TYPE 4C HAIR
The coiled hair texture known to some of us at Type 4C is unique to Africans. Although there are individuals with mixed African blood that have very curly hair, even that is very different from our beautiful coiled hair strands. Unfortunately, many of us have been exposed to the hair textures of other nations, some of whom are mixed Africans, and it has caused us to despise the hair that grows out of our own heads. We tend to feel more comfortable with wigs and other weaves to cover up what we should have never been ashamed of. Each nation of people has unique physical characteristics which include hair color and texture.
There is nothing wrong with our natural hair texture but with our race of people being the only ones with it and with so many of our own people either having the hair of their other ancestors, wearing weaves, or using hair-altering products, we can find ourselves standing out when we don't prefer to. The real problem is us not being mentally mature enough to be completely comfortable with ourselves. This is tied to us being influenced by the descendants of the same people who enslaved our ancestors. We have fallen in love with them to the point that we are actually embarrassed to look the way we are supposed to. How ridiculous!
The most important part of hair care is keeping our hair and scalp clean. Wearing weaves(with the exception of wigs) typically prevents that because even if we wash our weave, the hair is not being cleaned as well as it could be. We have been conditioned to neglect and even destroy our own natural hair to resemble another race of people. That is what we should be ashamed of, not how we are supposed to look. We should also be keeping our hair and scalp moisturized regularly.
Natural hairstyles include locs (traditional, Sisterlocks, microlocs, etc.), braids, twists, as well as braid-outs and twist-outs. Our hair can also be kept loose in an afro and there are many more styles that we can choose from. It is so important that we all embrace our natural hair, particularly those of us with "Type 4C ." So many of us have been getting perms for years(which are now sadly being associated with certain types of cancer) and/or using hair texturizers. We have also been using hot combs and flat irons thinking that as long as we used heat protecting products, we could keep are hair "healthy."
Placing our hair strands between two very hot metal plates is never a good idea. We are African and are not even supposed to have straight hair. It does not fit us even though we are very accustomed to seeing it on our own people and even in the mirror. We are to never be ashamed of our natural appearance regardless of who we may find ourselves around. Unfortunately, many of our own people will never support our choice to be natural and to show our natural hair but it is the Most High's desire that we embrace the hair that He meant for us to have!