If you can understand your hair, you will be able to treat it right, find the right hair products, and help get you the healthy hair we all want. So, what are the types of hair, and what is your hair texture? Let’s get into how to figure out your hair type with a few hair characteristics.
Hair Characteristics
There are a few different characteristics that play into what are the types of hair and what your hair type is.
- Texture
- Porosity
- Scalp Moisture
- Density
- Type
Let’s break each one down, how to determine yours, and where to go from there.
Hair Texture
Hair texture refers to the thickness of each individual strand of hair. This is a crucial factor in determining how your hair reacts to styling, how it holds curls, and how much moisture it needs. Here’s how you can figure out your hair texture:
- Fine hair: This hair is thin and delicate, often lacking volume. It can be harder to style and might not hold curls for long.
- Medium hair: The most common texture, medium hair is easy to style and holds curls or waves well.
- Coarse hair: Thicker, heavier strands that are harder to style but can hold a curl or style for much longer.
How to Test Your Hair Texture
There are two simple ways to determine your hair texture:
- Style Test: Observe how your hair holds a style.
- Fine hair struggles to hold curls.
- Medium hair holds curls for a reasonable amount of time.
- Coarse hair holds curls well but is harder to style initially.
- Strand Test: Take a single strand of hair and compare it to a piece of sewing thread.
- If your hair is thicker, you likely have coarse hair.
- If it’s thinner, your hair is fine.
- If it’s somewhere in between, it’s likely medium.
Additionally, fine hair will feel almost weightless when you run your fingers through a strand, while coarse hair will feel thicker and more substantial.
*Don’t get fine hair texture confused with thin hair. Those are two different things but sometimes get thrown around interchangeably.
**If you want to learn some ways how to help your hair hold a curl, check out this blog post.
Hair Porosity
Hair porosity refers to the amount of moisture your hair absorbs. Porosity is determined by the amounts of gaps or tears in your hair cuticle. The cuticle is the outer part of your hair that protects from wear and tear.
High porosity means your hair absorbs ALL the moisture (water and products). Hair with high porosity tends to be dry and can become frizzy easily. This hair type often benefits from heavier, more moisturizing products.
Low porosity means your hair doesn’t absorb moisture (water or products) easily. It may feel greasy or weighed down by products that sit on top of the hair. Low porosity hair benefits from light, water-based products and techniques that open the cuticle slightly for better absorption.
Scalp Moisture
Scalp moisture determines how oily your hair is. Depending on how oily your scalp is will determine how often you should wash your hair and the type of products to help your hair look fresh and clean.
A more oily scalp isn’t bad which I feel like a lot of people feel like it is. It’s based on genetics and hormones, aka not your fault.
Oily scalp: If your scalp produces a lot of oil, your hair may look greasy after just one day. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing—it’s simply based on genetics and hormones. However, an oily scalp might require a clarifying shampoo or lightweight products.
Dry scalp: A dry scalp can lead to flaking, itching, and product buildup. Moisturizing shampoos and treatments that promote scalp hydration can help.
Hair Type
Hair type refers to the shape of your hair fibers.
Type 1 AKA Straight Hair
Straight hair is type 1 hair and is considered to be the most resilient yet oiliest hair type. Because the hair is straight, it makes the natural oils from the scalp travel to the ends easily. Straight hair can be hard to curl.
1A – Straight, superfine, and fragile – Sheds & falls out easily
1B – Straight, fine, and thin – Shiny and sleek with a few course fibers sometimes with flipped ends
1c – Straight, thick, or coarse – lays flat at the root but with volume and has a slight bend
Type 2 AKA Wavy Hair
Wavy hair is type 2 hair and has an average amount of body and shine but is also prone to frizz. It’s easy to style.
2A – Wavy, fine, but almost straight – waves start at eye level
2B – Wavy – more of an S-shaped wave towards the end when air dried
2C – Course and tight waves – sometimes confused with 3A but the S wave starts at root
Type 3 AKA Loose, Curly Hair
Type 3 hair is grouped by the tightness of the curls and is considered a dry hair type as the tighter the hair curls are, the harder for the oils to travel down the hair. It can be prone to damage and breakage when treated rough or with chemicals.
3A – Loose ringlets and fine to medium texture – well-defined springy curls size of sidewalk chalk
3B – Between bouncy ringlet and tight corkscrew – usually the size of a permanent marker
3C – Tight corkscrews – lots of strands densely packed together – the size of a pencil
Type 4 AKA Tight, Curly Hair
Type 4 hair is more of a Z pattern
4A – Tight Coil with volume – they are about the size of a crochet needle and not as interlocked as the other type 4 curls and are more ‘independent’ curls
4B – Z coil with no visible curl pattern can form into an afro – horizontal hair growth and curls are stiff and dense
Hair Density
Hair density refers to the actual number of hairs on your head. The more hair, the higher density your hair is.
Did you figure out your hair type and the different types of hair?
XO, Annie
