair. I'll see what it looks like once I install it.
Click to expand...

Hey Glam! Yep, I've felt that we definitely have a similar texture. I don't really know how to describe the cottony thing. The top part of my hair isn't as defined. It's really loose almost straight, while the back is perfectly defined. With entirely no product, it would dry with some definition into a cotton ball. Makes sense?

I'm about to wash all my old hair and get it installed, so I'll be reinstalling the HCCC. The texture definitely isn't very kinky. That's the one thing I didn't like about it, but the curl size is pretty cool. Please post pics when you get it installed. I used some IC fantasia gel and Cantu leave in to help me blend it.
 
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omg is this the "hair type me" thread? I've been waiting for this! I STILL have no idea what my hair type is. I usually say 3C but I can make my curls really small with a flick of my denman. It's like magic. So idk I think I'm 3c-4a. Here we go:

With Denman:
CPS638-vi.jpg


1015091352-vi.jpg


Without Denman:
0720092047-vi.jpg


Hair606-vi.jpg


9000-vi.jpg

that picture is kinda dark. my hair is basically just a puff ball with a some zig zaggy pieces
 
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I'mma say 3c because your hair is curly, not coily. But I don't know what I'm talking about. The experts will be in soon. :)
 
Janet' said:
Alright BMP (or anyone else),

I'm really scared to type my hair... The pic in my siggy is a wash and go...The first thumbnail is my hair totally dry, at the end of the night, having gone to an amusement park (frizzy). The second is a typical wash and go from the front.

If I had to say something---ummm, 3c/4a????
Click to expand...
man my hair looks almost identical to yours. even the way the front hangs a little more. i thought it was heat damage at first but ive been natural for a year and havent used heat for over a year so thats just the way my hair grows.
i always say 3c.
 
chebaby said:
man my hair looks almost identical to yours. even the way the front hangs a little more. i thought it was heat damage at first but ive been natural for a year and havent used heat for over a year so thats just the way my hair grows.
i always say 3c.
Click to expand...

Chebaby,

Really??? Yeah, I might have a hair twin! I've been natural for 5 years and I know mine is not heat damage. My hair just grows that way...You say 3c- I agree but I do think that my back has some 4a because the curls are smaller, right?
 
Janet' said:
Chebaby,

Really??? Yeah, I might have a hair twin! I've been natural for 5 years and I know mine is not heat damage. My hair just grows that way...You say 3c- I agree but I do think that my back has some 4a because the curls are smaller, right?
Click to expand...
yea smaller curls are 4a. but my back is much silkier and hangs longer than the rest so i dont know what that is. lol
 
Ediese said:
Hey Glam! Yep, I've felt that we definitely have similar texture. I don't really know how to describe the cottony thing. The top part of my hair isn't as definitely. It's really loose almost straight, while the back is perfectly definitely. With entirely no product, it would dry with some definitely into a cotton ball. Makes sense?

I'm about to wash all my old hair and get it installed, so I'll be reinstalling the HCCC. The texture definitely isn't very kinky. That's the one thing I didn't like about it, but the curl size is pretty cool. Please post pics when you get it installed. I used some IC fantasia gel and Cantu leave in to help me blend it.
Click to expand...

That sounds like my hair. :lol: The front doesn't really have definition without product. I have to play with it. If I do too much to it, it will go totally straight and will be frizzy/poofy. The back is fine but the curls seem to shrink more. I think they're smaller too.

I'm just trying to get through finals now before I do anything. I've been wearing a bun for weeks now. I'm long overdue for everything - hair, nails, etc. :ohwell: A day of beauty is definitely in order as soon as my grades post.

How many oz of the HCCC did you buy? I think I have 8 but it doesn't look like enough. I'm guessing it looks like less because I bought longer lengths. I usually leave a good portion of the front out and the perimeter and just put the tracks in the middle. That should be enough right?

Also how'd you get the Cantu and the IC to work together? I always get white crap through my hair when I try to put something over the Cantu. But it doesn't give me enough hold on it's own. I stopped using it for that reason.
 
glamazon386 said:
That sounds like my hair. :lol: The front doesn't really have definition without product. I have to play with it. If I do too much to it, it will go totally straight and will be frizzy/poofy. The back is fine but the curls seem to shrink more. I think they're smaller too.

I'm just trying to get through finals now before I do anything. I've been wearing a bun for weeks now. I'm long overdue for everything - hair, nails, etc. :ohwell: A day of beauty is definitely in order as soon as my grades post.

How many oz of the HCCC did you buy? I think I have 8 but it doesn't look like enough. I'm guessing it looks like less because I bought longer lengths. I usually leave a good portion of the front out and the perimeter and just put the tracks in the middle. That should be enough right?

Also how'd you get the Cantu and the IC to work together? I always get white crap through my hair when I try to put something over the Cantu. But it doesn't give me enough hold on it's own. I stopped using it for that reason.
Click to expand...

Goodness! I need to start proofing the stuff I write on here. lol Good luck on your finals!

I bought 8 oz of the HCCC. I think I got 18" and 20". It should definitely be enough. I only left a small piece in the horseshoe and in the front. I still had a small track leftover.

With the Cantu, I only used it on the length of the hair. I used the IC gel on my leave out and brushed it through with my denman. That automatically made it blend. Then, I'd do the plop and plunk method, so the curls wouldn't frizz. That worked all the time.
 
Ok, I finally took some pictures of my new growth.

Help me out!
 

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Oh I just posted in another thread asking......Never knew about this thread

I am 3c I am told.....Is that right?


Clickable



wet:
 
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TigerInTransit said:
omg is this the "hair type me" thread? I've been waiting for this! I STILL have no idea what my hair type is. I usually say 3C but I can make my curls really small with a flick of my denman. It's like magic. So idk I think I'm 3c-4a. Here we go:

With Denman:
CPS638-vi.jpg


1015091352-vi.jpg


Without Denman:
0720092047-vi.jpg


Hair606-vi.jpg


9000-vi.jpg

that picture is kinda dark. my hair is basically just a puff ball with a some zig zaggy pieces
Click to expand...
You're a 3c....somewhat possible you have some 3b up in there :) your hair looks so lush and thick!

JustSimplyTish said:
Oh I just posted in another thread asking......Never knew about this thread

I am 3c I am told.....Is that right?


Clickable



wet:
Click to expand...
Yep! Def 3c:yep: loving the color girl:grin:....you braver then me!
 
^^ you can be brave when it's this short haven't put a lot of work into it yet LOL...when it's longer....I will probably be just as hair protective.....thanks ladies I always thought 3c/4a but I never really knew....

I have vowed no more color in 2010...that is my self challenge.....
 
hey I have ramen noodle hair too! I can't type my hair either...but quick question...people with ramen hair are automatically 4b??
 
Hey Nonie and BMP - The Experts - my avatar pic is small so i hope you can confirm - i think i'm a 3c\4a. I think its half dry in the pic. My strands are extremely thin but my hair is very dense. I have major issues with detangling and the coils coil onto themselves like they want to loc. The strands are silky and when its blown out i would describe it as fluffy - a floppy afro. I have a patch of very coarse hair in the crown that desn't seem to have much of curl pattern compared to the rest of my hair.
 
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J'ai un question!

Anyone can answer this. Can type 4a hair slick back wet hair with just a brush and a leave-in (not gel) and no scarf and not get puffy as/after it dries? Is this a characteristic of silky 4?
 
/\ Yes, that is a classic characteristic of 4a silky hair.

Bublin its hard to tell with that avi but I think you typed yourself correctly.
 
BlackMasterPiece said:
/\ Yes, that is a classic characteristic of 4a silky hair.

Bublin its hard to tell with that avi but I think you typed yourself correctly.
Click to expand...


Are you silky? My ng looks exactly like one of your pics you've posted when showing someone your before and after flat ironing pics. But I'm able to just brush it back. Or is coarse the opposite of silky? Is silky fine or can you be thick and silky?

I'm no longer going by what I thought my hair type was based on 4 years ago because my hair is definitely not growing in the way I remember it lol it was probably heat trained since I blow dried once a month
 
Most definitely not. My strands are coarse...there is no gel brush comb or method that could get my hair to slick back while wet.....ever. Even when I was a heat straightened natural it could never do that.

I'd say type 4 silkys typically have fine strands from what I've gathered.

If you have the same tiny coils I showed in my texture shot but you'r e able to effortlessly brush it down to gel it down and get smooth neat waves then you're most likely a 4a silky:yep:

Take a look at this video from familygoingnatural on youtube. Here she has slicked her afro back into a ponytail....would you say your texture has the same characteristics/behavior? If so, you're definitely a 4a silky:yep:
 
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