August 25, 2012
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What’s Your Curl Pattern?
A lot of people find that the curl typing system is controversial. Most believe it’s a way of saying one curl pattern is better than another when, in fact, the reason the curl typing system was created was to show you how to care for your individual hair. Nothing more. Once you know your hair type, you’re better able to search online for products suited for your hair type and look for hairstyles suitable for your hair type. Of course, the choice of products will also depend on your hair’s porosity, width, and density but at least you’ll be headed in a more positive direction once you learn your hair type. See the chart below to determine what your hair type is. My hair currently is 3b on the top and back and 3c on the sides. I’m not sure what the sides will eventually look like (due to the scab hair issue). But this is where I currently stand and I am better able to deal with the hair that is growing out of my scalp at present.
The letter a, b, or c after the number tells you how thick the hair strand is.
Type 1 hair is straight with no curl or wave pattern.
Type 2 hair has no real curl but some soft waves are present.
Type 3 hair is “S” shaped and has a more definite curl pattern. It will either straighten or curl up into ringlets when wet. Will dry in a tighter curl pattern.
Type 4 hair has no “S” shape. It has kinks and twists that form either an “L” or an “O” shape or tight coils. This curl pattern doesn’t change in appearance when wet or dry. This is the most fragile of all the hair types due to the inability of the hair’s natural oil to reach the ends of the hair.
Pictures of the different hair types are as follows:
1a 
1b 
1c
2a 
2b 
2c
3a
3b
3c
4a 
4b 
4c
