4c natural hair is the kinkiest hair texture in the type 4 hair family. It’s coily and springier than type 4a. It also has an “s” pattern, making it different from the “z” pattern of 4b hair.
However, 4c natural hair does not always have a defined shape or curl pattern. This hair texture is best known for its delicate nature and the need for additional tender loving care as we all want our hair to be soft & manageable.
What is 4c Natural Hair?
4c natural hair is known for its tight curls and kinky texture. Some women with this type of hair have a curl definition, while others do not.
This hair texture is very delicate in nature. You can find 4c hair as fine, delicate strands, or as wiry and coarse. It is also known for its shrinkage and can shrink up to 75 percent of its length.
3 Tips for Tackling 4c Hair
4c natural hair breaks if you don’t maintain it well, so it is vital to learn how to care for it. Try to embrace your hair in its natural state, whether you recently did the big chop or you’re transitioning from relaxed hair.
Want to begin minimizing breakage? It’ll start with how you maintain your hair.
- Resist the urge to comb your hair when it’s dry, It’s best to comb your hair with a wide-tooth comb when it’s soaking wet and with a conditioner that has a lot of slip. The best approach is to gently section your hair and detangle it under running water or have a mixture of water and conditioner, but make sure your hair is dripping wet.
- Using a conditioner or leave-in conditioner that has a “good slip” means you can run your fingers through your hair and your hair will not get caught on your comb or fingers and slips through your hair. Ideally, your detangling process won’t be as long if you have found the right products to help in this process. Also, your coils or curls will slide apart without clinging to each other. Also, be sure to pick up Natural Hair Queen‘s: Hair Care Made Easy, eBook for product recommendations, and a step-by-step hair care routine for soft & manageable hair for the entire year!
- Avoid using small tooth combs or rat tail combs. They might be perfect for creating parts in your hair, but they’ll wreak havoc on your strands. Opt for a wide-tooth comb or use your fingers to detangle your hair instead.
- Don’t use plastic/synthetic brushes on 4c hair. non-natural brushes pull your hair strands, causing split ends and breakage. The best option would be a soft boar brush to smooth out your nape and edges.
Developing a Regime for 4c Natural Hair
The best way to maintain your 4c natural hair is to develop a routine. This will help your hair to remain healthy, moisturized, and to retain length. If you do not have a hair care regimen/routine check out Natural Hair Queen’s: Hair Care Made Easy, eBook for product recommendations, and a step-by-step hair care routine for soft & manageable hair for the entire year!
Develop a Daily Moisturizing Routine
One of the most helpful strategies for maintaining 4c hair is to use the LOC (liquid, oil, cream) method. Here’s what to do:
- Spritz your hair with filtered water then add an oil such as Butta Butta Cream. This combo will lock in moisture.
- Follow with a heavy cream that will coat the hair. This method of moisturizing your hair is known as the LOC method. It seals in moisture and is a crucial step for women with 4c natural hair.
- Pull your hair into a loose ponytail or pineapple. Then wrap your hair with a satin bonnet or scarf. Wearing this extra protection will help the hair to retain hair moisture at night. I follow this routine every week and this has helped me to achieve moisturized healthy hair. Rarely is my hair dry.
If you are currently wearing a protective style, be sure to moisturize your hair daily or every other day.
Co-washing Your Hair
Co-washing, short for conditioner-wash, is a crucial step toward rehydrating your hair if you do not want to go through the entire wash day process or are doing wash in gos. I wouldn’t recommend that you only co-wash your hair as your scalp and hair will need to have product build-up removed monthly to maintain a healthy scalp and hair.
When I co-wash my waist-length hair I tend to reach for a moisture-rich conditioner that is very thick. I always add jojoba oil to the conditioner.
Washing Your Hair with Shampoo
You still need to use shampoo to thoroughly cleanse the hair and scalp, it’s best to use a sulfate-free moisture rich shampoo so your hair won’t be dry once you’re done with this phase of your wash day.
Be sure to follow all shampoo stage with a deep conditioning treatment with mild heat and essential oils.
Conditioning Your Hair
You need to deep condition if you want to have healthy, long curls. Why? When you condition your hair, you are replacing much-needed moisture into your hair and scalp. If you are looking for a complete list of essential oils to add to your deep conditioner check out Natural Hair Queen’s: Hair Care Made Easy
Follow all shampoo and deep conditioning treatment with the LOC method. This moisture technique will help your 4c natural hair seal in moisture.
This will help your 4c natural hair seal in its moisture.
Remember to section your hair while co-washing and deep conditioning. Parting the hair and applying your product helps the product coat all strands evenly. A rule of thumb is to start applying your products to the ends of your hair first then work your way up.
4c Natural Hair Styles
The best hairstyles for 4c natural hair are those that require minimal manipulation and those that retain moisture. A protective style where your ends are tucked away adds moisture benefits and low manipulation. Make sure you are adding in Butta Butta Cream to your hair before you wear your hair in a protective style to keep it moisturized.
Three of the easiest low-manipulation styles for long hair are two-strand twists, twist outs, and Bantu knots. These styles are ideal for women with 4c natural hair because there is little room for the hair to become tangled and many opportunities to retain moisture.
You have plenty of options available if you want to add length by using hair extensions, braids, weaves, and wigs are great protective styles that will help your hair grow underneath.
Be sure to pay close attention to your hairline when you wear extensions. Hair from this part of the scalp is very fine and can break easily and tends to be the dries part of our hair.
If you are looking for a chemical-free straightened look try a damage-free technique like the African threading method.
The Best Hair Products for 4c Natural Hair
The best hair products for 4c natural hair lock in moisture. These products will help you detangle your hair, which is vital for hair that gets tangled and matted easily.
Oils
Coating the hair with oil is a crucial step to lock in moisture in 4c natural hair. Coconut oil is easy to find and affordable. It promotes hair growth and makes the hair stronger. You’ll probably notice less breakage after using the oil for several days. However, if you are protein sensitive then I would leave this oil out of your routine.
Extra-virgin olive oil is also perfect for 4c natural hair textures. This oil is known for its ability to soften and strengthen the hair.
Olive oil contains fantastic scalp-care benefits. It moisturizes hair follicles and reduces dandruff. It even helps to eliminate product build-up. You can use extra virgin olive oil as a deep conditioning hot oil treatment or add it to your daily hair regimen.
Avocado oil, which is rich in vitamins A, B, D, E, and protein, works to protect your hair from heat and sun damage. Add avocado oil to your shampoo to create a nourishing treatment that combats a dry scalp.
Mix oils with your favorite conditioner, to create slip and make detangling a breeze.
Shampoos
Check ingredient labels when you buy shampoos to make sure they do not contain sulfates or parabens. Your shampoo should include moisturizing agents to protect from dryness.
Conditioners
The best deep conditioners for 4c natural hair have moisturizers listed at the top of the ingredient list. Make sure the conditioner contains some of the oils listed above and does not list water as one of the principal elements.
Your deep conditioner should restore moisture, promote growth, and leave your hair feeling like Butta!
Tips to Help Your 4c Natural Hair Grow
Kinkier hair needs extra care because the hair texture needs a lot of moisture. This means that if you want your hair to retain length, you must work hard and put forth the effort to take care of it.
Kinky hair grows 1/4 – 1/2 an inch per month on average. You need to maintain your hair and make sure that you maintain proper moisture and protein balance (if you are not protein sensitive).
Be extra gentle when you care for your hair. There is no need to rip your hair out when detangling. Also, be very mindful of the ingredients that are in your hair care products as they can cause your hair to dry out even further and not nourish the hair. This is one of the reasons I developed Butta Butta Cream. I wanted a product that had ingredients that were pure to help my hair to stay moisturized for more than one day when I was wearing my hair in protective styles.
You must remember that dry hair breaks off so the goal is to keep it hydrated and moisturized so you can retain your hair length.
Type 4c natural hair has the ability to grow past the shoulders you just need to have the right tools and products to help it along the way.
By: Patrina Haupt
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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Thank you for this lesson. I’ve been struggling with maintaining my hair for a while I decide to go all natural. This segment help me to understand and plan my hair regimen better
Your welcome.
I’m glad it was able to help you. 🙂
Thank you
Your welcome
Thanks for this tips. I like to do hkme remedy Avocado DC (mixed with olive oil and honey..it leaves my hair really moaitirised and manageable.
That’s wonderful!
Thank you for this article, i just read last week and it’s been really helpful, ever since I started my natural hair journey , I have been experiencing a lot of breakage but after I read this article I finally found out what my hair needed and my breakage has reduced a lot.
That is wonderful to hear!
What is a good weekly regimen?
https://naturalhairqueen.net/natural-hair-care-regimen/
I finally understand my 4c natural hair. Thank you so much! But if I may ask, is the Cantu leave in conditioner an advisable leave in conditioner to purchase?
That is wonderful news. I personally don’t like the ingredients. I love Kinky curly knot today leave in conditioner all ingredients are natural.
Thank you so so much for this! I am a 16 year old girl living with my father so I don’t get much help with my hair and never really know how to mantain good healthy hair.
Your welcome Ashanti. Check out my Pinterest page for natural hair styles!
This had a lot of helpful tips. Thank you! My question for my step daughter, she has 4c hair and I’ve been wanting to find the best things to care for her hair. If i add olive oil to her hair and then a Shea butter cream would it leave her hair oily to the touch? What edge control cream do you recommend? (I just stopped her mother from combing her edges cause I noticed breakage and thinning) Also, how often should her ends be trimmed? And finally, what comb/brush do I need for her hair for less damage? Specific brands or where to locate would be helpful.
It would be best to use the LOC method on your step daughters hair (liquid, oil, cream) I always recommend shea butter for 4c hair, olive oil is fine but if you are experiencing dryness you may need a heaver oil/butter like shea butter. I really like Curls control paste for edges. Be sure to use a boar bristle brush or a soft natural hair brush on the hair to eliminate pulling the hair out.As far as her ends go if they are thin, then they should be trimmed. There is no absolute rule as to how often the ends should be trimmed, you just have to look at them to see how they are doing every other month. Check out my Butta Butta Cream it’s a one stop shop for hair oil.
This is helpful. Just today I discovered my hair is a type 4b from another website and now thanks to your article, I am better prepared to properly take care of my hair. Luckily, I’m a fan of herbs and natural oils so I’m on the right step so far with my hair and skin. The only obstacle during my hair care journey will be me combating my severe chronic anemia and alpha thalassemia minor. I’ve learned that anemia can badly impact hair and may even cause alopecia areata (when hair breaks off in round clumps from the head). I’ve been experiencing similar issues with my hair but I’m hoping that this new discovery about how to take care of my hair could help fight against the anemia (and a possible alopecia areata). I’m taking iron and I’ve changed my diet so I’m not too worried. Wish me luck. ~
Hello Tati, thank you for sharing. Along with diet you may want to incorporate castor oil with peppermint oil into your hair care regimen and deep conditioning.
With 4c hair, how long after you trim your ends should you trim them again?
The typical time frame to trim your ends would be 4-6 weeks or as needed. If you see that your ends need to be trimmed more than that then it would be time to reevaluate your hair care regimen to see what is the cause of frequent split ends (is it the lack of moisture, certain hair care products etc.).
Hello I have 3c/4a,c coily med fine hair. I wear wash n gos mostly.wash my every 2 1/2-3 weeks .I use Earthtones Naturals hair butter and gelly. I hot oil my scalp and deep condition regularly. I use a diluted fermented rice water rinse with onion seed oil and some essentials and rinse it out thenI use a liquid leave in which includes aloe vera juice and rose water with essential oils. Over all my hair stays moisturized, but I occasionally get fairy knots from time to time in the back.In 17months it didn’t seen like my hair really grew that much. Maybe 2 1/2 inches, so I got it trimmed when I flat ironed it. Maybe I need to trim it often. I dont know, I will try that the next 2 years,but my hair is healthy shiny and curls are bouncy.i sleep with a silk bonnet and silk pillow cake also .Help,
Hi Kim, to combat fairy knots you would need to add more moisture to your hair. You may want to try the LOC method by layering your hair care products and deep conditing your hair once a week. Go ahead an shoot me an e-mail to discuss your hair care products I have a feeling that may be the root of the concern.
Hi. I have very kinky, coily hair and I am in the 4c family. After washing my hair, I have to try and keep it wet while detangling it because it will dry up quickly and it tangles very easily. For this reason, I believe I have high porosity hair. I have tried various detanglers. They will work for a while, but eventually, I have to find a different one. I also use semi-permanent hair color since I’m older and my hair is mostly gray. I would like to know what products (shampoo, deep conditioner, leave-in conditioner, detangler and cream) would you recommend? I currently use Jamaican Black Castor Oil on my hair and it seems to work well.
For 4c hair it’s best to detangle under running water with a lot of conditioner that has “good slip”. If you don’t have one be sure to use a wide tooth comb that glides through your hair and doesn’t catch. I love using TGIN for my shampoo and conditioner, and deep conditioner. I use their conditioner as my detangling conditioner it really melts the knots. I also enjoy using Kinky Curly Knot Today as a leave-in conditioner. As my moisturizer, I too use JBCO and Butta Butta Cream which leaves my hair moisturized for a week!
I’m trying to go natural but I needed to read a bit more about proper care for my hair type. Funny thing is I am a prior hair stylist but while taking care of my clients hair, I disowned my own. I have not worn my natural hair out since I was a child and as an adult, I am taking a leap away from weaves. I feel like my hair doesn’t grow and will be difficult to maintain. This was informative and I can’t wait to see how this goes. From one Patrina to another, thank you!
If you need any hair advice please let me know.
Hi I have 4C hair and I am anemic I have a natural sense January 2011. My hair if shoulder-length. My question is why is my hair not growing? And I get a lot of split ends. Can you help?
Julia
Hello Julia, Thank you for your question. In one word Yes I can help. However, I would need to know more about your hair situation to help you. I too am anemic and have to take a daily iron supplement. For your hair to grow you need to have a hair regimen that you follow. Please check out this article I wrote on how to create a hair care regimen. https://naturalhairqueen.net/natural-hair-care-regimen/ If you feel you need more assistance please write to me at patrina@naturalhairqueen.net
Thank you so much, this was very helpful! My foster daughter has 4c type hair and despite receiving much advice on how to take care of it and which products to use, I must be doing something wrong because her hair remains extremely dry. Can I use this same routine and these products on her (she’s 16 month old)? Also, how often should I wash (with shampoo) her hair?
Hello Dee, I would modify the products a bit for a 16-month-old. Go ahead and send me an e-mail of your current hair products so we can discuss how you should move forward. Thank you
Thank you so much for the advice! Do you know what I can do to help with postpartum breakage? My daughter is 4 months and apparently this it about the time your hair starts falling out????. I’d like to minimize it as much as I can because my hair grew so much when I was pregnant. Also, can I use olive oil in my daughter’s hair? The back is really dry because of how she sleeps. I’ve been using coconut oil.
Hello Tasha, I have a 10-month-old and experienced the same thing you have to oil your edges at night. I used Butta Butta Cream and I’m not just saying this as a plug for my own product but it truly worked. Check out my before and after images.
Is there a way to share this article to my facebook page?
Hello Kianna, yes you can copy and paste the link.
Patience and time are necessary when it comes to maintaining natural hair. Thank you for sharing this great article!
Thank you
Hi Patrina. I do have 4c hair and it can be very painful to comb especially after washing. I will soon be washing it and I’m kind of scared. Presently, I have cornrows on. How do I go about it? Do you think I can use only Shea butter after shampooing and conditioning the hair? Do I still have to apply cream on the hair after applying the Shea butter considering the LOC method you mentioned. Thank you.
Hello Grace, If it’s painful to comb your hair after washing try using a conditioner with good slip and a wide tooth comb with a wide tooth comb.
Hi thank you for the info on 4c hair. I have 4c hair very coarse and dry. I live in Johannesburg South Africa and the environment is very dry. I use the LOC method weekly or once in 2 weeks when my hair is in a protective hair style. My hair loses the moisture very fast by afternoon my hair will be dry already after applying the LOC method in the morning. For L i use water mixed with Leave in conditioner, O are Shea Butter and Soy bean oil for C i use African pride moisture miracle Leave in cream. Please help how can i retain moisture?
Perhaps look at the shampoo you are using…is it sulfate free? Is it moisturizing? For the loc method you may need to do it every other day or if your hair is in braids place water, oil, and leave in conditioner in a spray bottle and spray your hair every day. You can also do the green house method or the bagging method for added moisture.
Hello Patrina, very useful information, thanks. I fall in the same category as Betty. I also have coarse 4c hair that dries easily. My problem is it doesn’t curl no product I’ve tried works. I recently had a big chop (tapered cut) and would like to keep it short for now. What can I use to curl it out?
Love from Ghana????
Hello Ester, If you find that curling products do not make your hair curl you may want to try a twist out if it’s long enough on top. Otherwise, you may need to layer a gel product with a curling cream to achieve your desired curls.
Hi Patrina
I have 4c hair. Not as thick and long as it used to be after a ‘protective style’ damaged it. Now that I am all natural, when hair is blow dried, it pops off a lot. If I twist it with a cream or use a creme moisturizer on dry hair, so much comes out.
I also get it professionally done every 2 weeks so not sure why it may not be as strong as it should and why so much is coming out.
I want to try taking care of it myself but the thought of having all my hair in a comb after shampooing will freak me out. My hair stays dry.
What could I be doing wrong and what can I do right to get back on a healthy journey?
Hi Clara, Are you placing heat on your hair every 2 weeks? Also, are you placing any type of oils or creams on your hair daily? This may be the cause of your breakage and or shedding.