Afro Textured, Medium Density, Type 3c/4A, Normal/Low Porosity Fine Naturally Curly Hair
Characteristics of My Fine Hair
Firstly, I have Afro textured and naturally curly strands. Also, I’m an over 50 fine curly haired Christian with completely unprocessed medium-long length hair.
Lastly (before we get into more on my fine strands), I may appear to have a lot of hairs on my head but most of those hairs are very thin and when separated, many of them look almost invisible. Simply, I have medium density hair – not not thick but not thin.
As of 2020, I’ve been natural for over 18 years (I don’t recall the exact date. I just know that after reading the book, Thinning Edges by Cathy Howse, I was afraid a relaxer would eventually burn out my hair. So, I began my natural journey all those years ago.
Hairstyles
The pictures you see below are of quick and easy hairstyles I created and sometimes still rock on my hair. Having fine naturally curly hair over 50 that’s medium density is not as difficult to style when you care for it well.
I love to try different hairstyles but I prefer to wear my hair in a stretched state 99.9% of the time. I used to love wearing my hair in its naturally curly state but doing so hinders the amount of length I’m able to retain.
Read: Why Keep Your Natural Curls Stretched
Since this is the head of hair that God gave me, I daily keep that in mind so that I can care for it to the best of my ability. That includes the products I use and the practices I’ve adopted for hair care.
You’ll find me sharing my personal hair care tips, product reviews, hair tools & accessories, I recommend for fine natural hair.
My Fine Natural Hair: Type & Porosity
More specifically, on my hair type, it’s classified predominantly as type 3C/4A but the hair typing system isn’t that accurate. Everyone has more than one type of hair on their head so if you want to get REALLY specific, I’m overall a type 3C but then I have a nice sprinkle of type 4A in my crown area. At the end of the day, it’s afro textured African American Hair that I’m blessed to have!
Hair porosity is more important than hair type. I wholeheartedly believe that my decision not to regularly heat style, chemical treat, roughly style or use harsh tools on my fine natural hair is what allows it to maintain a healthy porosity. That means I can go multiple days without moisturizing my hair. For maintenance, I still do so at least every other day. In short, I have a combination of normal (or moderate) and low porosity hair.
My Hair Cuts
I rarely cut my hair but I do maintenance trim. However, from 2012 to 2015 I had two major haircuts removing as much as 6/7 inches! Why? Layers!
Layers are great on curly hair. However, I prefer long layers and my bottom layer was growing entirely too fast. Consequently, the rest of my hair was not catching up in the time frame I wanted it to. So, I cut it 🙂
Then, in January 2017 I had another hair cut on straightened hair.
In 2018, I got my first DevaCut. Then, I created a plan to just let it grow and maintain with trims. I currently get my hair professionally trimmed -2x per year.
Fine Hair Routine
In this paragraph, I am going to discuss my very disciplined hair care regimen. Importantly, I almost never skip a wash day. Typically, If I have to go out on my regular wash day (Fri/Sat/Sun – for flexibility), I will wash my hair a day early.
The practices that make up my hair care routine include:
- A combination of finger detangling + detangling with either the Tangle Teezer, Felicia Leatherwood’s Brush with the Best brush or this dupe.
- Following the LCO or LOC Method for sealing when moisturizing
- Pre-Pooing with Amla, conditioner and/or oil before every wash
- Washing with a shampoo or cleansing conditioner. This has changed over time. When I’m not living under tight deadlines, I’ll do a restorative DIY hair cleansing mask.
- Deep conditioning every 2 weeks
- Protein strengthening every other wash day
- Utilizing herbal hair treatments including herbs like Henna, Shikakai, Fenugreek, Amla, Brahmi and Cassia. Now, I don’t make these but the product line I use contains them.
- Regular nightly oiling 3-4 times a week
- Regular scalp massages when oiling
- Low manipulation/protective styling
- Using all natural to almost natural products (Moreover, I will allow for a safe preservative in some of my hair care products)
- Incorporating DIY hair care recipes every now and then
A Smorgasborg of Hair Routines and Regimens
It took me quite some time to “learn” my fine naturally curly, afro textured hair. Therefore, my hair routine has evolved over many years.
Finally, you can read more on my past and present fine hair regimen at the pages below. Perhaps, one will resonate for you:
Daily Low Manipulation Hair Routine
2014 Complete Natural Hair Care Regimen & Products
Revised and Simplified Curly Hair Routine
Another Pre-Poo and Finger Detangling Regimen
Pre-Wash Routine for Curlier More Hydrated Hair
My Current Natural Hair Routine (as of 2025)
Add’l Resources
Lastly, to help my fellow naturals with fine hair to reach longer lengths via care and styling, I created a couple of comprehensive guides. In the same vain, I share those tips in visual form over on my Youtube channel.
