Help with hairtyping, please?

[Theobroma]

So I finally worked up the courage to airdry my hair! Well, strictly speaking it's only semi-airdried; the weather's already too cold to leave it sopping wet. I clipped the canopy hair so it was out of the way and then very lightly blowdried the back of my head, then unclipped the canopy hair and left everything alone until it was dry. The result is this -- how would you classify it?

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DxF5kJCwpRo/TJYgiLDn3hI/AAAAAAAACLA/FHvb2Iqe13Y/s512/hairtyping%20photo%202010-09-19.JPG

[aenflex]

I'm no expert but to me it looks right on the cusp of 2C-3A?
Nice, BTW :)

[mali]

Your hair looks wonderful! Glad you took a shot!:) I think it's a 2c/3a maybe?

[1nuitblanche]

It looks like a 2c to me because it seems mostly wavy and not so much spiraly.

[clichepithet]

Gonna go with 2c as well.

[StephanieB]

I'd say it looks more like 2C... because - as has been said - it's more wavy then spiral curly.

BUT, that said, it's worth noting that you did blow-dry it partially... and that can change things enough to change the apparent type for hairtyping.

So, for general purposes of hair care for your winter season (coming up) - treat it as 2C.

Come warmer wather next spring, you might try re-typing it 'the way it should be done' (ie - without the blow dryer).

[Theobroma]

Thanks, everyone! 2c it is for the moment, then. I do have some tentative spirals going on in places, but not everywhere and they tend to vanish the moment I comb.

StephanieB, I take your point about the blowdrying possibly falsifying the results, but the only part I blowdried was the back of my head BELOW the canopy (I clipped the canopy hair up out of reach of the warm air) and I didn't touch the length with heat at all. The totally airdried canopy hair completely covers the section that was blowdried, so I'd say the hair that's visible in the picture would probably look the same even if I'd airdried the underlayers as well?

Everyone: Thanks for the nice remarks! I'm in a mild state of culture shock here, because I always thought I was AT MOST a 1c, and now suddenly here I am with a head full of waves and no idea what to do with them! :D

[Anje]

I'd say roughly 2c, maybe 2b/2c because I don't see a lot of evidence of curls at the ends.

It does look a little dry (not that my hair looks good when airdried uncombed either!). You might want to consider leaving a bit of conditioner in or oiling your hair, if you're not normally doing that. With hair as wavy as yours, you actually want some products to encourage it to clump together in discreet waves. That'll keep it from looking frizzy and generally let the texture shine.

[Theobroma]

Anje: It actually isn't dry at all, and I left plenty of conditioner in when I rinsed it! I don't know what's going on with the colours in that photo, they're very misleading. The ends are nowhere near as light and the roots nowhere near as dark; the photo makes it look almost as though I'm growing out dye, and nothing could be further from the truth because in fact I've never dyed my hair in my life. I think the camera was playing the fool on me...

As for those products to make it clump together, though -- what would those be? And would they be compatible with CO washing, which I've been doing (and loving) for the past three months or so?

[lapushka]

I'd say 2c-3a, looks like on top it's almost wanting to coil.

[tinti]

I'd say 2c, not that I know too much about hair typing :)

[janeytilllie]

I'd say 2c as well. Your hair is lovely :)

[Sammich]

2c/3a, I agree about the top seeming to want to coil. :p
Pretty.

[irisheyes]

Looks like a very lovely example of 2c type hair.