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You are here: Home / hair types / 3c Natural Hair Care Tips

3c Natural Hair Care Tips

3c Natural Curly Hair
Image source: Blackgirllonghair.com

If you have type 3c natural hair, you’ve probably been wondering how to make it thrive. You heard that moisture is a curly queen’s best friend, but keeping your hair hydrated while avoiding the greasy feeling is no easy task.

How do you know for sure if you have 3c hair? 3c curls resemble the size and shape of corkscrews. You’ll know for sure if you take a few strands of hair and wind them around the width of a pencil. If they wrap around well, you have 3c hair.

Taking care of your 3c natural hair will become easier once you get the hang of it. In this post, we’ll discuss some ways to care for your 3c hair to get the beautiful curls you’ve always wanted.

Caring for 3c Hair

Curly hair has no shortage of growth. It’s retaining the length that’s hard. Your hair can grow just as long as straight hair, if you can maintain the length by minimizing breakage.

Moisture is crucial for 3c hair, and it could mean the difference between having beautifully defined curls, or dry frizz. Keeping your hair hydrated will also lead to healthier, longer hair.

Many 3c naturals say heat damages their hair, so you should keep flat iron usage to a minimum. Straightening 3c natural hair should be a special occasion treat that you do once or twice per year only. When you do use a heated styling tool, you should use a protectant like

Chi Infra thermal serum
beforehand.

Stretching your hair using no-heat methods will give you length without hurting your hair. A hair roller style like a

perm rod
 set will give you soft, bouncy curls. Try these curlers to get the length and straighter hair.

The way you care for your hair at night is the key to retaining hair growth and having healthy tresses. Leaving your hair loose to rub against your cotton pillow will dry out your hair and contribute to breakage. You may not see many small ringlets on the pillow when you wake up, but the hair strand will lose its structure when placed against friction, so you may see shedding and breakage on wash day.

Try putting your hair in a pineapple before retiring for the night. It will help you maintain your style by gathering your hair and placing it on top of your head. Then you can wrap and tie it with a silk scarf or satin bonnet. The pineapple will allow you to go for 2-3 days longer with the same style.

3c Natural Hair Regimen

Every 3c natural head of hair is different because hair texture can vary from fine or medium to coarse, and porosity can make a difference too.

Most 3c women find it sufficient to wash their hair with a moisturizing shampoo once per week. If you have high porosity hair, you should fill in the gaps by doing regular pro

3c Natural Curly Hair
Image source: Nenonatural.com

tein treatments. You can apply protein treatments like

ApHogee’s Two Step Protein Treatment
 1-2 times per month for optimal results.

Pay attention to your body if you want great hair. A healthy body makes healthy curls. Aim to drink at least half a gallon of water per day. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables will give your hair follicles the nutrients they need to create strong hair.

Hair is made of protein, and one of the best ways to make sure you have healthy hair is to eat lean protein like chicken breast, salmon, eggs, and legumes. Make sure you tally your protein consumption to get the optimal amount. A 150-pound woman needs about 55 grams of protein daily.

You must adopt a moisture routine too. The LOC method will help hydrate your hair and lock moisture into the hair shaft. Read more about the LOC method below.

Moisturizer for Natural 3c Hair

One of the most important techniques to master with 3c natural hair care is the LOC method. This method works for most naturals, regardless of the curl pattern type. You can do the LOC method on wash day before styling, and you can do it once or twice during the week too.

Here is a breakdown of the LOC method:

Liquid. The best liquid on the planet is water. It’s the ultimate hydration, and it’s ideal for your hair and body. Using water is easy on wash day because you shower. But adding water to your routine during the week doesn’t have to be difficult either. You can place water in a spray bottle along with one or two of your favorite essential oils, like eucalyptus or peppermint oil. You can add conditioner to your bottle as a detangler. Another great detangler is

Kinky Curly Knot Today
.

Oil. Oils work to seal the hydration into the hair shaft. Some oils, like jojoba and avocado, penetrate well through the cuticle and protect the hair strand from damage. They’ll make your hair shiny and add nutrients your hair loves. Other favorite 3c oils are coconut, sweet almond, and argan.

Cream. Adding a cream or butter is the final stage in the LOC process. You may find excellent results with using a thick cream like

Aphogee Curlific Curl Definer
, but if the product weighs your hair down too much, consider going with a light leave in conditioner, like
Kinky Curly original Curling Custard
.

3c Natural Hair Styles

If you have 3c hair, you’ll want to take advantage of the wash and go. This will be your easiest and maybe even your best-looking hairstyle once you master the art of curl definition. This simple hair style works well with both short and long 3c natural hair.

There are several cute short 3c natural hair styles you can do to show off your curls. You can go with a faux mohawk, a high puff, a twist out, or a braid out.

You can even find a cute 3c natural hair weave these days. This might be helpful if you are transitioning or recently did the big chop, and you want the length that matches your curl pattern while you wait for your hair to grow. Look for a weave made with high-quality curly hair.

3c Natural Hair Products

Every head of hair is different, so it’s a good idea to experiment with various products until you find one your hair likes.

Use a moisturizing shampoo for natural 3c hair like

tgin Moisture Rich Sulfate Free Shampoo For Natural Hair - Dry Hair - Curly Hair - 13 Oz
or
Mixed Chicks Sulfate-Free Shampoo
. Avoid sulfate shampoos as they’re drying to your hair. Instead, go for shampoos that are as natural as possible. Having one or two chemicals in a product is fine, but the first three ingredients on a label should be recognizable and maybe even edible.

You might find you have a combination of curl patterns. Maybe you have 3c up front and on the sides, and 4a in the back.

3c Natural Braid Hair
Image source: Neonatural.com

If you have a combination of natural hair types, you might try parting your hair and adjust the amount of product you use for each section. For instance, you could use a heavier amount for your 4a hair, and less for your 3c hair.

Moisturization is the key to growing long, luscious 3c locks. Even if you don’t care about length, adopting a good moisturizing routine will combat dryness and split ends. The result will be healthy hair.

Protein is essential for 3c high porosity hair because it strengthens and improves the integrity of the strand.

If you follow a natural hair care routine for healthy hair, you’ll likely experience the beautiful curls you’ve always wanted within months.

What about you? What are some ways that have worked for you when caring for your 3c hair?




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Hey Curl Friend, I’m Patrina Haupt the creator and author of Natural Hair Queen. I hope you find my healthy hair care tips helpful in your hair journey. Healthy hair care practices are definitely, what helped me to achieve waist length hair.

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Comments

  1. Brenda Freeman says

    January 24, 2018 at 3:45 pm

    I have tight coil natural hair and it’s dry how can I keep it from getting dry and stay curly

    Reply
    • Patrina says

      January 26, 2018 at 12:52 pm

      Hi Brenda, have you tried the LOC (liquid, oil and cream) method? This would be the best place to start.

      Reply
  2. Keghan says

    November 30, 2018 at 7:36 pm

    I’ve heard that products like conditioner that contain alcohol are bad for your hair,is that true? I also read that conditioner needs alcohol.

    Reply
    • Patrina says

      December 5, 2018 at 1:43 pm

      Products that have alcohol are not the best to use since they take moisture away from the hair. Natural products tend to use a form of alcohol which comes from coconuts which is not harmful. It’s important to read and understand the ingredient labels regardless of your hair type being 3c or 4c.

      Reply
  3. CJ says

    December 11, 2018 at 7:17 am

    I HAVE 3C HAIR IN THE FRONT AND 4A,4B HAIR IN THE BACK. I HAVE A HARD TIME TO KEEP MY DEFINITION AND MOISTURE IN THE FRONT. WHEN I SPRAY IT, I LOOSE DEFINITION. MY CURLS JUST GET LOOSE END FRIZZY.ANY ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO

    Reply
    • Patrina says

      December 14, 2018 at 2:48 pm

      You can try a curling custard like Kinky Curly Curling Custard. If you are loosing definition then you want a product that will help set and curl your hair.

      Reply
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Patrina HauptPatrina Haupt
Hey, Curl Friend I'm Patrina! I’m the creator and author of Natural Hair Queen. I'm a wife, mom of 2 boys, and a Public Health researcher from Southern California. I love to share healthy hair care practices, as this is what helped me achieve waist-length hair. I hope you find my blog articles helpful within your hair care journey. You can reach me by email or through social media below. Read more...
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