View Full Version : Hair Typing Necessity or Myth?
Peggy E.
October 16th, 2010, 06:48 PM
I've been here for some time now and I think I even have a "hair type" put down on my profile thing.
However, I've always wondered what it is that makes people so desperate to know their hair types, so anxious to attempt changing it, hoping to change it, sort of planning a lot of time and effort around the notion of hair type priorities.
It's okay, if this is what you like to do and you find it brings you joy and further fulfillment in the knowledge and care of your hair. But it's something I don't really understand.
So, I don't want to know my hair type - I want to know why it's important that I DO know my hair type!
akuamoonmaui
October 16th, 2010, 06:54 PM
I find it helpful when someone offers suggestions on a product or technique. If I see their hair type is similar to mine (or vice versa) it helps me decide if I want to try it.
Gwendolene
October 16th, 2010, 06:57 PM
I find it helpful when someone offers suggestions on a product or technique. If I see their hair type is similar to mine (or vice versa) it helps me decide if I want to try it.
That's why I use it, too. I don't want to change my type; it's beautiful and suits me!
MsBubbles
October 16th, 2010, 07:04 PM
I found hairtyping indispensable when I first started growing my hair, to help me come up with some goals for mine. I have fine and thin hair, which people always used to tell me 'you can't ever wear it long'. I saw many photos here to completely counteract that load of rubbish and give me something to aim at, since I had never grown my hair past BSL.
Also if I find myself coveting somebody else's hair, the first thing I do is check their hairtype. Invariably I realize they have a different hair type than me (i.e medium instead of fine), and that mine would never look like that, so I should stop chasing rainbows.
But mostly I have enjoyed the hairtyping system because I have found some lovely same-type hair idols with butt length hair, that give me some idea of how mine will look if it ever gets that long.
As for myth vs. necessity...I'm sure it's not necessary but I sure have benefited from it!
MissManda
October 16th, 2010, 07:57 PM
The hair typing system has been very helpful when it comes to advice from hair twins and hair cousins. It has helped me understand how to take care of my hair. I admit that I'm somewhat confused about certain aspects of my hair type (don't know if I'm a 1b/1c or 1c or F or M, but I try not to let it bother me), but it has been quite beneficial for me in the end. I also agree with the person that said that I like to find hair role models whose hair type is similar to mine which really encourages me to keep growing. :)
Peggy E.
October 16th, 2010, 08:00 PM
Why, this all makes a whole lot of sense! ;o)
aksown
October 16th, 2010, 08:04 PM
If I see someone with 3c-C-iii hair, I know that I will NEVER be able to have my hair like theirs so, I admire it for what it is but don't get in a tizzy when mine doesn't look that way.
It also helps me appreciate my own type when I see hair twins with beautiful, long locks.
pepperminttea
October 16th, 2010, 08:07 PM
I'm half-way between a wavy and straight, and caught between two different ways of caring for hair, it really helps me to see how other half-wavies look after their hair - what works for them might work for me (whereas what works for a straight-y or a curly might well not).
That, and it's nice to know I'm not the only one with fine-ish thick hair that tangles like the devil. :p
Scandinavian
October 16th, 2010, 08:25 PM
I find the hairtyping system very helpful, and i also like its easily visible here which kind of hair we have. Cause if something works amazing for someone with thick curly hair, it probably wont work for me and vice verca.
I try to accept my hairtype, but i would not mind waking up with thicker and stronger hair ;)
Jenn of Pence
October 16th, 2010, 08:33 PM
I agree that it can be helpful to look to people with similar hair types for suggestions. However, 99.9% of the time my hair doesn't look like my strict "hair type," as determined by no conditioner, minimum detangling, and air drying. But that's not at all my normal routine! So, in some way, it's a little odd that my actual designation doesn't reflect how it usually looks.
spidermom
October 16th, 2010, 08:37 PM
When I started here, I thought it was really useful to find others with similar hair type to mine so that I could do what they do if I liked their results. But I've come to realize that the type doesn't matter as much as I thought. Within my type, there are a lot of routines out there with obviously lovely results, some of which don't work for my hair at all.
PiroskaCicu
October 16th, 2010, 09:59 PM
I personally think hair type can be subjective , mainly because many external things can affect ones "hair type". So my hair can be anywhere from a 1b to even a 2b. It really depends on weather, even what I eat, what I use in my hair, how I dried it, if I combed or brushed, is it healthy? etc, etc.
But at the same time, knowing a general idea of what your hair type is can help you to determine what the best routine is in taking care of it.
BrightEyes7
October 16th, 2010, 10:09 PM
I agree with everyone else... I find it a necessity because if I didn't know my hair type I wouldn't know what kind of advice to look for. I Aldo think you need to post your hair type so others can know what advice to offer. Otherwise your trying all these things that are wrong fir your hair and just wasting growing time!!
FrannyG
October 16th, 2010, 10:26 PM
It was easy to figure out my hair type. It's straight as a pin; it's 1a all the way. I always knew I had fine hair and medium thickness. So given all that, it was a snap to figure out my hair type, and I wasn't hoping it would ever be any different.
I did, however, find it really invaluable to see other people's hair types, when I first joined. If the people extolling the virtues of a certain product or method tended to have coarse hair, or 3c curly hair, I might have decided that perhaps that product or method might not be for me.
While even people who also have 1a/f/ii hair like mine may differ in what works for them, the likelihood of their advice being helpful was higher.
Now that I'm a longtimer here, I find it very important when I give advice to people to know their hair type. Again, if they have 3a hair or coarse hair, it's unlikely that I'll have any special tips that will be as valuable to them as people with hair types similar to their own.
Some things are universal, like clarifying for velcro ends, but on the other hand, telling someone how great it is to use a BBB only to find out later that they are a curly and don't brush is a waste of time.
That's why I think it's important to know and fill out your hair type. It saves time for people who want to make replies if someone asks for help, and it helps to prevent us from getting or giving advice that's not applicable.
So yes, I think it's a necessity. No myth here, Peggy!
By the way, it's great to see you!!! :blossom:
Athena's Owl
October 16th, 2010, 11:11 PM
So, I don't want to know my hair type - I want to know why it's important that I DO know my hair type!
The hair typing system that displays in some people's profiles is mostly about the appearance of the natural hair on the straight/curly scale. There are some differences in care techniques based on this scale, but it's not a complete picture, as it doesn't include anything about porosity and environment, which also influence care methods.
ravenreed
October 16th, 2010, 11:15 PM
Once I realized my hair is wavy and not straight like it looks when dry and long, I realized why it is so danged tangly and frizzy and stopped expecting it to act like straight hair. It is just another thing to consider when deciding how to care for and treat your hair.
torrilin
October 16th, 2010, 11:39 PM
Your hair type won't explain everything... but it explains a helluva lot. When I joined, I figured I was a 1a, like FrannyG. That's what my hair has always looked and acted like. And when I lurked and read a lot of threads, it was clear that most of the people with super-slippery hair like mine were 1a. Most of the people whose hair would not take perms or heat curls were 1a. While not all 1a hair sucks up conditioner like there's no tomorrow, a share does.
Turns out that wasn't precisely the right hair type for me. I'm somewhere in the 1b to possibly 1c range. If I want the little wave I have to show up, I need to use at least some curly hair care techniques because the wave structure is so delicate almost anything can disrupt it. It's more common for curly hair to looooove conditioner and be fairly dry.
Looking for common points has made experimenting a lot easier.
aisling
October 16th, 2010, 11:56 PM
As so many others have mentioned, it's not that polarized, hair typing is neither a necessity nor a myth but a good, helpful tool. I've noticed many times that it can really help people understand their hair. Many people seem to type their hair as 1B first because well, it's not totally straight and it won't "behave", then they complain about how frizzy and misbehaved their hair is. It can then be of great help for these people to type their hairs and see that they're actually in the second category, have wavy hair and not just straight hair that won't behave. This is something I've seen many times here on LHC.
HintOfMint
October 17th, 2010, 12:24 AM
I agree that it can be helpful to look to people with similar hair types for suggestions. However, 99.9% of the time my hair doesn't look like my strict "hair type," as determined by no conditioner, minimum detangling, and air drying. But that's not at all my normal routine! So, in some way, it's a little odd that my actual designation doesn't reflect how it usually looks.
Same here. There are many people who, in discovering their "true hair type," found out that they actually have curls or waves and when they thought their hair was straight and treated it as such, they had inexplicable frizz. The hair typing process was good for them. Also, some forms of haircare are best for certain types of hair. There are those who swear by boar bristle brushes, but certain hair types may not benefit. My underlayer is really fine and I'm guessing that my BBB has caused some of its splits, so I'm experimenting with going without it.
However, my routine, which is best for my hair and my daily activities, doesn't really allow for me to show off my true hair type. I shower at night, I comb or finger comb after my wash and I damp bun so it doesn't tangle in my sleep. I have my hair up at night and most days, so when it is down, my hair has formed ringlets or waves from the bun or braid. Even if my hair is wavy, the bun/braid curls/waves are not my natural pattern.
DecafJane
October 17th, 2010, 12:28 AM
I agree with the others - I find it useful to compare with those who have the same hairtype as I do. :)
Bene
October 17th, 2010, 01:17 AM
I don't think it's a myth. I mean, there are categories and people fit into those categories. I like to watch people with my hairtype just to see what mine could potentially look like. It's just nice to know that there are other people out there who deal with the same issues. I don't want to change mine.
Still, I don't think it's a necessity. I don't discount the advice of people with different types. I'd be shooting myself in the foot if I didn't at least listen to what they had to say. My hair is happy and healthy, I wouldn't have gotten it that way if I didn't disregarded another person's success based on their hair type. So, I'll never say "Oh, you have x hairtype, your product/technique/routine couldn't possibly work for me" Then again, I'm all about being a guinea pig for new stuff :D My hair is pretty resilient, it can survive experimenting, and if something doesn't work out for me, I can always wash and try something else.
Alix
October 17th, 2010, 01:47 AM
I found that my hair type changed a lot when I switched out cones, so that was interesting.
Katze
October 17th, 2010, 03:43 AM
It has helped me IMMENSELY to learn how to treat my hair.
Why? I grew up thinking all hair should be treated alike: brush 100 strokes, shampoo-rinse-repeat, blowdry and use an iron to curl/straighten, and use sun-in when it started going dark. :D
My hair would never grow, was always dry on the ends and frizzy and uncontrollable. The solution, of course, was to get layers cut into it, use more product, blowdry more (and more effectively).
So of course my hair would never get long.
It was only after having an African-American roommate who was into natural hair care that I started to realize that what applies to nutrition and skin care can also apply to hair care (i.e. don't believe what the media tells you).
Around that time I went to a very expensive salon where the stylist told me I had 'baby fine' hair and should never use 'elastics with metal'. This was in 2003 or so, and most elastics for sale had metal. But I dutifully started doing this, and noticed my ends were in better shape (I wore a lot of side braids then).
Fast forward to LHC. Now I know more: that my hair is fine but with some medium texture parts (so the fine needs more washing, whereas the M needs more moisture), that I am wavy with some straight hair tendencies...all help. If I didn't know this, i would still be treating my hair like straight hair, and wondering why it is so frizzy and has 'bumps' (thanks to LHC, now spiral waves), and wondering why it 'just won't grow.'
Without knowing what I know about hair type, I would still be believing what stylists always told me, 'your hair is too thin to ever get long (it is ii thickness, just fine) and would know NOTHING about having waves.
I will never have a precise hair typing for my hair because it is in between, but knowing this is a big help.
Venefica
October 17th, 2010, 04:17 AM
Some say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. However I do not really understand why some pepole who have gorgeous curly hair would want to straighten it for example. I do understand the reason for wanting to know ones hair type. Allot of hair care products, and in general how one treat ones hair depend allot on what type of hair you have. There are shampoos best suited for curly for example that just make a mess with straight hair and so on.
jojo
October 17th, 2010, 05:46 AM
For me I wanted to know my hair type when I first joined as I had no idea what my hair would like, so by knowing this I could find members with similar types and copy their routine to try and get the same results. Nowadays my type changes like the wind and I feel more confident in what my hair likes so my hair type is more of a fun thing now!
JenniferNoel
October 17th, 2010, 07:16 AM
Hair typing is by no means a myth but is not always a necessity.
Different hair types, obviously, require different/specific routines to maintain health and manageability. For instance, a 1a/M/iii wouldn't benefit from plopping so much as a 2c/M/iii, simply because of the 2c's curl pattern.
Also, knowing your hair type can save you a lot of trouble with trims and cuts, especially for those with curlier hair.
Not knowing your hair type is not exactly a bad thing, it can just be an inconvenience especially when it comes to styling, or accentuating/taming the curl/wave pattern.
How can you know how to dry your hair straighter if you don't know how much wave/curl you have in the first place, right?
Also, knowing the thickness of your hair can help you pick out and learn the right up-dos and up-do modifications that will hold properly in your hair. A lot of us iiis have trouble with certain up-dos.
jane53
October 17th, 2010, 07:24 AM
I have no idea what my hair type is, even though I posted something that felt pretty random at the time on my profile.
I know what works for my hair. That's all I need.
lapushka
October 17th, 2010, 07:45 AM
I agree. It helps a lot! Knowing your hair type can teach you how to properly deal with your hair, especially as a wavy. As a teen, I thought my hair was straight, styled and treated it as such (combing it out wet with a rat tail comb), but couldn't figure out why it "frizzed" when the weather was bad. Now wavy hair's become fashionable. Go figure! Wish I knew back then I had wavy hair!
princessp
October 17th, 2010, 10:08 AM
Like many have said, I am also finding good ideas about products, routines, and what updos I can achieve when I look to people with my hair type. I would actually love to be able to do a search of members by hair type to find more folks with hair like mine.
Years ago, I had a hairdresser tell me I had "extreme hair" and so there were many things I couldn't do. When I was little I was very self conscious about my hair because it is a little nutty. But coming on here has really helped me find people in the world with my hair (and even "crazier"). People here have given me awesome ideas about what one can do with "extreme hair" (and by the way, I don't think my hair actually is extreme it is just that the stylist was not accustomed to it). That might seem like a little thing, but it was helpful to my psyche.
I remember trying to do an updo I saw here without any luck. Later, I found the thick hair thread and found out it was not just me, lots of thick haired folks could not do that particular do.
So it has been really helpful to me in a number of ways.
rags
October 17th, 2010, 10:32 AM
To princessp - you can do a search of members by hair type! Just go to the members list and fill out the boxes. It's great to find your hair twins!
I knew before LHC that my hair was baby, baby fine (there wasn't any way NOT to know that! :p ) but I used cones all the time and they pull out all the wave for me. I thought I was 1a or maybe 1b. I'm actually closer to a 2a. Once I started giving my hair more moisture, the frizziness eased off. Who knew? :p
But the main thing I like the hairtype system for is that I can find people with my hair type and thickness who actually have hair longer than BSL!! You almost never see that in " the wild" because we are all told we can't grow our hair long as it's too fine and thin.
I've also found it very handy to sort through advice. I know someone recommending an oil or conditioner with M or C hair is going to be using at least twice as much as i would of an oil, for example. So i know to cut the amount in half the first time I try it. Things like that are why I enjoy the hair typing system.
2peasinapod
October 17th, 2010, 10:42 AM
Like lapushka, I also though my hair was straight and wondered why it was so unmanageable. When I joined LHC and found my true hair type, I suddenly realized why nothing I did was working.
I think it's great that some people have found what works for their hair without knowing their type, but some of us need a little help. :p
adiapalic
October 17th, 2010, 11:21 AM
One thing I've noticed many people note is that, after being here for a while, they realize that conventional hair care is mainly geared toward straighter hair. Lots of curlies start hating their hair because it doesn't do what it's "supposed" to do (ie, look straight).
I see the typing system as a stepping stone toward better understanding one's own hair--first accepting that there are different hair types, and then accepting what your [general your] own is.
In other words, Step 1: Knowing different hair types, Step 2: Find your own, Step 3: Accepting your own.
Sure, straight-haired people can wear curled hair, and curly haired people can straighten their hair--and sure, both will cause some damage, but it's a personal choice. So, Step 3 doesn't mean always wear your hair naturally, it just means you're going to have to care for your hair according to your type if you want it to be healthier.
The Curly Girl Handbook talks about different care for different types of hair as well.
Curly hair requires more moisture, tends to dry out and be fragile, can handle (and even require) larger amounts of conditioner when washed, and cannot be brushed out with a regular plastic pronged or BBB brush without encountering large amounts of damage and frizz.
Straight hair gets stringy and weighed down by conditioner, can be prone to oiliness, doesn't dry out as easily, but is more resistant to damage, can be brushed without inherent frizz.
For me, the book's assessment rings true. But since my hair is between these two (wavy), both are true. My scalp is prone to be oily if I use too much conditioner, my ends get ridiculously dry if I don't condition them heavily. I can brush, but it gives my hair more volume and looks a bit puffier at the ends. I don't brush and it clumps together and gets tangly and stringy. So I comb to mostly keep down the volume and separated the tangling. Granted, this is just my own personal experience, but I've learned how to care for my own hair by first looking at what methods are effective for other hair types, and then practicing on mine. :flower:
So maybe the hair typing is a starting place--try out the methods that are successful for those with similar hair types, chances are it'll be close, but not exactly what you're looking for... tweak it as needed.
Purdy Bear
October 17th, 2010, 11:26 AM
Although I dont have hair, I still feel its important to know what hair type I was. If I had known how to treat my hair when I did have it, I wouldnt have got so frustrated with it.
I also now understand why certain styles (like Bobs) were a complete nightmare for me, having to daily wash to stop it sticking out all over the place.
Lastly that Im not on my own with the comments some made/make about having long hair cut and so on.
jeanniet
October 17th, 2010, 11:47 AM
If you're happy with your hair and the products you use, I don't think it matters that much. If you're looking to improve the condition of your hair or find better products, it can be pretty important. When I first started here, I thought my hair was just wavy (2a). Then I started realizing it was more than that, asked for help, and consensus was it's really 3a, which is curly. This helped me change my approach (very wide-toothed combs, no brushing, COing, etc.) and has really helped improve things. You'd think that after all this time I'd know if I had curly hair, but I didn't! :D
Calaelen
October 17th, 2010, 12:28 PM
The different types of hair require different hair care routines for optimal results. Knowing your own hair type can help you choose the right products and routines. I also like thinking about what my hair is going to be like at goal, and this hairtyping system helps, especially when I find someone with the same type who has hair at knee length.
Maybe the specific typing system we use here is a little precise for some, but on this board it is really helpful to me. However, everyone really should know their basic hairtype, even if just for choosing a suitable shampoo. Think how many different kinds there are.
punkcatknitter
October 17th, 2010, 09:04 PM
I have OCD, I like being able to put names and labels on things.
Yeah, only half kidding. lol. When I first joined here I found the hair typing fascinating, it had never occurred to me that there was something other than curly or straight. All my life I only knew that my hair was super straight for the most part, but when it grew long I would develop ringlets on the underneath. I love learning how to coax the curls out to play. :)
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