Looking to achieve stunning curls on 4C natural hair? Discover the magic of flexi rods and learn how to create beautiful, defined curls on your natural hair. Get expert tips, techniques, and step-by-step instructions for using flexi rods to enhance your 4C hair texture. Unleash your curls with our ultimate guide to flexi rods on 4C natural hair.
Have you ever seen those colorful bendable sticks in hair salons or at beauty stores and wondered what they are used for?
Well, those colorful sticks are nothing but “flexi rods” which are similar to hair rollers and are used to create curls with better definition. Flexi rods are one of the best low-manipulation tools for creating curls on natural hair. These flexi rods can be used by anyone with any hair length and texture as well.
So, I decided to give them a try on my 4C curls and the results I got were pretty impressive!
Well, if you’re someone looking to get those perfect curls, then these flexi rods are super convenient and useful, yes, even if you have 4C hair!
So, go ahead and read more about these flexi rods for 4C hair, how to use them, whether they damage your hair in the long run or not and many more details.
Flexi Rods on 4C Natural Hair
What Are Flexi Rods for 4C Natural Hair
Flexi rods are curling tools that are made from foam and are very flexible in nature and bend very easily. They come in different sizes to be able to achieve different types of curls.
The reason they bend so easily is because the hair gets wrapped around the rod and secured in place to be able to form well-defined curls.
These flexi rods are super simple in terms of usage and they give you amazing results in no time, with little or no manipulation to the hair. Yes, absolutely no use of direct heat to the hair.
The benefits of flexi rods are many, here are some of the many reasons I’d suggest you use these flexi rods on your 4C hair:
· You can get many different types of curls from big, small to tight curls, because these rods come in many sizes.
· Once you curl your hair using flexi rods, the curls will even last up to 7 days if you maintain them well.
· They do not use excessive manipulation to your natural 4C hair.
· These rods can be used on the hair with no direct heat, but can still give you well defined curls.
Related: Best No Heat Hair Curler
How To Put Flexi Rods on 4C Natural Hair
Putting flexi rods in your hair is not too hard a process, once you get the hang of it of course. But keeping everything you need at hand is always the best way to have a smooth sailing process.
What do you need:
1. Flexi rods
(I would recommend buying at least 30 to 40 rods depending on the density and volume of your hair. You can buy rods of mixed sizes for mixed curls or all rods of one size as well).
2. Hair mousse
3. A rattail comb
4. Some clips
5. A hair dryer (optional)
Step-wise process on how to put flexi rods in your 4C natural hair:
Step 1: Cleansing your hair
Washing your hair with a good cleansing shampoo is very essential to get rid of the dirt, grime and product buildup. If you work with unclean hair, your curls will end up dull and limp.
Once you’ve washed your hair, make sure to also condition it as usual.
Step 2: Making sections of your hair
Then, using a rat tail comb, make multiple sections of your hair. I’d recommend making 6 to 8 sections of your hair and clip them up.
You have to put the flexi rods on your wet hair for the best curl results. So be gentle while working with wet hair, as the roots are weak.
Step 3: Application of hair mousse
Next, use a good quality hair mousse which is specifically meant for hair styling or hair setting. If the mousse contains moisturizing ingredients, it would be perfect to add more sheen and lustre to the hair.
Step 4: Wrapping your hair around the flexi rods
Place the flexi rod at the tip of your hair (start off with a section at the back, making sure to further divide each section of hair) and wrap the end of your hair around the rod. Then, bending the rod inwards, roll it upwards until your hair strand is completely wrapped and the rod reaches your scalp.
Once it does, bend the rods inwards from either side to fasten it and hold the hair in place.
Then, move on to the next section of your hair and repeat the process until all your hair is wrapped in flexi rods.
Step 5: Drying your hair
You can either leave your hair to air dry, which is ideal if you do not wish to use heat on your hair or else you can blow dry your hair until it is fully dry.
Step 6: Removal of the flexi rods
Gently roll and unwrap each flexi rod to reveal your newly formed curls. During this process, the rods can cause hair snagging and breakage, so do not exert to much pressure during the rod removal process.
Step 7: Separation of your curls
Once all the flexi rods are removed from your hair, gently use your fingers to separate your curls and run your fingers through your hair. Do not comb your hair, or else it will ruin your curl pattern.
Flexi Rods on 4C Natural Hair Before and After
Before I started using flexi rods on my hair, I used to use heat styling tools to give my frizzy 4C hair better defined curls. But what I began to notice after years of using direct heat on my hair, my 4C natural hair lost its lustre and shine, it became dry and even more frizzy. My curls lost all their definition and hardly retained their shape.
Not long after, I began using flexi rods on my 4C natural hair. Well, a year and a half later of using flexi rods, I can very well say that it was a game changer for me! It really saved my hair to a considerable extent and brought back life into my 4C curly locs.
I also noticed that my hair began to feel and look healthier, while my curls seemed to look more defined than when I used to use heat styling curlers on my hair. It was a seamless transition from heat to none, but an absolutely perfect one.
Using flexi rods on my hair gave me fairly long-lasting curls of different sizes and I didn’t have to compromise on the health of my hair either. So, it was a great choice after all.
Is It Possible to Use a Flexi Rods on Short 4C Natural Hair
Yes, indeed! Flexi rods can work perfectly well on any hair type and hair length as well. This means that even people with 4C natural hair can use these flexi rods. The shorter the hair, the shorter and narrower the rods required.
It is recommended that for those with very short 4C hair you can use flexi rods of 0.6 centimetres (in diameter) or 1/4th inch size. For those with short 4C hair, you can use 1 centimetre (in diameter) or 4/10th inch sized flexi rods.
Do Flexi Rods Stretch Natural Hair
Flexi rods are a great way to stretch your natural hair. While they will not stretch your curls to make them straight, they can make your curls look more elongated while it is stretched out.
Are Flexi Rods Damaging for 4C Natural Hair
The best part about using flexi rods is the fact that they do not use any sort of heat or chemicals to form the curls on the hair. They are one of the best hair curling tools and ones that hardly cause any damage to natural 4C hair.
But apart from the fact that these flexi rods hardly cause much damage to the hair, in the long run and if used very often, these flexi rods can cause a certain amount of hair breakage, especially if you’ve been using them very often on hair that was already damaged.
The reason these flexi rods can cause hair breakage is because they create tight curls or coils by wrapping the hair around the rods and are kept on the hair for a while. This can be a cause of additional tension and pressure on the hair strands and hair roots, thus causing hair damage.
Therefore, staggering the use of these flexi rods to around two times a month would be ideal to protect the health of your hair.
Also, the curls got from the flexi rods will last at least up to 7 to 10 days if you maintain them well.
Takeaway
I made my switch from using direct heat curling tools to using flexi rods over a year and a half ago and I can really say it was one of the best decisions I made for the health of my hair. Also, I had nothing to lose, because I still get the different types of curls I wish to have, with hardly any damage to my hair.
My curls look well-defined and they also last quite long with sufficient maintenance of my hair style.
So, for anyone who is new to flexi rods, I would definitely recommend that you give it a try, because the results are totally worth it!
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