Confirm your hair type.

[rumi]

For people who would like a bit of help or just need confimation of their hair type. Iv'e gotten confused as I've seen people wth really curly hair calling themselves 2a and wavy hair at 3b.

Anybody with a good eye come and help us all out please :)

Can we start with me, I've classified myself as a 3a/b, the pictures in my album and sig are my hair dried naturally and shook out upsidedown.

[ZenBird07]

Oh gosh! Me too...lol...see my albums. I have one of clarified hair in there somewhere. And OP your hair looks similar to how mine was before I started constantly manipulating it. Except my hair can be more ummmm...violent or fierce looking. Wild curls was the norm. Now this. I don't know what's going on... I think I have me at 3a/b right now but I'm equally confused...;):)

[talecon]

pikture below ...

[talecon]

oh here's a better pic
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs070.snc3/13732_1143024735507_1224147355_30320211_2887113_n. jpg

so wadaya think?

[Katze]

I have been confused on this too. There are people with hair as wavy as mine calling themselves 1b, which would be mostly straight hair. It seems like people interpret the hairtype descriptions as best they can for themselves - for example, my hair often does not have body waves at the crown, but the length spirals. So am I 1b or 2b? I have made my best educated guess, posted asking for typing, and am still not sure. :)

Your hair is, whatever number category it happens to fall in, simply beautiful!

[rumi]

Ah, I thought if posted this we would have a few confused people pop up. Some of you have probably already seen this but it's been helpful to me as it has pictures.

http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types

According to this page I have Nicole Kidmans 3a curls albeit much longer..... some how I feel a little special now :D

Oh and Katze, if you were talking about mine thankyou very much Im flattered :o

[talecon]

I typed my hair at 2C and apparently there is no 2C :P

[rumi]

Hahahaha, then I have failed! We need rescuing, somebody come and help us :cheese:

Talecon, it looks as if you could be the same type as me. Your hair looks like mine scrunched from wet bofore I give it a really good shake to loosen the curls. Did you use anything on it? Is it dry or wet?

[Naava]

Just in case someone has not found these links yet: http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=8954 and http://homepage.mac.com/annsofie.henriksson/hairtyping/PhotoAlbum17.html

It's a little different from the hair typing in rumi's link, that's why I thought it would be good to add it here :)

[rumi]

Just in case someone has not found these links yet: http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=8954 and http://homepage.mac.com/annsofie.henriksson/hairtyping/PhotoAlbum17.html

It's a little different from the hair typing in rumi's link, that's why I thought it would be good to add it here :)

Wow Naava thank you so much for the links, with just the text description I thought I would be a 3b but its easy to tell from the pics that I'm a 3a. You've rescued me!! :puppykisses:

*Goes off to change her profile*

[Katze]

Yes, Rumi, I meant your hair. Gorgeous! Wanna trade?!? :D

The hair type link you posted is much different from that here. According to that link I'd be a straightie, but my hair behaves like wavy hair and has the odd spiral curl. It can look 'mostly straight' but has C, S, and spiral curls and does not fit in the descriptions of hairtypes given. Therefore, for ME the best method is to look how my hair ACTS, since it can look very different from day to day. IT needs moisture, gets frizzy, and changes from day to day, so I think of it as 2a, even though it might seem like 'straight hair' to some people.

From your profile pic your hair looks very curly - like corkscrew curly. I'd thus guess 3c, but, again, the descriptions can be misleading.

[Margeaux]

When I first came to LHC I posted a few pictures of my hair and asked the community to type me. I got an anonymous 2c/3a, so that's the verdict I've taken :) I generally think it's best to ask for other people's opinions - more chances of it making sense ;)

[marikamt]

Just in case someone has not found these links yet: http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=8954 and http://homepage.mac.com/annsofie.henriksson/hairtyping/PhotoAlbum17.html

It's a little different from the hair typing in rumi's link, that's why I thought it would be good to add it here :)

This link helped a lot, thanks!! It was nice to see the pics and compare my hair.... I am firmly in the 2a, although before coming to LHC (and learning proper care), I thought I was straight, and I feel like my hair keeps changing... so I might one day end up 2B (or C, fingers crossed :D)

[tangocurl]

When I first came to LHC I posted a few pictures of my hair and asked the community to type me. I got an anonymous 2c/3a, so that's the verdict I've taken :) I generally think it's best to ask for other people's opinions - more chances of it making sense ;)

That's how I type myself, and we have a very similar curl pattern. Have you found that the spirals start down lower on the length the longer your hair gets?

[spidermom]

I've often thought I should list my hair type as 1B/2C because it can go from spiral curly to straight in a day. People have commented on past sig pics that my hair doesn't look as wavy/curly as 2C, and in those pictures it didn't.

[florenonite]

I've often thought I should list my hair type as 1B/2C because it can go from spiral curly to straight in a day. People have commented on past sig pics that my hair doesn't look as wavy/curly as 2C, and in those pictures it didn't.

The thing with the hairtyping system we use, while generally very useful, is that typing's done on freshly-washed, air-dried, unmanipulated hair. When I dry my hair like this it's got the overall impression of 2a, but with spiral curls at the temples and nape, and a few elsewhere, which is more characteristic of 2b/2c hair. However, after sleeping on my hair or manipulating it at all, I end up with something more like 1b.

It would be nice if we could type hair both based on its air-dried, unmanipulated state as well as based on how it behaves a day or two after washing.

[talecon]

im still a bit confused. so it can still be a curl even if theres no ringlets? whats the difference between a loose curl and a wave?

[lapushka]

A wave is a flattened S, it's two-dimensional. A curl goes round, even stretched out a bit (not completely), it is still 3-dimensional and it coils. That's the difference.

[Sia]

I've been confused about this too. I classified myself as a 2c/3a because my curls will relax into waves very easily if it's been bunned up or loosely braided but I'm starting to think that I'm at least a 3a. There are so many different type of curls and wurls - it's difficult to know.

I think Katze is on to something when she wrote about classifying in terms of how hair ACTS rather than looks ..

[Irishred]

Reading lots of "type me please" posts over the past nearly 6 years, I believe that what most people get confused about with their hair is styling. So many blowdry, flat iron, add lots of products, curl, comb and brush to change what their natural hair looks like they get clueless. I know that the VIT (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=32573) page has links to the hair typing (and many other useful) links, but does not post the "how-to" information. Then when someone does figure that out, they don't understand their own hair type because that is not how they have seen it for .... eons?

It does not help that life events can change your hair type as well (ie pregnancy)

off to search for an article or post already written about this.

[Anje]

A wave is a flattened S, it's two-dimensional. A curl goes round, even stretched out a bit (not completely), it is still 3-dimensional and it coils. That's the difference.
I'm not sure if that's always the case. My hair has slow, lazy waves and is 1c/2a by poll (though I want to re-classify Elle in the pictures to a 2a or 2b), but my waves definitely are 3-dimensional, which is especially noticeable at the ends.

[Starr]

My hair is in the general vicinity of 3b/3c, 3a is too loose a curl and 4a is too tight so that's how I came about typing myself. Although, on hair like mine that is always curly (never falls straight or wavy) there really isn't the sort of variation that would allow for the same confusion that others have regarding hairtypes.

[Roseate]

Although, on hair like mine that is always curly (never falls straight or wavy) there really isn't the sort of variation that would allow for the same confusion that others have regarding hairtypes.

It's true, I think the 1c-3a types are more likely to get confused, since hair in that range can look very different depending on treatment.

Combing, cones and moisture levels can really change the look of hair in this range without the wearer of the hair really feeling like they are "doing anything" to change their hair.

[Armelle]

I've pretty much given up on typing my hair correctly. It waves overall but is very curly underneath and around my ears and face. *shrugs* When I cut my hair after my daughter was born (mid-back to above shoulders), my mother-in-law said "Oh my god, your hair is CURLY!" We couldn't tell it was when it is long and the weight pulls the curls out. I figure my hair-type will slide from 2c down to 2a or even 1c as it gets longer. :)

[mira-chan]

I'm not sure if that's always the case. My hair has slow, lazy waves and is 1c/2a by poll (though I want to re-classify Elle in the pictures to a 2a or 2b), but my waves definitely are 3-dimensional, which is especially noticeable at the ends.
Same with mine. I'm a 2b and mine spiral but so loosely they cannot be called curls and look like 2-d waves in pictures, though messy ones nto neatrly rippling.

[JamieLeigh]

Thanks so much for starting this thread!! :flowers: I've been bouncing back and forth between 2a and 2b for the past year, I think. This is me after a clarifying poo and no finger combing. I think I'd be a 2a these days....any opinions?
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2327&pictureid=52851

[SpinDance]

I'm definitely in here someplace. I've settled on 2b/2c, but I think it's changing to more wave/curl as it responds to the new techniques learned here and wearing it in buns instead of braids. I'm still using up shampoo/conditioner I've had around forever, so don't even know what will happen when I start to experiment with cone-free and whatnot.

I find it nearly impossible to keep my hands out of my hair when it's down. If it isn't combed it looks like a mess, but there doesn't seem to be enough curl to leave alone. Definitely no lovely ringlets. The front falls into my face and gets in my way, so I end up pushing that back, disrupting any attempt to let curls form there. Overall, it's a challenge, so putting it up is the easiest thing once it's dry. Besides, when it's up it's completely out of my way, not being rubbed or damaged and I'm hoping if I ignore it that it will get longer than the previous max of about TB. Hopefully this time without the ends thinning out so much.

[Anje]

JamieLeigh -- I'd definitely call that 2a.

[Sheltie_Momma]

The thing with the hairtyping system we use, while generally very useful, is that typing's done on freshly-washed, air-dried, unmanipulated hair. When I dry my hair like this it's got the overall impression of 2a, but with spiral curls at the temples and nape, and a few elsewhere, which is more characteristic of 2b/2c hair. However, after sleeping on my hair or manipulating it at all, I end up with something more like 1b.

It would be nice if we could type hair both based on its air-dried, unmanipulated state as well as based on how it behaves a day or two after washing.

Yes, this. Because my hair type varies depending on the weather and how my hair looks and behaves in an unmanipulated state almost seems besides the point, because I never let it airdry without manipulating it (I am a damp bun girl through and through). I am also beginning to suspect that some of my waviness was due to dryness and damage and that in it's healthier state my hair is considerably less frizzy/wavy than I thought. My post LHC hair is straight, the majority of the length is wavy and the top layer will easily wrap itself into barrel curls.

[frodolaughs]

the hairtyping system doesn't really work for me. My hair doesn't follow rules well or go in cubby-holes happily. It looks straight as a mass, but the body it has is more along the lines of corkscrews than waves. Individual bits which work their way free from the mass go around and around rather than having a 2-dimensional wave. I guess it would be described as 1b/3a? It's hard to get photos of the curls. They show up most when my hair is still damp and seem to be becoming more pronounced.

[redwoman]

Well, look at my avatar and tell me how I did. Should I correct myself or not?

[talecon]

i guess i'll stick to 2c because it says its mostly waves with some curls and that would be me

[Quixii]

I might as well stick my photo in here. When I first joined I typed myself as 3a, because that's what seems most like my hair, but my hair is horribly inconsistent. Sometimes I'll get definite curls, sometimes I'll get funky waves, sometimes I'll just get frizz, and oftentimes I'll get all of those at once.
This is clarified twice with no conditioner used:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/young_artist/DSCN9438.jpg
My hair felt nasty, and I'm not entirely sure what the point was of not using conditioner because it doesn't accurately represent my average hair since I always use (and my hair always seems to need) conditioner.
Here is my hair (pulled over my shoulder) on a good curly day. It was not manipulated (though dried in a ponytail):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/young_artist/DSCN9317-1.jpg

[rumi]

I might as well stick my photo in here. When I first joined I typed myself as 3a, because that's what seems most like my hair, but my hair is horribly inconsistent. Sometimes I'll get definite curls, sometimes I'll get funky waves, sometimes I'll just get frizz, and oftentimes I'll get all of those at once.
This is clarified twice with no conditioner used:

My hair felt nasty, and I'm not entirely sure what the point was of not using conditioner because it doesn't accurately represent my average hair since I always use (and my hair always seems to need) conditioner.
Here is my hair (pulled over my shoulder) on a good curly day. It was not manipulated (though dried in a ponytail):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/young_artist/DSCN9317-1.jpg

Thias picture reminds me of my hair I would definatley keep the 3A :D It looks beautiful here:o

[In2JC724]

I think I'll stick with the 2a type... the pics looked just like mine when it dries naturally... thing is I hate it when it looks that way, so I rarely, if ever let it dry like that. I want it to either be straight, or be curly.. not some mish-mashed in between mess. grr.

[Thinthondiel]

Ah, I thought if posted this we would have a few confused people pop up. Some of you have probably already seen this but it's been helpful to me as it has pictures.

http://www.naturallycurly.com/hair-types

According to this page I have Nicole Kidmans 3a curls albeit much longer..... some how I feel a little special now :D

Oh and Katze, if you were talking about mine thankyou very much Im flattered :o

According to that site, "a", "b" and "c" refers to the thickness of the individual hairs when it's 2a, 2b or 2c, but curliness when it's 3a, 3b or 3c. Why on earth would they make "a" "b" and "c" mean totally different things for wavies and curlies? :confused:

ETA: btw., I didn't post here to confirm my hair type - I don't have any hair typing photos. My hair is straighter in my siggy photo than it would be if I were hair typing it.

[SpinDance]

That's it exactly!


the hairtyping system doesn't really work for me. My hair doesn't follow rules well or go in cubby-holes happily. It looks straight as a mass, but the body it has is more along the lines of corkscrews than waves. Individual bits which work their way free from the mass go around and around rather than having a 2-dimensional wave. I guess it would be described as 1b/3a? It's hard to get photos of the curls. They show up most when my hair is still damp and seem to be becoming more pronounced.

[frodolaughs]

Spindance,
I'm glad I'm not alone. I think one of the shortcomings of the hairtyping system is that it assumes there is a progression from straight to wavy to curly, when in fact straight-looking hair can have either the 2-dimensional (wave) or 3-dimensional (corkscrew) pattern.

[SpinDance]

frodolaughs you definitely aren't alone. I expect some of us are the progression, having straight hairs, spiraling hairs and waving hairs. We just don't fit very well in any of the niches. I'd dearly love to have all my hairs spiraling together into curls, or at least I think I would! Gotta deal with what I've got, though. Who knows, more of it is spiraling and waving now that I've been using LHC techniques, maybe there is more curl in there than I think there is!

[JenniferNoel]

Here we go... I was thinking maybe 1c/2a. What about you? :)
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc15/jenny_the_strange/DSC08997.jpghttp://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc15/jenny_the_strange/DSC08992.jpg

[rach]

my hair confuses me -
i curls if left alone which i have trouble doing.
but his is my hair left entirely alone not touched after washing at all.
http://gallery.me.com/purplewisteria/100056/SDC18186.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12597932020001http://gallery.me.com/purplewisteria/100056/SDC18188.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12597932180001http://gallery.me.com/purplewisteria/100056/SDC18185.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12597931810001
you'll have to excuse the messy look and my none helpful flash on my camera.
http://gallery.me.com/purplewisteria/100056/SDC18191/web.jpg?ver=12597917910001 excuse the big image :confused: but it shows my spiral well.

[Katze]

I'm not sure if that's always the case. My hair has slow, lazy waves and is 1c/2a by poll (though I want to re-classify Elle in the pictures to a 2a or 2b), but my waves definitely are 3-dimensional, which is especially noticeable at the ends.

Mine too. Especially when it is 'dirty', and when the ends are thicker. So does that make them curls? :confused:


the hairtyping system doesn't really work for me. My hair doesn't follow rules well or go in cubby-holes happily. It looks straight as a mass, but the body it has is more along the lines of corkscrews than waves. Individual bits which work their way free from the mass go around and around rather than having a 2-dimensional wave. I guess it would be described as 1b/3a? It's hard to get photos of the curls. They show up most when my hair is still damp and seem to be becoming more pronounced.


The thing with the hairtyping system we use, while generally very useful, is that typing's done on freshly-washed, air-dried, unmanipulated hair. When I dry my hair like this it's got the overall impression of 2a, but with spiral curls at the temples and nape, and a few elsewhere, which is more characteristic of 2b/2c hair. However, after sleeping on my hair or manipulating it at all, I end up with something more like 1b.

It would be nice if we could type hair both based on its air-dried, unmanipulated state as well as based on how it behaves a day or two after washing.

I was told my airdried, unmanipulated hair was either 1c or 2a. There is, to me, a big difference - 1 is straight hair with some waves, 2s are wavy. Since my hair ACTS wavy (changes wave from day to day, gets wavier in humidity, is frizzy, etc) it has helped me to think of it as wavy, not straight. My sister, in contrast, who I would call 1b (pics of us together in my album) always has more or less straight hair with a few mild body waves. Her hair always looks more or less the same; mine doesn't.


A wave is a flattened S, it's two-dimensional. A curl goes round, even stretched out a bit (not completely), it is still 3-dimensional and it coils. That's the difference.

So what about those of us with borderline hair who do have curls?!?


I've been confused about this too. I classified myself as a 2c/3a because my curls will relax into waves very easily if it's been bunned up or loosely braided but I'm starting to think that I'm at least a 3a. There are so many different type of curls and wurls - it's difficult to know.

I think Katze is on to something when she wrote about classifying in terms of how hair ACTS rather than looks ..

Thanks. :) It was very helpful for me to finally comprehend what was 'wrong' with my hair - I was treating it like straight hair, when it is in fact wavy! If this idea can help other 'barely wavies who nevertheless have curls' I am happy!

[RoseRedDead]

Yes, this is very confusing. My hair can go from 2c (on a perfect day with fluffy clouds in impossibly blue skies), to 1c. It depends on a lot of things - handling, moisture, was it braided/bunned, etc.

I'm not sure we'll ever know. I don't worry about it - I just take my hair as it is.

But it does sometimes make things a bit difficult when trying to determine if I am waist-length... I am waist-length when my hair is in 1c mode, but not in 2c mode.

[Arctic]

My hair doesn't fit into categories either. I have hairs from straight 1b hairs (canopy, front) and up to 2b hairs (underside, back). At the same time. If I pillow plop the straighter hair get more waves. My hair doesn't change much with weather, and mostly looks same to me. The 2b waves are very strong and never get straightened (haven't use heat).

[lapushka]

What about length as an added problem to hair typing? Short-short hair (above chin) will barely have any texture for someone with slightly wavy hair, maybe it's even mistaken for straight hair at that point. Chin length will have some texture, but the S waves will form over added length. The wavier, the curlier you are, the quicker during the growth process (when starting from scratch) the texture will show. And what about "real" length, such as waist or hip? Won't gravity pull the waves or curls out more? Won't it look differently than when it was shoulder length? At what point does texture suffer (or benefit?) from the weight of your hair? At what length do you hairtype?

[florenonite]

What about length as an added problem to hair typing? Short-short hair (above chin) will barely have any texture for someone with slightly wavy hair, maybe it's even mistaken for straight hair at that point. Chin length will have some texture, but the S waves will form over added length. The wavier, the curlier you are, the quicker during the growth process (when starting from scratch) the texture will show. And what about "real" length, such as waist or hip? Won't gravity pull the waves or curls out more? Won't it look differently than when it was shoulder length? At what point does texture suffer (or benefit?) from the weight of your hair? At what length do you hairtype?

This is a good point. At SL, with chin-length highlights, I had 1c hair (though with some ringlets at the temples). At about APL to upper BSL, it was closer to 2a, but now that it's longer it's closer to 1c a lot of the time. I haven't properly typed in ages, as my hair would take all day to dry if I didn't towel dry it, and it's not very flattering if I don't finger-comb, so I don't know for sure, but I do think it's straighter than it was when it was shorter.

For instance, this (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=160&pictureid=3519) was my first length shot when I joined LHC. I took this (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=160&pictureid=20719) one about a year later. The shot in my siggy is a little over a year after that. In all of these, I finger-combed my hair wet, so while there was some manipulation there wasn't much.

[Vijikanth]

Hi, gud that you have started this thread. I have always been wondering what my hair type is and now I'm confused what my hair length is too. Please help me identify my hair. Here is the link to my november hair..

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=4169&pictureid=55811

Thanks

[jojo]

I've often thought I should list my hair type as 1B/2C because it can go from spiral curly to straight in a day. People have commented on past sig pics that my hair doesn't look as wavy/curly as 2C, and in those pictures it didn't.

Your hair sounds like mine bipolar hair, up and bouncy one day and straightish the next! Id put you as a 2c/3a as your more spirally than me.

I am more a 2a cusping on 2b I have S waves with the odd spiral
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l283/joanna_eglin/DSCF1224-1.jpg

yet more curly here when shorter as shown here March 08 http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=354&pictureid=5930

[jojo]

For people who would like a bit of help or just need confimation of their hair type. Iv'e gotten confused as I've seen people wth really curly hair calling themselves 2a and wavy hair at 3b.

Anybody with a good eye come and help us all out please :)

Can we start with me, I've classified myself as a 3a/b, the pictures in my album and sig are my hair dried naturally and shook out upsidedown.
Id place you as a 3a/3b too!

[jojo]

Yes, Rumi, I meant your hair. Gorgeous! Wanna trade?!? :D

The hair type link you posted is much different from that here. According to that link I'd be a straightie, but my hair behaves like wavy hair and has the odd spiral curl. It can look 'mostly straight' but has C, S, and spiral curls and does not fit in the descriptions of hairtypes given. Therefore, for ME the best method is to look how my hair ACTS, since it can look very different from day to day. IT needs moisture, gets frizzy, and changes from day to day, so I think of it as 2a, even though it might seem like 'straight hair' to some people.

From your profile pic your hair looks very curly - like corkscrew curly. I'd thus guess 3c, but, again, the descriptions can be misleading.

Id call your combination hair, mine is too to a degree. My fringe to the right spirals from root to tip and id class that as a 3a, yet my left handside is more 1b, my back is mainly 2a/ 2b. We have the best of both worlds. BTW love your new advatar, your hair looks thicker; very nice!

[jojo]

im still a bit confused. so it can still be a curl even if theres no ringlets? whats the difference between a loose curl and a wave? this is waves see the S shapes in my hair, my hair at this point only had spirals in the fringe. My hair gets ringlets on the last few inches as it gets longer, as the S stretches and grows it turns round causing a ringlet. With curly girlies (and boys) the ringlet is always there and as the hair gets longer, the spiral grows like a cork screw going into a wine cork...if that makes sense!http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=354&pictureid=24447

There is of course other variants if the S is only slight when shorter, the weight of long hair may pull the S out and cause the hair to be straighter.

[Arctic]

Hi, gud that you have started this thread. I have always been wondering what my hair type is and now I'm confused what my hair length is too. Please help me identify my hair. Here is the link to my november hair..

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=4169&pictureid=55811

Thanks

Your hair is gorgeous, that's what it is! Lovely curls at the ends!!!
Is you hair in this picture left to airdry without touching/combing/adding leavein or products after your wash? For hairtyping, it should be.

[SpinDance]

I tried getting pictures to help type my hair but they are pretty bad, especially since the tree threw shadows I didn't know were there. Due to the written description I have typed my hair as 2b/c, since I get some long, loose spirals, which is the description for 2c. I don't think I'm a 1, and definitely not 3, but where really I fall is a mystery I hope someone can help me solve.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=4419

I've been getting more confused as my hair responds to things I've learned here on LHC (CWC, oiling and heavy oiling overnight before washing, etc.). It is getting softer yet the waves are more defined, falling together better and the very ends seem to be getting these really, really loose twirls. Any thoughts?

[mira-chan]

my hair confuses me -
i curls if left alone which i have trouble doing.
but his is my hair left entirely alone not touched after washing at all.

you'll have to excuse the messy look and my none helpful flash on my camera.

excuse the big image :confused: but it shows my spiral well.

Rach, my hair has the same waves, except with longer hair they are less likely to cooperate and look like that. Plus my hair doesn't like to clump so it's more fluff with some of these spirally waves, very loose ones.

[florenonite]

I tried getting pictures to help type my hair but they are pretty bad, especially since the tree threw shadows I didn't know were there. Due to the written description I have typed my hair as 2b/c, since I get some long, loose spirals, which is the description for 2c. I don't think I'm a 1, and definitely not 3, but where really I fall is a mystery I hope someone can help me solve.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=4419

I've been getting more confused as my hair responds to things I've learned here on LHC (CWC, oiling and heavy oiling overnight before washing, etc.). It is getting softer yet the waves are more defined, falling together better and the very ends seem to be getting these really, really loose twirls. Any thoughts?

I'd place you more at a 2a/2b than 2b. It doesn't look curly enough to be a 2c to me.

[rach]

Rach, my hair has the same waves, except with longer hair they are less likely to cooperate and look like that. Plus my hair doesn't like to clump so it's more fluff with some of these spirally waves, very loose ones.
clumping is definitely the issue with this hair type on were it wants to be................. those picture were aided with very conditioned catnip which helped things but it is rare to see my hair like this, touched - poof!! and big thick hair. it's nice hearing from someone in a similar hair category. :flower:

[paintedmuse]

When I started to grow my hair out at shoulder length, it was a 1c. It became a lot wavier since, and even though I've classified it as 2a/2b I'm not quite sure if it is.
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/6500/sdc10039y.th.jpg (http://img109.imageshack.us/i/sdc10039y.jpg/)
This picture is from today. So, what do you think it is? :)

[Stephichan]

My hair confuses me so much. Right after washing it, it looks like my siggy (in fact, that is my hairtyping pic). A day or two after that, it's nearly pin straight (depending on how I wear my hair in that time frame). Some of the hair in the underlayer never waves or does anything, while my canopy goes insane. I just gave up and decided to call it 2b.

[Arctic]

When I started to grow my hair out at shoulder length, it was a 1c. It became a lot wavier since, and even though I've classified it as 2a/2b I'm not quite sure if it is.
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/6500/sdc10039y.th.jpg (http://img109.imageshack.us/i/sdc10039y.jpg/)
This picture is from today. So, what do you think it is? :)

I think it would be quite accurate. I have an underlayer that is 2b and it's strong braid wave type wave right from the scalp, while your hairs nearest the scalp are more relaxed.

[Arctic]

I tried getting pictures to help type my hair but they are pretty bad, especially since the tree threw shadows I didn't know were there. Due to the written description I have typed my hair as 2b/c, since I get some long, loose spirals, which is the description for 2c. I don't think I'm a 1, and definitely not 3, but where really I fall is a mystery I hope someone can help me solve.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=4419

I've been getting more confused as my hair responds to things I've learned here on LHC (CWC, oiling and heavy oiling overnight before washing, etc.). It is getting softer yet the waves are more defined, falling together better and the very ends seem to be getting these really, really loose twirls. Any thoughts?

Hmm, maybe you also would be 2a/b?

[vindo]

Hair Type confirmation is interesting...I actually think a lot of LHCers tend to get it a bit wrong because of misinterpretating the system maybe?

My Story - 1a M ii:
http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/7532/mvi0076.jpg
For a while I was unsure about my hair type as well, it was changing a bit. When I came here I was defintely a 1a from the looks of it but at that time I was dyeing and sometimes blowdrying so I wanted to see if something changes with better care..
The weird wave: http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh98/NAGAI-KAMI/Emi/apr08.jpg
After a while it did..but weirdly, my ends only started getting a weird wave, not even the shorter layers up top, just the very longest part at then TB length...so I was wondering if I could be changing into 1 a-b or even 1b. Changed my hair type accordingly....but - the weird wave did not stick around...sometimes it was gone and sometimes it was horrible. So I blamed it on the arkward stage of butt length and that this must be bending the ends weirdly cause they bump into my butt. But that did not make sense also, since nothing would make my shorter layers bend..not matter how hard I tried.
Well...it then so happened that I changed my care...milder Shampoo and Conditioner + Oils..and within no time my ends were straight again...think after a half year or so:
http://docs.google.com/File?id=d245654_94fbjxt2f9_b
These days I know what to pay attention to and I know that damage and/or dryness can alter my true hairtype. That is why it did not affect shorter layers, the very ends were damaged. These days they are healthier and back to the old 1a...bunning or braiding won't affect them much either.
http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/4131/img1231.th.jpg (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/img1231.jpg/)

My hair:

1a- No bodywave of course, the hair really just hangs down stick straight top to bottom...-> | like the word says...this is a bodywave -> ) which I don't have ^^.
M - Medium thick strands (Measured these with a mircrometer = 0.06-0.07)
ii - My ponytail measures 3.2" as of Oktober '09, before my shed I had about 3.7". Not sure if it will get back since I was very ill but 3.2 is still a lot so fine by me.
And I measure in the most compresses state...for my hair type there is no difference but I see people measuring fluffyness rather than compressed which is kinda pointless imho...you want to see the true overall volume, not how muc it can grow after a wash or because of wave, curl etc.

And for more detail:

Friction - 1-2/ very low..I was a 1 even before I got sick which was a bit annoying to be honest. My hair is so slippery it will slip out of any updo or right out of my hands. With a very low friction hair also won't build up any volume (strands slip off each other) which is why oily or freshly washed hair are the same for me pretty much.

Stiffness - 4/ higher....I feel it dropped a bit, maybe also due to being sick but my hair has a higher resistance when being bent, also something that can make updos difficult.

Cohesion - 2/ very low, my hair gets stringy fast..it compresses easily, almost the way wet hair would compress actually. If it gets windy my hair looks like flying spaghetti I suppose.

Oh that was long...I might put that in my journal :lol:

[mira-chan]

clumping is definitely the issue with this hair type on were it wants to be................. those picture were aided with very conditioned catnip which helped things but it is rare to see my hair like this, touched - poof!! and big thick hair. it's nice hearing from someone in a similar hair category. :flower:
Yup, it's really nice to hear from someone whose hair acts similarly. With my length I only get the odd strand that will try to whirl like that. Any small movement of the head when drying and poof. The waves in my page are from plopping in a hood.

[Hanamizu]

I've classified my hair as 1c but I'm not certain if it's correct.. I'm new to this.. I think it's kind of hard to tell cause of the different layers I have near the bottom, it makes it look wavier.
Sometimes it's almost stick straight, and other times it has more body and waves. :confused:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4386&pictureid=56793

[jojo]

Id say you look more a 2a, definatelly in the 2's as you have S waves in the lower half!

[Armelle]

I have given up on the 1st Hair Type classifier. It's been 2c for the past few months since I do have curls. But my hair varies from 1a straight in places, through very wavy, and into spiral curls lurking underneath. I feel foolishly guilty for using the 'some curls' type since I brush them out of my hair (it just looks ragged otherwise) but claiming the straighter types just doesn't make sense either. :)

[ArienEllariel]

Just in case someone has not found these links yet: http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=8954 and http://homepage.mac.com/annsofie.henriksson/hairtyping/PhotoAlbum17.html

It's a little different from the hair typing in rumi's link, that's why I thought it would be good to add it here :)

Wow, Okay so I'm definately more of a 2a than a 1c, but still kinda in between. Thanks though! These pictures really helped. :D

[Hanamizu]

Id say you look more a 2a, definatelly in the 2's as you have S waves in the lower half!

Really?.. I dunno, sometimes there's NO waves at all..
I think since I twist it and put it up when it's wet, it looks wavier when it's dry and I let it down..

Here you can see it's much straighter..
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4386&pictureid=56528

[jojo]

im a 2b and mine looks straighter some days too, lets call you a stavy- a cross between a straight and wavy!

Im more a wurly!

[danacc]

Really?.. I dunno, sometimes there's NO waves at all..
I think since I twist it and put it up when it's wet, it looks wavier when it's dry and I let it down... (picture snipped)

If it was twisted up while wet in the first picture, we can't accurately type you from it. For hairtyping, your hair must be washed and then air-dried with no manipulation. No combing while it dries, no twisting, no putting it up.

You are right that twisting it will make it look wavier once dry.

[GlassEyes]

Another problem with hair typing is layers.

Layers release weight from hair, and make the differing levels lighter, so they can tend to curl up more. A very long 1c with layers cut into the length could make it all the way to 2a or 2b.

In the end, hair definition doesn't matter as much as thickness, porosity, and fineness, because that determines exactly what your hair needs. It is helpful to know if you're curly, wavy, or straight, because, yes, it can affect hair care (most curlies need more moisture) but it really relies more on the above. :shrug:

...yet, even knowing this, I get annoyed with wrong hair types. xD; Yet I know it's stupid to do so.

[karli]

I`ve been thinking I should ask. I`ve always considered my self to have straigtish hair with som bodywaves hence the 1c. My temples are curly.

http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad248/karli348-2009/IMG_0950-1.jpg My underlayers like to do this

http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad248/karli348-2009/IMG_1926.jpg When theres a lot of humitidy in the air, it`s like this

http://i940.photobucket.com/albums/ad248/karli348-2009/hr_27.jpg The second picture is after cwc, airdried not handled.

My hair loves moisture, can`t get enough, I normally co with quite a heavy conditioner as it also loves to friss

What do you think? Is 1c accurate?

[GlassEyes]

Were any of those combed after washing? If not, I'd say 2a--if yes, you might be wavier than that, or even curly.

[karli]

Picture nr two is after a rare evening out, the others are not combed- well, probably slightly fingercombed as it takes too long time to dry otherwise

[GlassEyes]

Yeah, my guess is that you're at LEAST a 2a, and you'd possibly be wavier without any sort of combing.

[karli]

I change it to 2a, then. My underlayers are probably curlier than that, but it is a big enough step to call my self wavy after 39 years of "straight-ish"

[82exoticbeauty]

I am a 1b which comes in a bit of some waves, but slightly straight! Since I usually braid my hair before bed and wake up in the morning with some waves, more than a 1b type!

[ecologystudent]

Here's my hair after a wash with out any combing, aside from a little finger combing. I think I'm a 1B, but I'm not really sure:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=2185&pictureid=57603