Understanding Your Natural Hair Type

I tend not to focus on hair type although curiosity was at its peak as I transitioned from relaxed to natural hair. I watched natural hair videos and read articles pertaining to hair typing because it was a big topic when I hopped aboard the natural hair community on YouTube.

There was some misinformation, a lot of speculation and opinion, and some in depth lessons in hair typing that I came across. With so much information at my finger tips I was quickly able to see that there is a difference between hair type, hair texture, and curl pattern. That's the first thing to understand when trying to discover your hair type.

• Hair Type: Straight, wavy, curly, or kinky?
• Hair Texture: Fine, medium, or course?
• Curl Pattern: Loose s-pattern curls, tightly coiled curls, soft defined circular curls, or wiry zigzag-pattern curls?

Hair Type

I assumed as I transitioned that I was automatically categorized as having kinky hair. It looked kinky, felt kinky, and acted kinky. I assumed kinky. However, when my hair was wet, it was an entirely different assumption and became confusing. There are hair typing systems that provide basic guidelines such as celebrity stylist Andre Walker's hair typing system, which he details in his book titled "Andre Talks Hair". He classifies hair into 4 main hair groups. Type 1's are straight hair, type 2's are wavy, type 3's are curly, and type 4's are kinky. I am a combination 3/4.

Hair Texture

You may make the mistake of labeling your hair as being course simply because its not straight. However, curly and kinky hair can be fine and is prone to breakage and straight hair can be course. The texture of the hair is determined by the feel, density, and circumference of the strand. Fine hair tends to dry very quickly because its circumference is small or thin. It is also more prone to breakage. Course hair is usually considered porous and rough, and the strands are thick. This hair texture is dull because it does not reflect light. My hair texture is fine with medium strands in some areas.

Curl Pattern

Out of curiosity I did the curl pattern test at various stages of my transition. The test includes plucking one strand of hair, stroking it with shampoo, rinse, and apply hair conditioner. The curl pattern will be defined and this will give you an indication of your natural hair curl pattern.

The second but not least important thing to understand about natural hair types is that one head of hair can include multiple textures and curl patterns as I soon discovered. My natural head of hair has a mix of curl patterns. With many sub-types and variances in multi-racial hair, there is no one-size-fits-all solution in hair care. Only general guidelines. So when it comes to hair typing, I say its fun to discover but the most important thing is understanding your head of hair and how to make it thrive for optimal health and growth. I keep it simple.

Resources

http://www.curls.biz/curly-hair-type-guide.html
http://motowngirl.com/index.php/information-on-hair-types.html