Coily hair (type 4)
Coily hair, known as type 4 hair, some people may see it the same as curly hair. Type 4 hair is extremely voluminous, and in this type, the hair strands form a large number of curls in a zig zag pattern, which is all the way from the scalp to the tip of the hair. Coily hair can comes in a variety of structures, such as fine and thin or wiry and coarse. Although it may seem strong and healthy, but some stylists consider coily hair as the most fragile hair type. This is due to its lowest number of cuticles that protect the hair strand from going dry. Just like type 3 hair, type 4 hair is also prone to dryness because of its zig zag curl patterns. This special pattern makes it difficult for the oil and moisture to travel all the way through the hair strands.
Classification
In hair industry, type 4 hair is also classified into three subgroups: type 4A, 4B and 4C. 4A hair types are described with tightly coiled strands, in which the curly S shape pattern is still visible. Like other curly hairs, they can go dry very easily. In type 4B, the hair strands represent a Z shape curl pattern, in which it bends in sharp angles, just like letter Z. You may see it very fluffy and cottony. Due to the sharp bends and its curly structure, this hair type is also very prone to dryness. Structure wise, type 4C is very similar to 4B. Although it presents less definition and more shrinkage as well as more tightly coiled hair. It also does not have the curl pattern presented in type 4B. Type 4C is tightly packed together which makes the hair even more prone to dryness and also breakage.
