Curly Hair Society

Curl Types · Coily · 4C

4C Hair Examples: What Does 4C Hair Look Like?

See 4C coils from the front, side and back, compare them with 4A and 4B, and find out if this is your type.

Short coily hair seen from the front, dense, with tight coils clumped together
Short and dense, with shrinkage keeping it close to the head.Short · Front view
Short coily hair in profile, with tight coils packed close together
In profile: the tightest coils of any type, packed close together.Short · Side view
Short coily hair seen from behind, densely packed with a cottony texture
From behind: densely packed hair with a cottony texture.Short · Back view

Is your hair actually 4C? Let’s find out.

Compare your own hair with these examples, two ways.

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What to look for

  • Very tight coils or zigzags, with little visible pattern dry
  • Shrinkage of up to 75 percent
  • Dense, soft hair with a cottony texture

Do I have 4C hair?

Check on clean hair that has air-dried with no product

  1. Is there little or no visible pattern when dry?

    4C hair bends so tightly that the pattern is hard to see without separating a strand. Small, clear coils point to 4A; a visible zigzag points to 4B.

  2. Does your hair shrink by up to 75 percent?

    Hair that reaches your shoulders when stretched may sit close to the scalp when dry. That shrinkage is the clearest sign of 4C.

  3. Is the texture dense and cottony?

    4C hair is tightly packed and soft, and the same head often has both fine and coarse strands.

  4. Does it feel dry soon after washing?

    4C hair loses moisture faster than any other type, because the scalp's oil barely travels down such a tightly bent strand.

More than one pattern? That is normal. Many people have a mix, often looser at the crown and tighter underneath or around the face. Go by the pattern over most of your head, and treat the rest as part of the same routine.

4A vs 4B vs 4C: See the difference

4A hair in small, round, defined coils

4ASpringy coils

  • Small, round coils the width of a crochet needle
  • A clear S-pattern, especially wet
  • Shrinks by half or more
4A guide
4B hair with fluffy, zigzag bends and little defined coil

4BZigzag coils

  • Sharp, Z-shaped bends, not round coils
  • Fluffy, with less definition
  • Shrinks by around 70 percent
4B guide
Short 4C hair, dense, with tight coils clumped together

4CTightest coils

  • The tightest coils and zigzags
  • Little visible pattern when dry
  • Shrinks by up to 75 percent

A visual guide to the patterns, not a clinical chart. Hair type is a description, and plenty of heads sit between two.

What to do next

A routine and products for 4C coils, and the 4C group