Knowing how to take care of Type 4A hair is the key to healthy curls without breakage, split ends, shrinkage, and dryness. All of which these curls are prone to experiencing.
But with the right haircare regime and hair products, this curl type will thrive, while maintaining more than 50% of its length. It’s important to know how to care for your curls. So read on to learn more about this curl pattern and products that work well with it.
In a rush? Jump to a section that sparks your interest below.
DISCLOSURE: Some of the links in this post contain affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission. Read more about it in the Privacy Policy.
What Is Type 4A Hair?
This curl type is part of the Type 4, coily natural hair club. It has a looser curl pattern than 4B and 4C and is more coily with an S-shaped spiral curl. I’m in this hair-type family.
Most people tend to confuse 4A with 3C curl patterns, and that’s because they have similar spirals, however, 3C is larger in diameter than 4A.
It is a bit more manageable than 4B and 4C and has less shrinkage, which is also debatable.
What’s So Great About 4A Curly Hair?
Has Lots of Volume
One thing is for sure, 4A curly hair is gonna give you volume. No matter what style you choose, this hair type is ready to fill up a room and be the center of attention.
Since coily hair is naturally dense and full of tight curls, it will automatically give you fullness and movement.
Very Defined Wash and Go Styles
Wash-and-go styles on 4A natural hair types are absolutely gorgeous. Like I said before, with the right hair products, this curl pattern will elongate while wet and only shrink up to 40 percent of its length when dry.
The best products to use for your wash-and-go sets are gel or foam-based products. I prefer products that have more natural ingredients, with absolutely no alcohol in them.
The alcohol can make your hair feel dry and take away moisture.
Hair Products For Wash And Go Styles
Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic
Uncle Funky’s Daughter Curly Magic is made with aloe vera. This curl magic gel has a firm hold with a great curl definition. It is best used when hair is wet, not damp for curls that pop! It helps reduce stubborn frizz. The Marshmallow Extract helps prevent dry scalp and provides slip.
Honey Curl Forming Custard
Design Essentials Honey Curl Custard defines curly type 3 to coily type 4 hair types in a breeze. It helps fight frizz AND curl shrinkage. Oh My! That’s a pretty bold statement to claim. Most reviewers say that it helps soften their hair, and provides hold, but note, use it when hair is wet!
Mielle Curl Smoothie
When it comes to this Mielle Curl Smoothie, it does everything the rest of the custards do, except it is infused with honey and pomegranate. These ingredients help nourish, strengthen, detangle, and smooth your curls without the frizz.
Challenges Of Type 4A Curls
Shrinkage Is Real
Since the curls are tighter than type 2 and 3 hair types, it is more likely to shrink. Shrink means that you will not see its true length in its natural curl state.
These curls will shrink up to 60% of their true length when dry. So you will only see your length when you stretch it using the rubberband method (banding), blow dry, or silk press it.
Prone To Dryness
Since it’s more prone to dryness, you have to take extra care when keeping these curls hydrated. Because of its unique curl pattern and possible thickness in density, moisture doesn’t hang around long.
Unlike other hair types with looser curls, 4A curls struggle with dryness due to our natural sebum having a difficult time traveling down the hair strands. That’s why girls with straight, wavy, and curly hair complain about their scalp feeling greasy after a few days to a week.
While we coily hair girls can’t relate. So make sure to create a haircare routine that includes moisture daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and every month.
Watch For Breakage & Split Ends
While dryness is a big factor for this hair type, that also comes with breakage and split ends. When 4A curls are dry, due to the curl pattern, it is more prone to break off in weak spots, such as the ends of the curl.
When moisturizing your hair, be mindful to take extra care of the ends to prevent future breakage and split ends. It tends to happen when our hair excessively brushes against our shoulders, chairs, bed sheets, and more.
Quick Haircare Routine Cheatsheet
- Shampoo with clarifying and moisturizing shampoo (Weekly / Bi-Weekly)
- Use conditioner (Weekly / Bi-Weekly)
- Use deep conditioner (Bi-Weekly / Monthly)
- Grab a leave-in conditioner (Every Wash Day / As Needed)
- Style as desired (Protective Style, Silk Press, etc…)
- Hydrate scalp with hair grease, treatment serums, or organic oils (Once / Twice Weekly)
Best Haircare Tips For Type 4A Hair?
Use Sulfate-free, Paraben-free Products
When shopping for hair products, it is important to read the ingredient list before making your purchase. Start with a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner.
Using a sulfate-free shampoo won’t strip the natural oils from your hair and scalp, and will help strengthen and moisturize your hair strands. Parabens will dry out your scalp, which is no good since healthy hair is created from the scalp.
Pomegranate & Honey Moisturizing Shampoo & Conditioner
Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate + Shea Butter Shampoo + Conditioner
SheaMoisture Shampoo & Conditioner Set
Protect With A Silk or Satin Bonnet
The best way to protect your curly coils is by wearing a silk or satin bonnet at night. You always want to cover your hair to protect it from your cotton fabrics such as your bedsheets. Because most of the time, our head moves a lot in our sleep.
So when you sleep without a bonnet, your hair and your cotton sheets can cause friction. This friction then causes breakage to your hairline, neck area, crown, and the ends of your hair strands.
But one way to beat this is by sleeping on silk bed sheets and pillowcases. So always check the quality of your sheet before purchasing.
Moisturize Your Hair With Water First
You want to aim to moisturize your hair with water first every day or every other day as needed. So we need to do our part in moisturizing with water and cream or oil. Afterward, you can use a leave-in conditioner, butter moisturizer, hair milk, or styling cream.
Keep it simple by putting water or rose water in a mist spray bottle or a regular hand-sized spray bottle. Lightly mist your hair to your liking, and then apply a cream-based moisturizer or an oil sealant.
Here are great mist spray bottles to check out.
360 Mist Spray Bottle
The new spray bottles everyone seems to love are the 360 mist bottles. And for good reason. As a hairstylist, I loved this mist spray bottle because it continuously sprayed without having to keep squeezing the trigger.
3-Pack Spray Bottles
Sometimes, your old reliable is the best choice when it comes to spray bottles. These 3-pack spray bottles will always be a go to because of the ability to control how water comes out. It can stream out with force, or as soft as a mist. You choose.
Limit Heat Usage
Be careful when using heat on your hair. The more you use heat, the faster you’ll see a change in your curls. I am not gonna go to the extreme of saying you will instantly get heat damage.
But depending on the temperature of your blow dryer and flat iron, you can see your curls go from perfect spirals to limp noodles. I promise that is no exaggeration. When using heat, please use a great heat protection cream, oil, or spray.
Here are some heat protectants I used and loved.
CHI 44 Iron Guard Heat Protectant
If you thought CHI was only for straighter hair textures, think again. This CHI 44 Iron Thermal Protectant contains Vitamins A and E, which protect hair against heat damage. The keratin and silk proteins help protect and strengthen the hair strands. While the Jojoba oil conditions and gives it shine.
Silk Essentials Thermal Heat Protectant Serum
If you want a serum, rather than a heat protectant spray, the Design Essentials Silk Essentials Serum is a great choice. It makes the blow-drying process easy by softening and detangling the hair. The hair is soft when wet and dry, which makes the flat iron glide through the hair like butter.
Leave a Reply