Afro Hair Care For Type 4 Hair

Afro Hair Care For Type 4 Hair

Type 4 hair is a beautiful, versatile, and unique texture that requires special care to thrive. Whether you have tight coils, springy kinks, or a mix of both, maintaining healthy Afro-textured hair means understanding its needs—hydration, gentle handling, and the right products

In this blog, we’ll explore essential tips for keeping your curls moisturised, reducing breakage, and embracing protective styles that promote growth. Whether you’re new to your natural hair journey or looking for ways to improve your current routine, this blog is here to help you care for your crown with confidence.Let’s dive in!

Up Close and Personal With Type 4 Hair

At a glance, type 4 hair appears as a mass of tight coils brimming with vitality. This hair type comes with a spongy hair texture that can feel soft and fine or rough and coarse, depending on individual hair thickness.

According to the universal hair typing system, type 4 hair is further divided into three subcategories: type 4a, type 4b, and type 4c hair. As you may have predicted, each subtype has its own quirks and qualities.

How to Care for Type 4 Hair

As you would know, the coily hair community isn’t one for frequent shampooing like the straight-haired folks. Instead, your wash day may happen anywhere from once every three days to once a fortnight — go with whatever works best for your coils.

While the frequency of hair washing may differ from person to person, the typical type 4 haircare routine consists of a few best practices. Follow these guidelines for coils that feel soft, healthy, and frizz-free.

1.    Stay Away From Sulfates and Parabens

We can’t stress this enough: stay away from sulfates and parabens. These oil-stripping ingredients will desiccate already moisture-starved strands. On wash days, choose a clarifying, sulfate-free shampoo like Root2tip’s Stimulate and Cleanse SLS Free Shampoo to clear away natural and product buildup. It’s a great way to address itchy scalps and greasy roots without drying out your locks. 

Or you can try co-washing, which is a  conditioner-only cleansing. Unlike the average conditioner, a co-wash is specifically formulated with gentle cleansing ingredients to remove buildup without stripping away too much of your hair’s natural oils. We recommend using Root2tip’s Comb Out Cowash.

In between wash days, refresh your curls as often as you need by wetting them with a gentle dribble from the showerhead — or water in a spray mist bottle. You can also opt for hydrating hair mists for an extra boost of nourishment. 

Follow up with the rest of your haircare products, all of which should be preferably free of sulfates and parabens. If you’re on the hunt for sulfate– and paraben-free products specifically tailored to your unique hair needs, visit us at www.root2tip.com

2.    Detangle With Precision 

When it comes to detangling, some of us advocate for fingers over combs, while others swear by their beloved wide-tooth comb. Whichever the case, the trick is to go slow and steady to avoid painful snags and more breakage.

If you need extra help, pre-shampoo (aka pre-poo) your hair before detangling. Here’s how:

·       Apply a pre-shampoo treatment to your coils in sections, from the roots to the tips. You can also use a basic conditioner or a hair mask instead.

·       Slowly run through your coils with your fingers or a wide-tooth comb to work out any tangles. Leave the treatment on for at least 30 minutes.

·       After you’ve washed and dried your hair, continue with the rest of your haircare routine.

3.    Dry It the Right Way

When drying type 4 hair, heat- and friction-less drying is the way to go. To speed up the process, use a microfiber towel to gently squeeze out the excess water. Sandwich your towel and hair in between your palms in a praying motion. Take care not to rub your locks for fear of frizz, knots, and breakage. 

Once your coils are no longer dripping wet, let them air-dry the rest of the way. Alternatively, try the plopping technique to ward off frizz and enhance curl definition.

If you have to use a blow-dryer, always apply a heat protectant beforehand. Turn it on the lowest heat setting with an attached diffuser to downplay thermal damage.

4.    Moisturise Generously

Moisturisers are type 4 hair’s BFFs. Whether it’s once-a-week deep conditioning or daily leave-in conditioning, moisturising products are the cornerstones of every coily hair care routine.

But the order in which you apply hair moisturisers makes all the difference between long-lasting hydration and limp coils before the day ends. This is where the LOC method — leave-in, oil, cream — comes in handy, whether it’s wash day or not:

·       Apply a lightweight leave-in conditioner to hair like Root2tip’s Honey Rain Juice Leave-In Conditioner

·       Follow up with a hair oil of your choice

·       Lock in all the layers of moisture with a hair cream like Quench Anti Breakage Cream.

If you’re afraid of flattening your ‘do, look for products with lightweight ingredients like jojoba oil and sweet almond oil. On the other hand, seriously dehydrated coils play well with heavier ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter.

Meanwhile, if your mane is on the greasier side or if you live somewhere hot and humid, you may want to consider lighter hydrating products. Try Function of Root2tip’s Triple M Miracle Moisturising Milk, which you can pair with our leave-in conditioner.

Last but not least, pair your LOC routine with a deep conditioning hair mask like the Root2tip’s Triple Protein Hair Mask at least once a week. It will help nourish your hair shafts to boost strength, shine, and elasticity while soothing frazzled coils to keep your mane looking its best.

5.    Take Care With Night Care

What you do at night with type 4 hair is just as crucial as what you do during the day. After all, you don’t want to wake up with a case of extreme bedhead (the horror!).

Start by putting your hair up in a protective style called pineapple hair — a loose pile of curls that sits high on your head. Then, cover your hairstyle with a silk or satin scarf to protect it from tangles and frizz during slumber, especially if you’re an active sleeper. For extra protection, switch to satin or silk pillowcases because they’re less likely to induce hair-damaging friction.

Type 4 Hair Is More Than Manageable

Type 4 hair may be a bit more high-maintenance than other curl types, but responds beautifully to the right routine.

Start with your exact curl type to pinpoint what it needs. Then, review your current routine to ensure it’s all about the coily hair-friendly practices we’ve just talked about. Eliminate or add products according to how your scalp and strands feel. Do they need extra hydration in the form of a deep conditioner? Or perhaps they prefer something lighter like a fine-spray mist. 

With the right products and techniques in place, your type 4 hair will look fuller and livelier in all the best ways possible. Visit us at www.root2tip.com.

 

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