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Type 1: Straight hair; nothing more, nothing less.
Type 2: Wavy hair; Your hair is wavy if it curves in the "S" shape while laying flat against the scalp, instead of standing away from the head the way curly hair does. Type 2 subtypes: A, fine & thin; B, medium-textured; and C, thick and coarse. Type 2A is very easy to handle, navigating between straighter or curlier styles is simple. Types 2B and 2C are a little more resistant to styling and have a tendency to frizz.
Type 3: Curly hair; With curly hair, there is a definite loopy "S" pattern. When curly hair is wet, it usually straightens out. As it dries, it absorbs the water and contracts to its curliest state. Those of you with Type 3 hair know all too well that humidity makes curly hair even curlier, or even frizzier. This hair type has a lot of body and is easily styled in its natural state, or it can be easily straightened with a blow-dryer into a smoother style. Healthy Type 3 hair is shiny, with soft, smooth curls and strong elasticity. The curls are well-defined and springy. Damaged Type 3 hair is usually frizzy, dull, hard and dry to the touch, with fuzzy, ill-defined curls. 
Type 3 subtypes: A, hair that is very loosely curled like Julia Robert's or Susan Sarandon's is usually very shiny with big curls. The shorter the hair, the straighter it gets. 3B, is hair with a medium amount of curl, ranging from bouncy ringlets (Shirley Temple) to tight corkscrews (Cree Summer). It's not unusual to find both subtypes coexisting on the same head, with the crown being the curliest.Type 3C: (Which is ME!) Hair with tight curls in corkscrews. The curls can either be kinky, or very tightly curled, with lots and lots of strands densely packed together. Some people refer to this as "big hair". 3C has really really tight curls, like pencil or straw circumference. 3B is like sidewalk chalk or salt shaker circumference, and 4A is like coffee stirrer circumference.
Type 4: Kinky hair; or very tightly curled. Usually, Type 4 hair can range from fine/thin to wiry/ coarse strand texture. Normally, this hair is densely packed to give the appearance of very thick but fragile hair. 4A hair has a clearly visible curl and wave pattern that ranges from pen size curls to pen spring size coils. 4B has a tighter wave pattern and kinks of various size. This texture does not exhibit the shine or silkiness of looser type curls, but instead has sheen, and a soft, almost cotton-like feel.As with other types of curly hair, showing the true length can be an extra challenge, as the hair may grow "up" or "out" before starting to hang down. In its unlocked/unbraided state, Type 4 hair is known to shrink up to 75% of the actual hair length. Oprah, Whoopi Goldberg and Angela Bassett are all Type 4's.
For more information please visit http://www.naturallycurly.com/
courtesy of www.naturallycurly.com
13 comments:
Hey Wes,
You might want to take a look at:
http://www.honeyfig.com/en/products/hair_care/hair_types/index.html
They've added another hair type that i think is much needed for people like me ;) check it out
excellent post. people should def know their hair type.
@ Just Love Me...:
I see they've added 5A (Relaxed hair) to the list! Some may want to debate this but it is what it is & although some are now opting to shy away from the chemicals, it IS still a staple in our community. Might as well learn how to properly care for it :)
I'm type 4
I'm a 3c, too!! I agree that knowing your hair type can help you in conversations with other people especially in internet-land. Though it's not exact, it certainly narrows things down some!
@ Nina: I agree, learning my 'hair type' helped me out a lot (and still does)!
Great post! I really didn't know my hair type until I went natural, and it helps a lot! Keep up the great work.
My hair can be a little fical. For example....Go back to Midwest...hair + humidity=trainwreck. Here at home..hair+"dry heat"= wavy or straight if I blow-out. Thank God for products! Keep blogging!
I am now a Mixed Chicks products faitfull. The stuff is worth every penny for curls. The women who started the company, are very helpful and their story of how they came to be is inspiring. www.mixedchicks.net
oooh! this is great. my hair is relaxed, but when i let it air dry it becomes a 3c. wonder what it would be if i were natural...
i tried mixed chicks earlier this summer. i was really excited when i saw it in the store, and then when i checked out their website. unfortunately, it didn't do anything spectacular for me when i let my hair air dry. it was just another shampoo. have also tried miss jessie's (??) curly pudding and was not moved...
could be because i'm relaxed; but when i recently tried hair rules i loved it! so far, it is the only shampoo/conditioner that has given me such wonderful results when i air dry. i loved how my hair looked! that being said, it could've been better. i won't drone on w/specifics (this comment is long enough already - lol); but i thought my hair still could've been shinier and more touchable.
so i'm still in search of the best wash-n-go product for my relaxed hair. was thinking of trying kinky curly, because it's made by a trini. lol ;-p
@ Isch: Kinky-Curly is actually one of my favorites also (I still use it to this day), that was one of the first products I reviewed when I started this blog:
http://www.honeybrownsugar.com/2008/03/kinky-curly-custard.html
PS- Im still using the same jar!!
just read your post on kinky-curly custard - nice! i will def have to pic it up now...don't usually do wash-n-go once it gets cold, but i'll have to give it a try.
i always get excited about new products on the market for curly/kinky hair; but then get disheartened quickly when it doesn't work. i remember when Pantene first came out w/whatever they call their "ethnic" line. It was like washing my hair w/Pink Oil. So greasy and gross. lol
Have a great weekend!
and good to know a little goes a long, long way!
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