5C Hair: Is It Really A Thing? What About 5A and 5B Hair? | Loving Kinky Curls (2024)

Is 5C hair a thing? A new hair type on the charts?

Stay with me, I will explain everything.

Truthfully, there is a lot of uncertainty and confusion surrounding 5C hair type. And in fact not just 5C hair but there is also confusion around 5A and 5B hair.

Some people believe 5C hair should not rightfully exist and should therefore not be classified as one.

People holding this school of thought believe that hair types should only be restricted to the 4 main ones.

However, the 5c hair community has increasingly gained popularity over the years creating an identity, especially for people who have felt like they did not fit into the “traditional hair types” box.

The aim of this article is to look into 5C hair, specifically (i) what it is and (ii) how to care for it in order to keep it healthy and strong.

What is 5C hair?

5C hair is hair that has been straightened or chemically relaxed until it completely changes its previous curl pattern. This hair type is fully straightened to the point where the original curl pattern is non-existent.

Whether you have 5A, 5B or 5C hair largely depends on the curl pattern before the hair was straightened and the extent to which the relaxing is done.

5A and 5B hair types will usually maintain some of the previous curl pattern as straightening is only done to make the curls manageable.

For perspective:

5A Hair

5A hair results from mildly treating hair with S-shaped curls with a relaxer to further loosen the curls leading to smoother and more manageable curls.

5B Hair

5B hair is hair that previously had tight Z curls that is chemically treated to reform it for more manageable, loose and frizz-free curls.

How To Take Care of 5C Hair

5C Hair: Is It Really A Thing? What About 5A and 5B Hair? | Loving Kinky Curls (1)

Since 5C hair is overly processed and straightened, it can be brittle and prone to breakage. Therefore, it’s necessary to take extra care when handling it to minimize as much hair damage as possible.

Here are 5 tips on managing and caring for 5C hair.

1.Moisturize

This goes without saying, 5C hair needs to be well hydrated. All the times.

Owing to its tendency to get too dry, adding moisture through hydrating hair products and hair masks is one of the best ways to ensure its elasticity and minimize breakage.

An effective moisturizing routine begins with a hydrating shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in treatment with hair masks in between.

2.Incorporate a Protein Treatment

Protein in hair is essential for maintaining strength and elasticity and thus the hair is less likely to experience breakage.

For 5c hair, a protein treatment is one of the best ways to restore its health.

It is possible to make a DIY protein treatment using readily available home ingredients such as eggs

Protein treatments are as great as how mindful you are in using them.

Too much of it can cause hair breakage, therefore it’s important to follow any sort of protein treatment with hydrating hair products to bring back some moisture.

This also works to maintain a good protein-moisture balance which is necessary for good hair health.

Equally, do not over do this treatment, find a good balance.

3.Protective Styling

Because 5c hair is straightened and easier to manage, most people prefer to leave it out and style it often. Continuous styling of hair however has been found to contribute to hair breakage.

For 5c hair especially, these effects can be great since the hair strands are already weakened by the relaxer.

Therefore, periodically keep your hair in protective styles to protect hair strands and roots from breakage.

With protective styling also, care should be taken to not overly manipulate the hair as this can have the opposite effect and lead to breakage.

Some low manipulation protective styles to consider include flat twists, and braids.

When you prefer to leave your hair out, consider tying it away. This keeps the hair strands that are most susceptible to breakage from causing friction against collars, clothes, or other items that might contribute to breakage.

4.Protect Your Hair from Heat

Even though not as frequent as natural hair, keeping 5C hair may require a bit of heat.

In the case that you need to use heat on hair, always make sure to use a heat-protecting products to reduce as much damage as possible.

Exposure to heat can be drying and damaging to 5C hair therefore remember to take extra precaution.

If possible, it is better to keep away from heat as the damaging effects are going to be even more pronounced for 5c hair due to the processing it has gone through.

5.Minimize Manipulation to Reduce Hair Breakage

Apart from protecting hair from heat, there are several ways you can protect your 5C hair from breakage.

The first is to be careful when drying hair after cleansing. Some types of towels are too rough and can cause breakage to wet hair which is usually very vulnerable.

Instead, consider a soft fabric towel or a less used cotton t-shirt to dry your hair. These are made of more gentle materials that will reduce the chances and amount of breakage in hair.

Another great way to protect 5C hair from breakage is to consider switching to silk scarves, bonnets, pillows, and sheets which are softer and gentler to hair.

This will reduce any breakage that arises from friction caused by you lying down or sleeping.

Final Thoughts on 5C Hair

Regardless of the hair type you have, taking good care and showing our strands love is all we need to worry about.

Given that 5C hair is chemically treated, the more reason we should take extra care if you want strong, healthy hair.

The key take away from this is:

5C hair is hair that has been straightened or chemically relaxed until it completely changes its previous curl pattern. This hair is usually bone straight making it manageable but equally requiring lots of love to prevent breakage.

This is what you need to do in order to care for 5C hair:

  1. Keep your 5C hair moisturized
  2. Incorporate a protein treatment in your regimen
  3. Wear protective styles
  4. Be mindful when using heat
  5. Minimize manipulation

Finally, did you knowhair porosityplays a key role in hair growth? Take this simplehair porosity testto determine if your hair isHIGH, LOW or NORMAL porosity.

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5C Hair: Is It Really A Thing? What About 5A and 5B Hair? | Loving Kinky Curls (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between 5A and 5C hair? ›

A: 5A looks lighter because of the golden undertone. 5C is ashy, so it's going to be more of a neutral cool tone, ie., darker.

Does 5A hair exist? ›

4A and 5A Grade hair

This hair grade lays low to medium which is great for hairstylist courses. The cuticles are stripped and tend to tangle and mat.

What grade hair is kinky? ›

The Andre Walker Hair Typing System classifies kinky hair as 'type 4' (there are other types of hair, defined as type 1 for straight hair, type 2 for wavy, and type 3 for curly, with the letters A, B, and C used as indicators of the degree of coil variation in each type), with the subcategory of type 4C being most ...

What is the kinkiest hair texture? ›

COILY KINKY HAIR, TYPE 4

Coily hair, commonly referred to as Afro-textured or kinky hair, Type 4 is naturally very dehydrated and spongy in texture. It can be soft and fine or thick and wiry. Strands from very tight, small curls of zig-zags right from the scalp and are prone to major shrinkage.

What is the difference between 5 and 5C? ›

Looking at the specs alone, the iPhone 5C is the better phone between the two. The biggest way you'll see this play out is through the 5C's ability to work on more networks worldwide. Aside from that, the 5C has a better battery life and a slightly better front-facing camera than the iPhone 5.

What are the 5 hair types? ›

We will go over the 5 hair types: Straight, Wavy, Curly, Coily and Locs. Hair is beautiful and unique. Each person has hair that is special to them. Hair type and texture is the shape of one's hair.

What is the rarest type of hair? ›

Type 1A: The rarest hair type, this one is very straight and fine with a “wispy” appearance. It's very difficult to get it to hold a curl. Type 1B: Though still straight, this type has a medium (rather than fine) texture and a little more volume.

What's the most curliest hair type? ›

Out of all the hair types, types 4A, 4B and 4C are the curliest. They tend to form a compacted Z pattern, plus they have a high density that requires creams, gels and custards to hold their shape and reduce volume. Plus, due to the lack of cuticle layers, coily hair also requires extra moisture.

What is 12A hair? ›

Grade 12A hair is just a way to say that their hair is superior to lower-grade hair, but it doesn't really exist. Graded human hair means nothing. It's basically just a way for sellers to be able to say their product is better than others.

What is the difference between curly hair and kinky hair? ›

Kinky hair has a tighter curl pattern compared to curly hair. The curls in kinky hair are more coiled and closely packed together, resulting in a dense and voluminous appearance. Curly hair, on the other hand, has a looser and more open curl pattern, giving it a softer and more flowing appearance.

What does it mean if your hair is kinky? ›

What Is Kinky Hair? Kinky hair is really another word to describe curly hair. It's usually connected to the most textured pattern. Kinky, although somewhat subjective to individual interpretation, is most often associated with curl patterns in the 4A to 4C range.

Can kinky hair be straight? ›

The good news is, there are ways to straighten your naturally kinky-curly hair in a way that won't lead to massive amounts of damage, whether you're just looking for a bit of a style change or trying to do a length check to measure your hair's growth.

What hair texture is most attractive? ›

In straight type, thin hair was judged most attractive, whereas in wavy type, hair with mean diameter received the highest attractiveness judgments. In conclusion, there was considerable variation in age, health and attractiveness perception of hair with regard to effects of hair diameter, type, and color.

Which hair texture is the strongest? ›

Naturally, straight hair is the strongest hair type, which means it doesn't break easily and tends to grow quicker. You may feel like you typically have an oily hair texture. That's because the oil produced by your scalp can easily work its way down to the ends of your hair quicker than wavy or curly hair.

What is the most popular hair texture? ›

Medium hair texture is the most common texture type and sits right between fine and coarse. Each strand is thicker than fine hair and will hold hairstyles better. Medium texture also looks thicker and is more resistant to breakage.

Is my hair 2A or 2B or 2C? ›

2A hair tends to have a tousled texture. 2B hair consists of 'S' shaped waves in the lengths, but sits relatively straight at the roots. 2C hair has even more defined 'S' shaped curls that start from the root and continue down the lengths of the hair.

What does Level 5 hair mean? ›

Rubra Red, Carola Pink will be your go-to shades on a dark base like this. Hair Color Levels 5 to 7. These levels are of the lightest brown to the medium blonde range. The majority of our deeper and highly pigmented colors will take well to hair at levels 6-7.

Is my hair type 3C or 4A? ›

There are three main differences: Shape – 3C type curls are S-shaped, while 4A curls are typically a tighter S-shape or sometimes, a Z or zig-zag shape. Circumference – 3C has a much wider curl circumference compared to 4A. Type 4 curls tend to be more coily and dense.

How do I know if my hair is 2C or 3A? ›

If your hair has defined, corkscrew curls, then it's 3A type. If your hair has looser waves, then it's type 2.

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