Hair typing, again

[Lady Stardust]

Hi everyone

I would be grateful if you could help me to type my texture (again). I used to think it was dead straight but misbehaved at the ends. Then when I got closer to shoulder length I realised it was bendy underneath. I was going to wait until I was APL before I retyped, but actually I think it’s useful to do it now.

I’m almost a year into growing out henna and I think the henna straightens my canopy even more, but it’s possible that the canopy will always be straight. I’ll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, here’s what’s going on beneath the canopy.

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36290&d=1553982332

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36289&d=1553982315

This is with the canopy

https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=36288&d=1553982292

Any thoughts gratefully received.

[Aerya]

Oh, this is just like mine! I'm not sure about my hair type either, so I'm looking forward to hear the answers :)

[MusicalSpoons]

Wow, those waves are not clandestine at all any more, are they?! Very pretty :) I'd say 2a underneath, and yes the canopy is pretty straight but tbh the waviness does still show through, so overall I'd say 1c/2a. While your hair might still 'read' as straight to some in the 3rd pic, I think it would be silly to ignore the obvious waves underneath :flower:

[lapushka]

I would keep it 1c. I would type the underlayer 1c/2a, but the upper layer is about 1b, so 1c seems a happy medium.

[Begemot]

1c/2a maybe? You're probably a 2a, the henna just straightens your canopy. It looks like your natural canopy has some body wave already, so the rest should follow once henna grows out. The process is further beneath your canopy so it's wavier. Also the hair of canopy is usually more damaged making the natural texture straighter, on top of the henna in your case. It's going to be interesting to see how your hair turns out! :)

[Lady Stardust]

Oh, this is just like mine! I'm not sure about my hair type either, so I'm looking forward to hear the answers :)

Ooh almost hair twins! I had a look at your album and we do look quite similar. Do you find you have to torture your hair a bit to make it straight? Mine will go straight, but bumpy underneath, for a while if I brush it wet (gasp!) and that causes splits, plus the canopy looks stringy. Then it waves again anyway. I feel like I’m in between two types without knowing how to treat either of them.

I tried squish to condish a few times recently, thinking it would be too heavy, but the results were great and even the canopy waved (at least the non hennaed bit did!). It meant I could wear it wavy and still look intentional!


Wow, those waves are not clandestine at all any more, are they?! Very pretty :) I'd say 2a underneath, and yes the canopy is pretty straight but tbh the waviness does still show through, so overall I'd say 1c/2a. While your hair might still 'read' as straight to some in the 3rd pic, I think it would be silly to ignore the obvious waves underneath :flower:

Clandestine waves are definitely a thing of the past :) Thank you, I think 1c/2a makes sense to me because it’s the cusp of the two types.


I would keep it 1c. I would type the underlayer 1c/2a, but the upper layer is about 1b, so 1c seems a happy medium.

Thanks lapushka, I can see where you’re coming from. I’ve been finding that 1c isn’t really an accurate description anymore though, and I find myself explaining the two different texture types a lot. For example, people would wonder why a straightie is asking about wavy techniques. Apart from the canopy, the waves start at the roots (now that I’ve stopped using henna), so the bulk of my hair waves and a small proportion waves less. Even the canopy forms clumps, annoyingly.

—————-

I’d welcome any more opinions. Does any of this chime with the 1c/2as out there?

[Stray_mind]

I think 1c/2a at most. A body wave with one or two individual s waves in there somewhere. It might get more wavy if you grow out henna though.

[Simpscone]

I’d say 1c/2a, the canopy looks 1c and the underlayer looks 2a, so the mix makes more sense than to claim one or the other! As you say as the henna grows out it may become wavier all over and then I’d hair type it again :)

Straddling the hair types feels weird I feel you on that, but having different textures for different strands calls for it :)

[Lady Stardust]

1c/2a maybe? You're probably a 2a, the henna just straightens your canopy. It looks like your natural canopy has some body wave already, so the rest should follow once henna grows out. The process is further beneath your canopy so it's wavier. Also the hair of canopy is usually more damaged making the natural texture straighter, on top of the henna in your case. It's going to be interesting to see how your hair turns out! :)

Thanks Begemot, we were writing at the same time :) I have a feeling that the canopy will always be straighter because it doesn’t wave from the root like the rest, although it does form clumps and the first few inches wave if I squish to condish. I think environmental damage is going to be a problem no matter how careful I am, I just have to condition the canopy as much as possible and hope for the best!

[LadyCelestina]

Lady Stardust, I'm not that great at hairtyping but I just wanted to say that having a wavier underlayer is completely normal, and you should put your hair as 1c/2a if that's what the wave in your hair is.

The beauty of knowing how to encourage curls in your hair is that it helps you balance out the pattern. Left alone to dry without touching, my hair is a mixture of 2c/3b. The 3a curl (larger spiral) pretty much only happens with styled hair for me.

Putting in 2c/3b would not make sense, so for a long time I had 2c/3a, but I find that I have a lot more in common with 3a/3b curlies due to the 3b underlayer, so I changed it :)

[Begemot]

Yeah I think most have less texture on their canopy, just something that's difficult to avoid. Your texture will show itself little by little and I'm sure you will be able to type your hair way better in a year or so :) anyway, you already have very pretty waves and you have done great progress with growing henna out!

[Lady Stardust]

I think 1c/2a at most. A body wave with one or two individual s waves in there somewhere. It might get more wavy if you grow out henna though.

Thanks :) Yes I think the henna makes a bit of a difference.


I’d say 1c/2a, the canopy looks 1c and the underlayer looks 2a, so the mix makes more sense than to claim one or the other! As you say as the henna grows out it may become wavier all over and then I’d hair type it again :)

Straddling the hair types feels weird I feel you on that, but having different textures for different strands calls for it :)

Thank you. I agree that it makes sense to acknowledge both hair types. It’ll be interesting to see how it changes, the under layer might straighten out with length while the canopy gets wavier, who knows :)


Lady Stardust, I'm not that great at hairtyping but I just wanted to say that having a wavier underlayer is completely normal, and you should put your hair as 1c/2a if that's what the wave in your hair is.

The beauty of knowing how to encourage curls in your hair is that it helps you balance out the pattern. Left alone to dry without touching, my hair is a mixture of 2c/3b. The 3a curl (larger spiral) pretty much only happens with styled hair for me.

Putting in 2c/3b would not make sense, so for a long time I had 2c/3a, but I find that I have a lot more in common with 3a/3b curlies due to the 3b underlayer, so I changed it :)

That makes sense to me! The point of putting our hair type on here is so that we can work out how best to deal with it, and to make it easier to find others whose hair behaves in the same way so that we can learn from them and share information.

———

Thank you everyone for your help! I’m going with 1c/2a :)

[Lady Stardust]

Yeah I think most have less texture on their canopy, just something that's difficult to avoid. Your texture will show itself little by little and I'm sure you will be able to type your hair way better in a year or so :) anyway, you already have very pretty waves and you have done great progress with growing henna out!

Thank you, that’s very kind of you :blossom:

[Aerya]

Ooh almost hair twins! I had a look at your album and we do look quite similar. Do you find you have to torture your hair a bit to make it straight? Mine will go straight, but bumpy underneath, for a while if I brush it wet (gasp!) and that causes splits, plus the canopy looks stringy. Then it waves again anyway. I feel like I’m in between two types without knowing how to treat either of them.

I tried squish to condish a few times recently, thinking it would be too heavy, but the results were great and even the canopy waved (at least the non hennaed bit did!). It meant I could wear it wavy and still look intentional!

I find I can make it fairly straight if I use heavy coney conditioners, comb it while wet, and then apply leave ins and oils while damp with "prayer hands" down the length. However I often have a few strands that wave stubbornly (the first I noticed were turning wavy!) and a bit of body wave overall. The waves fall out quickly though, but if I squish to condish and scrunch in my leave ins, it waves like in my avatar underneath with a bit of wave in the canopy as well. I have a lot of damage which is worst in my canopy though so I'm very interested to see how it looks when all grown out!

I feel the same way too. Like I can either have misbehaving straight hair, or weak, floofy waves... I want to experiment more with the wavy side of it, see how it can look when treated right! But as of now I am a little reluctant to give up on cones.

[Lady Stardust]

I find I can make it fairly straight if I use heavy coney conditioners, comb it while wet, and then apply leave ins and oils while damp with "prayer hands" down the length. However I often have a few strands that wave stubbornly (the first I noticed were turning wavy!) and a bit of body wave overall. The waves fall out quickly though, but if I squish to condish and scrunch in my leave ins, it waves like in my avatar underneath with a bit of wave in the canopy as well. I have a lot of damage which is worst in my canopy though so I'm very interested to see how it looks when all grown out!

I feel the same way too. Like I can either have misbehaving straight hair, or weak, floofy waves... I want to experiment more with the wavy side of it, see how it can look when treated right! But as of now I am a little reluctant to give up on cones.

It’s worth staying with cones if they work for the damaged sections. Our patience will be paid off one day :)

[Aerya]

It’s worth staying with cones if they work for the damaged sections. Our patience will be paid off one day :)

Yeah, definitely! I'm not going to mess with my routine too much until my hair is in better condition. By the way, do you find your hair texture varies a lot? Some days I can scrunch to the big gold medal and not get much wave, while others it will form little spirals underneath without doing anything.

[Lady Stardust]

Yeah, definitely! I'm not going to mess with my routine too much until my hair is in better condition. By the way, do you find your hair texture varies a lot? Some days I can scrunch to the big gold medal and not get much wave, while others it will form little spirals underneath without doing anything.

Oh yes :) I find it really unpredictable. Beachy waves one day and ringlets the next, then another time it’ll be quite pathetic. I never know what to expect.

[Dark40]

I think it's 1c/2a too.

[Lady Stardust]

I think it's 1c/2a too.

Thank you :) There seems to be a consensus!

[milosmomma]

I agree with sticking with the cones, if they make damage more manageable keep on keeping on. I found them a total necessity when I grew with bleach/dye damage, but now that I have cut all that away the need is gone. I can still use them but they do straighten my hair a bit more than I like. I think 1c/2a is pretty spot on but you may find yourself more wavy with length and damage trimmed away in the future :)

[Lady Stardust]

I agree with sticking with the cones, if they make damage more manageable keep on keeping on. I found them a total necessity when I grew with bleach/dye damage, but now that I have cut all that away the need is gone. I can still use them but they do straighten my hair a bit more than I like. I think 1c/2a is pretty spot on but you may find yourself more wavy with length and damage trimmed away in the future :)

Ta :) I think it’s the henna straightening my hair, not cones or damage (that was Aerya, we were discussing similarities between our hair types :)). Having said that though, the hennaed part of my hair is really frizzy compared to the virgin roots. I don’t know if that’s a coincidence because the first few inches of my hair are always less prone to frizz. My hair was very slippery before henna. The henna made it thicker and less slippery. My whites and silvers are growing in though and some of those are thicker so I’ll have quite a mix going on!

[ReadingRenee]

Oh I can see your waves! Very pretty. I definitely think the henna makes it hard to know what your future hair type will be. My hair was so much less wavy with henna, it was probably about a 1c/2a. I think 1/c 2/a fits your hair for now...

My canopy is always straighter too. I think underneath my canopy is more like 3a for me but no one ever sees it.

Can't wait to see how your hair progresses as you grow the henna out.

[lapushka]

Can't wait to see how your hair progresses as you grow the henna out. ^^ :agree:

[Lady Stardust]

Oh I can see your waves! Very pretty. I definitely think the henna makes it hard to know what your future hair type will be. My hair was so much less wavy with henna, it was probably about a 1c/2a. I think 1/c 2/a fits your hair for now...

My canopy is always straighter too. I think underneath my canopy is more like 3a for me but no one ever sees it.

Can't wait to see how your hair progresses as you grow the henna out.


^^ :agree:

Yes it’s going to be fun to see what happens. I’m preparing myself for slippery hair and wiggly whites :)

[Dark40]

Thank you :) There seems to be a consensus!

You're welcome :) Why do you say, "There seems to be a consensus!?"

[Lady Stardust]

You're welcome :) Why do you say, "There seems to be a consensus!?"

Just that most people are saying 1c/2a so that’s a consensus of opinion. A majority vote :)