Hey fam! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written a post about how I care for my 4c natural hair. What better time than now for a hair update. I’ve spent a significant amount of time growing healthy, natural hair. While if feels like I haven’t made significant changes to my hair care routine, this isn’t entirely true. I’ve adopted alternative hair care practices for my 4c natural hair. These changes have had a positive impact on my length retention and the overall appearance of my hair.
Growing healthy, 4c natural hair hasn’t always been easy, but over the years I’ve learned to listen to my hair. Listening to my hair has been the key to my success. There have been times when my hair tells me that the products that I’m using are what it really needs. At other times, my hair indicates that it is suffering and needs more than just deep conditioning and a trim. I always focused on maintaining the basic principles that allowed my hair to grow from 1 inch to waist length. I’ve overcome setbacks, improved my detangling skills, incorporated herbal treatments into my routine, and changed my trimming schedule. These alternative methods helped me to get over my setback and to grow healthy, natural 4c hair.
Overcoming Natural Hair Setbacks
It’s been for five years since the start of my last setback. The progress on my healthy hair journey came to a standstill when I discovered that my hair growth had stagnated. Not only had my hair not increased in length, but it had broken off. It was shorter than it had been at my previous length check.
I was devastated and couldn’t figure out why all of a sudden my hair care routine was letting me down. I was doing much of the same things that I had always done, but those things no longer worked. Perhaps, I’d adopted poor hair care practices without realizing it.
I assumed that modifying my routine would give me the boost that my hair needed. It didn’t. My hair growth was stagnating and my hair looked thin and lifeless. After medical intervention, I learned that my vitamin D and ferrtin levels were extremely low. Being under high emotional stress didn’t help. My body physically manifested these vitamin and mineral deficiencies as extremely low energy, extremely heavy periods, and hair loss.
4c Hair Care Starts with Good Health
Under the supervision of health care providers, I took immediate corrective action. I took supplements and vitamins to reduce stress and restore my vitamin and mineral deficiencies. To improve my long-term health, I increased my protein and vegetable intake and I drank more water. Finally, I reduced stress by getting more exercise and sleep. I also regularly schedule time away from family routines to do things that made me feel relaxed and fulfilled.
This was my first step taken in overcoming my setback and restoring the retention and health of my hair.
Finger Detangling Natural 4c Hair
Finger detangling has played a major role in my length retention over the course of my healthy hair journey. It has taught me a lot about how my highly coiled, 4c hair behaves. I also learned how my hair responds to different kinds of physical manipulation. It has taught me a lot about how my highly coiled, 4c hair behaves. I also learned how my hair responds to different kinds of physical manipulation.
At the beginning of my hair journey, I used finger detangling in conjunction with traditional combing to remove knots and shed hairs from my head. I found, however, that traditional combs and brushes would constantly catch on my hair. This caused me to inadvertently rip through my strands in order to release the comb from my strands. As a result, the process of combing my tight coils created excessive breakage which lead to aggressive trimming. The cycle seemed endless. As a slow grower, this is a recipe for stunted hair length.
After some time, I realized that combing my hair provide no better results than when I only used my fingers. If I’m patient, while detangling my hair, I lose a lot less hair than when I use a comb. I also experience less breakage. I can feel where knots are and take my time to unravel them. Likewise, I can feel single strand knots and carefully cut them off. I determined that my length retention while finger detangling is much better than when I fully or partially use combs and brushes.
Exclusive Finger Detangling as an Alternative to Combing
Now fast forward to three years ago, when I was in the middle of my growth and retention setback. At this point in time, I adopted finger detangling full-time. That’s right, I stopped using any form of combs or brushes and now I exclusively finger detangle my hair. My intention was to turn my hair around by minimizing the amount of stress that I put on my hair. Since using this method, my hair is increasing in both length and thickness.
Herbal and Ayurvedic Natural Hair Care
My cleansing routine has changed a lot over the past five years. First, I’ve adopted pre-pooing overnight with babassu oil before my hair washing sessions. This penetrative oil has similar properties to coconut oil, but doesn’t leave my hair feeling hard like coconut oil does. I use this oil first, because I spend a lot of time detangling my hair in the shower. This oil helps to prevent my hair strands from swelling too much while it is wet.
Second, still use kaolin clay as my primary method for cleansing my hair. I find this particular healing clay to be gentle on my strands. Not only does it remove dirt from my hair, it does so without stripping it of its natural oils. I found this important for my hair because when my hair gets “too clean” it becomes brittle. It’s also harder for my hair to absorb and retain moisture.
In addition to using kaolin clay, I’ve also added herbal plants, hydrated proteins, and amino acids to my cleansing mixes. Ayurvedic and western herbal remedies have become a staple in my hair care regimen. I use them along with other commercial ingredients to strengthen my hair, reduce shedding, and to maintain my natural hair colour. By making my own products, I can tailor the strengths of each ingredient to cater to my hair’s immediate needs.
When I don’t have a lot of time to spend on my hair, I’ve adopted a simpler hair washing routine. On those days, I simply cleanse my hair with yucca root, aloe vera, or even honey.
Micro-trimming 4c Natural Hair
The most notable change that I’ve made to my hair care routine is increasing the frequency at which I cut my hair. Trimming can be defined as cutting off 1 to 2 inches of hair. Dusting, on the other hand, is the removal of 1 quarter of an inch or less. Conventional advice from stylists is to trim your hair every 6 weeks. As a slow grower I’ve calculated my growth rate as only approximately ¼ of an inch per month. Trimming this amount of hair at this frequency would meant that I’d continually cut my hair before it had a chance to show signs of significant damage. My ability to retain and show length would be stunted.
Initially my solution to trimming my hair every 6 weeks was quarterly trims. This allowed me to remove dried and split ends. Allowing my hair to rest for three months would allow my hair time to “grow”. It also allowed me time to observe the amount of damage inflicted on my hair. What I noticed was that the damage after this time was minimal.
Monthly Micro-trimming as an Alternative Quarterly Trims
Over the past year, however, I adopted a new method for trimming my hair. I’ve also increased my trim cycle from quarterly to monthly. This seems counter-intuitive based on what I’ve previously written, especially since one of my goals is to improve length retention.
To counteract overly trimming my hair, I significantly reduced the amount of hair that I trimmed off. These days, I follow an alternative method for caring for my natural 4c hair and use the lunar calendar. Using the lunar calendar, I micro-trim around 1/16th of length from my hair strands. This is usually enough to remove any split ends or single strand knots on the ends of my hair. This trim cycle allows me to remove any hint of damage before it has a chance to become a problem.
I also find that micro-trimming allows my ends to look and feel smooth and manicured. In situations where I missed micro-trimming my hair for a month or two, I use my original method of trimming. With this method, I can eliminate up to 1 inch of knots and damaged ends.
Moisturizing and Sealing
In terms of my routine for moisturizing and sealing my hair, my routine remains generally untouched. I still make my own moisturizing leave-in conditioner to add moisture to my hair. I also still seal my hair with virgin carrier oils and ones that I infuse with herbs, myself. Even though I do use virgin and herbal infused plant-based oils, I prefer to seal my hair with animal fats. My favourite is beef tallow. Beef tallow conditions my hair very well, making my strands feel smooth and soft. Over time beef tallow has deepened the colour of my hair and improved its sheen.
Wet Detangling 4c Natural Hair
Wet detangling is probably the most controversial alternative hair care practice that I’ve adopted for my natural 4c hair. I’ve always found that when I finger detangled in the shower, I would lose less hair. However, I didn’t adopt this practice because it “wasn’t the thing to do”.
I find the fastest and least harmful way of detangling my hair is finger detangling using only running water. Finger detangling with warm water enables me to distribute my sebum along the length of my hair. Sebum protects my hair from becoming brittle and allows my hair to retain more moisture naturally. Sebum distribution along with finger detangling in warm water has helped my coils to define and clump naturally. I find that I get less breakage overall when I detangle my hair using this method than with any other.
A Different Way to Care for 4c Natural Hair
What I’ve learned over the past few years is that there is nothing wrong with embracing alternative hair care. Especially when alternative hair care is helping my natural 4c hair to be longer, shinier, and stronger. As time goes on, I feel more empowered about the decisions that I’ve made for my hair care. Each year, I continue to learn more about hair care and how to manage my 4c natural hair.
Often times, the natural hair community shies away from alternative hair care practices. There is, however, a beauty in knowing that you can push the boundaries of what is socially acceptable and still succeed.
What unusual hair care practices have you adopted?
