Does type 4 hair EVER grow down??

Ms_Twana

New Member
Okay, today my mind was wondering. I wondered if, after a certain length, type 4 hair begins to grow down. In other words, does type 4 natural hair with a length of bsl or longer appear to go down some. Or is it just bsl hair (or longer) tightly compacted on top of the head. Sorry if it's a silly question, but I was just wondering.

Posting pictures would be great, too!!
 
The hair does start to hang a bit when the weight of the length succumbs to gravity.

p1
 
I have type 4 hair and it hangs some but it mostly just gets bigger and bigger. When it's loose and blowdried I look like Rudy on the Cosby show (she's one of my hair idols actually) If I stretch it out using banding, blow drying, or flat ironing I get hang more hang. I also think twist outs is a great way to get more hang also, it's still big though. I actually love the volume. The weight of the hair does make it hang more as it gets longer but it is still not the type of hang you get with type 3 curls. I know some people acheive more hang by using heavier products.
 
Ms_Twana said:
Okay, today my mind was wondering. I wondered if, after a certain length, type 4 hair begins to grow down. In other words, does type 4 natural hair with a length of bsl or longer appear to go down some. Or is it just bsl hair (or longer) tightly compacted on top of the head. Sorry if it's a silly question, but I was just wondering.

Posting pictures would be great, too!!

It's not a silly question at all :) My hair will only hang if I make it hang. That is, I have to twist it or manipulate it in some way to make it "hang down" because it won't do it on its own. Left to its own devices, my hair will shrink into an afro. It's been doing this for six years, and I don't see it changing. This isn't the case for all "type 4s" because I've definitely seen albums of ladies whose hair does hang after a certain point. Mine just doesn't.
 
I have 4a hair with 3c around the perimeter. My hair hangs at its current length but obviously not like 3 type hair. I noticed that my blown out afros will never stand up. My fotki avvy is a good example of the maximum length at which my afro will stand up. Now it just flops.
 
Okay, because I still want to achieve BSL hair while natural. But I'm just afraid of how "big" my fro will look!!! :perplexed
 
I wanna get to BSL (eventually) too but like some of the other posters said not everyone's hair CAN hang or WILL hang. If your hair's not very thick your fro may not even get "big" like I'm sure you're imagining.

My hair's quite fine and looks a little like Kelurics but I doubt I'll ever a fro like hers. I just don't think I have the density. These things also go towards whether your fro will eventually hang or not. Finer hair tends to be more limp and so will likely hang at a shorter length and the same goes for thin (less dense) hair, simply cos there's less holding it up.

Also to remember if your hair is at BSL length stretched, with shrinkage or even blowed out it most likely wont look it in a fro, so u wont have like a 3 foot diameter fro lol
 
i've got a picuture of my hair texture wet in my april-september album (2006). it definately doesn't hang like type 3 but I don't have a compacted fro either.
 
My unmanipulated hair doesn't hang. The only time it hangs is if I style it or add a product that helps it hang. My hair has about 80% shrinkage. It shrinks to about neck length, but when stretched it reaches the top of my brastrap.
 
dimpalz said:
I wanna get to BSL (eventually) too but like some of the other posters said not everyone's hair CAN hang or WILL hang. If your hair's not very thick your fro may not even get "big" like I'm sure you're imagining.

My hair's quite fine and looks a little like Kelurics but I doubt I'll ever a fro like hers. I just don't think I have the density. These things also go towards whether your fro will eventually hang or not. Finer hair tends to be more limp and so will likely hang at a shorter length and the same goes for thin (less dense) hair, simply cos there's less holding it up.

Also to remember if your hair is at BSL length stretched, with shrinkage or even blowed out it most likely wont look it in a fro, so u wont have like a 3 foot diameter fro lol

See I think that's what I'm imagining!!! :lol: And my hair is very thick, so I'm just afraid that I won't be able to reach my goal because I don't want my hair to get too big. Goodness. If it's not one thing, it's another with me!! :lol:
 
kristina said:
i've got a picuture of my hair texture wet in my april-september album (2006). it definately doesn't hang like type 3 but I don't have a compacted fro either.

Kristina, how long is your hair??
 
Ms_Twana said:
Okay, today my mind was wondering. I wondered if, after a certain length, type 4 hair begins to grow down. In other words, does type 4 natural hair with a length of bsl or longer appear to go down some. Or is it just bsl hair (or longer) tightly compacted on top of the head. Sorry if it's a silly question, but I was just wondering.

Posting pictures would be great, too!!

Yes it certainly does begin to hang down, especially when the hair is henna'ed.

Tsipy
 
Dimpalz,

I am looking at your pics....your hair has grown! Your twists look very nice. Just wait until they get longer....(wink)

Tsipy
 
Hey, Kristina- DC misses you. :( Your hair has really grown. what is your hair type?

This is a great thread because I ponder the same question too. I feel like my hair just grows out not south. The only time I see lengh is when my hair is twisted.
 
Country gal said:
Hey, Kristina- DC misses you. :( Your hair has really grown. what is your hair type?

This is a great thread because I ponder the same question too. I feel like my hair just grows out not south. The only time I see lengh is when my hair is twisted.


Um, speaking for the 4a's in the crown. My hair grows out when dry but when wet will hang. But if product (cond) put in like Curly Pudding it will be more defined and less out there.
 
Yes, It does. I am a 4a (I think), and I am not BSL yet (3 inches to go!), but I am about armpit. The longer my hair gets, the more it droops. It probably would have to be waist length before I could get it to really hang sometimes, but it is hanging more. I think it has to do with the weight. I have an album if you'd like to see pics. kristina and babyblue (I think that's how its spelled?) do as well. I am sure there are others :yep:
 
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It takes manipulation for mine to hang. But I do think you can get "more hang" as the hair grows and you get some weight to it...and depending on the density of your hair, too.
 
Country gal said:
Hey, Kristina- DC misses you. :( Your hair has really grown. what is your hair type?

This is a great thread because I ponder the same question too. I feel like my hair just grows out not south. The only time I see lengh is when my hair is twisted.

hi countrygal,
I miss dc too- hanging out with you ladies was like the black sorority i never had a chance to join in college...sigh. but anywho, as for my hair type, i'm going to claim 4a but honestly the typing thing still confuses me. this is why i just stick to describing my hair- which is cottony in texture. i've got plenty of texture pictures in my album though so you can see what it looks like wet and dry.

oh and i didn't mention before but in answering the question, i assumed mstwana meant how the hair looks without any manipulation. i should mention that i rarely attempt to wash and go- my hair is way too massive and i don't like the tangles and frequent manipulation that style would entail for my hair. however, my hair does hang downward (at my shoulders) when in braidouts and twistouts. my hair still is pretty big and out, but it's a controlled big (not super huge). i also have pictures of this in my albums.
 
My hair type is 4 a and it grows down. When, I relaxed it last Friday I actually felt the weight and I was like Hey now:p
 
tsmith said:
My hair type is 4 a and it grows down. When, I relaxed it last Friday I actually felt the weight and I was like Hey now:p

HEY NOWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Wowwwweeeeee look at that progress!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

BEAUTIFUL!!! :) :) :) :) :)
 
yes it does, i have a family member who is 4b, her hair is natural bsl, she did this in one year, she wore a lot of wigs while transitioning, her routine is simple, she wash every week and grease her scalp
 
Yes, I would think that the weight of all that hair would cause for it to "hang" or "grow down" some. Bublnbrnsuga's (sp?) hair looks as if it has that down/hang going on since her hair is getting longer.
 
Sections of my hair grown out, and other sections grow down. In fact, its been weird keeping my TWA to one shape, because the crown grows differently than the rest. In the back, my hair starts to flop around four inches in length, while the front remains shrunken even if its technically longer than the back.
 
Sections of my hair grown out, and other sections grow down. In fact, its been weird keeping my TWA to one shape, because the crown grows differently than the rest. In the back, my hair starts to flop around four inches in length, while the front remains shrunken even if its technically longer than the back.
 
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