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The cosmetic industry is flooded with various hair care products which are designed specifically to suit all your hair care needs. Nowadays, your hair care needs are not just limited to shampoos, conditioners or leave-in conditioners. Whenever you visit a shopping mart you will be taken aback by the array of hair care products on display for treating all your hair care needs. These products range from the ones that add volume to your hair, to products which add bounce and shine, to products which can make your curly hair straight and your straight hair curly. There are hair care products available which can lock moisture in your curls and there are products which make your oily hair, less greasy and more shiny.
Many girls are fascinated by curly hair, irrespective of the fact that curly hair is rather difficult to manage. Among all the hair types- straight, wavy, curly, maintaining the curly/coily hair is arduous. Curly hair is often unruly and unpredictable and is very difficult to tame. If you are able to figure out which type of curly hair you have then your half the job is over. Finding the right hair care product for your curly hair is very crucial in making it frizz-free and more manageable. Today in this article we are going to elucidate on curly hair, its types and how to tame your hair.
Different Types Of Hair
In order to figure out which type of hair you have, you should be aware of the different hair types. Let’s go back a few years to know who was the first person to study the different types of hair. A famous hairstylist from United States Andre Walker was the first person to classify different hair types based on hair textures. He divided the hair into 4 different types:
- Straight Hair
- Wavy Hair
- Curly Hair
- Coily Hair
Though most of the people consider wavy, curly and coily hair to be the same, the fact is that there is huge variation in their size depending on the diameter of each strand. Based on the diameter wavy, curly and coily hair is further divided into 3 subcategories: A, B and C.
Also Read : How To Determine Hair Type Once And For All
In layman’s term, a curl pattern refers to how curly your hair is. Loosely textured curls are known as ‘waves.’ Then comes the ‘curls’, which have a proper spiral pattern. Finally, we super textured kinky ‘coily’ which makes your hair appear shorter because of the tight coils.
How Does Your Hair Becomes Curly
The type of your hair is mainly determined by the shape of the follicle from which your hair grows out. The flat or oval-shaped follicles make your hair curly. The more flatter or oval-shaped your follicle is the more curly your hair becomes. The more circular the cross-section of the follicle, the more straight your hair becomes. People with textured hair have more than one type of hair pattern of their head, so they may have a combination of wavy, coily and curly hair on their head. The type and pattern of the curl can be best defined when your hair is wet. Depending upon the type and pattern of the curl, our hair type is categorized into
- 1s – Straight
- 2s – Wavy
- 3s – Curly
- 4s – Coily
Each hair type is again sub-divided into A to C depending upon the width or diameter of your strands.
Type As – Have a wider pattern size
Type Bs – Have medium pattern size
Type Cs – Has the smallest pattern size
The main advantage of understanding your hair type is that you can take care of your textured hair in a better way, thereby making your hair more vibrant and healthy.
Different Type Of Curly Hair
Now that you are aware of different types of hair and their subcategories, let us have an even better understanding of your curls. First, we are going to discuss type 1 hair: Straight Hair, because it has no curls.
Type 1- Straight Hair
You might be confused as to why straight hair is discussed in a curly hair type guide. This is just for your reference and to let you know the absence of curls in the Straight hair. This type of hair is glossy as it reflects more light. This type of hair is quite greasy because of the fact that the natural oil (i.e sebum) is evenly distributed from the roots to the tip of your hair, with no curls acting as a barrier.
Type 2- Wavy Hair
The wavy type of hair borderlines the straight and curly hair. This type of hair is straight as it starts from the roots and as it goes down starts taking the structure of a loop. These lazy loops form an S-shaped pattern and lie closer to your head. Wavy hair adds very little curl to your hair and this type of hair reflects light, but not as much as straight hair does. This type of hair is more prone to frizz and dryness as compared to straight hair. Let us have a look at the subcategories of Type 2 hair.
2A Wavy Hair
This type of hair is mostly fine and loosely textured. It is almost like a straight hair but with very slight waves to it. 2A wavy hair can easily be straightened or bent into curls with heating tools. With the help of a sea salt spray or a mousse one can easily add volume and texture to this type of hair, making it look thicker and fuller. People with this type of hair should use heavy styling products with caution as it can weigh down their hair and make it lifeless.
2B Wavy Hair
This type of hair is straight at the roots which transforms into definite S-shaped waves from the mid-length to the tip of your hair. The strands are thicker in diameter than the 2A type. This type of hair is a bit difficult to handle as it is quite frizzy at the top of the head. Hair gels and mousses work wonders on styling this type of hair.
2C Wavy Hair
This type of wavy hair is thicker and is more susceptible to frizz and dryness. It has definite S-shaped waves which start from the roots itself. In fact, they have well-defined corkscrew curls in them. 2C type of wavy hair requires more hydration to lock in the moisture in the strands to preserve the natural pattern of the hair and to prevent frizziness. You can use a good leave-in conditioner for providing hydration and lock the moisture in your strands with the help of a mousse.
Type 3- Curly Hair
This type of hair is well defined, springy and forms a perfect corkscrew type of hair. It appears to be quite thick and voluminous from the root to the tip. Type 3 curls are quite prone to dryness and frizziness because the natural oil from the roots is not able to reach the tip because of the super curls which act as a barrier. People with this type of hair need to have a proper hair care routine to make their curls well-defined and to prevent the curls from becoming dry, dull and frizzy. Let us find out more about its 3 subcategories.
Also Read : Best Natural Oils for Curly Hair
3A Curly Hair
These type of curls are large loose curls which have a definite S-shaped pattern and each curl is almost the size of a piece of sidewalk chalk. This type of curls are more prone to frizziness and their curls tend to lose definition.
3B Curly Hair
This type of textured hair has curls that are more springy as compared to 3A type curls and have a thickness similar to that of a marker pen. 3B type of curly hair is prone to dryness and lacks shine. It makes your hair look voluminous. Hair creams which are specifically formulated to attract moisture help to prevent dryness and frizziness.
3C Curly hair
3C type curly hair is tightly curled and have a circumference ranging from a straw to a pencil. The strands are fine-textured and are densely packed together on the head. It gives a voluminous look to your hair, but this type of hair is more prone to frizziness and dryness. Apply a mousse over the styling cream when your hair is wet to allow the strands to lock in the moisture and prevent dryness.
Embrace your curls and give them the much needed love with Anveya's Curls Care Range, specially crafted for Indian Curly Hair. This combo collectively nourishes hair, imparts prolonged hydration to the curls, makes the curls frizz-free, tangle-free, adds natural shine, provides thermal protection and gives perfect structure to the curls.
ANVEYA CURLY HAIR CARE COMBO
Type 4- Coily Hair
Coily hair is generally fine-textured hair which is tightly coiled up. This type of hair can be spongy and dry textured, making your hair look very voluminous. These wiry, tight, zig-zag curls are coarse in texture and are prone to shrinking. Coily type of hair is quite difficult to handle as they get tangled easily. This type of hair is the most fragile type of hair because it has very few cuticle layers to protect the strands from dryness. Let us have a look at the 3 sub-categories of coily hair.
4A Coily Hair
These type of springy coils are fine and coarse-textured which are tightly wound coils starting from the head. This type of hair follows an S-shaped pattern and are as wide as a crochet needle. Thick hair creams with an excellent moisturizing property such as shea butter is a must for adding moisture to this type of hair.
Also Read : A Complete Guide For Usage Of Shea Butter For Hair Care
4B Coily Hair
This type of coily hair follows a sharp Z-shaped pattern and is as wide as a spring inside a pen. This type of hair is either coarse or fine textured and needs to be treated with castor oil or coconut oil before washing your hair to lock moisture in your hair.
4C Coily Hair
This type of coily hair is almost similar to 4B coily hair and the only difference between these 2 types is that 4C type of coily hair lacks definition and is more prone to shrinking. This type of hair is very delicate and it is quite thin, fine and wiry in texture. 4C type of coily hair needs creamy humectants as a leave-in moisturizer to provide extra protection to this type of fine-textured hair.
So, now you are well aware of the different types of hair based on their texture and you can easily make out which is your hair type and can treat your hair accordingly to provide maximum care and protection to your strands which ultimately makes your curls look healthy, hydrated and well defined.
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