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How often should you wash 3A hair
Facts are facts: Different curl types have different wash needs. “3A hair should be washed one to two times a week because overwashing can strip essential oils, leading to frizzy, dry strands,” explains Moore. If your hair craves a refresh in between wash days, O’Connor suggests co-washing, the practice of cleansing with a conditioner or a shampoo alternative. However, co-washing shouldn’t be a replacement for traditional shampoo sudsing.
On The Science of Beauty, cosmetic chemist Erica Douglas explains that co-washing involves using conditioner instead of shampoo to cleanse and remove hair buildup. Douglas says that you can use the conditioner you already have in your shower (mixing in a tiny bit of shampoo if you’d like), or you can buy a pre-made co-wash product, which typically contains a small amount of cleansing agent.
Type 3B
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3B hair is made up of springy ringlets with a circumference similar to that of a Sharpie marker. This texture trends dry, so stay stocked with curl gels formulated with hydration-locking humectants, like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, (familiar skin-care ingredients that serve similar functions), and aloe vera extract to attract moisture.
Give the glycerin-rich Mielle Organics Honey & Ginger Styling Gel or the Curls Goddess Botanical Gel, another hydrating and defining pick. Word to the wise: “Apply when [your hair is] wet, so you’ll get definition without frizz,” urges Dickey.
3B Hair Type Frequently Asked Questions
How to take care of 3B hair
“The key to 3B hair is gentle handling, moisture, and using the right products to define and hydrate the curls,” says Moore. “Detangle using a brush, your fingers, or a wide-tooth comb on damp hair to prevent breakage.” She stresses the importance of trimming 3B hair every three to four months to nix split ends.
How to style 3B hair
To style 3B hair, O’Connor recommends using a curl cream or gel on damp or wet hair before scrunching or diffusing to accentuate and hydrate curls. “It’s 100% better to apply any styling product—cream, gel, and/or mousse—on soaking wet hair,” Kiana Rae, curl specialist and owner of West Coast Curls in Los Angeles, tells Allure. “Curly hair is more prone to dryness, so we require so much water. Curl-friendly products are activated with water, so [they] won’t weigh our hair down.”
Type 3C
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Type 3C curls resemble tight corkscrews with diameters comparable to straws or pencils. Strands are densely gathered, giving way to lots of natural volume. Frizziness is to be expected in 3C hair, so if you’re trying to mitigate fluff and flyaways, reach for a sulfate-free, non-drying, creamy cleanser like the Oyin Handmade Ginger Mint Co-Wash. Dickey also likes layering a mousse (such as the 2020 Best of Beauty-winning Rucker Roots Texture Styling Mousse) over a styling cream (like the Eden BodyWorks Coconut Shea Curl Defining Creme) when the hair is sopping wet to allow curls to clump together and form faster. “Your co-wash reveals your curl pattern, while your styling product captures [it],” Dickey explains.
Type 4 (Coily Hair)
Coily hair, commonly referred to as Afro-textured or kinky hair, type 4 is naturally very dry and spongy in texture and can be soft and fine or coarse and wiry. Strands form very tight, small curls of zig-zags right from the scalp and are prone to major shrinkage.
