Hair types
"What kind of hair do I have?" I think it's one of the most important questions to ask yourself at the beginning of a hair care journey if you want it to be effective and a source of satisfaction.
Knowing your hair type, together with your porosity, is FUNDAMENTAL in determining which products are able to work best, thus optimizing routine times (and financial resources).
Understanding the logic behind the hair classification wasn't very difficult, but it took me a while to figure out my hair type.
To better remember everything, I took note of the most widespread classifications, such as that of Andre Walker, which however is incomplete (it did not include 3C and 4C) compared to the most recent guidelines based on greater knowledge and awareness of the nature of curly hair, in particular the Afro one, and unrelated to commercial purposes/mainstream culture.
HAIR TYPES - The types of hair
The classification with the greatest consensus includes 4 types of (shape of) hair:
(1) STRAIGHT - Smooth;
(2) WAVY - Wavy;
(3) CURLY - Hedgehog;
(4) COILY – Spiral.
I point out that there is a "biological classification", born precisely in the wake of those more recent trends that I spoke about above, in which Coily hair is type 1, Curly hair is type 2, Wavy hair is type 3, Straight hair is type 4.
The Afro curl is often also referred to as Kinky, but I see that more and more operators of the Natural Hair Movement use this term to indicate not the entire Afro typology, but a "pattern" that it can have and I agree.
It is no coincidence that the concept of kinky coily , or tight spiral, is often used.
Each type of hair is then divided into three possible patterns which correspond to progressive letters (A, B, C...) which indicate the "degree" of curl amplitude.
The coordinates
By combining the typology and pattern components, these distinctions are obtained:
Straight hair
1A FINE/THIN STRAIGHT – Smooth fine and thin
1B MEDIUM STRAIGHT – Smooth with medium body
1C COARSE STRAIGHT – Smooth thick
Wavy hair
2A SLIGHT WAVES – Light waves
2B SOFT WAVES – Soft waves
2C DEFINED WAVES – Defined waves
Curly hair
3A CLASSIC CURLS – Classic curls
3B SPIRAL CURLS – Curl wrapped (wide spiral)
3C CORKSCREWS – Corkscrew hedgehog
Afro Curly Hair
4A SLIGHTLY COILED – Slightly coiled
4B KINKY – Thick Spiral
4C SUPER KINKY – Super thick spiral
My kinky coily crown
I managed to come to the conclusion that I am a 4C, as my hair is:
* Type 4, therefore Afro Hedgehog;
* Pattern C, super kinky, because it has a very tight spiral.
Were you able to classify yours? If you are still uncertain I leave you a useful image to identify your coordinates.
Image: Design vector created by pikisuperstar
I'm here for you
Before saying goodbye, I remind you that you can arrange a free consultation with me to learn how to choose products and to understand which procedures and techniques are most suitable for the care of your curly and afro-curly hair.
To book, write to me at tips@naturangi.it