The 12 Hair Types & How They Can Help You
That’s a loaded question…and we could go in so many directions here – I’m going to keep this is as simple as possible with a chart you can print and hold up to your hair to figure that out, and then we will break down each of the 12 hair types, including Type 1, and their characteristics. We will also briefly discuss the history of the curl typing system that has really simplified the process for us all.
Knowing your hair/curl type can help you determine what products and methods will work best for your hair.
The Basic Hair Types
First, Let’s look at basic types – you can simply print this chart and hold a clump of hair up to it to determine which one seems to fit the best. This is a great place to start. Don’t fret if you fall into fall into more than one category…that’s totally normal…
Also, you should know, this topic about hair types is often debated – and there are a few different methods of typing hair. Keep this in mind as you learn about your own hair.
Here’s a Video Presentation of the information on all 12 hair types -below that, you’ll find a link to a version with a voice over for those that may have visual impairments.
I have gone over and over how to best present this information to you – basically, I’ve done all the reading and all the research and pulled all of the details I feel are relevant. So, instead of you trying to read through multiple paragraphs, I thought it most prudent to present as a chart that you can use for easy reference. Because all of the curl types overlap, and every single head of hair is so unique, this just makes more sense to me that bouncing back and forth to different pages/paragraphs/posts about different hair types.
If all of the hair types overlap why even bother?
Well, here’s the thing – I’m a 2b/2c/3a, and if I work really hard at it, I can make my hair look like a 3b – so, to me, it really doesn’t. I follow and learn from all of the wavy, curly, and coily girls – they have information and techniques that work for my hair. So, in my case, it doesn’t really matter that much. But, if you like having a jumping off point – kind of knowing where to start, this information can be absolutely invaluable to you and get you off to a great start. If you’re already chest deep in your curly journey, maybe it will give you a little information to tweak your routine and find your holy grail products.
There’s also a little more to this – like density and porosity. We’re not going into that today – because, as I have mentioned in previous posts, I want to you take tidbits of information at a time and NOT try to digest everything all at once. Use these details to help you, encourage you, and get the best from your hair.
Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to properly upload a spreadsheet in a way that makes sense to you, the reader. Instead, I have here a small image of the PDF you can download to print. Someday, I will figure out how to best upload spreadsheets!
Who made the first curl chart?
Curl typing wasn’t a thing until Oprah Winfrey’s stylist, Andre Walker, made it one in the 1990s. His system was not particularly a fan favorite, and it has evolved since. Many stylists and curly hair enthusiasts have very differing views on how curls should be typed.
What I have presented here is a basic overview of the 12 hair types, including straight hair types. We could go into much further depth, but we’ll stop here for now. Soon, we’ll talk more about Porosity and Density.
Now what?
Please let me know if the chart and/or videos above were helpful for you! I’d rather not admit how many hours I spent on those…🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪 and your feedback helps me, tremendously, to know what to present, and how to present it…even if it’s ‘constructive criticism’. I appreciate your taking the time to visit my little place on the web, and hope you’ll take a few minutes to look around and see what else you can find of interest.
Subscribers to this series will be entered to win a hair care package from me! Details coming soon!
Much Love to you and yours!
Cindi
Self proclaimed Godmother of the Messy Bun Mafia.
