YOUR HAIR IS NOT 4C SIS...Let's Talk About It 

Girl this is the one. I cannot stand when I type in “4c or type 4” and I get a TON of other hair types to scroll through before I even get close to 4c.

I knew his hair typing system was racist, but I had no idea Andre Walker actually said that about coily hair. Not surprising but this is so disgusting. His typing system should be burned with fire and banned forever.

Idk, ppl wanting a 4d or 5a category rubs me the wrong way, because they be having 4c hair, but they're trying to say it's so difficult that it "has to be" another category, when in reality, they have issues with their hair (i.e. not good maintenance), their mindset towards their hair isn't the best, and/or the styling options they want to accomplish keeps failing. So, they blame their texture when they see another 4c girl who is thriving in their hair journey, and claim it's another "more difficult" texture.

I follow Brazilian hair content creators, and 1 thing I've noticed is that they rarely ever use 4c to describe their hair they just call the 4 type "crespo" (coily) which I think it makes more sense.

I found out I have 4b hair after ACTUALLY doing research. Before that I thought I had 4c hair for the longest due to misinformation. Now I see sooooo much people with hair types that aren't even close to 4c, saying that they have it, knowing that they have 3b hair...😐

You are correct about the 4c click bait I'm from the southern part of Africa and whenever I click on a video that says it's 4c I later realize it's a click bait my RU-vid algorithm ended up being filled with 4a and 3 type hair....I then started using their hair routine which necessarily didn't cater to my hair type....I now only watch a few AA women whom I know have 4b or 4c hair and most of the West African women I follow have 4c hair it's only three women I follow from the Southern part of Africa that have 4c hair

Continue to teach us about our beautiful hair types. It’s time for us to embrace our natural beauty 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

Tbh the letters don't matter. Only the number, porosity and density.

Funny he said 4c hair is limited to styles cause 4c hair literally invented small braids and protective styles since the antiquity.

The Lois Hair System seems a bit better to use not a hierarchy system. I would advise to come away from the Andre Walker chart, it has so much flaws. Hair shrinkage does not make your hair 4c. This is a misconception.

Revamp the whole system. New rules: everyone is a 1: 1C is curly, 1S is straight, 1W is wavy, etc.

I hate when people with 4a hair say they have 4c. It's like delusion. I really think people do this for views.

No one should have chronically dry hair. You might be surprised that you actually have a different type 4 hair if you can ever conquer dryness. In my youth and when I became natural, I had very dry hair that would be categorized as 4c. However, once I STOPPED USING commercial products, my. hair type CHANGED. If you just think for a moment, a lot of the additives, preservatives and other chemicals in commercial products are there so that the product does not go bad on the shelf. It will last on the shelf for years. What has that go to do with you though? That's the concern of the company, making their products last on the shelves to maximize profit. That has ZERO to do with your hair, right? You don't need those additives, preservatives and synthetics in your hair. Almost all of my hair products are completely natural. Most are kept in a container in the freezer and refrigerator so they won't go bad. I use African Black Soap diluted most times but I also use very mild all natural shampoos. I do a lot of DIY also. Rassoul clay is a wonderful cleanser that can be used a few times a year. Check out Etsy. Many of those vendors for natural hair products sell all or almost all natural products. READ LABELS! You should never buy a product without reading the ingredients. Once you clarify your hair and start using products without synthetic chemicals, you will see the difference. Also, not everyone can spritz their hair with water every night or every other night. I tried that after watching RU-vid and my hair was the driest it's ever been. Maybe some natural chemicals are not for you either. Glycerin, wax, alcohol, and aloe may not be your friend. Learn your hair thoroughly, do trial and error. But no one should have chronically dry hair.

I think it is because 4c content, unlike people like to claim is very watch. It is the star of type 4 hair🎉. By being portrayed as the « least attractive 🙄 » by black women. Bad publicity is still publicity. Now, more BW are enjoying and uplifting their 4c hair. So more people want to relate since it is positive. We don’t really talk about 4a unless it is to compare it to 4c. Also, 4a is treated like lightskin black women 🤭. 4b is rarely talk about, lol😂. It is like the 3rd wheel, ❤. It is treated like brown skin black people..aka who cares. That is my two cents, hope you think about it ❤.

Something else that i’ve noticed. idk if im tripping or smth but i feel like if i search for hair care tips, sure i’ll get a lot of stuff relevant to what i’m looking for… but if i add ‘4c’, ‘type 4’, ‘afro’ or ‘natural’ to the search i get videos of tick removal and pimple popping and sh* along with it?? i feel like i get more ‘gross’ videos w shocking thumbnails whenever i search something related to 4c… i don’t watch videos like that so ik it’s not my algorithm… does anybody else experience that???

Most ppl claiming to have 4C hair have unmoisturized 4A/4B hair they haven't mastered. True 4C hair lives in the videos of women from Africa/UK. Andree Marie is a perfect example of someone with 4C hair and the majority of her clintele has it as well.

My daughter has 3 types. Her nape is loose 3C then center is 4A 4B front edges 4B/4c

Hair content is inconsistent because hair typing is made up & false. Everyone has multiple textures in their head, and then some people have fine/thick strands but low/high density & their surface can be course or silkier etc. Its way too many factors for us to claim 4c. I find that we graviate towards labels especially 4c because we think our hair is unmanageable & difficult. If most people started to wash their hair frequently they wouldn't think their hair is difficult or 4c.

Nothing more discouraging than looking for a tutorial with your hair type, only to find Mya's hair type claiming 4c. As a young lady, I couldn't understand why my hair wasn't curling up and edges slicked down after adding the entire container of ecostyle style the way there's was SMH. On top of that, the other struggle I have are running into the ones that claim to have low density hair, but one of their braids from an eighth of a section of their hair is the same thickness as one braid for my entire head. Lol. #DEYNOTLIKEUS

The is silly when i was a child in the 80s and 90s there were no rating systems. How about we get rid of it entirely it just pit blacks against one another i do not follow black hair rating systems. Good hair is healthy hair to me

I have 4B in the majority of the front , 4C in the middle and 4A at the back!

Recently, my cousin told me that she thought I had 3C hair. I can't believe that. I think it might be 4A or B. We were comparing my hair to her daughter's hair. Her daughter has a lot of hair, which is full, rich looking and amazing. She said her daughter has 4C hair and that's why those big hairstyles, she wears last longer. At the end of the day, what matters is finding the type of styles that you wear well and that compliment you.

Very informative - tbh *4c afro hair is the rarest hair type on the planet,* and being dark skinned with 4c hair makes you the rarest kind of human aesthetic on the planet. *Dark skin and afro hair only make-up somewhere around 15-19% of the WORLD POPULATION,* and that's including the entire continent of Africa. Since social media is so "main character" driven, I feel like a LOT of influencers especially, *just claim to have 4c hair when they don't for clout. On top of that, google searches and weave industry social engineer a woman with 4C hair* to think her afro hair is "wrong" in pushing that the 4C texture "should" look like not 4C / looser texture lol. Its insane how we went from 4C hair being dogged, to *it being weaponized as a propaganda* or clout tool to again try and manipulate black women into hyper-consumerism. *4C afros are obviously the Queen-Mother of all curly hair for a reason* because it gave life to all other curly hair textures. I am 43% European mixed, and I wouldn't have not a single curl if not for my mother's 4C hair. A lot of 4C and black women in general though, aren't used to how *our hair actually compliments our features* due to euro centrism. We internalize that it is "unkempt" when really it is not. The world only favors straight hair because *it makes up most human heads on the planet, and is more lucrative due to quantity (not quality,)* than the more rare afro texture. Its not about us...its literally *about the money. That's why the weave industry is so predatory* in trying to make us conform to what is common. Straight hair like afro hair has it's evolutionary reasons; *straight hair is better at handling more humid-hot climates, less sunny environments.* Their hair dissipates heat much more efficiently than ours, but does not protect from UV like ours does. *Most places in the world are not deserts / extreme heat like parts of Africa, so curly hair isn't as common as straight hair* because it wasn't apart of many cultural evolutionary chains - *not because something is "wrong" with it. What is "unkempt" to them, is totally normal for us.* *Normalize the fluff.* Its 2024 and all this BS that lead to black women struggling with our hair *was all built off pure ignorance of science, geography and sociology, not fact.* Do not belittle yourself because *you are not common like some straight-haired woman.* Do not feel insecure because straight hair is *weaponized as a propaganda tool to spurn hyper-consumerism.* Our hair has already put us outside of a very predatory world of consumerism so we can be the voice of reason, seeing what's actually going on. A blonde haired white girl is a marketing strategy, not an icon. A BBL weaved up black girl is a marketing strategy, not an icon. *Are you a marketing strategy? Or are you a person?*

THIS!!! I real life was thinking I had 4c hair for the longest because a lot tests they put out and google searches really do confuse you. I sat up yesterday and really dug deep to understand what my hair type is and I love that this video exists for me to really understand. And you’re definitely right most of us have 2 types of hair on our head and that can make it a challenge with products sometimes.

Very informative video. Tfs.

At this point, 4c is the *it girl* of the hair types 🤣

Also I’d recommend trying Tabitha Browns hair care products they not only smell amazing but they are vegan and have really made my hair curl patterns stand out!

LOVEEE TYPE 4 AFRO HAIR MY PERSONAL TEXTURE AND MY FAVORITE HAIR TYPE....TYPE 4C HAIR TO BE EXACT IS EVERYTHINGGGG

4c was coined roughly 20 years ago during the Nappturality days, a forum dedicated to natural hair. Originally it was called "cotton nap" or "c-nap" (we weren't afraid of using the word nappy). It was meant for cottony textures that had no regular curl or coil.

Ive been natural (relaxer free) for over ten years. I don’t use heat often or straighten my hair and it took me years to realize I have a mix…4b on the top and sides and 4c in the crown/center. My crown is the most sensitive and easy to dry out and break off while my top and sides grow faster and the back nape is always the last to grow even though it’s 4b and I also have somewhat low porosity hair …mainly in the 4c sections. I actually use different types of moisturizer for my 4c sections and keep my hair braided or do wash n gos

When I watch some videos claiming to be 4c, I know that I must be 5 or 6c category

My head is a mixture of 4c, 4a, 3c, and a little bit of 3b. I think that I can speak on all 4 because they all exist on my head. 😂 GREAT video, by the way! Great job with your explanations. 👍🏾

Very good video! I have looser curls at the nape of my neck for some reason. I also have teeny spirals at the roots of my hair. I think mine is mostly 4c but could be a mix with 4b. I love the idea of us using a new chart

They do that ish to get views. Then have the nerve to get offended and defensive when we call them out.

Wait! More than one curl pattern on my head!!!!!! My eyes have opened today Lord.

I definitely have 4D hair

I ❤❤❤ ur content! Pls keep it up. I feel like I have at least 3 diff hair textures in my head 😅 The front temples have a way looser curl pattern and feel compared to that of the front center...which is diff than the middles and back of my head. Altho it's looser in the front, its harder to retain length compared to the rest of my hair which is more stereotypically ”4c”.

I've only relaxed my hair twice in my life because most places refused to work with my hair. I have multiple textures and a lot of hair. I wish the catagories were more inclusive, acknowledging mixed textures with type 4 hair but also how hair changes with the ebbs and flows of life.

Your vids are SO informative! Yeah, I believe that my hair is a combination - Mostly 4B, but perhaps, more 4C in the kitchen ..lol ...but I think that a lot more Black Americans are 4B, although they may categorize their hair as 4C, automatically ...but yeah, I DO think that there should be 4D added, because when I think of the KhoiSan people of Southern Africa (Namibia) ..They have what has been referred to as "peppercorn" hair, which appear to be EVEN MORE tightly coiled than 4C hair. GREAT video!

I try to say I’m a mixture of the different fours but then people are mad that I’m not repping 4c and ppl think I’m reaching. I say I got 4c and then some think I don’t based on how I wore my hair that day. I think the perception of the types is waaaay off to the point where the system isn’t even useful. It’s whatever someone wants to believe it is. That’s why I like to say specifically kinky, coily, curly, porosity, thickness of strand and/or type four hair but then ppl mad cause type four or those other things are generalizing. Can’t win. Hate this system. I think it’s wack.

I remember for years I kept cutting my hair thinking I had heat damage but after 5 years no heat I realised my hair is just naturally very loose like 3c at the back but the rest is 4b

I noticed this 7 years ago. That’s why I left this frame of thinking and kept it simple. The relationship that I have with my hair is so different now .

I just took another look at Andre Walker’s hair-typing chart. Not only did he put Afro-textured hair last, he gave types 1 and 2 an A, B, and C categories. He gave types 3 and 4 only A and B categories. He gave Afro-textured hair short shrift in every way. Why do we adhere to a chart that dismisses and insults us and our hair? I don’t get it 😢

I think any time ppl see an Afro with no product ppl assume you are 4c. I have 4a some 3c hair but it still isn’t that defined when wet. I’m more frizz prone, but my sister who actually is 4c her hair is a little more defined with water. It is the smallest coils, it’s beautiful. So just because your hair doesn’t define as easy doesn’t automatically mean it’s 4c.

I have several curl patterns on my head. I really have no clue what my hair type is so I don’t bother with the hair-typing chart. 📊 Not to mention the texturist comments and point of view of its creator, Andre Walker. I don’t see the legitimacy of the chart or what real purpose it serves.

I've always been natural however I never had to do my own hair until I was like in my final year of high school because my mom had taken care of my hair all those years up until then. Eventually I found online forums (because this was before RU-vid) on afro hair and that's where I came across the hair typing system. I automatically assumed that my hair was 4c because the pictures weren't very clear. That didn't change until just a couple years ago where I finally changed my products, changed my hair care practices, and I really became aware of the different patterns across my head so now I say that I am type 4 because I have literally a b and c on my head. I think there is too much obsession with the hair typing system and with categorizing black hair as type 4. The assumption that it must be type 4c and if you're not mixed your hair could never possibly be 4b or 4a.

This sounds like Tatiana White's voice. Is that you? Similar presentation style too 😊 Informative video overall.

Pamela Ferrell came up with the circle hair system which describes on the size of the circle a strand of your hair makes based on type face size. For example 8 pt which is a tight curl or 108 pt which is a loose curl.

Angela Davis is a good example of what dry combed hair vs defined curls looks like. If you look up what she looks like now, she has curl loose curls in a wash n go but her hair has the ability to be an afro ( age likely thinned her hair a bit). I think many of us are only used to seeing our hair in its afro state we don't pay attention to our hair curl or coil pattern and end up assuming a hair type. Again, i see hair typing as a limited tool with limited uses. In the past, women with type 4 hair weren't doing wash n gos so its only really now we're being exposed what a defined head of kinky hair looks like

3c, 4a and 4b wasn't apart of the chart either. It was added by women that were on hair forums during the 2000s. Hair typing got popular on hair forums during a period of time where cameras were low quality and many didn't digital cameras. The hair type chart was an easy way to describe what your hair looked like during a period of time it was a little weird to post photos of yourself online. It was never meant to be comprehensive. It got popular because its easy to use with a visual reference. Two people can say curly and mean very different things. We vaguely understand what's meant by 3b hair or 4b hair. Even with click baiting or people saying they have 4c hair simply because they struggle with their natural hair. Being someone that was on hair forums, i find it a little odd the strong reactions hair typing get during a period where you can easily upload high quality pictures of your hair online if you want clarity about your hair. I will not be using any other chart or learning another chart. It feels pointless. Its a limited tool that helps you find other people that have one thing vaguely in common. There's so many things when it comes to black hair care that's disturbing that maybe i'm being insensitive when i feel like people are really dramatic about hair types. Plenty of hair dresses think exactly the way Andre does and it didn't come from hair the hair chart. I've known what hair porosity is since 2008 but its felt irrelevant for my hair journey and has been but for other its been essential for their natural hair care. What's helpful to me isn't for others. Limited tools have their place when we understand that.

I think the whole twist out/breaks out thing can be confusing for some people too as these styles obviously make your texture look looser. I have 4a/b hair and people always tell me my hair is in the 3 category until they see me with my hair in it’s natural state.

So when my hair is wet I see three hair textures 3c 4a/4b my mother is mixed from Trinidad she has type 2 hair my dad is from down south Alabama and his hair is more coarser definitely 4c my siblings and I all have very different textures of hair

3c also wasn't in the original chart. Neither was 1b or 1c. It was it rough estimate from what he's observed. It was greatly improved by adding 3 categories for each but unfortunately people overtype which pushes everyone into the 4c box. I have 4a hair but I know many women with big loose curls who think their hair is 4a so then true 4as think their hair is 4b/c. Also most type 4 hair has a similar surface texture. Some do have hair on the silkier side but for the most part we have afro textured hair. So depending on how the hair is styled (or like if it's combed out or stretched) they're going to look similar. My 4a hair combed out is going to look like 4b and 4c combed out because we all have afro textured hair usually. If you comb out the coil pattern then there's no difference to the eye but that doesn't mean your hair is 4c. I see so many people on reddit combing out their hair and then asking what their hair type is. I feel like people forgot that the types are about the natural wave, curl, or coil pattern (or lack thereof) only so we can't type you based on it's surface texture.

Shrinkage %

My hair does curl up in a spiral when wet please respond cause I always thought I had 4C hair but you video made me realize it

What's the point to hair types other than to find products that work? Clearly, not all type 4 hair reacts the same regardless of how tight or loose the coils and kinks are. Hair porosity, hair density, the width of the hair shaft all lead to differences in the way hair looks and behaves. The only real similarities among type 4 hair is that it tends to be dry and to tangle because of the tightness of the curl. Everything else is as individual as each persons other features.

Exactly, I said that we don't all have the same texture of hair...

Soooo did he relax Oprah’s hair? 2:29

I love "The Coily Community" Yaaaaaaassss!!!!!! BTW, It makes me cringe to see type 3 and type 4a/b use type 4c for views. like...

I am a Continental African i dont think the current classifications cater for us here at all. I thik there needs to be a new classification just for us as in African hair as opposed to African American hair for example. If we consider that there are differences in genetics as well as climate and weather an African classification would really really be useful.❤🙏😊

Omg not tryna be rude but I used to follow this super fine chocolate girl and I forgot exactly what I said, but her followers like live vicariously through her because her hair is like thinner... And I forgot what I said but when her followers was like well I think it's just the difference between fine hair and coarse hair, but it was like shade to it.. like I got played for having the "nappy" hair of the situation. Like her hair is like a 3c 4a but like she pretends like she's foresee when it's convenient but her hair is like she gets all this praise because her hair is quote on quote good

The women used to represent 4b hair don't have 4b hair. They look 3c-4a.

Hey, I come from South Africa I believe the majority of people from the Southern part of Africa do not have 4c hair because our hair is really coarse and thick. Personally my hair burns off blowdryers and breaks off combs, I believe the has to be another ranking whether type 5 or 6, because hayikhona. We are the descendents of the Khoisan people so if you've seen their hair you will understand where I'am coming from.

I’m happy we’re getting rid of the “hair typing” system bc it’s far from accurate. It’s useful for hair texture but not when it comes to curls.

Even the pictures are incorrect. The ones shown for 4a, are type 3, the ones shown for 4b were more on 4a side. The whole thing is a mess and mainly because of natural hair youtubers lying or being confused. Like OnlyOneJess or Naptural85 hair is 3c, not 4a. I remember there was a description years ago that explained that 4a is not a pin needle and 3c is like a phone cord, folks calling real 4a hair, 4b and its not.

just black hair...yall arent chill enough...damnnnnn

Very informative. However, “representate” is not a word in the English language.

I have 4a hair and most of these ppl claiming 4c but it looking like 4a

I do beleive im 4d and probably 5a. Can we just leave the 4c to everyone else and have our own category.

I'm a little miffed that so many of us are "typing" our hair based on a chart that a man, who did not appreciate nor understand our hair. created. Eww Andre Walker 😠

The hair chart is not that accurate and we should stop using it

I’m a former licensed cosmetologist. I’m talking about from 1991 through 2009. You’re providing some wrong information. You have your hair texture, density and porosity. In addition hair being dry can give a wrong concept of hair texture. Someone can be a type 3 that is very dry dnd appear like type 4. We need to be sure we are properly moisturizing our hair to get a better idea of our true texture. There was a wrong categorization you gave. Your patterns are straight, wavy, curly and coily. Curly is hair that has the pattern of Shirley temple curls. Curly follows a pattern. Coily encompasses the varying degrees and compressions of z patterns. Coily DOES not follow a pattern. Level of dryness can affect and impact the classification and or mis classification misclassification.

4b girl here

Technically the chart should start with the original hair which is a tight coil. This should be type 1. All other textures are genetic variations of this strand. Original Men/Women were divinely created [1M+ yrs ago] with coiled hair to wick heat and serve as extra sensory antennas [multi-directional arrays] to feel out their environment. As we migrated out of central Africa, hair served to keep heat in ... Straight hair is the last of the genetic variation [only within the last 50K yrs] to develop in response to environmental conditions and therefore should be typed 4 or so. I believe this understanding is important because often thick-course coiled hair is seen as though GOD made a mistake when it is just the opposite! Celebrate and adorn original beauty

The LOIS system

This is why I don't subscribe to typing. It's a very flawed system

😂 I have Ethiopian hair🙂‍↔️ Just because I refuse to follow the masses❤

Representated? Where are you finding these words? What's this need to add "tated" to every word? Isn't represented a word anymore?

REPRESENTED OR REPRESENTING! 😨😨😨

The natural hair movement failed because of women claiming to have 4C hair that don’t. Put simply.

It's not represented because it's not hair its fur or a brillo pad, electric shock just stuck on the head 😂

You might find it irrelevant but it's ET-cetera, not Eck- cetera.

I have very low porosity 4C hair all over, but right in the front I have a patch of hair that is more porous. And right in the center is a patch of more 4b pattern, and it’s very noticeable when my hair is wet because those hairs clump together. Our heads really are just like finger prints, so unique. 🤎 10:12