What is your Hair Type?

To be quite honest, one cannot know their hair type unless they are natural, have been natural before (relaxing/texlaxing), or if transitioning, and have a substantial amount of growth, at least six months. I am no expert at typing hair, just sharing stuff I have learned during my transition.

There are many sites which help let us know what types there are. A lot of people, use the 1-4 hair typing system, which has A,B,C subcategories. Now I feel that density, can vary within these hair types, but that is just me.

Type 1- is bone straight hair, with no curl pattern. All hair (scalp) produces its own oils, but it distributes easily through straight hair, as opposed to someone with 3 or 4 (subcategory) hair. There is no subcategory for type 1 hair, as I have said before, it has no curl pattern. Think Jennifer Aniston.

Type 2- is wavy hair. To me it resembles hair that has a loose s curl pattern, which is the bridge between curly and straight hair.

A- C. From Loose S Curl Pattern to a tighter S Curl pattern, closer to resembling curls.

Type 3- is a curly hair. Which has defined S Curl Pattern.You can tell this because the hair is loopy.

A-C. this type of hair is curlier the deeper the pattern. For example, type 3a can start of straight, and then begin it's loopy patter, whereas type 3c hair can be curly from the root.

Type 4- is curly hair as well but this type hair can resemble an s or z curl. The Z curl looks  like a zig zag. This type hair is tightly coiled, but is the most fragile of them all, because the hair is packed more densely. 

A-C. This type can be tightly curled, all the way to 4c which does not have a defined curl pattern.

A website that truly helped me me make sense of this whole hair typing this is NaturallyCurly.Com Their hair typing gives an in depth detail of what hair types are, and what products is best used for each type, although in my opinion, you really won't know what works for you unless you do trial, and error. 

Another Hair typing system brought to my attention, was posted on my Home hair care forum, Forum.BlackHairPlanet.Com by one of our best contributers, V, she really knows her stuff. Is Mizani's Natural Curl Key. Their typing is a bit different, as it does not follow the 1-4 a/b/c categories, but has eight categories, from type I being Straight Hair, to type VIII Zig Zag Coiled Hair.

I knew my hair type by the time I found the Mizani Natural Curl Key, but it helped me narrow it down a bit more, and is also specific in how each type hair grows, and what have you.

Anyway, those two typing systems really helped me during my transition, and even when I was newly natural, and still trying to figure out what my hair type was, and what worked best for it. Again, I stand by the good ol' trail and error. Remember, what works for one person, may not work for the next. I am no expert, but I hope this information helps!

Until Next time, HHG to All! Naomi <3