The end of hair type confusion! MY hairtyping diagram.

[SparkleDoll]

I would tweak the pictures for 4a 4b.
I think of this as a 4a:

https://www.kamlamillwood.com/images/kamla_millwood_natural_hair_photo_tqr2.jpg

4b representation (dont laugh, its a toupee', lol!)
http://hairprescriptionsrx.net/products/images/aftoupee1.gif

Girl I'm still laughing at the toupee. Too funny......but it does look like 4b hair.

 

[bbdgirl]

I like your list your examples were way better than Naturally Curly.com! I might be getting closer to some clarification. Thanks alot!

 

[ladylibra]

ETA: oh yea the difference between Jill Scott and the girl above her is the size/diameter of the curl... I think many people are 3c/4a... i think it is more rare for someone to have only one hair type on their hair so that's probably a source of confusion too

they don't appear to be that different in size. the 3c girl's hair is just longer and coils at the bottom, whereas the 4a girl's hair is just an S-wave throughout. (hmmmm... maybe Jill Scott was sporting a braid-out. that would throw everything off )

the question still remains ladies... where does one draw the line between 3c and 4a? you can be a 3c with pen-size coils or a 4a with pen-size coils. the problem is with the overlap in descriptions.

 

[Vshanell]

Dear Choconillaprincess, thank you so much for starting this. I've had this on my mind the past few days but have just been too lazy to try to put together a diagram. Somebody did a really good thread awhile back with pics too but now most of the pics are red x's so it is time for us to do this again. So thank you, thank you! Lots of newbies are not sure what we are talking about when we say we are 4a/b, etc., some have pm'd me, so this is great.

Now for my imput: I think the first 3c pic is 3b. I think the second one is dead on. I think the first 4b pic is 4a/b.

I think so too.......but I'm confused on my own type so I dunno.

choconillaprincess.......good job on this and thanks for taking the time to do it. A lhcf hair type chart is a good idea! Maybe then we would be less confused.

 

[Vshanell]

I still don't know.

Nice work, though. I might disagree on one of the 4b pics, but since I can't type my own hair, I have no business.

I can't type my own hair either. I would say you're definitely a 3b though Cichelle. I think we have very similar hair but it dosen't look like you get as much shrinkage as I do? When my hair is curly it dosen't hang that long so maybe I have more 3c.

I love your avatar pic.......Georgeous!!!!

 

[Cichelle]

I can't type my own hair either. I would say you're definitely a 3b though Cichelle. I think we have very similar hair but it dosen't look like you get as much shrinkage as I do? When my hair is curly it dosen't hang that long so maybe I have more 3c.

I love your avatar pic.......Georgeous!!!!

Thanks!...ALL your pics are gorgeous!

I gave up on the hair typing thing. I say 3b cause I guess that fits best. Kinda sometimes. As to the shrinkage, mine varies depending on the day, weather, when I washed, what's in it and on and on. Believe me, I get MAJOR shrinkage. The other day, it looked like it was hardly bsl (more like apl).

 

[Fine 4s]

they don't appear to be that different in size. the 3c girl's hair is just longer and coils at the bottom, whereas the 4a girl's hair is just an S-wave throughout. (hmmmm... maybe Jill Scott was sporting a braid-out. that would throw everything off )

the question still remains ladies... where does one draw the line between 3c and 4a? you can be a 3c with pen-size coils or a 4a with pen-size coils. the problem is with the overlap in descriptions.

What about 4 a/b with no real coils just krinkly looking fine hair?
I posted a very small pic of my hair in another post that got no luv you might not be able to tell). I don't have many curls throughout but the back and sides have a different texture and with more curls. How do you type that? Based on my hair texture, I don't think you can categorize 4 hair with the size of curls b/c there might not be any curls.

 

[mnemosyne]

I gave up trying to type my hair. If you can see the pic in my sig with my new growth my coils are very tiny, but very well defined so I have no clue. If I just put my hair back in a bun it straightens out to waves so...

Edited to add a larger picture:

 

[Fine 4s]

I gave up trying to type my hair. If you can see the pic in my sig with my new growth my coils are very tiny, but very well defined so I have no clue. If I just put my hair back in a bun it straightens out to waves so...

Edited to add a larger picture:

I never understood how permed ladies type their hair. Is it the permed hair or the natural hair before the perm. But with that said your ng looks like a 3c IMO but these things change as the hair grows out more. So far I'd say 3c or 4a. But see, what I call 4a is like Rachel True or better yet like the hair texture on the Blended Beauty.com website under BB3: http://www.blendedbeauty.com/types.html

 

[ladylibra]

What about 4 a/b with no real coils just krinkly looking fine hair?
I posted a very small pic of my hair in another post that got no luv you might not be able to tell). I don't have many curls throughout but the back and sides have a different texture and with more curls. How do you type that? Based on my hair texture, I don't think you can categorize 4 hair with the size of curls b/c there might not be any curls.

well see... someone explained to me that the real difference between 4a and 4b is that 4a coils CLUMP and 4b coils don't. the whole 4b "zig-zag pattern" thing meant the strand was coily (so looks like a long S or Z) but didn't clump up with other strands. based on this, i have some 4b sections in my hair.

but then what do you call C-napps... they have no pattern. the hair just looks like a cloud of puffy cotton candy.

my hair typing system would consist of:

*thickness of strands
*density of hair
*shape of strands
*ability to clump
*size of curl/coil
*and shrinkage factor

 

[wonderstar]

I thought this was a mixture of 3c and 4a.

 

[LynnieB]

Ok so I see so many questions about hair typing so I decided to create my own hair typing diagram! I will be putting this in my fotki when it's perfected... so let me know if you have any objections:

First let me begin by saying that I think a lot of the confusion comes from the fact that their are subtypes within every hair type... for example some 3c's will hang and some will not; some 4a's will have definition and some will not; some level 4s will have fine hair and some will have coarse; and there will be curl size variation within each type group as well.


4b

*Some women with very tight 4b textures may use the term 4z (i.e. z-shaped strands)

So tell me how's that ladies? All imput is welcome!

i don't think Ayo is a 4b. she may be 3c, 4a or a 3c/4a mix - but i'm certainly no hair typing specialist (besides, i hate the whole hair typing business )

more pics here as well as a phat puff in her video interview:

http://ayo.wikidot.com/online-treats

then again, she could have a tex'd or it's just that her hair can easily look different depending on the styles she wants to wear it in (washngo, blowout puff, curly w/products, twist/braidouts, etc.). my hair can look very different too depending on what i do to it erplexed

http://www.pbsfm.org.au/SiteImages/img86871.jpg

http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/S...yo "Marc Jacobs" "Louis Vuitton"&src=standard

 

[silvergirl]

I thought this was a mixture of 3c and 4a.

thats what i thought, its too.... something about it looks very 4a ish..

 

[wonderstar]

well see... someone explained to me that the real difference between 4a and 4b is that 4a coils CLUMP and 4b coils don't. the whole 4b "zig-zag pattern" thing meant the strand was coily (so looks like a long S or Z) but didn't clump up with other strands. based on this, i have some 4b sections in my hair.

but then what do you call C-napps... they have no pattern. the hair just looks like a cloud of puffy cotton candy.

This makes a whole lotta sense.

 

[silvergirl]

or maybe its her texture thats throwing me off, her texture looks very course, most 3's tend to have more of a silky texture.. most of the time, maybe shes a texturized 4a?

 

[wonderstar]

thats what i thought, its too.... something about it looks very 4a ish..

Yea. That's how my hair would look if I do a wash n go.

 

[lipyt]

I would tweak the pictures for 4a 4b.
I think of this as a 4a:

https://www.kamlamillwood.com/images/kamla_millwood_natural_hair_photo_tqr2.jpg

4b representation (dont laugh, its a toupee', lol!)
http://hairprescriptionsrx.net/products/images/aftoupee1.gif

I think you hit the nail on the head with these pics!

 

[lipyt]

I respectfully disagree on the 4s. All of those 4s look like 4a s to me. Some of the hair is just denser than the others.

I even think that this hair is 4a:

.....
I'm sorry! That is tooo funny

 

[mnemosyne]

I never understood how permed ladies type their hair. Is it the permed hair or the natural hair before the perm. But with that said your ng looks like a 3c IMO but these things change as the hair grows out more. So far I'd say 3c or 4a. But see, what I call 4a is like Rachel True or better yet like the hair texture on the Blended Beauty.com website under BB3: http://www.blendedbeauty.com/types.html

That's like 6 months of new growth and the way my hair (and my dad's) always looks when it's natural (his gets really wavy though but he has some very curly sections near his nape). =) In both instances the actual natural texture is rather short so there's no chance of seeing how it would look longer. I'd think/hope that everyone would type their natural hair as a perm/texturizer is the end result, but won't tell you what your real texture is!

Thanks for your answer.

 

[Lovelylocs]

well see... someone explained to me that the real difference between 4a and 4b is that 4a coils CLUMP and 4b coils don't. the whole 4b "zig-zag pattern" thing meant the strand was coily (so looks like a long S or Z) but didn't clump up with other strands. based on this, i have some 4b sections in my hair.

but then what do you call C-napps... they have no pattern. the hair just looks like a cloud of puffy cotton candy.

my hair typing system would consist of:

*thickness of strands
*density of hair
*shape of strands
*ability to clump
*size of curl/coil
*and shrinkage factor

I think that I agreed w/u on this issue in another thread and I'm still agreeing with you now. I think we should do away w/this number and letter system. It sounds as if we are grading our hair.

I appreciate the time that Choconillaprincess spent! This is a great start.

 

[anon123]

*thickness of strands
*density of hair
*shape of strands
*ability to clump
*size of curl/coil
*and shrinkage factor

I like this. This would be so much more helpful than that overly simplistic number+letter one. Cuz there are lots of people with my coil/clump pattern whose hair really doesn't behave at all like mine, and people with different patterns that behave more like mine. I think thickness of strands and density play a big role in how we can style and what we can do to our hair. Also porosity, but I don't know how to find that out.

so i'd be:
thickness of strands: fine to medium
density: dense
shape: a few coiling/curling, but mostly uneven coils/bends
ability to clump: minimal, only with absolutely no combing, usually several washes, and only the very ends of about 15% of my hair (aka, pretty much "cnapp")
size of coil: pen spring to coffee stirrer
shrinkage: around 75%

 

[ladylibra]

I like this. This would be so much more helpful than that overly simplistic number+letter one. Cuz there are lots of people with my coil/clump pattern whose hair really doesn't behave at all like mine, and people with different patterns that behave more like mine. I think thickness of strands and density play a big role in how we can style and what we can do to our hair. Also porosity, but I don't know how to find that out.

so i'd be:
thickness of strands: fine to medium
density: dense
shape: a few coiling/curling, but mostly uneven coils/bends
ability to clump: minimal, only with absolutely no combing, usually several washes, and only the very ends of about 15% of my hair (aka, pretty much "cnapp")
size of coil: pen spring to coffee stirrer
shrinkage: around 75%

see... i get a MUCH more accurate mental picture of your hair this way! i know it's harder/longer to say than "4b"... but it's like me telling you "i wear a size 12" and expecting you to know how much i weigh, what my body type is, how i'm shaped, or how tall i am.

i would be...
thickness of strands: thick
density: dense
shape: S-waves, O-coils at the ends
ability to clump: medium, easily manipulated to high clumping ability by brushing when wet and co-washing throughout the week
size of coil: pencil-size
shrinkage: about 66%

 

[Vshanell]

Thanks!...ALL your pics are gorgeous!

I gave up on the hair typing thing. I say 3b cause I guess that fits best. Kinda sometimes. As to the shrinkage, mine varies depending on the day, weather, when I washed, what's in it and on and on. Believe me, I get MAJOR shrinkage. The other day, it looked like it was hardly bsl (more like apl).

Thank you! My shrinkage varies as well depending on the product or styling technique I use. I stopped using noodlehead so much because even though it gives me great curls, shrinkage is major. My hair was shrinking up to apl.

 

[diamsdesiles]

Thanks to you, now I know that Iam a 4b!!!
This is really helpful!

 

[diamsdesiles]

Thanks to you, now I know that Iam a 4b!!!
This is really helpful!

or a 4a

 

[talata]

Oh wow... Thanks a lot for starting this thread... Really clears up the confusion for me (I'm now around here). Now I def. know I'm a "4a - Relaxed". Thanks

 

[Qetesh]

i am still kinda confused.

i think am 3c tho? thats my end conclusion