5 tips for the perfect 4c Natural Hair night-time routine

14 Aug

When I first went natural in 2014, it was a steep learning curve for me! I can’t say that I had much of a nighttime routine or any kind of routine for that matter. Over the years, I’ve realized that my mornings were so much easier when I prepared the night before. But not only that, I started noticing that my 4c hair was in better condition because I wasn’t manipulating it as much in the mornings.

Why is it important to have a night-time routine?

Having a great nighttime routine is important because:

It helps prevent your natural curls and coils from getting very tangled.
It reduces the amount of manipulation & pressure on your 4c hair strands by planning ahead.
It reduces friction on your natural hair strands.
It’s more stressful to try to style your natural hair in the mornings.
It’s more time-consuming to try to style your natural hair in the mornings.

On their own, each reason above may seem unimportant, but the combination of these things can help your natural hair strands to stay strong and healthy. This is why it’s important for 4c hair girls to cultivate a good nighttime routine as our coils need to be treated with so much care.

Now that we know why it’s important to have a good nighttime routine, here are 5 tips for your natural hair nighttime routine:

1) Loosely finger detangle at night if possible

When you finger detangle at night, you’re less likely to want or need to use a comb in the morning. And since you’re not in a rush at night, you can be gentle with it. This will help reduce the overall level of manipulation in your natural hair routine.

Finger detangling just refers to gently separating your hair into sections. Typically, I use a moisturizing oil to help the process. Finger detangling should be done during the week after you’ve done a normal full detangle on wash day.

2) Twist your 4c hair

Twist your hair at night at least 70% of the time.

I know it’s not possible to retwist every night especially when you’re tired. BUT, I think 70% of the time is doable. Why not start twisting your hair whilst watching that last episode on Netflix?

Twisting your 4c hair after loosely finger detangling can be so helpful in protecting your ends. When your 4c coils tangle, the ends are the most compromised as they’re the weakest part of your hair. Gentle finger detangling and putting your natural hair in twists can help reduce the pressure on your ends and minimize breakage.

3) Tie your hair in a pineapple if you don’t want to twist it

Let’s say your life is very busy and you can’t twist it most nights, I’d still recommend not sleeping with your hair out, tie it up in a pineapple style.

A pineapple style just refers to loosely tying your hair up. For us 4c girls, it’s more like a loose afro puff. This can help avoid tangles and knots.

4) Use a silk bonnet, pillowcase or scarf every night

When I say every night, I mean every night haha. Sometimes when I forget to put my hair in a bonnet, my husband stops me from putting my head on the pillow & says “babe, you’re not wearing your bonnet”! That's how committed I want you to be! To the point that your partner is also very committed to your bonnet lifestyle.

5) Moisturize your 4c hair

Moisturize & prep your hair for whatever natural hairstyle you want to achieve the next day.

Whether you want your natural hair curled using twists, braids, bantu knots, you want a middle or side parting, or you want your edges laid - you must do the prep the night before.

If you want a certain level of definition, use a small amount of curl cream or leave-in conditioner & oil the night before to ensure it dries in time for the morning.

This will help save time in the morning, reduce your stress levels and the style will actually look better because you planned ahead.

Bonus tip

Wash your silk bonnet and/or pillowcase at least every other week, ready for your next wash day. This way when your hair is clean, you’re also using a clean bonnet and a clean pillowcase. (It’s also good for your skin to change your pillowcase often).

I really hope these tips help you in your natural hair journey! They can be applied to most curly hair types but I wanted to do one specifically for type 4 hair (type 4a, 4b and 4c hair).

If you want more tips, feel free to read my 12 healthy habits for natural hair article.

Love,

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Ezinne Chukwu