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Women with Their Own Naturally Abundant Type 4C Hair— Understanding True African Kinky Hair That Sister.com Did you know that not all Afro hair is the same? Depending on the look, feel and texture, there are various groups your hair can fall into. We as black women generally have what is called type 4 hair. This is kinky hair, rather than it being straight or with light curls. https://www.thatsister.com/what-are-4a-4b-and-4c-hair-types-answers-and-picture-examples-inside/ Okay, so as I touched upon this subject in another post in that, this statement and many other definitions about Black African ‘Kinky’ Hair byway of Black people happens to be misleading, based on my research. More specifically, the definitions of the different TYPE 4 Hair types seem to be wrong, with the exception of the 4C Hair Type. And perhaps this following diagram may help to better explain my query: In this diagram, both 4A and 4C look ‘curly’ with only 4C being smaller curls, but the actual depiction of 4B would be the closest depiction what A KINKY HAIR STRAND would look like under a microscope. So, in essence, this diagram floating around on the internet seems to be wrong and the 4B strand should probably be 4C. In a particular video published by, Craving Curly Kinks, September 12, 2018, titled, Are you Type 4c or Type 4b? Showing The Difference, two young children were featured to demonstrate the difference between 4B and 4C and the Black woman narrator attempted to explain that 4C HAIR knots at the end but 4B HAIR does not. She also stated that 4B HAIR draws up more than 4C HAIR when it becomes wet with water, however, both of these statements are misleading. In the initial reference by ‘That Sister.com’, another confusing statement was made: What is Type 4 Afro Hair (Kinky)? Type 4 hair is the hair type that most black women have. This kind of hair is kinky, extremely wiry, has tight coils and is very fragile. https://www.thatsister.com/what-are-4a-4b-and-4c-hair-types-answers-and-picture-examples-inside/ Why the Natural Hair Type Chart is Flawed and Misleading! Well, I guess in terms of people of African descent in the western part of the globe, the term ‘Black’ could apply generally, but in the east world, there are many Black Aboriginal people in Australia and in the Fiji Islands and more, that also express straight-type hair and loose curly hair and have intermixed with African people that have migrated to this world and show combination hair types as well. However, in terms of Type 4 Afro Hair meaning ‘Kinky’, the reference above used the term ‘tight coils’, but this would be wrong. If a person’s natural hair expresses both a ‘kinky texture’ and ‘tight coils’ then, that would mean they have COMBINATION HAIR. Wet Kinky Hair shrinks when wet and some will show a wavy or curly pattern but eventually the hair will become kinky in its natural state. All Kinky Hair goes through ‘A PROCESS OF NAPPING’ not coiling and, this would be the distinction. Wooly Hair, or bushy, or kinky, ‘cushy’, ‘extreme fuzzy’ [i.e. Fez], ‘frizzly’, … or nappy hair does not coil, and if kinky hair does ‘coil’ then, that would mean it would not be kinky but may also show a ‘combination hair type’. For this reason, too, the 4A Hair type definition would actually be a contradiction too. It only looks like smaller curls [i.e. coils] apart from the Curly Hair Type Class 3C and therefore denser. So, all in all, with respect to the TYPE 4 HAIR TYPES; 4A should simply be 3D in the curly hair type because it would just be smaller coils. So, some 4 TYPES described in many videos should actually be perhaps listed as a combination hair type for a kinky/curly hair texture becomes obvious. This would be why in many videos, they show Black women being confused on how to define their own hair type by the definitions offered on the internet. Think about the early ‘Jerry Curls’ in that African people can have chemical curls but without the activation cream, the hair still shows that it still naps! But White people, Asiatic-typed people and many Black people and etc. can have very small curly hair too, but unless they are obviously intermixed with a recent Black African parent or perhaps grandparent with nappy hair then, their hair will not nap: Combination—Kinky/Curly Combination—Kinky/Curly/Wavy I would class this hair texture as 3C/4A Curly, based on the given Hair Chart on internet Also omitted from these definitions would be that some Black African people can have combination ‘straight-type hair’ or ‘wavy-type hair’ and kinky!—with no curls! This combination wavy/kinky [i.e. 2B/4C] hair type can be seen in some early indigenous peoples’ depictions as well. So therefore, the 4C HAIR TYPE [incorrectly shown as 4B] would actually be the only ‘kinky hair type’ shown by these internet diagrams. And so, it would be this type of ‘JAGGERED HAIR STRAND’ [ZIGZAG Hair Strand pattern] that should be divided into various kinds of kinky hair types and thus distinguished based upon LOOSER ZIGZAG versus TIGHTER ZIGZAG STRAND PATTERNS, and also kinky/curly or kinky/wavy combination hair types and more. Therefore, 4A should not be included as ‘a kinky type’ because it has no kinky texture. Again, kinky 4C hair types should thus define how tightly or loosely the hair strand appears ‘in an angle’, and how tight the hair kinks or naps. The woman in the video mentioned above, Crazy Curly Kinks, used the word ‘knot’ at the end of the 4C hair, however, this was actually the process of 4C hair napping and of which the other child’s hair would do also to a varied degree as it becomes dryer. It would be this ‘zigzag’ strand pattern that actually causes African hair to become kinky or nap! However, a more scientific term for this process of napping the hair would also be ‘LOCKING’ and so, the zigzag hair strands not only ‘lock’ but ‘interlock’. However, in terms of ‘NAP’ this would also be a term used, even in ancient times, with regards to the different degrees of ‘NAPPING A RUG’ and so, the term ‘RUG’ [i.e. SERUG, REGGAE (REGI—KING), RAG DOLLS, RAGGEDY ANN & BLACK MAMMY BELOVED BELINDA, RAG HEAD… RAG TIME] would be yet another major term used in ancient Iran [i.e. Persia] and beyond to describe the Black African-type presence in the land and in their association with the massive trade and skill of Persian Rug making. Some of these terms also became connected to mugs or cups in ancient times. In fact, this term ‘RUG’ and even the term ‘NAPPY’ became derogatory in some respects as it was passed down through time but nevertheless, the actual distinction of Black African-typed wooly hair has been clearly defined in ancient times but today, this distinction has not been clarified even amongst Black African people. Howbeit, the importance of getting a better understanding on the true nature of Black African Wooly, Bushy, Kinky… hair should not be downplayed because it has been a direct correlation to how Black African-typed people have been identified and oppressed. Raggedy Ann Further characters such as Beloved Belindy, a black mammy doll, were featured as dolls and characters in books. [1][2][3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raggedy_Ann VINTAGE BELOVED BELINDA $300.00 Ebay BLACK ANN & ANDY~ Primitive Folk Art – PICCLICKIMG.com http://www.trinachow.com/blog/images/2007/07_07/belindy2.jpg Original BELOVED BELINDA, RAGGEDY ANDY & RAGGEDY ANN $995.00--SOLD

@Pioneer1 have you ever heard of the Tuareg tribe of North Africa? Well, Today, some African American women model that culture when it comes to marriage and family structure. I suspect they may not even know it. The Tuareg tribe is indigenous to the region and some cultural anthropologist believe they were the original Moors. I say this to repeat there was not ONE culture in Africa but many. As I mentioned to @Chevdove another purpose of this thread is to see how those cultural artifacts came to America to define African American culture... Keep in mind, The Tuareg tribe does not follow a matriarchal system. And that's important to note because some folks believe Africans were matriarchal at one point in history but there's no evidence that matriarchy ever existed anywhere in Africa's social system. I think they confuse it with Matrilineality which did and does exist. The Tuaregs are a matrilineal tribe. Matrilineal system is something you'll find throughout many cultures including the First Nation here in North America, Middle East's Hebrews, Jews; parts of Asia including India, and the African continent et al So stretch your mind a bit - For example, although offering water to strangers is something I do - even those who work in my home; it is also a cultural trait of the Tuareg Tribe. I also believe that is something unique to the African American culture. What if we started that? And that's why separate water fountains in Jim Crow south was symbolic. - Something as benign as offering water to strangers might just be uniquely African and widespread throughout the continent - and used against us here in America. @Troy I look forward to checking this out. I often wonder if one tribe co-opted ISIS, HORUS, OSIRIS - or if they just believed the same thing but in different ways.. Ethiopians believe Jesus is God - whereas the Roman Catholics believe they are a separate entity. Their church name "Tewahedo" means "being made one". I agree appropriation exists but we are talking about tribes with different languages and / or dialects back in the day. They could have all simply worshipped the Sun, Moon, Constellations and then anthropomorphized all of it …and that's what Africans could have brought to America (Kanye shrugs).

Funny @Chevdove I'd not considered the reason to be as simple as vanity -- maybe you are correct. Sure this is not only a Black woman's problem. I Image hair care is a multi-billion dollar industry. I don't doubt having someone else pamper you by washing your hair, massaging you, and even listen to you talk about your problems feels good. These are all qualities I'd desire (require) in a life partner :-)

@Troy Yes, I understand! I tried though, to pick the ones I felt were natural, however, I do question one or two that I posted. But, based on my own hair, I really believe that the first set of pics I posted were really natural. Aside from this issue though, I believe that the HAIR CHART posted on the internet is very important to share because it is definitely wrong. I wonder who put that out? I know it could not have been from a reliable source, because I was trained on this subject in a lab and know for a certainty that this chart is wrong. Nevertheless, it is the one that seemingly African AMericans are using. That is crazy. Yeah, vanity I guess. This is true for Black women, White women, Asian women and etc., I guess. I think a lot of money is spent on hair products and hair styling. Even though it's been over 30 years since I've been to a beauty salon, I would go though, if I had the money because I remember how it felt to have my hair washed and massaged.

I dated a model for a few years when I was much younger. She was on the cover of magazines and the like. In her photo shoots she always wore a wigs. One magazine was a Black hair care magazine she was in the cover wearing a wig. I found this to be misleading, because the article covered hair care not wig wearing. I write all this to explain @Chevdove that I do not believe all women in the photos you posted are sporting their own natural hair. As a result, it is difficult to get into a discussion of this type if you don't believe the source information... But I get why women love to talk about this stuff. I presented at a Bloggers conference one. It was 90% women. Interestingly most wore their hair in what appeared to me to be natural styles, and many were quite attractive. To my disappointment about 1/3 of the Bloggers wrote about hair. There was this really popular Blogger they were all seemingly attempting to emulate, because they kept bringing her name up (I wish I could remember her name). At any rate, the whole event was boring to me -- thought the women seemed to enjoy themselves. I can't understand women's fixation with hair. I'm not passing judgment. I'm just making an observation. I don't get people obsession with baseball either. In every relationship I've been in my partner invested a lot of time, energy, money, and emotions over there hair. And boy, whenever I was asked how I thought their hair looked the answer must be "It looks great honey!" and I better say it, with feeling, like I mean it too :-)

@Mel Hopkins Yes, it is interesting! I have been thinking about this all day, off and on and finally, I completely made a correlation to what you said about your grandmother's rendition and how someone can do this type of dance keeping a bottle between their knees. It took me awhile to think...until it hit me!!! In college, a professional dancer from the Alvin Haley school came to teach us the 'African Boot Dance' for a play production of 'Raisin in the Sun' and so, I auditioned and made the dance team! And, I came to realize this aspect of the dance! wow! I don't believe that I could do that well, but I can absolutely see someone doing this Buck dancing well enough to keep a bottle between the knees. The whole time the dance is done, yes!!!--your knees are pretty much parallel! The lead dancer would shout KEEYAH! and then we would go into another dance pattern and the drums would change rhythm throughout the dance. I really loved doing that dance and being apart of the play. Years later, I couldn't believe it but, I saw 'Mr. Rodgers' on Mr Rodgers Neighborhood do the South African Boot Dance. Man! I was amazed! He was all into the dance and he was serious. Then, I saw a documentary and WOW, I saw the South African workers come out of the industrial building and they had on their work boots and Man!!! It was unreal... Yes, thank you! So, I looked back over the first post and now, I am wondering about something in that it may be before the Colonial times as well as being incorporated into the slave times. Until you started this thread, I never considered that some things we do today may have already been brought over here from AFrica and we may not realize it. I am thinking about this-- YAMS! I remember reading about the major Yam Festivals held in South Africa and I read about how many of these people were brought over here as slaves, but now, I am thinking that many of these Africans were already over here in America, way before slavery times! Many of them were 'Native Americans' way before many more of their kind came byway of slavery. Today, we eat YAMS and it is a major part of our Soul Food dinner and for New Years and etc.! @Pioneer1 Thank you.

@Pioneer1Your idea of culture is one that western civilization has defined and to which you have deferred just like you accuse others of doing.. The way slave descendants have coped with their environment through improvisation is their true indigenous culture. Africa has not exerted any great influence on the diaspora after centuries in this country. People of color are made up of many blood lines that manifest themselves in unique ways. Diversity is the wave of the future because time brings change and the essence of culture is one of the things that changes. . As for homosexuality, it is here to stay because it has always existed, long before the media focused on it. And the media isn't injecting it into black programming any more than it is into series about whites. If you are offended by the sexual orientation of people different from you, it means that you are not being influenced by it, so why sweat it? Get over your paranoia, and accept that there's no such thing as "normal" any more.