MY CURL TYPE ON PAPER...
Are you 4B? 3A? Or just 2? No, I’m not asking about your door number – I’m talking curls. Everyone’s got a type, and here’s everything you need to know about yours…
It covers all kinds of hair, running on a scale from 1 (straight) to 4 (coiled), but primarily focuses on textured strands, which range from 2 to 4 in the typing system. If you have even a hint of a wave in your locks, then chances are you’ve probably already come across this system, but if not, no worries – I’m here to break it down for you…
WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
The Hair Typing System is attributed to Andre Walker, a prominent Black hairstylist in the US (he’s done Oprah’s hair for three decades – yep, actual Oprah). Developed in the ‘90s, the system was first used to market Walker’s own range of haircare and styling products, so customers could understand which ones suited their hair texture best. Since then, it’s caught on in a major way, and now the typing system is one of the best-known methods of categorising coils, curls and waves.
WHAT ARE THE CURL TYPES? TYPE 2: WAVY HAIR
This type has more texture than straight hair, but it doesn’t spiral around.
TYPE 3: CURLY HAIR
The curly hair type covers spiral shapes, from loose to corkscrew curls.
TYPE 4: COILY HAIR
This is hair that spirals tighter than a corkscrew, or takes on a zig-zag shape.
WHY SHOULD I USE THE SYSTEM?
It can help us when shopping for products, explains hair stylist Melissa McCulloch. “It works well when explaining to clients what hair texture they have, so they can put together the right care routine at home,” she says. Dr Ali N Syed, founder of haircare brand Avlon, adds that the system
“avoids the racial overtones and looks at the hair on a universal basis, without classifying hair into racial categories”.
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW FIRST?
Begin by identifying your hair type and sub-category, if applicable. It’s worth noting that most people have different types of curls, coils and waves on their head, so yes, you could literally have all three sub-categories going on – science is wild, folks. But the point is to get a general idea of the texture, then start to identify your specific hair concerns, too. Think of it like shopping for skincare – you know whether you have oily, dry or combination skin, so you keep that in mind when searching for something that will help with a concern such as pigmentation or breakouts. It’s the same with hair – your concern could be frizz or dryness, for example.