4a Hair Type: Tight Coils Hair Texture (2024)

FAQs

4a Hair Type: Tight Coils Hair Texture? ›

The 4a curl pattern is characterized by very tight coils. You still have a visible, curvy S pattern in your hair and your curls are the circumference of a crochet needle. Any time you pulled a curl taut to see just how much length you were hiding, it sprang right back into shape.

4B – TIGHTLY COILED

4B hair is made up of very tightly coiled curls that have the circumference of a watch spring. Their texture can range from fine all the way to coarse. This curl type is prone to dryness, breakage, tangles, shrinkage, and lack of curl definition. It's also highly dense and wiry.

Coily hair is the most voluminous of the hair types. It is often referred to as type 4 hair, and can be divided into three subcategories: 4A, 4B, and 4C. It has either very tight coils that begin at the scalp, or 'Z' shaped angles.

Coily hair falls under 4A to 4C hair types and is often described as tight, springy, zigzag, or S-pattern shaped coils. What makes each type special: H3: Type 4A coils have a dense, curly texture with lots of volume to spare. The size of each curl is about as wide as a pen.

Type 4 (Coily Hair)

Strands form very tight, small curls of zig-zags right from the scalp and are prone to major shrinkage.

Type 4a hair is dramatically voluminous and undeniably coily. Its ability to maintain definition rivals that of type 3 curly hair. But this hair type doesn't come without its challenges. Those blessed with the gift of 4a locks often struggle to fight off frizz, dryness, and damage.

Dryness. Curly hair also tends to be naturally dry, especially those with curly to coily patterns. Our scalp's natural oil, sebum, has trouble traveling down the strands so the lengths of the hair can lose moisture quickly. Frizz caused by dryness often appears as flyaways, static, and an overall rough feeling.

A general observation across experiments was that straight hair was perceived as younger, healthier, and more attractive than wavy hair and darker shades (medium copper and brown) were perceived more positively than blonde hair.

Gently stretch them out, by leaving in extra curly hair care products to weigh them down, combing through your hair after applying products, not scrunching it, and letting it air dry.

Coils are different from curls because they are much tighter and shaped differently. Type 4A features tight, thin, bouncy coils. The coils are S-shaped but with a much smaller circumference than type 3. Type 4B features coils that are more Z-shaped than S-shaped.

What does coil hair look like? ›

Also known as Type 4, coily hair refers to strands that form tight curls in a zig-zag pattern from the scalp. Within the coily hair type, there are three subcategories based on the size of the hair pattern.

The most coily hair type is Type 4B and along some spectrums, it can go higher to 4C and 4D. The difference between curly and coily is coily hair has more defined ringlets, increased volume, and often, fuller body. Curly hair ranges from formed curls to looser ringlets.

Type 1A hair is very straight and fine, with no waves or curls whatsoever. This hair type tends to get very oily and requires frequent shampooing. It is the rarest hair type and is common among women of Asian descent.

4C. Type 4C hair is known for its tight coils and is considered the most challenging to manage due to its fragility and high density. It requires significant moisture and gentle handling to prevent breakage.

Circumference – 3C has a much wider curl circumference compared to 4A. Type 4 curls tend to be more coily and dense. They typically have the circumference of a crochet needle.

The 4a curl pattern is characterized by very tight coils. You still have a visible, curvy S pattern in your hair and your curls are the circumference of a crochet needle. Any time you pulled a curl taut to see just how much length you were hiding, it sprang right back into shape.

Type 4a hair has medium-sized, loosely packed curls. The curls have a springy S-shape and are about the size of a crochet needle. If you look closely at the 4a hair type, you'll notice the curls are not as interlocked as 4b or 4c curls. Each 4a strand independently curls or spirals away from other neighboring strands.

How Often Should You Wash 4A Hair? Alvarez says washing 4A hair once a week is usually enough, but there's no universal rule. The frequency of your shampoo days ultimately boils down to your lifestyle, environment (hotter weather = a sweatier scalp), and personal preference.

Moisturize: Type 4 hair is naturally dry and needs lots of moisture to prevent breakage and brittleness. Use a moisturizing conditioner after shampooing, and apply a leave-in or oil to your hair daily. Use a light cream or oil for daily maintenance, and give yourself a hot oil treatment every month to seal moisture.

How do I keep my 4A hair soft? ›

Curly hair is a curly hair type characterized by a springy, corkscrew-type texture. Those with curly hair type may notice they have dry hair, more so than those with wavy hair. This is because the scalp's natural oils struggle to travel down the curls, due to their twists and turns.

Type 4b Coily

This type of hair has a prominent z-shaped pattern and can range in thickness as well. It can feel very soft to the touch, but can also be very fragile.

Back in the old days, if you had straight or silky hair, it was considered fine and curly and coily types were categorized as coarse hair, but this isn't accurate. Fine and coarse hair isn't a matter of hair texture or curl shape, it has to do with the hair texture and the size of each hair strand (more on that below).

Type 4A – This hair is soft in texture with tight, well-defined curls or kinks. Type 4B – Hair of this type has very tight curls, but they are less defined, soft, and fragile. Type 4C – This type of hair has such tight curls (coils) that it may not even look curly at all.