Hi luvs,
Happy first Friday of the year 
To end the week, I thought I’d share a little insight on why 4C hair “won’t” clump. I figured it’s the New Year and for some of you that may mean New Hair Goals
Wherever you are in your Natural Hair Journey, I think we all agree that, one thing we all want is to have moisturized/hydrated hair. No one wants dry, frizzy, unmanageable hair!!! Am I right?!?
I’m not gonna sit here and promise you that if you follow the MHM regimen you will instantaneously have butter, soft, moisturized hair! (Although that may happen for some lucky few LOL)
What I have learnt this past year is that “Good Hair” takes work! And when I say “Good Hair” I don’t mean a different texture or looser curl pattern. I mean cultivating your own natural curl pattern. I mean falling in love with your own hair texture, length, density because it is healthy, moisturized, hydrated and manageable…and all the beautiful things you can imagine
In my own experience, this is a journey… a lifestyle….something that you need to maintain and to constantly work on. It does get easier as your hair get’s more hydrated and you get into a routine. But for me it’s all worth it…and personally I can’t imagine any other way to care for my hair.
Naturally curly/coily hair in it’s essence is “naturally” dry and if you have low porosity hair that’s like a double whammy. There is no “magic” product or regimen that can change this…you can only manage the dryness and stay on top of it by using the right products for your hair and the right hair care regimen.
With time and consistency your hair will build moisture levels and will be “trained” to retain moisture and stay hydrated for longer periods of time. But you will have to keep on hydrating it on a regular basis I like to think of it as a maintenance plan The same way you hydrate your body on a regular basis, exercise and eat healthy on a regular basis to stay fit and healthy the same thing with our hair. It needs a regular hydration plan and only then can you see your natural coils/curls in their frizz free glory Don’t be fooled by the frizz, no matter your hair type, texture it can coil/curl/clump….yes even 4c hair!
Oh and grab a drink and some snacks while your at it…this is going to be a long read
My hair almost a year ago (Feb 2014) pre-MHM
A visual of why 4c Hair Won’t clump.
By Pinkecube
“Take a good look at how compact the curls are. This is 4c hair, not 4a hair , and I never used to get root to tip definition in these areas before, if anything, only the tips would coil, and it would be and even more compact coil, that looked like a tube.
4c hair is the most compact, like a tube. 4a hair you can see spaces between the coil, and it’s bigger. Also, when their is weight of product, it can form a big s curl, (not to be confused with the sharper zigzags of 4b hair) whereas when 4c hair gets weighed down it can look like more of a number 5, or a zigzag. In it’s dehydrated state, it has the tendency to form random loopings among individual strands, making it less likely to clump. This is even more so an issue for 4b hair. I actually have some curls near my ear that are even tighter than a pen spring but still clump. As it grows longer and gets more retention it will probably clump better.
The problem that so many ppl get confused over is that 4c hair is not frizz itself. 4c hair is the most prone to frizz, but frizz is a state not a hair type. 4c does have a curl pattern, it is a very tight and compact coil. This extremely well hydrated 4c hair is not 4a hair, the same way 3a, 3c, and 3b hair are not the same thing.
See how the ringlets get more small and compact as the texture gets tighter? And as you go in the looser direction, the space between each ringlet get wider. 4c hair is much more compact than 4a hair– to the point where at times it can look more like a cylinder tube.
A visual of why 4c hair will not clump:
Compare the two strands after being put in water to the ones after being treated with baking-soda. Which one is more likely to want to fit together like a puzzle piece?
Source : NaturalHavenBloom
Under soaked in water, the water likely did not penetrate the strand, just sat on top of it.
After bakingsoda treatment, the water is able to penetrate the strand because the tightly shut cuticles have been opened. This increases weight of the hair strand, which is what most hair is meant to do in water, but low porosity 4c and 4b hair adamantly resists.
Once the weight of the water is in the curl, the curl becomes more uniform. It is no longer so lightweight from lack of water retention in the cortex, that each individual strand over springs and loops upon itself randomly, which prevents clumping. The uniform curl that is meant to be there is created, making it easier for curl strands to want to clump together like puzzle pieces.
Frizz is not a curl pattern, it is a state of the hair caused by lack of water retained in the hair cortex. The fact is, if 4c hair truly had no curl pattern, your hair would be straight, and you would not even have shrinkage. Curl pattern being able to form uniform and fit together isn’t reliant on the size of your curl, but on the level of moisture retained in your cortex. All curl types have this issue to an extent, but 4b and 4c hair are the most effected, because not only are majority of these types low porosity, they also are the most lightweight and prone to coiling and twisting over and upon themself. That is not a curl pattern, it is a sign you do not have enough water in ur cortex, and completely controllable if you know what to do.
Many people find it impossible to get their 4c hair to clump and look curly, because their individual strands just don’t have enough water retained in the cortex. This causes their hair to be very lightweight. This lightweightness causes many of the conditions of 4c hair.
It will not have enough weight to maintain it’s uniform curl shape, in other words, it will loop upon its self.
Prone to tangles and knots, for the exact reason above.
Hard to retain length because of the reason above, and hair is dry and brittle chronically, which also leads to split ends and breakage. Many people fool themselves into thinking their hair is adequately moisturized by keeping their hair perpetually wet and oily with product, but it in reality does nothing for the raw state of your hair. This is just managing and accepting dehydration (neither of which is easy), instead of getting to the heart of the issue.
It has no movement, especially when dry even with product and stretching, because it is too lightweight.
it stands up and out when dry because moisture isn’t retained within the actual cortex, and gravity can’t make it hang.
Weight from moisture retained inside the cortex (not outside like you would get from wetting closed cuticles, or being heavy handed with sealants like oil, butters and gel) gives consistent results of only at the nape. The difference between 4a hair and 4c hair is 4c hair is waaaaaay more compact. Fully shrunken in a clumped state, it will look more like a tube , where as with 4a hair, you will easily see the spaces between each ringlet on an individual curl clump.
I think that what people describe as 4b and 4c hair majority of the time it is low porosity, or normal porosity. Many ppl confuse low porosity with high porosity, but if their hair were high porosity, many of the techniques common in the natural community would be effective.
Here are some signs to look for in hair porosity:
If it feels rough or has a “straw-like” texture, your hair is not very porous. (it’s a sign of low porosity)
If your hair simply feels wet, you have normal hair porosity.
If your hair has high porosity, it will feel sticky, almost as if you had not washed all product out of your hair.
So if you’re goal for the new year is hydrated, moisturized hair, just keep at it and don’t get discouraged… with hard work, consistency and patience it is an attainable goal, for ANYONE, no matter the hair type! Oh and remember it’s a marathon and not a race, take your time to enjoy, love and learn your hair no matter where you are in your journey :)
Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week,
Love & Blessings,
XOXO,
Dee