Taking care of your coily hair is hard when you don’t know much about your natural hair. How do you moisturize your hair and how do you keep it moisturized? What does it mean to have coily hair? In this post we will go over everything you need to know about natural hair so that you can confidently take care of your coils. Scroll down to read all you need to know.

What is Coily hair?

Coily hair is tightly coiled with an s-shape or zig zag pattern. Natural hair can be referred to as coily or kinky hair and is hair that hasn’t been chemically altered.

Who has coily hair?

Coily hair type is mostly found in Africa and the African diaspora, but don’t be fooled, people of other races can also have coily hair even though it may not be as common. Despite popular belief, natural hair type comes with different textures, shapes, colours, and lengths. It appears very voluminous and thick but is a lot dryer than looser hair types like straight, wavy, and curly hair. Before we get to the explanation as to why that is, let’s take a closer look at this hair type.

What does Coily hair look like?

From afar coily hair may look like wool or even like cotton candy.

Different hair textures in type 4 hair

When you have a closer look at the individual hair strand, you will see that your strand is curly. When I say curly, I mean that it’s basically a very tightly curled hair strand. In some cases, your hair may even have a zig-zag pattern in the strand. In other words, type 4 hair is tightly curled or coiled hair.

Can you have 2 or more hair types?

It’s very possible to have different hair textures in your hair. Our hair is very diverse. Take me for example, I have more than one hair texture with a mixture of looser and tighter coils. This is the case for most of us, so don’t be surprised if you have different hair textures all over your head, nothing is wrong with you. At least not with your hair. (That was a joke)

How do I identify my hair type?

If you have coily hair, what you can do, is to have a look at a hair type chart which is another topic that we will address more in detail. Another useful thing to do is to take some hair from your comb and look at it from up close. You can even compare the hair strand with the hair type chart. When you look at the chart, you can see different strands that range from straight to coily. Type 4 hair is not just one type of hair, it’s an umbrella with 3 sub-types that go from coiled to tightly coiled hair (4A-4B-4C). You can also see other types of hair in the chart that are straight, wavy, and curly.

Hair type chart

Using a hair type chart is one way to figure out what your hair needs, but it’s definitely not the only way to do it and in my opinion, it’s not the most important factor. Other factors such as your hair- density, porosity, and strand size could be more beneficial when it comes to figuring out what hair products could work for you when hunting for natural hair products and how to handle your hair. If you are not familiar with these terms, I will quickly explain what these terms mean.

Hair porosity

On the outer layer of your hair strand, you can find the hair cuticle which is made up of dead cells. The cuticle is responsible for the strengthening and protection of your hair and it also regulates the moisture that goes in and out. This brings us to your hair porosity which determines the ability to take in and hold on to moisture. Hair porosity ranges from low to high porosity.

When you have high porosity hair, there is much space between the hair cuticles. This allows moisture to easily enter and escape the hair not allowing the hair to maintain moisture. On the other hand, with low porosity hair, your hair cuticles are too close to one another which makes it very challenging for moisture to enter the hair.

Hair density

The density of your hair determines the number of strands growing from your scalp ranging from high to low density.

Strand size

The strand size is how thick or thin 1 strand is. Knowing the width of your strand is extremely helpful as it will allow you to know how much manipulation your hair can handle. Your strand size can range from fine to coarse hair.

It may take some time to find the perfect products that will satisfy your hair needs. The best way that I can describe this journey is as a “trial-and-error journey”. You can read reviews and look up people with a similar hair type for references although I should warn you that what works for them, may not work for you.

Type 4 hair subtypes

So, what is type 4 hair? In short, this is hair that is curly and varies from loose to tightly coiled hair (4A-4B-4C). It’s also referred to as coily or kinky hair and it’s more prone to dryness than any other type of hair. This is why it’s crucial to find a good routine to aid your hair to retain moisture. Other factors such as the porosity, density, and strand size of your hair should also be considered when looking for natural hair products for your type 4 hair. So what is your type hair type?

4A hair type

Type 4a hair has the loosest curl pattern out of the type 4 umbrella. It’s tightly coiled and has a visible S pattern. Its curl pattern is more defined compared to the other type 4 hair types and doesn’t shrink as much as its counterparts.

4B type hair

4b does not have an S pattern but a zigzag pattern like the letter “Z” because the hair bends in sharp angles. The hair pattern of this hair type is tighter and has less definition than 4a hair. 4b hair is also more prone to dryness and breakage.

4C type hair

4C hair is similar to 4B hair. This hair type is more fragile than the other type 4 hair types and is more prone to dryness and breakage. Because this hair type has no pronounced definition, hairstyles like braiding and twisting will enhance the curl pattern. Try not to manipulate the hair too often and make sure the hair is properly moisturized.

Take a quiz

Are you still not sure what your hair type is? Don’t be worried, click here to take a quiz to find out your hair type.

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