Different types of hair

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Type 1

Type 1 is straight hair and is further subcategorized:

•Type 1a – Straight (Fine/Thin) – Hair tends to be very soft, shiny and difficult to hold a curl. Hair also tends to be oily, and difficult to damage.

•Type 1b – Straight (Medium) – Hair has lots of volume & body.

•Type 1c – Straight (Coarse) – Hair is normally bone straight and difficult to curl. Asian women usually fall into this category.

Type 2

Type 2 is wavy and tends to be coarse, with a definite S pattern to it. There are three Type 2 subtypes defined below.

•Type 2a – Wavy (Fine/Thin) – Hair has a definite “S” pattern. Normally can accomplish various styles.

•Type 2b – Wavy (Medium) – Hair tends to be frizzy, and a little resistant to styling.

•Type 2c – Wavy (Coarse) – Hair is also resistant to styling and normally very frizzy; tends to have thicker waves.

Type 3

When this type of hair is wet, it appears to be pretty straight. As it dries, the hair goes back to its curly state. When curly hair is wet it usually straightens out. As it dries, it absorbs the water and contracts to its curliest state. Humidity tends to make this type of curly hair even curlier, or frizzier. Type 3 hair 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.

Andre defines two subtypes of curly hair. First, there is type 3a and 3b. The longer the hair is the more defined the curl. Then there is type 3b hair, which has a medium amount of curl to tight corkscrews. It’s not unusual to see a mixture of these types existing on the same head. Curly hair usually consists of a combination of textures, with the crown being the curliest part. Lastly there is a type 3c. This is a hair type that is not in Andre Walker’s book. This type of hair can be described as tight curls in corkscrews. The curls can be either kinky, or very tightly curled, with a lot of strands densely packed together.

•Type 3a – Curly (Loose Curls) – Hair tends to be shiny and there can be a combination of textures. It can be thick & full with lots of body, with a definite “S” pattern. It also tends to be frizzy. The longer the hair the more defined the curl becomes.

•Type 3b – Curly (Tight Curls) – Also tends to have a combination texture, with a medium amount of curl.

Type 4

According to Andre Walker, if your hair falls into the Type 4 category, then it is kinky, or very tightly curled. Generally, Type 4 hair is very wiry, very tightly coiled and very fragile. Similar to Type 3 hair, Type 4 hair appears to be coarse, but it is actually quite fine, with lots and lots of these strands densely packed together. Healthy Type 4 hair typically has sheen rather than shine. It will be soft and silky to the touch and have proper elasticity.

There are two subtypes of Type 4 hair: Type 4a, tightly coiled hair that, when stretched, has an S pattern, much like curly hair; and Type 4b, which has a Z pattern, less of a defined curl pattern. The hair bends in sharp angles like the letter Z. Type 4a tends to have more moisture than Type 4b which will be wiry.

•Type 4a – Kinky (Soft) – Hair tends to be very fragile, tightly coiled, and has a more defined curly pattern.

•Type 4b – Kinky (Wiry) – Also very fragile and tightly coiled; however with a less defined curly pattern -has more of a “Z” pattern shape.