From a fellow type 4 something girl, this message goes out to the other type 4s who may be running out of ideas, hairstyle wise, as well as those of you who I see in the comments section of YouTubers or bloggers with type 3 hair, writing things like ‘I wish my hair texture was like this’, or ‘teach me’ or ‘why can’t my hair be like this?’ *insert distressed/crying emoji face* here.
Stop! You are looking in the wrong places for hairspiration!!
And of course, I’m not saying you must always watch hair bloggers with the same hair type/ texture as you. I’m just saying that we have to accept that our type 4 hair also offers us a range of options, provided we don’t actually start to believe the lie that our hair is just impossible to style.
I’m not here to rant; I just want to remind some of you who need reminding of the importance of looking up to hair bloggers/YouTubers that can provide us with accurate and educational depictions of what we can do with our hair.
I remember when I first went natural… I was excited, overwhelmed even at the plethora of information available to me on the internet, on styles, hair to dos and not to dos, how to grow X amount of hair in a month, etc. Fast forward a few months and I was on YouTube, seeking out exactly who it was that I would look to in order to motivate and inspire me as I stumbled along my hair journey.
I started out on the wrong foot, to say the least…
Before I knew about hair typing, as well as the simple fact that your hair will not always do what another person’s can, I found myself frustrated at the outcomes of certain styles. Why were my twist or Bantu knot outs failing or why couldn’t I achieve a decent afro puff?
There was one main answer to my questions:
I was and am still learning about what works and doesn’t work with my hair- (this year being the year where I’ve made the most progress in the twist out department) *cue photographic evidence*.
And two, I feel that part of my hair journey has involved finding good sources of “hairspiration”.
My journey progressed into familiarizing myself with the ins and outs of hair typing and hair care in general. I learned that I’m a type 4 b/c, I learned about hair porosity as well as just how much moisture our hair needs. I also learned that protective styling is a major key for 4C hair given its fragility, and that I should switch to more water based creamy products rather than “liquidey” products to retain moisture longer.
With the more knowledge I gained, the more my perspective changed when it came to identifying the Youtubers, the natural hair bloggers, and the celebrities that I could look to on those days when I was wondering what to do with my hair or simply after some hair candy to admire.
So when it came to finding my “hair crush” or “hair goals”, I began to look to those with a similar hair type to my own.
In doing so, I found a range of tutorials I could try out when I got bored or frustrated with my hair. I also experienced a surge in my own creative impulses, which lead to my hair being my own source of inspiration.
Adeola | www.coilsandglory.com says
you’re right onyeka. As a type 4 natural, i find its easy to seek advice from others with a similar hairtype.
coilsandglory.com
Onyeka A says
Glad we agree!
Linda Burnham says
I’ve been wearing protective styles for a year now as I’ve become frustrated with my hair. At this point I am tired of protective styles. I’ve been looking for styles that I can wear that won’t end up in a hot mess after working out or having to re-twist my hair every night after working out. My wrists started hurting from twisting my hair every night and that’s when I turned to protective styles. I’ve been natural 2 years. Hair shouldn’t be so much work.