How do I manage my 4c hair?
Hey, I’m a teen and I’m about to start uni soon, so I’ve been trying to sort out my hair before I leave.
I live in a cold, dry climate and for a while I was making my hair back-to-back (not even tight styles, just constant styling with no breaks), and I think that’s what led to some traction alopecia. I’ve stopped doing that now and switched to wearing my natural hair more, but I honestly don’t know what works for me.
I’m also trying to grow it out to waist length. Right now, when stretched, it’s about shoulder length or a bit shorter. It's kinda thin with not much volume or density.
I’m kinda confused about everything, like how often I should be washing it, how to actually keep it moisturized, and what styles are good. Right now I wash it every 2–3 weeks, oil it, and sometimes do the LOC method, but I’m not very consistent.
I’ve tried mini twists, braids, and even crochet hair, and none of them really worked well for me. I switched to wigs for a while too, but my scalp would get irritated, so I stopped that as well.
I struggle a lot with length retention. My hair breaks when I comb it, I get a lot of fairy knots and tangles, and I have no idea how often I should be trimming or how to deal with breakage properly.
Also not sure how I’m supposed to sleep with it to keep it protected.
For context, I’ve never relaxed, dyed, or cut my hair before, so I don’t even know if it’s actually healthy and just dry, or if I’ve been doing something wrong this whole time.
Any tips on routines, moisture, detangling, trimming, protective styles, or anything else would really help 🙏