Your Guide to Curly Hair Types From Experts

curl hair types

While it might require specific care to maintain moisture and manageability due to its tendency to be dry and prone to frizz, with the right care routine, coarse hair can look healthy and shiny. Everyone's hair has its own texture, which can be also referred to as a curl pattern. There are four commonly accepted types of hair, namely straight, wavy, curly and coily or kinky.

Discover More About Your Curls

Those with a 2a curl type have loose, fine, and thin waves—like a loose tousled texture, according to Breyer. “Their lack of volume and definition means that products can weigh them down easily make the strands straight,” she says. From bouncy waves to big, beautiful ringlets, no two curls are exactly alike. But curls do tend to fall in a pattern, from loose waves to tight coils and everything in between. Here, we’ll explore curl pattern types so you can unlock your hair’s unique potential.

A Guide on Every Curl Type and How to Nurture Each Pattern

Type 4c hair can range from fine, thin, and soft to coarse with densely packed strands. This is the hair type that requires the most moisture—heavy butters like the Melanin Hair Care Twist Elongating Style Cream ($20). Coily hair, commonly referred to as Afro-textured or kinky hair, is naturally very dry and spongy in texture and can be soft and fine or coarse and wiry. Strands form very tight, small curls of zig-zags right from the scalp and are prone to major shrinkage. Between shampoos, use a non-lathering, sulfate-free co-wash like the Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Shea Hydrating Co-Wash, so you don’t strip essential moisture from strands.

Hibar Moisturize Shampoo Bar

Examining hair and scalp health, in addition to hair classification and type, before starting a hair care regimen is essential. The special needs of curly require a certain level of moisturizing and polymeric materials to achieve its desired curl definition, body, and volume. As described above, curly hairs are elliptical (oval), and mechanical studies have shown that curly hair is weaker than straight Asian or Caucasian hair. With tight curls, you will want products that define and elongate your curls without weighing them down. Apply foam or mousse to your roots to enhance them, and look for shampoos and conditioners that won’t weigh your hair down but also adds some volume. Products that condition and lubricate your hair and reduce frizz are best.

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Before we get into the breakdown of the nine different types of curls, it helps to know three key terms that’ll have an effect on how well products will work for your hair. Hydrate your hair with a deep conditioner regularly to reduce frizz and increase definition. This type of hair will also benefit from additional nourishment from hair creams and oils to keep ringlets plush to the touch and protected from moisture. We like GH Beauty Award winner Suave Curl Defining Hair Cream that effectively prevented frizz and softened without a crunchy feel.

BATOUDE Heatless Curling Rod Headband

Properly moisturizing your 4B hair is the key to keeping it manageable and healthy. Now that you know about type 3 hair, let’s take a look at the more specific subtypes to find out if one of them describes your curl pattern. Even with these brief descriptions, it’s hard to determine which type your curls will actually fall under. That’s why we’re going to take a look at each curl type in depth. Each of those four types is then broken down into subtypes A, B, and C. But you can further break it down into type 1A, 1B, or 1C depending on your hair’s texture and appearance.

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curl hair types

It may only seem that there is too much information to keep in mind. Practice and consistency guarantee that you will be able to achieve the best result in no time. And once you need more knowledge, make sure to get back to our guide. Each hair strand has its own life cycle, which lasts between two to six years on average, and not all hair strands are in the same phase at the same time. This individual cycle ensures a constant hair density and prevents noticeable hair thinning in one area. After a hair falls out, the follicle goes dormant for about a year before starting to grow a new strand.

This hair type can have either a compact zigzag pattern that doesn’t twist around itself or tightly-wound s-shaped curls. Type 4 curls can shrink when dried, so to determine if this is your curl pattern, give it a closer look when hair is wet and dried. 3A curls are known as some of the easiest types of curls to manage and with the right products, might not even require much styling. Look for light styling creams to help control strands when styling and drying.

Below, we explain each category of type 3 hair and also give you a breakdown of the best products for this type of hair. Depending on how tight the wave pattern is, it can be further divided in 2a, 2b and 2c. As mentioned before, Type 1 is pretty much the absence of a curl—in other words, poker straight. This curl type technically shouldn’t be considered as a curl, however, it is just the beginning of the curl type system. Most women have two different hair textures at various parts of their head.

Type 4B curly hair is characterized by its small, zigzagged pattern, often accompanied by compressed and s-shape coils. This hair type is naturally dry and can range from fine to coarse texture. One common challenge for those with 4B hair faces is maintaining moisture, as it is most vulnerable when wet.

The degrees of curliness of your hair also correlate with the fiber's features like elasticity and diameter. The hair curvature is more complicated than it seems and is typically the product of environmental factors, genetics and molecular mechanisms. After years of requests, I’m finally sharing my go-to skincare products. Depending on the status of each layer, you can begin to determine how your hair reacts and what that means in terms of best care solutions.

To best way to take care of 2C hair is by avoiding over-washing because it will dry out your hair, cause breakage, and it will not combat the infamous frizz. Try washing your hair 2-3 times a week with a lightweight shampoo and by adding a little leave-in conditioner into your routine will do wonders for this curl type, especially when using a diffuser. Those with Type 2A hair have a loosely tousled texture with fine strands that are easily weighed down. It could pass off as Type 1 hair except that is has the slightest wave at the ends. Those with this texture want to stay away from the use of heavy styling products such as leave-in conditioners and heavy creams.

Now that you have identified your personal curl type from the standardized descriptions of curl patterns, let's explore some essential hair care tips specifically tailored to each type. People with curly hair have genes that create oval-shaped follicles which makes the hair curl. It's not just one gene that does this, but a bunch of them working together, which is why people in the same family with similar genes can have different types of curls.

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