No more hair type confusion

[foxybronx]

I have been noticing ALOT of hair type confusion.. Hair typing is very confusing so i will try to show pics to explain it best way i know how..

Type 1



Straight.. no wave or curl pattern

Type 2:

Wavy "S" shape…

Type 3
Curly

Has three subdivisions

3a: Loose curls
:

3b: Medium curls

3c: tight curls in corkscrews (combination bw 4a and 3b)

Type 4: Kinky



4a: Tightly coiled when stretched it has a S pattern

4b:
4b has a "Z" pattern no real curl...

HTH

 

[Iansan]

Great Post! Thank you!

 

[baglady215]

Great Post! Thank you!

What she said! Thanks!

 

[foxybronx]

your welcome ladies!

 

[qtgirl]

YAYMEN!

 

[lkg4healthyhair]

Thanks I just figured out my daughter is 3c in the front and top (she has the cutest cork screws) and 4b in the back (no curl pattern) then at the nape it's like a 2 (wavy).

My hair use to grow in kinky in the top and front (4a) but now it grows more wavy ever since I had a baby (or could it be the Surge ) and the back used to grow in straight like a 1 now it too is like a 2 with a wave pattern.

I guess I am more like a 4a/2???????????

 

[Tai]

We needed this, Foxy. Thank ya, girlie.

 

[CLASSYEBONYGIRL]

Excellent post!! Thanks for clearing up all the confusion. I was a bit confused myself but I definately think that I have 4A/4B hair. Any other opinions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Peachtree]

Thanks for posting.

 

[kristina]

much appreciated.

 

[jetcitygirl]

Thanks for the great illustrations! I wish my hair fell neatly into one of those categories but I still haven't seen my hairtype pictured anywhere. It's got characteristics of 3C & 4A so that's what I call myself but my hair doesn't really look or behave like the classic examples of either of those types.

 

[Poohbear]

This is better than Andre's system. This is straight and to the point. All descriptions are distinct and different.

from this guide, my hair has a mixture of just 3C & 4A... nappy as can be!

 

[MissMarie23]

Wow, this is VERY helpful! Thank you for putting the pictures together!

 

[Mestiza]

Thanks, foxybronx! Now, I know that my dad's hair type is 3b.

 

[Philosophy]

Thank you! I've been relaxed for several years and from what I remember, I'm 4b. Now that I'm transitioning (in braids) I kinda get to see my natural hair again Thanks to your descriptions I think I more accurately understand that I'm really 4a/b. Guess I'll know for sure once I'm out of braids. Thanks again, the pictures help so much!!

 

[Porsche19]

There is still room for confuion

My hair in it's natural state does not resemble any of the pictures. It's looser than the picture of 4a hair, but tighter than the picture of 3c hair. In the back it very closely resembles the 3c of the girl with the 3c highlights, but is coarser.

In my whole life I have only seen 1 person with hair like mine. Of course, this can be because many women straighten their hair.

I just call it a day and say I'm 3c/4a.

 

[Mestiza]

Does anyone have pictures that they can post for the subtypes A, B and C for Hair Types 1 and 2? Thanks!

 

[Tai]

I don't know any people of color with type 2 or 1 hair. But I know some white people so that's who's in the pic. The mom is a type 2b and her son is a type 1a.

 

[Nay]

I think those pics are very helpful, but the whole hair typing thing is still confusing because unless we can see/comb another person's hair in all its different stages (washed, dried, no products, with products) it's still just guesswork.

So I'm not gonna "type" my hair anymore. I just know it's hell to comb if I wash it and let it dry without any conditioner in it

 

[Tai]

I suppose I'm just one of those people that just doesn't see what's so hard about hair typing.
If your hair's straight with no bend or wave, you're a type 1. If it's baby fine and thin, it's an A, medium with good body a B, and if it's coarse, slightly wiry and thick it's a C. If your hair isn't straight when it's wet and dry; it's not a type 1.

If you've got a bit of a wave but not much it's a 2a. If you've got bigger waves it's a 2b and if the waves are almost a curl, it's a 2c. If you hair looks straight when it's wet but waves up when it's dry, you're a type 2.

If you have big curls and it's easy to get your hair to look wavy, it's a 3a. If those curls are spirally, medium sized O shaped or S shaped and are bigger than a coffee stirrer, it's a 3b. Andre doesn't have a 3c so in his book 3c's are 3b's but if your curls are the size of a coffee stirrer to a pencil, very defined and look much longer wet, it would be what naturally curly calls a 3c. If you hair looks either very wavy to curly when it's wet and the curls get tighter and more defined when it's dry, you're a type 3.

If you have defined curls that are very small and tend to lose that definition when they dry and have a lot of shrinkage in it's natural state, it's a 4a. If there's no curl definition or it's very minimal and there's also high shrinkage, it's a 4b. If your hair looks curlier wet than dry and shrinks up more once dry, you're a type 4.

If you chemically alter your hair, you need at least an inch of new growth to determine what your actual natural hair type is. The more natural hair you have, the clearer it is to tell.

Somewhere along those descriptions, your hair is going to fit in. It won't always be a perfect match; it may not describe every hair on your head but you can have a general idea of what kind of hair you have, if it really matters to you.

 

[Porsche19]

The mom is more of a 1b or 1c. 2b has MUCH more defined and tighter waves.

 

[senimoni]

I thought 1 was completely straight, regardless of a,b,or c?

 

[Poohbear]

unless we can see/comb another person's hair in all its different stages (washed, dried, no products, with products) it's still just guesswork.

I agree. For example: Andre's hair typing system only explains how Type 3 looks when it's wet and dry. He doesn't say how type 4 should look. And the descriptions he gives for type 3 & 4 sound so very similar to me.

 

[foxybronx]

No problem ladies! Happy to help

Seminomi.. 1 is completely straight no matter type a, b, or c

Great Post Tai!

 

[curlilocs]

I suppose I'm just one of those people that just doesn't see what's so hard about hair typing.
If your hair's straight with no bend or wave, you're a type 1. If it's baby fine and thin, it's an A, medium with good body a B, and if it's coarse, slightly wiry and thick it's a C. If your hair isn't straight when it's wet and dry; it's not a type 1.

If you've got a bit of a wave but not much it's a 2a. If you've got bigger waves it's a 2b and if the waves are almost a curl, it's a 2c. If you hair looks straight when it's wet but waves up when it's dry, you're a type 2.

If you have big curls and it's easy to get your hair to look wavy, it's a 3a. If those curls are spirally, medium sized O shaped or S shaped and are bigger than a coffee stirrer, it's a 3b. Andre doesn't have a 3c so in his book 3c's are 3b's but if your curls are the size of a coffee stirrer to a pencil, very defined and look much longer wet, it would be what naturally curly calls a 3c. If you hair looks either very wavy to curly when it's wet and the curls get tighter and more defined when it's dry, you're a type 3.

If you have defined curls that are very small and tend to lose that definition when they dry and have a lot of shrinkage in it's natural state, it's a 4a. If there's no curl definition or it's very minimal and there's also high shrinkage, it's a 4b. If your hair looks curlier wet than dry and shrinks up more once dry, you're a type 4.

If you chemically alter your hair, you need at least an inch of new growth to determine what your actual natural hair type is. The more natural hair you have, the clearer it is to tell.

Somewhere along those descriptions, your hair is going to fit in. It won't always be a perfect match; it may not describe every hair on your head but you can have a general idea of what kind of hair you have, if it really matters to you.

I agree with you. I didn' t have much trouble with defining my hair type based on Andre' Walker charting/ naturally curly either. I just think that most people are visual by nature. I'm sure most were on point with their assessments of their hair type but a pic seems to seal the deal. When reading a description and factoring in different textures co-existing on one head I can see where it can get overwhelming for some.

 

[katie]

What about the type of hair that when wet, doesn't look wet at all. You can literally see water droplets "sitting" on the hair and the hair looks completely dry though it is soaking wet.

 

[foxybronx]

That sounds like type 4. Our hair seems to absorb the water like a cotton sponge

 

[Poohbear]

What about the type of hair that when wet, doesn't look wet at all. You can literally see water droplets "sitting" on the hair and the hair looks completely dry though it is soaking wet.

i have areas of my hair where water droplets sit on my hair. From the LOIS system, that's considered wiry hair. And the thing with Andre's system, it seems like type 4 would be considered wiry but not everyone with type 4 hair has wiry hair. Also, I've seen people with type 1 or 2 hair who have water droplets on their hair when it's wet.

 

[pink_flower]

I have another question. Anyone can answer this but do you think shrinkage is only a type 4 characteristic?

 

[katie]

That sounds like type 4. Our hair seems to absorb the water like a cotton sponge

Thanks! I figured as much.