Hair Typing 101-In My Own Words :-)

I got CURLS ON CURLS ON CURLS! And if you read that to the proper tune then you were right in doing so!Lol...let me stop!

So...as you all know, natural hair comes in many different textures. Hair could be thick, thin, curly, wavy and so on and so forth. To help categorize it better, a natural hair typing chart was developed. This chart groups hair by a number/letter system: 1-4C.




"1" would be just a straight texture; there is no natural curl definition.

Then you get into the "2s" which is the wavy category. This group, along with groups "3" and "4", has sub categories. Those categories are identified by the letter; they tell how loose or tight the actual wave or curl pattern is. So...2A-very loose wave (closer to straight), 2B-deeper waves, 2C-deepest waves. This type of hair is normally very easy to manage.

Now we're at "3". Type "3" is the curly hair family. Now, if you look at the chart above you will see the difference between the 3 sub categories. Of course, it's all in the tightness of the curl.You just have to pay attention to the size of the curl from root to tip. When type 3 hair is wet, it appears to be straighter than it actually is. Once it begins to dry, the curl pattern will be more apparent. Type 3 hair is known to be easy to style and normally has lots of body. However, it tends to be very sensitive to humidity which we all know causes frizz. Bummer.

The last group is Type 4 hair. "4's" are considered kinky. It is very tightly coiled and the most delicate of all the hair groups. As you can see from the chart, 4A is tightly curled from root to tip, 4B is more of a zig zag pattern, and 4C is an extremely tight curl pattern; it sometimes appears to have no curl at all. This hair type takes a little more maintenance because of it's very prone to tangles and it requires a lot of moisture.

Okay, that was my little rundown of the hair typing system! Actually some naturals prefer not to go by it just because it has proven to be a tad vague. There are some hair types that just don't fit directly in any of the categories. Also, most people have more than one hair type in their head (like myself). That can make it difficult to distinguish. Personally, I don't care for it much, but it is interesting. I'm one of those people who believe my hair doesn't fit in *insert sad emoji here*.

If you're wanting to see what your hair type may be, check this link out: http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types it has pictures of real women with the different types so you can get a better idea!

What do you think of the hair typing system? Is it useful or just blah?