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Type 3C sits where curly meets coily. The curls are tight corkscrews, about the width of a pencil or a drinking straw, packed closely together. The result is the most volume of any type 3 pattern, and a degree of shrinkage that surprises people: 3C hair can look half its true length when dry.
How to recognize it
- Tight, springy corkscrews the width of a pencil.
- Very dense hair, with many strands per inch.
- Shrinkage of around half, sometimes more.
- Dryness, often with a rough or coarse feel.
- Plenty of volume, growing outward as much as downward.
Looser ringlets the width of a marker are 3B. Smaller coils the width of a crochet needle are 4A. 3C and 4A are close neighbors, and their routines overlap.
What 3C hair needs
A 3C strand has many more bends than a 3A one, and oil from the scalp gets very little of the way down it. So 3C hair is best cared for with the generosity of a coily routine and the hold of a curly one: rich moisture, layered products and a firm styler. Unlike looser curls, it is rarely weighed down.
The routine
Cleanse
Shampoo about once a week with a moisturizing, sulfate-free formula. A co-wash midweek refreshes the hair without stripping it.
Condition and detangle in sections
Divide your hair into four. Saturate each section with a rich conditioner and detangle from the ends upward, with your fingers and then a wide-tooth comb. Dense 3C hair cannot be detangled properly all at once.
Deep condition every week for twenty minutes under a shower cap.
Style in three layers
On soaking wet hair, section by section:
- Leave-in conditioner for moisture.
- Curl cream for softness.
- Gel for hold and definition.
Dry
Blot gently with a microfiber towel. Air dry, or diffuse on low, hovering more than cupping. Once dry, scrunch out the cast with a little oil.
3C hair asks for the moisture of a coily routine and the hold of a curly one.
Common 3C problems
Dry by day two. Add a cream if you were skipping it, and deep condition weekly. If hair still dries out fast, read Hair Porosity, Explained.
Tangles and knots. Detangle only when wet and full of conditioner, always in sections, and protect your hair at night.
Shrinkage. It is a sign of healthy, elastic curls. To show more length, stretch the roots gently with a diffuser, or wear a twist-out or braid-out.
Frizz at the roots. Product often does not reach the root on dense hair. Apply in smaller sections.
Uneven definition. Brush styling helps every corkscrew form the same way.
What to avoid
- Detangling dry hair.
- Sulfate shampoos as a regular habit.
- Skipping the gel; cream alone will not hold a 3C curl.
- Cotton pillowcases and uncovered hair at night.
- Tight styles that pull at the hairline.
Between washes
A 3C wash day should last four or five days.
Sleep in a loose pineapple under a bonnet. In the morning, mist with water, smooth a little leave-in over any dry sections and finger-coil the pieces around your face. More in How to Sleep With Curly Hair.
For the wider families, see the Curly hair guide and the Coily hair guide.
