Unrequited Love?

I’ve admitted I always love my hair but that I’m not so sure it always loves me back. One of the most frustrating things about my hair is the fact I can do different styles such as two-strand twists outs, braid outs, or bantu knots and after about two or three days of wearing the particular style my hair has reverted into a somewhat frizzy and poofy fro. I would love for the styles to linger a little longer but three days seem to be the life span of most styles. People who think we grow relaxers out because they are too high maintenance have it all wrong. I don’t consider re-doing your hair every two to three days low maintenance at all.

My hair woes aren’t all hair related. Some of my frustration lies with my own limitations. I can’t braid in rows…heck I can’t even part straight to even begin to braid in rows. I find myself having to resort to my old faithful styles or enlisting someone to help me with a new style or one that is difficult for me to pull off on my own. Also, I sleep on my right side and I believe that has a lot to do with me expereincing less cooperation and more frizz on that side.

I can't say my hair fits into just one box but according to www.NaturallyCurly.com my hair is mostly Type 4 which is described as kinky hair.  I snatched the following from the website:

• Type 4 is kinky, or very tightly curled, with a clearly visible curl pattern

• Circumference: Crochet needle or even smaller

• The hair is very wiry, very tightly coiled and very, very fragile

• Type 4 hair can range from fine/thin to wiry/coarse with lots and lots of strands densely packed together

• Type 4 hair has fewer cuticle layers than any other hair type, which means that it has less natural protection from the damage you inflict by combing, brushing, curling, blow-drying and straightening it

• Type 4 hair is known to shrink up to 75% of the actual hair length

 

In this pic the light catches several pencil sized curls in my puff                              

• There are two Type 4 subtypes:

4a: Tightly coiled hair that, when stretched, has an "S" pattern, much like curly hair. It tends to have more moisture than 4b; has a definite curl pattern

4b: Has a "Z" pattern, less of a defined curl pattern. Instead of curling or coiling, the hair bends in sharp angles like the letter "Z"; has a cotton-like feel

My wash and go's show my true texture

It draws up pretty tightly because it's shoulder length straightened

Another angle

My hair definitely has the shrinkage of Type 4 hair and it can be fragile. It looks thick but it is actually very fine, fluffy and soft as cotton. My hair is very thirsty and needs moisture at the very least every other day. If I’m wearing my hair in a puff aka a bunny tail I will go capless when taking a shower so the steam can caress my tresses. My hair spirals into fantastic little curls after shampooing. The cute little spirals are most prominent in my puff and my wash and go’s.