Type 4 hair, the hair with tight coils, looks cute and gorgeous with its S-curls and Z patterns. But, being denser, it imbibes a delicate texture and is often fragile. And yes, it’s vexatious and burdensome for folks to maintain, care, and style such brittle spiral tresses. If you are among them, now, wind down your worries as this is the right place to find the best products for type 4 hair.
May your coiled hair be tiny, medium, or long; it needs intensive care at all times to retain the volume, growth, and length. But, the right hair care agents will work out well for your type 4 hair. And, to know which one is appropriate and best, you have to keep in mind a few important factors like –
Porosity: Each hair type has its own porosity, a key feature that determines moisture retention. As the type 4 hair is not at all porous, it needs utmost care. So, even the hair care routines should be more cautious.
Shampoo or cleanser: Consider the time factor to choose a shampoo or a cleanser. While the former is for daily cleaning, the latter is used once a month. Yet, a suitable and effective shampoo or cleanser is requisite for type 4 hair.
Conditioner: Based on your hair status, you have to use the best conditioner. We alert you to use the right moisturizing conditioners at the right time to maintain healthy coils.
Wait, more other considerations for type 4 hair care are put in our ‘Buying Guide’ just below the reviews.
Top Products for Type 4 Hair Reviews
Best Products for Type 4 Hair Reviews
1. Carol’s Daughter Almond Milk Ultra Nourishing Mask
This almond milk hair mask from Carol’s daughter helps in repairing over-processed hair. Your hair goes through a lot daily. When you style your hair with heat, colour it repeatedly and expose your hair to pollution, it is damaged irreversibly. You get healthier and softer hair, a sharp contrast from your broken strands, thereby reversing damage from within.
Almond milk shampoo and the whole range is vital for reversing hair damage due to daily wear and tear. It is free of parabens, mineral oil, and petroleum. This mask is specially created for hair that is naturally curly. You may have short-cropped 4c curly hair or waves of 1c type; this mask will give you the nourishment it needs. It has aloe, almond oil, proteins, and shea butter.
Almond oil strengthens your hair, and proteins seep very deep into your hair strands. This mask saves you from any further damage in the future by creating an invisible layer.
Pros:
Reverses heat damage
Does not contain any mineral oil or parabens
Nourishes hair from the inside
Cons:
Smell is overwhelming
Product Details
Hair type: dull, chemically treated, curly
Volume: 12 fl oz
Key ingredient: almond milk
2. The Honest Company Sweet Orange Vanilla Conditioner
A conditioning spray for detangling hair, this product from The Honest Company consists of a blend of jojoba protein, shea butter, quinoa extract and argan oil. It nourishes and softens your hair naturally. It helps in separating the strands and eliminating the flyaways. This hair spray is very gentle on your hair, thereby qualifying to be used on a daily basis.
It can be used on all types of hair, making it strong enough to withstand tear-reel detangling. This product is made without synthetic fragrances, silicones, dyes, parabens, sulfates, or formaldehyde donors. Smart ingredients are used to create this product. You could add this spray to your daily regimen of curly hair products to activate your curls. This helps in combating flyaways, cowlicks, and knots, making combing much easier.
It works without making you worry about the ingredients. Every individual in the family can use this detangler and is trusted by parents. This spray is not tested on animals and consists of no animal products. All harsh chemicals are avoided to make sure the product is safe for your kids as well.
Pros:
Gentle on your hair
Can be used daily
Tames cowlicks and flyaways
Cons:
Excessive use can cause build-up, weighing your hair down
Product Details
Hair type: curly
Volume: 4 fl oz
Key ingredient: argan oil and shea butter
3. Aunt Jackie’s Quench Leave-in Conditioner
With the range of products available from Aunt Jackie’s, you can tame and manage frizzy and unruly hair with ease. It can be used on all kinds of hair but best suited for type 4 hair. This is a leave-in conditioner, which means you do not need to wash it away after application. It offers moisture that lasts long, making your hair feel soft. All the ingredients used are natural.
Aunt Jackie’s Quench Moisture Intensive Leave-in Conditioner contains shea butter, marshmallow root, and extra virgin olive oil. This is a conditioning treatment that adds copious amounts of moisture to your hair. It eliminates any dryness and does not make your scalp feel heavy.
The product contains no mineral oil, parabens, or sulfates. This acts like therapy for hair that has been deprived of moisture. It helps with detangling your type 4 hair without being greasy and hydrates the scalp.
Pros:
Ultra-hydrating deeply moisturizes
Lasts longer than other products
Eliminates dryness
Cons:
Makes hair dry
Product Details
Hair type: natural coils, waves, and curls
Volume: 12 fl oz
Key ingredient: olive oil and shea butter
4. Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk 4 in 1 Combing Creme
This is a combing creme from Carol’s Daughter. It moisturizes, detangles, defines your hair. Your curls are safe from uncontrollable frizz. This hair milk adds shine and helps your curls achieve the smoothness they desire. The main component in the product is Agave combined with keratin.
To get healthier and shinier hair, try the other products from their range. This hair milk is specially formulated for curly hair like type 4 hair. The ingredients used are exactly what your curls desire, like cocoa butter, shea butter, pro-vitamin B5, and agave nectar. Whether your hair is kinky, coiled, or loose, this product will be the solution to all your hair woes.
This product conditions your curls from the root to tip and adds strength. It has no sulfates, parabens, mineral oil, artificial colours, or petroleum and does not produce lather. It is safe to use on colour treated hair.
Pros:
Specifically made for curly hair
Conditions from root to tip
Contains no parabens, mineral oils, or sulfates
Cons:
Can give a waxy look
Product Details
Hair type: oils, wave, kinks, and curls
Volume: 8 fl oz
Key ingredient: olive oil and agave
5. ECOCO Styler Professional Styling Gel
Styler Professional Styling Gel has olive oil that is very beneficial for your hair. It helps in regulating the moisture already present in your scalp. It assists in retaining moisture which results in healthy hair and a healthier scalp. The product contains no alcohol, thereby reducing any drying possibilities.
The formula is weightless and gives maximum hold to your type 4 hair. It also adds a healthy shine to your curls. To get salon-like hair, try this professional styling gel. Get frizz-free hair that detangles easily. The scent is pleasant and seems to feel cool on your hair.
It does not dry out your hair and makes it look moisturized throughout the day. You could spruce up your hair with water sprays in between applications, and a single application will last roughly three days (according to your hair type).
Pros:
Contains no alcohol
Retains moisture
Lasts longer
Cons:
Problems with the seller. Beware of untrustworthy sellers on eCommerce sites
Product Details
Hair type: oils, wave, kinks, and curls
Volume: 16 fl oz
Key ingredient: olive oil
6. Design Essentials Instant Detangling Leave-In Conditioner
A leave-in conditioner from Design Essentials features hydrating and moisturizing avocado and almond oils. This is the go-to leave-in conditioner loved by men, women, and kids alike. This acts as the final layer of moisture, easing detangling and making sure the cuticles of your hair is smooth and adequately healthier.
Avocado and almond provide intensive moisture and keeps the strands strong. It strengthens your locks from within, leaving a natural shine. Coconut milk infuses more moisture and also acts as a detangler, saving you time in your daily routine. The product has a gentle hydrating formula because of the ingredients like shea butter, avocado oil, almond oil, and coconut milk.
It has no paraffin, parabens, petroleum and also contains no mineral oil. The absence of these harsh chemicals makes sure your hair stays healthy and grows healthier. This leave-in conditioner is specifically made for curly, coily, wavy, and kinky hair, type 4 hair to be precise. It is helpful for both normal to dry hair and can be used for colour treated hair. It revitalizes chemically relaxed textures to revive its natural lustre.
Pros:
Gives maximum moisture to dry and brittle hair
Save 30 mins daily for detangling your coils
Avocado and almond oil hydrates hair
Cons:
The new formula is not as good as the previous one
Product Details
Hair type: wavy, curly, and dry
Volume: 12 fl oz
Key ingredient: olive oil and almond oil
7. Cantu Coconut Curling Cream
Cantu Coconut Curling Cream adds strength and moisture to your strands. Your curls are much more defined after using this product because of the pure shea butter used in the cream. The curling cream does not weigh your hair down and keeps the hair manageable for days.
The product was named the best of best in naturally curly hair products in 2013. This cream adds weightless moisture, defines your hair, and conditions it. You can manage your hair better and leaves your hair soft and elongated coils.
Apply the product to damp hair and section it. Start from the root and move on towards the ends. This is a leave-in conditioner, so do not rinse it.
Pros:
Moisturizes and strengthens your curls
Award-winning formulation
Does not add any external weight to your hair
Cons:
The smell is too strong for some
Product Details
Hair type: curly
Volume: 12 fl oz
Key ingredient: shea butter
8. Tgin Honey Miracle Hair Mask Deep Conditioner
Bring your hair to life with tgin Honey Miracle Hair Mask. This mask is a treatment for your hair. Your hair gets the moisture from the raw honey used in the product, which also adds shine and softness. It reduces dryness and flakiness in your scalp. Restore the strength and health of your damaged hair.
Get beautiful and healthy hair from this mask and forget about the dry strands from over-processing. Ingredients like jojoba oils and olive oils help in reducing breakage and shedding. The components are rich in vitamin A, E, and D that heals and nourishes your strands.
Make sure your hair is moisturized and less vulnerable to breakage, thereby maintaining the length of your strands. This product helps in controlling frizz as well. The olive oil seeps through the shafts, and the jojoba oil seals the moisture in. detangling is made easier, and your hair does not look dull anymore.
Pros:
Controls and reduces frizz
Adds shine and reduces breakage
No more flaky or dry scalp
Cons:
The new formula has not been received well by customers
Product Details
Hair type: curly, dull, damaged, and dry
Volume: 12 fl oz
Key ingredient: raw honey and olive oil
9. Jamaican Mango & Lime Island Scalp Oil 8 oz
Maintaining the health of your locks has never been easier, thanks to Jamaican Mango & Lime Island Scalp Oil. This is a non-greasy blend made with essential oils that nourish the roots and scalp and adds strength to your locks. You get radiant, strong, and healthy hair. It has manuka honey and oil of moringa seeds.
This formula is essential in deeply moisturizing the scalp and leaving the hair silky, soft, and smooth. It helps in repairing distressed hair and preventing breakage. The proteins present in manuka honey are able to reverse damage in the scalp and strengthen the hair follicles at the same time.
The product contains no petroleum, parabens, sulfates and is safe for all types of texture and hair, and can be used on colour treated hair. This geo-organic line from the company is reformulated and repacked with natural ingredients that are drug-free.
Pros:
Has essential oils that nourish your scalp
Adds moisture from the inside
Reverses scalp damage
Cons:
Not made for oily hair
Product Details
Hair type: all types, including colour treated hair
Volume: 8 fl oz
Key ingredient: manuka honey and moringa oil
10. EDEN BodyWorks JoJoba Monoi Deep Conditioner
This conditioner from EDEN BodyWorks has a blend of botanical ingredients that restores your hair’s integrity and smoothness. It reverses damage caused by heat styling and reduces the possibilities of breakage that your hair has been suffering from in the past. The ingredients are very hydrating and penetrate the shafts of your hair.
This thick deep conditioner adds nourishment to dry and brittle strands of hair. It contains jojoba oil, tea tree oil, tiare flower. These ingredients combine to bring you nutrients that are helpful in repairing and smoothening your locks. The company has been around for decades and aims to tackle everyday beauty concerns. They provide products of high quality and treat your concerns judicially.
Pros:
Repairs breakage and adds moisture
Nourishes strands and smoothes the locks
Cons:
The fragrance has strong notes of alcohol
Product Details
Hair type: thick and frizzy
Volume: 16 fl oz
Key ingredient: jojoba monoi
Buying Guide for the Type 4 Hair Care Products
Type 4 hair care is so attentive as the brittle wiry hairs are sensitive and damage-prone. And choosing the best products for type 4 hair can be worrisome and painstaking. However, we provide you a lucid buying guide and also insist you focus on some crucial factors.
Porosity
Porosity is the most addressing point to maintain any type of hair. It’s nothing but the ability of your hair to absorb and retain moisture. And this porosity is reliable on the arrangement of the outer hair layer, cuticle. If the cuticles are close and overlap together, they seem to be packed and do not allow the moisture, oil, or other nutrients to absorb or penetrate inside.
And, in your type 4 hair, the cuticles of the curly hair are twined, overlapped, and spiral. Thereby, it has very minimum porosity, and the products you use for hair care just sit on the surface and get washed away when you rinse with water.
Now that you understand the porosity and nature of your tightly coiled hair, be careful while selecting and using the best products. Make sure that you often use the best hydrating products which can retain as much moisture as they can.
Shampoo – A Moisturizing or A Clarifying One?
As said, daily shampooing for type 4 hair needs the best shampoo. Yet, innumerable shampoo varieties prevail in the market and leave you bewildered. So, it’s still confusing whether to go for a moisturizing shampoo or a clarifying shampoo.
You can wash your type 4 hair daily with a moisturizing shampoo that imparts better moisture content to the curly hair cuticles. Check for the presence of moisturizing agents like protein-rich compounds, shea butter, aloe vera, and glycerine. They lock the moisture within the hair and let healthy hair.
But, make sure that the shampoo you pick is sulfate-free because too many sulfates can damage the hair. So, look for the ingredients of a moisturizing shampoo and avoid using ones with more sulfates.
Furthermore, if yours is color-treated or chemical-treated hair, then be careful to avoid shampoos that can remove off your hair color.
Now know about the clarifying shampoo. If you want to make your hair free of build-up, prefer the use of a clarifying shampoo once a week. It’s more effective in removing the dirt and other unwanted deposits from the coiled tresses. Yet, it’s inevitable to use a moisturizer after washing your type 4 hair with a clarifying shampoo. Otherwise, it tends to become dry and dull.
Conditioners
A tightly coiled hair craves for the best conditioners based on its texture and state. If it has become too dry even upon using the right shampoo, applying a conditioner is a prerequisite. The conditioner replenishes the moisture which might have been lost during rinsing or washing. So, it imparts better elasticity to the hair strands, avoids breakage, and remains more durable. Ultimately, this can be the secret reason for your long-growing natural curly hair. Also, it gives enough slip to minimize the friction between the hair strands thereby reducing the risk of tangles and knots.
Depending on your feasibility and hair condition, you can use either a rinse-out conditioner or a deep conditioner. The rinse-out conditioner should be rinsed away within 5 minutes. Once you apply it, the hair feels lubricous and smooth. And, it makes you easily detangle even the tightly bound curls.
If you wish to have a deep conditioner, you have to leave it for at least 20 minutes or overnight for better results. We advise you to use the best deep conditioner now and then to maintain your non-porous type 4 hair. But, look for specific ingredients in deep conditioners. Ensure that they are even moisturizing.
Leave-in Treatments
Leave-in treatments or leave-in conditioners, as the name says, can be left on the hair without any need to wash after application. They are infused with assorted kinds of natural ingredients like marshmallow root, honey, olive oil, shea butter, jojoba protein, and quinoa extract. They nourish the hair, lock up the moisture within, and soften the natural hair.
Upon using the leave-in treatments, you can even easily control and manage the flyaways, knots, cowlicks, tangles, and twists. And so, they assure hassle-free combing, helpful enough for busy gals.
Moreover, to allow a viable and hassle-free application, the leave-in treatments come as sprays or creams. And you can purchase whichever is feasible. Some of them appear greasy because of the oily contents. But, ensure that you pick a lightweight one so that you don’t feel the scalp heavy and weighed down, and you can also have a grease-free hair look. Interestingly, these conditioners are sweet-smelling and leave an aromatic fragrance to the curls even for a lasting duration.
Hair gels
Hair gels are awesome beauty tools to use during hairdressing. They are inevitable in your curly world, and aid the tight coils get ready for marvelous styling. However, the efficient gels impart a salon-like styling to your type 4 hair while remaining it break-free and damage-free.
These gels clear out the tight tangles and make the hair frizz-free, and so you can own fashionable hairstyles and designer hairdressings! Based on the hair type and the amount of gel used for a single application, the awesome effects can last from a single to three days.
But, here we again stress the point of – ‘Moisture’! Yes, check for the moisturizing contents in the hair gels as they retain moisture and keep the hair healthy. Be mindful to choose the right hair gels as some of them with more alcohol content can dry up your hair more. We always insist you choose one with natural ingredients that contain vitamins E, C, and A that assure healthy scalp growth.
And, also grab those which are lightweight and have a maximum hold for lasting effects. Some gels are even designed weather-proof for continuous and trouble-free use all through the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Though it seems to be difficult, it’s easier and better to stick to a daily hair care routine.
*Ensure that your type 4 hair remains moist all time without negligence. Use a moisturizing shampoo or leave-in conditioner as and when needed. Or else, maintain it by using a good-quality moisturizer.
*Secure better defense against dryness with leave-in conditioners which are rich in hydrating ingredients.
*Steam the curls often to keep them hydrated and soft. Make use of oils that seal moisture within the hair.
*Keep your hair stretched out by low-maintenance styles like twist-outs and braid-outs.
Moisturization is the key to care for and maintain type 4 hair. Yet, the hair should remain moisturized inside and outside. Use hair care products with better moisturizing ingredients which also reduce the damage due to heat or chemical exposure. Stay hydrated all day and drink plenty of water.
You should wash the type 4 hair weekly or biweekly by using the right shampoo and then use a conditioner. Daily washing with harsh shampoos may strip off the oils present within the hair and make it dry.
Though the sulfates excel in removing the dirt and dead cells from the skin and hair, specific ones like Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate are harsh to use on type 4 hair. Also, certain sulfates strip off the natural oils from the hair and the scalp and leave it dry and brittle. Moreover, they can even cause dryness, itching, and redness in sensitive hair.
While some prefer applying the deep hair conditioner on wet washed hair, others like to use it on unwashed dry hair too. You can use it, either way, observe the results, and continue with the best and suitable process.
You can use the conditioner daily whenever you use moisturizing or a clarifying shampoo. But, you have to use the best conditioners most often for better care. Yet, we recommend using it at least twice a week to maintain the moisture and smoothness of your type 4 spiral hair.
Apply the best and appropriate hair gel to enhance the patterns of your curls when styling or dressing. It can also hold the coils in place without getting swayed away. Just apply a hair gel on freshly washed hair or dried hair that is slightly damp.
Type 4 hair is always evident with dry and cracked hair cuticles which make the hair knotted. If left without care, the hair breaks, damages, and falls off. So, preventing tight knots should be an unavoidable chore.
*Apply a moisturizing shampoo and deep conditioner.
*While shampooing or cleaning, wash the braided sections of your hair to reduce tangling. Detangle the hair thoroughly and frequently.
*Keep the hair always moisturized.
*Don’t ever wet the knot that may make the worst thing happen – the hair shrinks and damages.
To get the best out of your type 4 hair, moisturization is key. This is both on the outside and inside. Stay hydrated throughout the day and drink plenty of water. Use products that keep your hair moisturized and minimize heat exposure.
Conclusion
It’s strenuous to find the best products for your type 4 hair. But, upon a trial and error approach, you may not limit yourself with a single one and maintain the bunch of coiled or wired hair. Also, most of us may get strayed to get the desirable stuff. Yet, our research-based reviews and buying guide help you find the product to keep curly hair the best way.
We recommend Carol’s Daughter Almond Milk Ultra-Nourishing Mask that nourishes your hair and repairs the broken or damaged hair. Its main constituent, almond milk, curbs the problems of all types of curly hair and calms your hair care worries.
If not this, try others on our list that will definitely give you favorable results. Have you used and experienced any of these products? If so, share your feedback here in the comments section. Also, put over your doubts and queries to know more.