Hair Pattern
3B Hair Care
3B curls sit in a tricky middle zone: springy and voluminous, but prone to frizzing the moment humidity rises or a product is even slightly too heavy. The goal for a 3B routine isn't more product -- it's the right amount, applied the right way.
Full guide
3B Curly Hair Routine: Definition Without the Frizz
Read itWhy 3B is more prone to being weighed down than tighter patterns
3B's looser corkscrew shape means gravity has more effect on it than on the denser, tighter coils of type 4 hair. A heavy butter or thick cream that a 4C routine needs just to stay hydrated can pull a 3B curl straight, stretching the spring open and flattening the volume at the root -- the same product acts completely differently depending on how much natural bounce the curl started with.
Dialing in the right amount, not the right ingredient
A lightweight cream-and-gel combination usually works better for 3B than any single heavier product. Start with a smaller amount than feels intuitive -- a dime-size portion per section is a common starting point -- and scrunch upward into soaking wet hair rather than raking it through. It's easier to add a little more product to a section that needs it than to fix curls that have already been flattened by too much.