So I have always had wavy/curly hair but I’m not sure what the actual texture is labeled so I’m looking to see if anybody could help me figure that out and lead me in good direction to products for my hair type. I’ve been flat ironing like crazy so just trying to restore my curls/waves

I’ve been starting to style my natural hair more and I’m trying to figure out a good routine based on my hair type. It has some coil and some wave but the underneath does not curl as much as the top. I try to look it up on the internet but I find that everything says something different.

Hi guys, I am having a hard time figuring out what my texture/curl type and want to figure out so I can get the most appropriate products for my hair type. Any help is appreciated.

I've been struggling to figure out my curl type. I know it has no real use but I still want to know so I can search up styles with a general idea if how they'd end up looking in mine before trying. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

P.S. There was no gel applied, my hair was air dried. The only products used were The Pattern moisturizer, melted, unrefined Cocoa Butter and the ORS olive oil daily styling lotion. I usually wear a bonnet to bed. Furthermore, it's kind of patted down from me wearing a hat in the first pic

Hi all! First time posting here :)

Just got out of the shower for my wash day (I wash once a week, keep it in a braid the rest of the week)

Here’s my hair texture. First pic is right out of microfiber towel, other two pics are after combing and spraying a leave in conditioner and scrunching.

Would love to hear what you guys think my texture is, what you think it might be if I cut off 6-10 inches, and if I should add any specific products. I feel like I’d have a tighter curl pattern with shorter hair? But I’m seriously scared to cut my length I just identify with having the long hair! But then again since I’m braiding it I’m not sure if it’s worth the hassle.

Will update pics when dry but usually the waves weigh down as they dry.

Thanks :)

The purpose of this post isn't to be inflammatory or start an argument, it's a call in for a discussion and not a call out y'all. This is going to be a long post but I really hope it helps somebody.

I see a lot of posts asking for their curl pattern to be typed and the bulk of those times what OP is REALLY trying to ask is how to take care of and style their hair. I'm going to hold your hand and rub some cocoa butter on your knuckles as I say this: your "hair type" doesn't matter.

Why Popular Hair Typing is Useless:

Once you narrow your curl pattern to a broad group, the way you'd maintain and style it will be pretty much the same with subtle differences due to lifestyle, style choices, and the environment you live in. A lot of people get caught and confused about what your curl pattern is because you're:

a) Referencing Andre Walker's Hair Typing System (Type 1, 2, 3, and 4) - which has a lot of debate of being inherently texturist and too simple to be useful. It doesn't take in other characteristics of natural hair
b) You're using styled hair as a reference for how your hair naturally grows. An example of what I mean is the below hair chart from nenonatural/naturally curly. All of the people in that image have styled hair, we have no reference for what products or manipulation was used to get their hair in that style, so we don't know how accurate the categories are.

Visual chart of Afro-textured hair using Andre Walker's system

Using myself as an example for the above chart, I have worn a twist/bantu out where my hair looks like the woman in the 4a with the back section being close to 3c. I have then wet my hair with leave in conditioner/water before letting it air dry and it looks like a shrunken version of the 4b woman. If I picked my hair instead it would like close to 4c. I still fall within the "Type 4" category but on any given day I could pass for multiple categories.

And guess what? The way I style my hair doesn't change my hair's needs in terms of washing, conditioner, haircare ingredients etc.

If you don't believe me and think knowing your curl pattern is essential then think of this. Let's say you make a post and we all say your hair is 4a. Now what? How has that educated you on how to take care/style your hair? Or do you still have follow up questions?

What Should You Know Instead?:

There's a bunch of different hair typing systems out there but I prefer the LOIS system because it automatically teaches a more holistic overview of your hair's characteristics so you can know what's normal behavior and what needs attention. Each section below can be used to ID your hair.

Curl Pattern: the system has four major curl patterns like Andrew Walker. Most people have different textures in their head.

• L: the pattern has very little curves/curls. It's most sharp bends and right angles like the letter L.
• O: the strands resembles the letter O, it rolls in on itself into a spiral.
• I: the strands have little-to-no bend or curve and lies flat like the letter I.
• S: the pattern looks like waves of an ocean or the letter S.

Strand Size: the literal thickness of your individual hair strand. You can have multiple curl patterns in your hair but your strand size will always be the same. A LOT of people say they have coarse hair when they really have fine strands because they're confusing the curl pattern with the strand thickness, which can cause breakage because of how much force you're using.

• Fine: your strand is probably thin if you look at your hair and you can't make out the individual strands, just the group. If you hold your strand taunt with one hand and touch it with the other, you'll barely be able to feel it. Another way to test this is to compare your strand to a piece of thread/string, if your hair is thinner than the thread its fine.
• Medium: you can sorta feel the strand but not too much. The easiest way to know is if you compare it to the string, your strand will be the same width. If your hair isn't fine or coarse, then you're medium.
• Coarse: when you look at your hair you can make out the individual strands in the group.

Shine vs Sheen: this how light naturally reflects from your hair without added products. Having high sheen and low shine doesn't mean your hair is dehydrated or unhealthy.

• Shine: when light touches your hair there's a sharp, distinct concentration between your hair and the light reflection.
• Sheen: when light reflects touches your hair the reflection is spread throughout your strands with a soft gradation.

Example of shine is on the left and sheen is on the right.

The above image is an example of shine vs sheen from THEMafroSISTERS, these are obviously styled pictures with products but you can use them as a reference to get the general idea.

Frizz: this is just hair that doesn't group into an easily defined shape. Please know that having frizz does not automatically mean your hair is damaged/dry/unhealthy. A LOT of people (including those who don't have afro textured hair) have naturally frizzy hair.

Porosity: this is how quickly and easily your hair absorbs (and loses) water due to how open the cuticles on your strands are. This is tested on clean, dry hair without any added products. Your porosity isn't a good or bad thing it just tells you how often you need to hydrate your hair.

• Low Porosity: your hair's cuticles lay mostly flat, making it harder for water to pass through the inner layers of your strand. This means your hair has to be exposed to water for a longer period of time before it absorbs it. It also means you don't have to hydrate your hair as often because it loses moisture slowly.
• Medium Porosity: your hair will accept water after a short contact time. You will have to hydrate it a couple of times but the strands accept and lose water in a balanced manner.
• High Porosity: your cuticles are open and your hair instantly accepts water but loses it quickly as well.

You can test your porosity by placing a strand of clean hair in room temperature water. If it floats on the top for minutes before it starts to sink it's low. If it floats in the middle after a short period of time it's medium. If it quickly sinks to the bottom you have high porosity.

Hair Strand Texture: this is how your clean, hair naturally behaves, appears and feels without styling or product. It is a combination of the above sections (excluding your curl pattern and strand size).

• Thready: resembles and acts like threads of string. This means it has low to moderate sheen on its own but high shine when stretched (braids, ponytail, twists). It has a low frizz and high porosity. Easily accepts chemical processing (perms, coloring, bleaching, keratin treatments) but could be more sensitive to breakage.
• Wiry: acts like cords of metal. The hair has a high, sparkly sheen (the light reflection has small bright spots but still diffuses) and low shine. It has low porosity and frizz. It's resistant chemical processing and breakage.
• Cottony: behaves like a cotton ball. The hair will have low sheen but high shine when straightened. If it helps imagine how light would reflect on a dark, crumpled cotton bedsheet vs one that's stretched across a mattress. It has medium porosity because it accepts water but doesn't absorb it quickly. Think of how you can wet a cotton ball, it will hold the water on top but it will take awhile for the entire ball to get soaked. It has high frizz and a standard chemical processing time.
• Spongy: acts like a dry sponge. It absorbs water once it comes into contact but it takes longer for the hair to fully soak it up. Hair has high sheen but low shine even when stretched. High frizz but its compact, my understanding is the hair will naturally group itself in sections based on your curl pattern but each section will be frizzy and less defined. It has a standard chemical processing time.
• Silky: hair has low sheen but high shine. Easily absorbs water and quickly becomes saturated quickly like thready hair. It can have low to high frizz and the chemical processing time depends on the coarseness.

How to Make a High Effort Post:

Give us the 5 W's: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.

• Who: who are you? Don't dox yourself just give us a sense of your lifestyle and available resources. A busy SAHM, a college kid, a grandmom with arthritis are going to need different things.
• What: what problem are you trying to solve? What products do you use? The more details about them the better. What happens when you use the products? What styles do you usually do? Have you done something different recently?
• When: when are you experiencing the problem or does it always happen? When are you using your products? If you water wash everyday or once a quarter we need to know.
• Where: where do you live? Is it humid? Dry? Do you travel between different environments a lot? Is the problem only happening on one part of your head?
• Why: why are you making this post? What's your end goal or desired outcome?

That with any of the above information about your hair will help us provide the best suggestions to you.

For example:

I'm looking for replacement leave in conditioner that's comparable to Melanin Haircare's. I want something that's moisturizing, has slip, and easily absorbs into my hair with little to no residue. I have fine, type O, spongy hair with high density. So I'd prefer if I could get the leave in in a larger size so it lasts longer.

I typically wear my hair in mini twists/braids that I refresh every 2-3 months and I wash my hair weekly. I don't mind having to apply it a couple times every week but not everyday unless its a spray. Every since I ran out of my stash of Melanin Haircare I've noticed I have a harder time keep my hair hydrated because I don't like just using my TGIN butter because the residue bothers me even if I use less product so my hair can try to absorb all of it. Right now its winter so the dry hot air inside and the dry cold air outside are tagging my hair WWE style.

I really hope this helps somebody. Let me know if I left anything out or your thoughts!

And I also am looking for a new shampoo and conditioner possibly?! The other products I use are carols daughter coily custard, curlsmith flexigel, and not your mother’s curl mousse. I’m open to new products too.