Sabi Your African Hair: Complete Guide to African Hair Types

As Africans, e de always hungry us to get fine hair. Sometimes, we fit even like make our hair be like another person own wey we de admire😀. Maybe because of the curls or patterns wey we see especially for those wey de carry their natural hair. Sadly, e no de always dey as we expect am and that one fit dey frustrating after we don spend time and money to have that look. The truth be say the way our hair de grow come out and the pattern and texture wey e de follow am come no be the same. Expecting say make our hair be like another person own fit de bring some kain wahala. Na im make e dey important make we sabi the type of hair wey we get. 

Knowing your hair type, whether e natural or relaxed dey important as e go give you idea about the different hair care routines, products, and styling methods wey go good for your hair to keep am healthy and nourished. E go also help you make you no de waste time and money de look for the natural curl pattern wey you no go ever get. 

Generally, our African hair na special type of hair wey get fine curl pattern and texture wey dey different from other hair types. Even with that, the tightness of the curls, texture, and strength of each person no be the same. With Afro hair, e dey important make person use the right products wey dem design specially for Afro hair and for person hair type.  For this article, we go talk about the different types of African hair, dia characteristics, and how you fit know your hair type and take care of am. O ya, make we start today tori 😎.

African Hair: Sabi E Type & Texture

African hair  na the type of hair wey get tight curl pattern wey fit range from curls wey dey defined to tiny coils wey no dey defined.  This type of hair wey dem still de call Afro hair fit get different curl patterns like S-shaped curls reach rough and wiry Z-shaped ones. Na this two categories of hair types dey common well with people wey get African origin.

Afro hair fit dey fine and soft, or e fit dey thick and rough. E still get different curl patterns, some fit dey loosely defined while others fit dey tightly packed. Generally, Afro hair fit dey hard to maintain because e de dry and fit easily break, but e get e unique structure wey different from the straight or wavy (Type 1 & Type 2) hair type wey dey common among Asians and Europe people dem. Afro hair need special care and styling methods.

But according to Andrew Walker Hair Type System, na Type 4 hair category dem put most African hair under. This na because na im dey common pass for many black African countries. But we still get Type 3 (Curly) hair o, but na Type 4 (Coily) hair dey popular pass. So, na that one we go mainly discuss about for this article. Make you try concentrate well as you de read through, so that you go fit see where your own hair fall put.

Hair Type Chart

 

Type 4 (Kinky or Coily) Hair

This type of hair get 3 subcategory, A, B, and C. The letter  wey de follow the number 4 de describe how tight the hair dey coil. Letter ‘A’  na the big curl, ‘B’ na medium curl, and ‘C’ na the tightest curl. 

• 4A Hair: This kind of Afro hair get loose and defined curls wey easy to see. E get well-defined S-shaped spiral curls and easy to style pass 4B and 4C hair. E no de easily break because this curls no dey tightly packed. E fit shrink about 20% of e true hair length and e no de last for coils styles. Because e curls dey loose, e de quick stretch for relaxer pass 4B and 4C hair. To maintain: Deep condition regularly for moisture. Use small natural oils like coconut oil or olive oil to seal moisture. Protect hair with styles wey no go break am to keep e length.

  

  Type 4A Hair

• 4B Hair: This Afro hair get tighter Z-shaped or zigzag curl pattern. E fit dey fine or wiry in texture. The curls no dey well-defined like 4A hair and e de look fluffy and full. E sabi break small if you no wash, condition, or detangle am well. E fit hold coil styles reach like a week or so pass 4A. When e dey dry, e fit look short because e go shrink about 50% of e true hair length.  To maintain: Deep moisturize with leave-in conditioners and always lock in moisture with natural oils. Use thick oils like castor oil seal moisture. Dey gentle when you de detangle to avoid breakage and knots.

Type 4B Hair

• 4C Hair: Na this type of hair dense and rough pass for of all Type 4 hair. E resemble thick but undefined coils wey dey interlock together. E look like afro if you see am. E dey very fragile and prone to breakage because the coils dey very tight and small. E too de dry and no de keep moisture for a long time. E de shrink pass others like no man's business. E de shrink about 75% of e true lenght. Na when e dey wet, e de long. When e dey dry, e go shrink come be like say na 25% of your hair length dey your head. To maintain: Regular deep conditioning and moisturizing. Use thick oils like whip shea butter or others wey you don see say e good for you to seal moisture. Protect hair with styles wey no go too de disturb am too much.

Type 4C Hair

How I Fit Sabi My African Hair Type?

Look your natural curls pattern after you don wash your hair and e don dry naturally without any product or heat-based tools. Compare am with the different Afro hair types wey dey the hair type chart above. If you de carry relaxed hair, you go need to get undergrowth reach at least 2-3 inches to fit do this test. You go need to uproot one strand from different section of your hair to do the test. Know say as black african, your hair fit fall between Type 3 and Type 4. You fit even get more than one texture of hair for your head. Sometimes, the hair for back (nape) fit dey different from the hair wey dey middle. If na so e be, no just worry yourself, our future article go discuss how you go fit still care for your hair no matter the type or number of types wey dey your head. 

Whether your hair na Type 3 or Type 4, A, B, or C, make you sabi say some things dey common to all African hair, no matter the type wey e be. They all get some common characters as you go see below:

7 Character of African Hair 

• Tight Curl Pattern: Afro hair get natural tight curl pattern wey range from loose curls reach very tight coiled curls.

• Rough Texture: Afro-textured hair dey rough and thicker pass other hair types.

• Natural Volume:  African hair dey naturally full because of e tight curl pattern wey dey packed well-well.

• High Porosity:  Generally, Afro hair sabi soak water and products well, and e fit quickly lose water pass other hair type. But the way each person hair take de soak water no be the same.

• Dryness:  Afro hair no too de produce oil reach the ends well like other hair types because of e tight curls pattern. So, e dey prone to dryness.

• Breakage: Afro hair de easily break because of e tight curl pattern and because of that fit easily spoil from heat and chemical treatments.

• Hair Growth Direction: Type 4 Afro hair de grow different from other hair types. E dey grow up instead of down because the hair follicles of Afro hair dey flat instead of circular or oval. E de cause our tight curls to grow up instead of down.

To sabi your hair type na the key to dey proud of your natural beauty. No matter whether your hair dey relaxed or natural, e dey important make you accept and sabi am well. Sabi the language and character of your hair well and celebrate the diversity wey dey African hair!  Stay tuned as the future articles go address how you fit care for your African hair regardless of the type wey e be. 

Until then, make we continue to de honour our African history together!

Big love from:

AfricNaijaHairCarePidgin! 😍😍😍

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