Are you interested to know your Hair Type? I got curious to know about mine when my Hair started to shed like never before. It felt as if there is no strength in my Scalp. This must have happened due to the reduced Estrogen hormone level after my second pregnancy. But, if I let my hair fall in the same way as it did, the days ahead would line up with serious consequences for my hair and scalp.
Why Is It Important To Know About the Type of Hair You Have?
It is important for you to know about the Hair Type and not only that but also the Pattern and Porosity of your hair. Once you have an idea about the kind of hair you have, it will be easier to apply the hair essential products. You can easily decide on the frequency of hair wash, oiling, conditioning that your hair requires. Moreover, your hair will be easier to maintain and style up easily on both Special and Usual days.
What kind of Hair Type may I have?
This is one of the most common questions you must have thought about while you go to buy a hair product. My suggestion is to do your research on the kind of hair you have and jump on the step of ordering your hair essentials only after that. Basically, there are Four(4) existing hair types. They are Straight, Wavy, Curly, and, Kinky but these Hair types even have their own categories and to know that correctly is the real challenge.
Hereunder, in this article, I am going to discuss the Hair Types and their categories in the form of a chart so that it becomes easier for you all to understand them in a better way. Please go through this Chart and find out the Type of Hair that matches to one that you have.
Straight Hair Type
Have you not seen even a tiny bit of twist in any of your hair strands from root to tip. If yes, that means you have a perfect Straight hair type. You must be thinking, why did I say a Perfect Hair Type. The reason being that straight hair is easy to maintain which means easy to wash and easy to dry. But on the other hand, you may feel oily with your hair most of the time. That’s because Natural oils or Sebum have a tendency to cover up straight hair strands very easily making them look oily and sticky. Straight Hair Type has distinct characters and can be further divided into three subcategories.
Type 1A
With a little bit of volume, this hair type is the best to manage. But, if thin hair is not the type that you love, then it’s a problem. It looks brilliant with the soft and shiny hair strands, so think of adding volume to your hair type with a multi-layered haircut or enhancing it with highlights or partial coloring.
Type 1B
With an added volume to the earlier one, this hair type looks a bit thicker than Type 1A but still easier to manage. If you are blessed with this Hair Type, you are the best candidate for the well-groomed, elegant looks with your hairstyles.
Type 1 C
With lots of hair strands in your scalp, Type 1C is the most voluminous category in Straight Hair. Moreover, this one is also the most difficult to manage. At the same time, you can make variable hairstyles if you fall into this particular category.
Wavy Hair Type
Is your hair strand looking like a Spiral shape or an Alphabet? Most probably, it’s similar to an “S”, with a little twist at equal distances like waves does. This is exactly what we call Wavy Hair. Wavy hair is slightly differentiated into three distinct categories. This type of hair is easy to style on with its tousled or flirty characteristics. If you have wavy hair, avoid using styling products for further curling or straightening.
Type 2A
Slightly defined “S” shaped curls if you have, you fall in the Type 2A category. The waves in your hair are loose and longer. It’s easy to manage and should be styled with its simple, natural look which according to me is the best one. This hair type will help you get the natural curls and save your time with already-ready hair.
Type 2B
This type relates to a higher frequency in the number of waves towards the lower ends of your hair strands. With tighter curls than Type 2A, this hair type can be styled better. Not so problematic to manage, this type of Hair should be protected against Frizz and Dryness to avoid unwanted hair breakage.
Type 2C
Your waves will resemble more like a curly hair pattern if you fall in Type 2C classification. With a lot of waves in your whole hair from root to tip, your hair type is most prone to Frizz and Dryness. The waves are tighter and increase in frequency as you move down towards the tip of the hair strands. So, enjoy your natural look and try to better manage it with lightweight styling products.
Curly Hair Type
With enormous curls or spiral windings in your Hair Strands, curly hair can give you some amazing looks without doing much effort towards washing it several times. Sometimes you may see a mix and match of waves and curls when your hair is loosened without any Styling products. You can go for a short or a long-length haircut, whichever looks best on your face. To know more about this hair type you must notice the pictures that show loose curls and big spirals, dry, fine, and more spiral ringlets.
Type 3 A
With very loose curls and big spirals, this subcategory is a middleman between the Wavy and Curly hair types. Type 3A is the finest of all in the curly hair classification and is prone to dryness in very little time. You can apply the Hair Mousses to retain the texture of a 3A hair type.
Type 3 B
When the curls of the 3A type get wider or broader in diameters like a pencil or a screw with tighter curls, it can be referred to as 3B curly hair. You should keep it moisturized as much as possible to avoid it from getting frizzier and dry.
Type 3 C
Even thicker and absolutely high in frequency than Type 3B curls, the 3C hair type is the most voluminous and packed up hair type. It is very easy to identify amongst all others. Type 3C is also most prone to breakage and dryness. You do not need a lot of styling products for 3C. But you do need to have a regular moisturizing schedule to avoid dryness.
Coily or Kinky Hair Type
This was confusing for me always. Do you get confused also? Who cannot be, they almost look the same? But when you research from basics of the Hair Type, you get to know that they are different. I just saw them in pictures till now before my stay in the USA. I can say they are super tight curls that resemble a “Z” or “S” shape. The scalp oil will not at all be able to reach the hair strands due to kinks and coils. So, let us describe them individually.
Type 4A
Super small coils packed tightly on the head scalp. You cannot tie them but beaded hairstyles look beautiful. Your natural oils will not reach your coils down the length of your whole hair. It’s necessary to keep moisturizing with hair oils or other moisturizing hair cremes each day.
Type 4B
Keep them natural and as they are. The best you can do is to keep it moisturized and avoid breakage. The “S” shaped spirals start to look more like “Z” ‘s now. You will find them jampacked as you move near to the tip. It is fairly difficult to manage as it dries out so often.
Type 4C
Automatically styled, nothing more to do with your Hair. You will be busily moisturizing if you have this type of hair. The super packed scenario is what we can define this sub-category as. But don’t worry, concentrate on managing it with emulsifying gel all over. You have it styled already so make it softer and shinier with your daily hair routine.
Does The Hair Type Change with Time?
The Type Of Hair you have may not necessarily remain the same. They may change with time, of course. There are multiple factors that change the appearance of your hair with time and age. I also suffered from the change in Hair type and that too recently. The main factor behind mine was the Hormonal change post-pregnancy. But there are some more unknown factors that can be mentioned.
1. Hormonal Change
This happens in women post pregnancy due to an imbalance in the Hormone level. During pregnancy, the level of hormone increases to trigger the growth of your baby. On the other side, after your baby is born, the level of increased pregnancy hormones comes back to its normal level. This happens for a couple of months after 3- 6 months of Delivery. So, don’t get stressed at all. Take your required vitamins and natural hair growth remedies. Be patient and let the time pass to cover up this change.
2. Use of Excessive Styling or Coloring Products
Excessive heat styling or coloring products will make your hair lose its natural texture. This is due to the effect of chemicals such as ammonium or sulfate present in the Hair dyes or Highlighters. Also, do not expose your hair to excessive heat if not required. This may change the actual type of hair you have and make it drier and lifeless.
3. Changes in Lifestyle
You will notice unwanted changes in your hair type each time when you change your sleeping pattern or your wake-up routine. Even the very small changes in your lifestyle due to factors such as stress, overthinking may lead to the shedding of your hair.
4. Dietary Changes
There are certain vitamins such as E and K which are required for Healthy Scalp and Hair Growth. You will have voluminous, healthy hair only when you stick to a Balanced Diet with all essential nutrients and Vitamins.
Conclusion
In the end, I hope you all must have known your Hair Types. I knew mine, it’s none other than Straight Hair Type 1B. Now you can fix your Hair Styling and Hair Care products accordingly. I will also mention some of them in my upcoming posts.
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