The grading system was the game changer. I found so many Nattie influencers and followed their advice .... Because they're natural I am a 3b with low porosity thin, fine hair. Nothing worked. Then after seeing the classification, I knew why. So I simply diluted what I had. And next time shopping, I got the right stuff.
My Dickey is hilarous.. its always powerful and observant to see how 3 different people can hear the same thing and you sometimes get 3 different opinions but Dickey is right im from the era that pressed and straightened hair with a hot comb and knowing what i know now because of his research on different types and the handling of the hair i would have never gotten a perm and more importantly i would have never believed the lie about my 4c hair type that it is unattractive and unmanageable and im almost sure my hair if she could talk would have said thank you. Much love and gratutude Dickey because people can be destroyed for lack of knowlege. Happy New year to you and everyone and their families.❤🎉🎉😊
I also come from the hot comb, press and curl era. One thing I find sad is that so many of us had no idea we naturally had curly hair back then. I only had relaxers but a couple of my relatives got jheri curls. So many people could have just worn their natural hair that way if only they'd known it was curly and had access to the gels and other styling products we have today.
I never dismissed the grading system as I understand that people have different hair. All afros are not made alike. It may fro but that density, texture, porosity may be different for all. The grading system helped me to stop watching videoes of people with hair that reacts to any product put on it because mine doesn't. I began to physically see the differences in hair. I think some get offended because they wish they had anothers hair. I never found it offensive, but found it almost necessary.
You are spot on. When I started following natural hair hair groups, the ones I came across were all type 4. Nothing they recommended worked for me. Cos I was 3a/b. Then I saw the curl pattern thing. Now I follow some type 4 YTers but adapt what they say. I know when it comes to anything after washing and conditioning I'd be better off following a 3b's advice and routine. I also started seeing the difference in hair. I always thought natural hair is natural hair.... Much like all type 1 hair is the same except for some being oily and others normal or dry. Well, I soon saw how wrong I was.
Maybe people say that it's racist because guy who made the letter/ number grading system he was very dismissive 4c hair. When he was explaining what each hair type needed when he got to 4c he said " this hair just needs to be relaxed'.At the time I didn't find it offensive because it was acceptable that 4c natural hair was unacceptable .
Thank you for all your videos! Here's a question for a future video: What is your guidance regarding the use of steam flat irons and infrared heat styling tools on type 4 hair for consumer use? Are these features just hype or are they actually beneficial & worth the price to protect the hair? Thanks so much!
If that chart is racist then God is racist for making different hair types. Some folks jump on the racist bandwagon without understanding what racism is. This world is crazy! Keep making my hair beautiful Dickie ... I love what you do ❤❤❤
In this context I think it’s appropriate, and informative. Because of how “grade” has been used in our community with expressions like “good grade of hair”, that could be why the idea is off putting to some initially
Perhaps if the grading started with hair that coils as 1a and ending with straight hair as being 4c it would be accepted more. If the first humans had coils, shouldn’t that be where the grading starts?
That would be backwards and illogical though. The "least" of something is usually going to be the lowest on a scale/chart, and then things rise from there: the least curl, the lightest color, the coldest temperature, etc. I don't know why, but yes, it is clear that some people find it offensive that curly hair has a higher number but they shouldn't feel that way. Maybe if people just thought of "higher" as "more" that would help. I think most people think that about most things in a positive way. They'd rather have a higher amount of money than less, etc.
The absence of color would be a/is zero, the absence of a pattern in hair should also be zero or 1 or a low number. That is how numbers work. You could even think of a classroom grading system as the worst grade being a zero (white, straight) and the best grade being 100 (kinky, deepest, richest, darkest brown) There are you now less offended?
I’ve been natural for seven years (Transitioned from a relaxer), but I haven’t reached bra strap length. Is it possible for everyone to reach bra strap length? Will it take me ten years? If it hadn’t happened by now, will it ever?
Being natural is not enough. Haircare methods are what makes the difference in length retention. I’d been natural 14 years and had never reached bra strap length. Once I switched up my routine I was at tailbone length within 3.5 years.
Sounds like there’s a lot of breakage happening. Bw who “can’t grow hair” are actually breaking their hair off during combing and brushing their hair which takes away from the 6 inches of growth that they should get a year. It’s a lot like nails breaking and peeling after a certain point. It sounds crazy but it’s true.
Let me tell you something. I don’t do a lot to my hair, which is one of the sacrifices I make to retain length. I often wear a head wrap, which is a personal choice. I find them attractive and an easy go-to style when I’m working out, running errands, etc. By the way, If you’re going to wear a head wrap or a bonnet, scarf, or any head covering to bed, always keep your edges and nape oiled. It will reduce friction and breakage and help prevent any kind of traction damage like alopecia. Oil, for me, was a game changer. That’s just a little tidbit. And never wear head coverings tightly. You should never feel pain or pulling. *Nothing* you do to your hair should cause your even the slightest pain, tension, stress, or pulling sensation. I don’t care if it’s just a one-day, special occasion hairstyle. If it hurts, do something else. My hair is SO long (and thick) now, when I do wear my hair out, natural or straightened, the looks and stares I get are CRAZY. And I’m talking about from men and women of all races, colors, nationalities and ethnicities. It can sometimes be unnerving. Interestingly, no one has ever asked me if my hair is real (yet). 😂 Yesterday I went to an art exhibit and a shopping mall. I live in a large, very diverse city. I wore my hair natural in two Indian-style braids. I dampened it and added a little conditioner and gel before braiding it. Anyway, the stares I got were a little off-putting. People, including Black people, really have a hard time believing our hair can be super long, especially if it’s Afro-textured. Granted, due to our hair’s make up it can be more difficult for us to retain length. Our hair is designed for hot weather so it makes sense. But I learned from RU-vid and trial and error that it definitely can be done. DNA plays a part, sure. But I never had long hair like this until I learned what to do and what not to do. To be honest, I’m still getting used to people’s reactions. We live in a pretty hair-obsessed society. That said, I never thought I’d get to this place, but here I am.
If you can tell it is growing from the scalp then it’s length retention as others mentioned you should be concentrating on. You can to a certain extent grow hair faster if your diet doesn’t have everything you need. MSM helps me grow my hair a bit faster but it always grew kind of fast. I’m just older now so it puts me back to how I was. We have to be like detectives and figure out what is missing if anything. Don’t give up though. Enjoy the process and the self care ritual of it all.
With all that is going on in the world, the last thing we should be worrying and arguing about is hair texture. God created everything, even the hair on our heads and when He finished creating, He saw that it was good. Therefore if our hair is kinky, curly, wavy, straight (and everything in between) God calls it good! Whatever your hair texture is just take care of it! Blessings to you all ❣️
(1) The hair-typing chart originated from the texturist point of view of a person (Oprah’s stylist, Andre Walker) with fairly loosely-curled hair, who said “Kinky hair can have limited styling options; that’s the only hair type I suggest altering with professional relaxing.” So, why are we listening to this person or adopting his viewpoint? (2) In my opinion, the chart is reminiscent of the days when people said “good *grade* of hair” and “bad *grade* of hair”. It appears to categorize hair from good to bad. It feels like a hair-grading system. (3) Everyone knows the best things are referred to as #1, A1, grade A, etc. So why does the hair-typing chart start with straight hair and classify or categorize IT as “A” or “1” and go ‘down’ from there to “B”, “C”, “2”, “3”, “4”, etc.? (4) If people insist on using some type of hair-typing chart or find it useful (I don’t, personally), then why not start with the coiliest most tightly-curled hair first and call *IT* “A1” or “1A” and rate straighter hair as “2”, “3”, “4”, “B”, “C”, etc.? (5) After all, didn’t coily hair come first? Weren’t Africans the first people? Didn’t hair only get straighter *after* there was a large exodus from Africa and our genes mutated to help us survive in colder climates with less sunlight? If we’re going to start at the beginning, and if, ostensibly, the chart was created as a guide for those with Afro-textured hair, then the coiliest hair should be at the beginning of the chart and should be categorized as “1A” or “A1”. (6) When presented subtly or subliminally we often, whether consciously or subconsciously, buy into, accept, or even participate in our own oppression. NOTE: (source: MelloHair, March 8, 2020) Some argue that Andrè’s system creates a hierarchy. It literally starts with straight hair as number one and everything else is a deviation, 4C being the most deviant.
You kind of answered some of your own questions in your first point: Walker, a known texturist, developed the chart during a time when kinky- coily hair seen negatively, even within the community. He's no different than the creator of The Proud Family and the creator of Blackish. So it was a very accepted model. If anything, all it does is point out the obvious: hair is a spectrum, not a scale. If and when viewed as a spectrum, much like the color wheel, we can tell what our hair needs, regardless of how it curls lol. We'd see that what's needed on one side of the spectrum requires the opposite on the opposite side of the spectrum. Is it coarse, is it wiry, is it cottony, oily... if you're hair floats for days in a porosity test and laughs like it swims better than you, how do you get it moisturized? That's a question for lots of people with that profile, not just coilies. If your strands are fine and wispy and sink, how do you get it float? Bends, kinks, and turns matter when it comes to dryness, which is when this factor would sit opposite straight hair: one needs the oils and butters, and the other needs to stay away lol. My suggestion, don't get so hung up on this chart. There isn't enough data represented to be very meaningful
@@chocolatte522: My rhetorical “questions” were meant to stimulate thought. My “answers” were my own ideas on the subject. I don’t tell anyone how or what to think so that point about “answering my own questions” was moot. Secondly, the hair-typing chart is *VERY* meaningful if people adhere to it. Its impact on our thinking gives it meaning. The majority of influencers in the natural hair community refer to their hair as one type or another. The “4C” community is a whole subculture in itself and it’s growing. Whether or not systemic beliefs, trends, or ideas are valid, society’s adherence to and perpetuation of them gives them plenty of meaning.
