If you’re reading this blog, you might have that curly hair, and people always appreciate you for having those curls. There are various curly hair types, but we will discuss the last type today. This is the one in which each hair strand is in a zigzag shape. Yes, it is kinky hair. As good as they complement your looks, only the girls with curly hair know that having a good hair day is another achievement. The kinky hair can be unpredictable and uncontrollable, and then there are days when having wild curls feels worth having. 

Hair is an essential part of our identity and self-expression. Different people have different textures, colors, and patterns, and they are unique. For starters, kinky hair is something tight coils, curls, or zigzag patterns can describe. Initially, they were discovered among individuals of African descent, but now they can be found in people from different ethnic backgrounds. This article will delve into kinky hair, explore its main characteristics and styling options, and set up hair care routines. 

Understanding the Meaning of Kinky Hair

According to Andre Walker’s hair typing system, Kinky hair is commonly referred to as Type 4 hair. While Type 4A has well-defined curls, Type 4B has a zigzag pattern with sharp bends, and ‘Type 4C’ has a tighter coil pattern and can shrink significantly when dry. They can vary in the shape of “S” and “Z” shaped curls. 

Characteristics of Kinky Hair

Kinky hair has several distinctive features which set it apart from other hair textures. Let’s have a look at them.

  • Kinky hair is fragile and more prone to dryness due to the tightness of coils. 
  • The bends & curves in the hair shaft make it difficult for natural oils produced by the scalp to travel down the hair strand, resulting in moisture loss and dryness, frizziness, and hair breakage, if not paid attention to.
  • Kinky curly hair has a higher chance of shrinking, which can appear much shorter than its length when dry. 

How to Take Proper Care of Kinky Hair?

When addressing Kinky hair, the tightness in curls is due to lower hydration levels in the hair follicles. They are the ones that, in particular, require a bit more effort to keep your strands hydrated. Therefore, now you will know how girls with kinky hair make up for it with the help of kinky hair care products, which have the potential to moisturize as well as hydrate your hair. 

1. Proper Cleansing and Moisturization are the Key: Kinky hair thrives when supplied with adequate moisture, which can happen only with hair care products that condition and cleanse them properly. Opt for a hair shampoo that can cleanse and rehydrate those curls, but don’t forget to apply a hair conditioner.

You can check out Mamaearth Onion Shampoo, enriched with Onion, Plant Keratin, and Wheat & Soy Amino Acids. It gently cleanses the hair, eliminates unnecessary build-up, fights hair loss, boosts blood circulation, and promotes hair growth. 

2. Regularly Practice Deep Conditioning: In addition to a regular wash routine and daily styling, you need to regularly hydrate your hair by incorporating a conditioning treatment 2-3 times a week, such as a hair conditioner you can also pamper these curls with deep conditioning treatment once or twice a week. This will help in giving your hair an extra dose of moisturization.

If you want an immediate conditioning treatment right after washing your hair, you can opt for Mamaearth Onion Hair Conditioner. It assists in minimizing hair fall, detangling hair, and softening the hair follicles, which makes it manageable and healthy.  

While if you’re looking for a deep conditioning treatment, you can opt for Mamaearth Onion Hair Mask. Backed by the goodness of Onion Oil, Organic Bamboo Vinegar, Rosemary Oil, and Coconut Oil, this hair mask performs brilliantly by lending you lustrous locks. 

3. Detangle the Hair Gently: Kinky hair is very delicate, so it should be handled with care, even when handling them. Detangling your hair with a narrow comb can cause friction, which can break them. If you want to detangle your hair, it is advisable to detangle it with your fingers or opt for a detangling brush designed for curly hair. 

4. Opt for Safe Hairstyles:

If you love to experiment with new hairstyles, we suggest you try hairstyles that include minimum manipulation and protect the ends of the hair. This can promote hair growth and reduce hair breakage. Some safe hairstyles are braids, twists, buns, and updos. 

5. Practice Regular Trimming: Trimming your curls is crucial in keeping your hair healthy. It ensures that the ends of the hair aren’t frayed or split. Hair strands repeatedly torn over time can become brittle and snap easily.  If they’re left just like that to grow long enough, chances are they can get tangled, matted down, or break off completely.  Regular trimming every 7-8 weeks can help maintain healthy ends.

6. Avoid Heat Products for Styling:

While it can be easy to use heat styling tools to style your hair, such as blow dryers and hot irons, they can cause serious damage to your kinky curly hair. Heat styling tools snatch the required moisture, thin out the hair, and make them more fragile & breakage. Apply hair serum or a heat protectant spray before styling your hair. 

If you’re looking for a hair serum that can protect your hair from excessive exposure to heat, you can opt for Mamaearth Onion Hair Serum. Also, it revitalizes your hair health, reduces frizz & tangles, minimizes hair breakage, and gives your hair a shiny look & feel. 

7. Drying Your Hair: 

After washing your hair, allow it to air dry. Avoid exposing them to hair dryers to dry & style your hair. Instead, opt for a microfiber towel to dry your hair, minimizing the frizz. Do not let your hair completely dry out. You can style your hair while they are little wet as styling cream will hold more & can style your hair properly.

Taking Care of Kinky Hair: Steer Clear of these 7 Mistakes

kinky hair

Knowingly or unknowingly, people often make mistakes that could harm those kinky hair. Here is a list of deeds that you should refrain from performing.

Mistake 1: Over-washing Your Hair

Washing your hair depends upon several factors, such as the scalp’s moisture level, daily schedule, weather conditions, and much more. Unlike straight, you should avoid washing down the kinky hair daily as it may lose out the natural oils to stay healthy. If cleansed too frequently, your hair strands may dry out, leading to damage and breakage. You should wash your hair just once or twice a week. 

Mistake 2: Overlooking Hair Conditioner:

Types of hair, such as curly and coily, lose out moisture too often, making them dry, dull, and frizzy. These spirals may need to get the proper dose of hydration. That’s why a hydrating conditioner assists in providing the proper dose of hydration, which provides nourishment and protection to your hair. 

Mistake 3: Not using a Leave-in Conditioner:

While conditioning your hair is important for achieving healthy kinky hair, it also needs long-lasting moisture to lock –in the hydration and protection to reduce unwanted tangles. Investing in a lightweight leave-in conditioner or a hair mask helps you provide an intensively deep conditioning treatment. 

Mistake 4: Using a Brush to Detangle

If you’ve curly or coily hair and use a normal brush to detangle the hair, you’re slowly disrupting your curl pattern, leaving your strands to turn into an unruly mess. Instead, it would be best if you opted for the wide-toothed comb that allows you to work conditioner through the length of the hair. Also, you can gently comb and detangle your Indian Kinky Curly hair in the shower when you’re conditioning your hair.

Mistake 5: Ruining your Hair while you’re asleep:

Kinky hair is a little maintenance, as you must also care for them while asleep. No matter how soft your cotton bed sheet or pillow covers are, cotton is a fabric that is an enemy for your strands. Cotton can soak up your hair’s natural sebum and snatch all the moisture from the hair. You can save your hair by changing your pillowcase cover to silk.

Mistake 6: Not Applying the Products at the Right Time:

It is advisable that to sooner you can set your curls after the washing session, the better. As the hair is still damp, you can apply and set your hair before the frizz has time to set in. If you wait for too long, the hair strands may become rough, causing the hair strands to become frizzy and undefined.

Mistake 7: Drying your Hair the Wrong Way:

While blow-drying your kinky hair isn’t recommended as it snatches all the moisture, it is advisable to air-dry your hair. If you want to remove it quickly, use a microfiber towel to air-dry your locks. You can also add a diffuser attachment to blow-dry your hair as it reduces the forceful direct hit to your strands. 

Protective Hair Styling Options for Kinky Hair

If you have kinky hair, you can select from the wide range of styling options, allowing them to embrace natural hair texture and try out various naturally. 

1. Rinse and Go: 

One of the simplest and most popular styling methods for kinky hair is ‘Rinse and Go.’ It involves washing the hair, applying a leave-in hair conditioner or styling product, and allowing them to air dry or using a diffuser to speed up drying. This style promotes a natural curl pattern. 

2. Twist-outs and braid-outs:

This type of hair is achieved by twisting or braiding damp or moisturized hair and allowing it to dry completely. Once dry, the twists or braids are detangled, giving you a defined & textured hairstyle. 

3. Bantu Knots: This type of hairstyle is achieved by creating the sections in the hair and twisting each section into a tight coil. These coils should be wrapped around themselves to create small knots. Knots get detangled when the hair gets dry, leaving behind beautiful & spiral curls. 

4. Updos and Protective Styles: One of the versatile options for kink hair as it includes buns, top knots, braided updos, and various other styles which keep the ends of the hair tucked away and protected.  

Summing it Up 

Kinky hair is one of the beautiful and unique hair textures which deserves celebration and proper care. Everyone can fully embrace kinky hair by properly understanding its characteristics, adopting appropriate hair care routines, and exploring different styling options.

We advise you to avoid using products that harm your skin unnecessarily. Instead, pick a brand that creates safety-certified natural products. As Asia’s 1st `MadeSafe- Certified brand,  Mamaearth stays committed to including safe and toxin-free ingredients in our natural products that remain effective for you and benefit your skin for a longer period. 

FAQs

  1. What is kinky hair?

    Kinky hair is commonly referred to as Type 4 hair. While Type 4A has well-defined curls, Type 4B has a zigzag pattern with sharp bends, and ‘Type 4C’ has a tighter coil pattern and can shrink significantly when dry. They can vary in the shape of “S” and “Z” shaped curls.

  2. What is the difference between kinky and coily hair?

    When you’ve Kinky hair, you have hair strands in a zigzag shape. On the other hand, coily hair is when your hair strands form tight coils.

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