Help, please! Trying to type my hair.

[rouxlala]

So, I've measured and I'm definitely a iii, and I am definitely a C, but I can't tell if I'm 2abc or 3a.. This is my hair air-dried, no products, and finger-brushed.http://i66.tinypic.com/513ktd.jpg

[MidnightMoon]

Judging by that photo, I'd say 2c, although I don't know if you're supposed to finger brush. It certainly looks thick, but are you 100% it's C?
Also, as it grows, because of the weight, my guess is the waves will become looser, so might end up 2b as you grow.

[rouxlala]

Well, I put my hair in a ponytail on top of my head and measured at 4.5" around. So to type it, I need to air dry it and not finger brush it at all?

[rouxlala]

Oh, you said C and not iii. Well, I read the guide for typing, and it fit perfectly with C. All my hairdressers have always commented on how coarse it is, too.. not in a good way. Heh. It's pretty damaged. I oiled and masqued the heck out of it yesterday and slept in it.. so it's being a little less naughty right now.

[MidnightMoon]

Yes, I commented on the coarse part, not the measurement or overall thickness, because from what I can see it's pretty thick, meaning there's lots of it :)
I thought you were supposed to leave it alone as much as possible, as well as avoid most products. In my case, my hair behaves very differently if I put heavy products in it, oil it, if I brush or finger comb, freshly washes and dried vs. the second or third day, etc.
About the F/M/C, well, it was just my impression from where I could see individual strands. It's easy to know where you fit if your hair is on the extremes, but I still struggle to tell where I'd put some people's hair that border one of the categories. I don't trust hairdressers though, as I've heard opinions on people's hair here that don't really match reality. Also, a person's judgement can be a bit biased by his personal experience treating different types of hair, say, on average, most Asian people from China I've met have had very thick strands, while Europeans from the countries I've lived in or visited mostly have F or M hair. There are exceptions, but I understand how we get an idea of what's average based on what we mostly see.
That being said, you're the only one who can truly tell, I can't really have more than a very subjective opinion based on one photo.

Ah, you can also look around, check out people's albums and that, and see what they type their hair to choose the 2abc/3, etc identifier, I did that :p

[MidnightMoon]

Oh, forgot to say, I like your colour, made me think of Merida's http://cdn.stylefrizz.com/img/disney-pixar-brave-merida-princess.jpg

[mermaid lullaby]

I dont know what your hair types is, but its very pretty!
Welcome to the board! :blossom:

[lapushka]

Yeah, 2b or 2c; maybe 2b/c.

[spidermom]

Yep - leave it to dry ENTIRELY naturally. No finger-brushing allowed.

[draysmir]

I agree with everyone else, 2b or 2c looks about right. It's definitely not 2a though, in my opinion. :)

[Anje]

Might be 2c, but no more finger brushing. It looks like brushed out curls right now, and that's not what you want. Besides, it makes it super big instead of defined.

Seriously, comb it while there's conditioner in it, then rinse it out without flipping it around. Maybe wrap a towel (or t-shirt, which is better for not breaking up curls, but less absorbent) around it and squeeze gently to get it so it isn't dripping, but don't rub or disturb it. Then literally leave it to dry without touching it. At all. :)

[rouxlala]

Oh, forgot to say, I like your colour, made me think of Merida's http://cdn.stylefrizz.com/img/disney-pixar-brave-merida-princess.jpg

Thank you! :) And thanks, everyone, for your input! I'll let it dry without finger brushing next time and see how it turns out. It's been a LONG time since I let it dry naturally, so I really don't know how it will look myself. lol

[rouxlala]

Might be 2c, but no more finger brushing. It looks like brushed out curls right now, and that's not what you want. Besides, it makes it super big instead of defined.

Seriously, comb it while there's conditioner in it, then rinse it out without flipping it around. Maybe wrap a towel (or t-shirt, which is better for not breaking up curls, but less absorbent) around it and squeeze gently to get it so it isn't dripping, but don't rub or disturb it. Then literally leave it to dry without touching it. At all. :)

THANK YOU! I honestly have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing to make it look SOMEWHAT like I didn't just wake up unless I apply heat. Thanks so much!!

[Anya15]

Looks like 2b/c coarse :D and you have thick hair!

[rouxlala]

Looks like 2b/c coarse :D and you have thick hair!

I do! That's why I cut it originally.. it was at least hip length, maybe close to TBL.. and the second time was because I destroyed it with chemical products, but it was only BSL back then. Actually, when measuring, do you measure stretched or natural? I've seen some people stretching and some not.

I henna'd last night and slept on it wet, so I don't have a good representation of it right now. I'll post another picture with the advice you guys have given me for drying it, and maybe it can be typed better then.

[MidnightMoon]

I do! That's why I cut it originally.. it was at least hip length, maybe close to TBL.. and the second time was because I destroyed it with chemical products, but it was only BSL back then. Actually, when measuring, do you measure stretched or natural? I've seen some people stretching and some not.

I henna'd last night and slept on it wet, so I don't have a good representation of it right now. I'll post another picture with the advice you guys have given me for drying it, and maybe it can be typed better then.

It's up to you. I never stretch, mainly because of two reasons, the first being I don't really have very big waves, or tight curls or anything, so the difference isn't too great, and because I never straighten my hair, so I don't see what's the point of claiming a milestone when it's not actually going to look like that all the time. It would be a bit frustrating to me "knowing" for ex. my hair is waist stretched but then going back to it looking BSL, or shorter, or something if I had curls.
I do guess it is the alternative if your hair is so curly to the point where it shrinks too much and you can barely notice the difference in growth without stretching... but it would still "look" a certain length unstretched, so I take that as the most realistic length.

[Anje]

On the other hand, stretching is helpful when you've got enough curl that you're not sure if your hair is growing. Also, curly hair really grows and shrinks based on things like humidity, time since wash, and probably something like the collisions of the asteroids beyond Mars, so it's hard to say how long it really is without stretching it.

[rouxlala]

and probably something like the collisions of the asteroids beyond Mars
:laugh:

So how do you curly-haired folks (which I suspect I am or close to without fingerbrushing).. how do you guys keep it from looking like you just woke up and walked out the door? Do you use some sort of gel and pull curls apart or something? If so, what types? When I think of gel, I picture crusty hair..

[Hay_jules]

:laugh:

So how do you curly-haired folks (which I suspect I am or close to without fingerbrushing).. how do you guys keep it from looking like you just woke up and walked out the door? Do you use some sort of gel and pull curls apart or something? If so, what types? When I think of gel, I picture crusty hair..

What I've discovered about my wavy/curly damaged hair since joining this community is any attempt at manipulation wrecks my hair. I use about a dime size dollop of cone free conditioner as a leave in (in my CBL hair) and let it dry as Anje described above. I add the leave in to soaking wet hair while im still in the shower and sometimes I'll add a very light oil as well, and comb them through, then squeeze the excess water and wrap it in a tshirt. Once it's 70-80% dry i use my fingers to loosen any hair that's too tight against my scalp. And that's it. No touching. If i run my fingers through it once while it's drying I'm left with frizz. However, once it's entirely dry, i can finger comb and style it without ot frizzing. I have curls i haven't seen since i was a teen because i was a compulsive straightener. I'm genuinely amazed at the level of definition I can get styling like this...I can't wait to see what i can do once my damage is gone.

[rouxlala]

What I've discovered about my wavy/curly damaged hair since joining this community is any attempt at manipulation wrecks my hair. I use about a dime size dollop of cone free conditioner as a leave in (in my CBL hair) and let it dry as Anje described above. I add the leave in to soaking wet hair while im still in the shower and sometimes I'll add a very light oil as well, and comb them through, then squeeze the excess water and wrap it in a tshirt. Once it's 70-80% dry i use my fingers to loosen any hair that's too tight against my scalp. And that's it. No touching. If i run my fingers through it once while it's drying I'm left with frizz. However, once it's entirely dry, i can finger comb and style it without ot frizzing. I have curls i haven't seen since i was a teen because i was a compulsive straightener. I'm genuinely amazed at the level of definition I can get styling like this...I can't wait to see what i can do once my damage is gone.

That's exactly my situation. I've been straightening nearly every day since I was 13. I want to stop treating my hair like this, so I'm looking for ways to style it without heat. I will embrace the curl!