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View Full Version : did no-product airdry. hair type?



Athena's Owl
January 6th, 2011, 09:22 PM
it is time for me to re-examine my hair with no product, and then looking at this photo, I realized I couldn't decide if my curl type had changed or not. opinions on how you would classify?

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=3095&pictureid=92655

Rocket22
January 6th, 2011, 09:27 PM
just beautiful!!!! sorry I know that doesn't help :)

Sundial
January 6th, 2011, 09:29 PM
Your curls are really really pretty!

teela1978
January 6th, 2011, 09:31 PM
So pretty. I'd guess closer to 3c than 3b.

masa_inn
January 6th, 2011, 09:33 PM
3с for sure
/I have major curl envy lol/

Lostsoule77
January 6th, 2011, 09:35 PM
I'm new here and have yet to type my own hair, plus the picture is a tad fuzzy. Looking at the hair typing guide though it looks like you either have 3c or even 4a hair. Then again I could be completely wrong since their is no visual guide up at the moment. I'm sure some of the more knowledgable will chime in soon. :)

sedonia
January 6th, 2011, 10:06 PM
Wow! Beautiful!

Buddaphlyy
January 6th, 2011, 10:21 PM
I've always though your hair was beautiful Athena.

I'd say you're a 3b/3c mix.

princessp
January 6th, 2011, 10:24 PM
Dear god, gorgeous! I'd type it as: seriously wish I had that pretty color and those awesome curls type. :)

ericthegreat
January 6th, 2011, 10:45 PM
First off, I must tell you that you have such wonderful, thick, springy curls!! :) Your curls are a bit too tight to be only 3b in this newest photo, a 3c is more accurate.

redcelticcurls
January 6th, 2011, 11:34 PM
I'd say solid 3b. The curl pattern and curl diameter is still a bit large to be a 3b.

3c looks more like this.

http://i53.tinypic.com/2rxw6za.jpg

That being said, this board does type high when compared to how curl based boards type. So, by standards here and not on curly standards, it may be a 3c. I'm using Andre Walker's typing system.

ETA: I do see a couple of wet/wet look pics in your album that look like a 3b/3c mix. But, this pic looks 3b to me.

McFearless
January 6th, 2011, 11:43 PM
I'd say solid 3b. The curl pattern and curl diameter is still a bit large to be a 3b.

3c looks more like this.

http://i53.tinypic.com/2rxw6za.jpg

That being said, this board does type high when compared to how curl based boards type. So, by standards here and not on curly standards, it may be a 3c. I'm using Andre Walker's typing system.

I agree with this. 3c is tight corkscrew curls. Your hair curls in spirals on the ends.

AnnaJamila
January 6th, 2011, 11:48 PM
In the most loving, caring way possible... your hair totally makes me sick.

Lol, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!! And I'd say that's a solid 3c.

xoxophelia
January 7th, 2011, 12:00 AM
It might just be the photo but a majority of your hair actually looks like tight waves instead of curls to me O.O.. like a tighter S wave instead of a spiral curl (those are mixed in there too though). I am not sure how the system would take that into account though.

Dragon
January 7th, 2011, 12:04 AM
Nice curls :)

redcelticcurls
January 7th, 2011, 12:05 AM
It might just be the photo but a majority of your hair actually looks like tight waves instead of curls to me O.O.. like a tighter S wave instead of a spiral curl (those are mixed in there too though). I am not sure how the system would take that into account though.

Some curls do take on more of an s-shape than the stereotypical spiral. There are threads over at naturallycurly that show s-shaped types 3c and 4a for example. Some have s-shaped roots and corkscrewed and/or coiled ends but still are a 3b or c or a 4a. This also isn't unusual.

For me, this looks 3b because of the mid sized curl diameter and just the 'look' of it. I would need a tighter look and thinner curl for me to call it a 3c. I could see where some would use the 3b/3c type though.

teela1978
January 7th, 2011, 12:13 AM
Some curls do take on more of an s-shape than the stereotypical spiral. There are threads over at naturallycurly that show s-shaped types 3c and 4a for example. Some have s-shaped roots and corkscrewed and/or coiled ends but still are a 3b or c or a 4a. This also isn't unusual.

For me, this looks 3b because of the mid sized curl diameter and just the 'look' of it. I would need a tighter look and thinner curl for me to call it a 3c. I could see where some would use the 3b/3c type though.
Your hair is what I think of as 3b, Athenaowl's hair seems to have a somewhat tighter curl than most 3b's on this site... which is partly where I was leaning towards the 3c side. I can see where the above picture would be more of a 3c type though. Classifying hair is hard.

redcelticcurls
January 7th, 2011, 12:22 AM
Your hair is what I think of as 3b, Athenaowl's hair seems to have a somewhat tighter curl than most 3b's on this site... which is partly where I was leaning towards the 3c side. I can see where the above picture would be more of a 3c type though. Classifying hair is hard.

You'll never see my typing type 1 hair because it all looks so similar to me that I don't notice the differences the way other straighties do, lol.

I consider myself to be at the loose end of 3b, and it has a 3b/a look to it at this length. I do keep myself typed as a 3b because I have the "hair is shorter when curlier" bit that marks the split between 3a and 3b. Otherwise, I could go either way.

I think the pic in the OP is a strong 3b, yet still a 3b.

But, hey, she gets to pick her own type in the end. :)

MissManda
January 7th, 2011, 01:33 AM
Wow, your curls are stunning! My guess would be 3b or maybe 3b/3c. :)

Loreley
January 7th, 2011, 02:12 AM
:thudpile: You have gorgeous curls! I'd say it's 3b.

Eolan
January 7th, 2011, 02:19 AM
Is "wonderful" considered a hair type? :)

Avital88
January 7th, 2011, 02:41 AM
3c for sure! Really beautiful curls and color!

DaniiL
January 7th, 2011, 04:56 AM
Is "wonderful" considered a hair type?

I so agree with Eolan! :)

Your hair looks fantastic! Really beautiful!

vanity_acefake
January 7th, 2011, 05:32 AM
Oh your hair is absolutely breathtaking. Serious curl envy from me too.

pepperminttea
January 7th, 2011, 06:15 AM
First off: :thud:

I'd go with 3B/3C. :)

lapushka
January 7th, 2011, 06:47 AM
I'm stuck between 3b and possibly 3c (because of the ends).

Stunningly beautiful curls! :D

GRU
January 7th, 2011, 09:08 AM
3's
3a - large spiral curls that are looser the longer the hair
3b - ringlets that are about the circumference of sidewalk chalk
3c - tight corkscrew curls that are about the circumference of a pencil


This is why I classify myself as 3b/3c -- my ringlets are between sidewalk chalk and a pencil, so neither one really applies to me. I see your hair as being in that same boat.

For example, I just took one of my curls and tried to insert my pinky finger into it, and it would only go about up to my first knuckle. My thumb is slightly smaller than sidewalk chalk, so my pinky finger is WAY smaller than sidewalk chalk (but bigger than a pencil).

Sidewalk chalk is roughly 2cm and a pencil/straw is about .7cm -- that's a 300% difference between the two! Since I'm in the middle of those two, I call myself a b/c. :shrug:

ericthegreat
January 7th, 2011, 10:36 AM
You'll never see my typing type 1 hair because it all looks so similar to me that I don't notice the differences the way other straighties do, lol.

I consider myself to be at the loose end of 3b, and it has a 3b/a look to it at this length. I do keep myself typed as a 3b because I have the "hair is shorter when curlier" bit that marks the split between 3a and 3b. Otherwise, I could go either way.

I think the pic in the OP is a strong 3b, yet still a 3b.

But, hey, she gets to pick her own type in the end. :)

This is what I find facinating about hairtyping. Different people will type differently depending on what they personally see or look for.

Going directly by Fia's hairtyping system:

3a : large spirals that are looser the longer the hair
3b : ringlets that are the circumference of a sidewalk chalk
3c : tight corkscrew curls that are the circumference of a pencil

I would personally classify you as right on the nose of 3b RCC. Your curls to me look to be just the right size to be in the 3b category.

To my eyes, Athena's Owl's curls are just a bit too tight to also be in the 3b category. Her hair leans more toward 3c. Its a loose version of 3c, or its right in between 3b and 3c so she could also classify it as 3b/3c.

Braidy
January 7th, 2011, 11:36 AM
I go along with the 3b/3c current. Your hair is really curly but it's not like extreme afro-like curly.

redcelticcurls
January 7th, 2011, 11:42 AM
This is what I find facinating about hairtyping. Different people will type differently depending on what they personally see or look for.

Going directly by Fia's hairtyping system:

3a : large spirals that are looser the longer the hair
3b : ringlets that are the circumference of a sidewalk chalk
3c : tight corkscrew curls that are the circumference of a pencil

I would personally classify you as right on the nose of 3b RCC. Your curls to me look to be just the right size to be in the 3b category.

To my eyes, Athena's Owl's curls are just a bit too tight to also be in the 3b category. Her hair leans more toward 3c. Its a loose version of 3c, or its right in between 3b and 3c so she could also classify it as 3b/3c.

I think that's a downside (for me) of descriptors for 3s. Ringlets and corkscrews and spirals can be vague because any subtype of a type 3 can have any and all of those curl descriptors, and 3b still encompasses curls that have the diameter around the size of a magic marker, which is smaller than the sidewalk chalk. The bulk of mine are magic marker sized. Also, 3a tends to not show its full curl at a shorter length, so I don't understand the part about looser when longer, which is more typical of 3b and c.

Maybe that's just the differences one runs into when using curl based boards, and this board, which encompasses all hair types, but is majority 1 and 2.

Though I think Athena's Owl, and GRU too now that she has posted in the thread, fall into tight 3b as opposed to falling into 3c, which, to me, is like the pic I posted upthread. Maybe I'm just more used to how curl typing is done on curl sites, lol. The tightness is almost there, but just not with the tightness of oopmh of the 3c.

I can see where many would give the 3b/c moniker though.

I'm may just be being overly analytical, but I do get that way with typing, lol. Well, and in general.

GRU
January 7th, 2011, 12:32 PM
Though I think Athena's Owl, and GRU too now that she has posted in the thread, fall into tight 3b as opposed to falling into 3c, which, to me, is like the pic I posted upthread. Maybe I'm just more used to how curl typing is done on curl sites, lol. The tightness is almost there, but just not with the tightness of oopmh of the 3c.

That's the thing.... there IS no descriptor for that "in between" size. Can we make "3b-and-a-half"? Guess I'll just have to stick with my combination 3b/3c label then! :lol:

redcelticcurls
January 7th, 2011, 12:39 PM
That's the thing.... there IS no descriptor for that "in between" size. Can we make "3b-and-a-half"? Guess I'll just have to stick with my combination 3b/3c label then! :lol:

Actually, people do use 3b.5 on naturallycurly, which is where I would put the two of you. :) For the purposes of this site, I guess that 3b/c would fill the same purpose.

Typing is done less often there though since more are basing their hair care on texture and porosity with hairtype lending an assist as opposed to being the primary go-to for hair care methods. It's good to know so you can know your genetic default pattern and can see how different care methods affect the curl pattern. It's also good to know where one falls on the 3a and b line because even though those two types may look similar at hip length, they will look a lot different if they both go to chin length.

Great discussion. I like seeing these analytical typing threads. I'd love to see one discussing the various types of 1s because I have a hard time differentiating between them.

Anje
January 7th, 2011, 12:45 PM
Gorgeous curls. Looks about 3b/3c to my eyes. Especially when I see the curl diameter definitions.

Athena's Owl
January 7th, 2011, 01:07 PM
yeah I have to agree that there is no way on earth I have 3c hair. the standard for 3c is a curl diameter of less than one centimeter, and my curls are wider than that. not as wide as sidewalk chalk at two centimeters, however.

3c hair has a springiness to it. even s-waves that are 3c are tight. the curl pattern is tight enough that you don't get fairly thick clumps with it. my s-waves are clumpy and stretched out. it's just that my hair has been getting looser and looser, to the point where I was calling it a loose 3b. it has tightened up a bit, though, making me wonder if it was still 3b, or if i'd gone back to the 3b/3c i had when my hair was shorter.

ETA: and yes. the number/letter typing system is more about appearance and not really about how you care for it. if I used the kind of products another 3b with porous hair used i'd probably wind up with some snarly results. my hair is not very porous at all.

redcelticcurls
January 7th, 2011, 10:41 PM
I do have to wonder- how long is your hair wet. Your're at hip (I think?) dry, and I'm at hip wet, yet the shrinkage, which should be less than yours, takes me up to BSL. I had wondered if your wet hair was past classic.

The curls are fabulous though. You don't see very many heads of hair (in the grand scheme of things) with that tight of a curl pattern get to that length.

Athena's Owl
January 7th, 2011, 10:56 PM
It's not, actually. wet, i've trimmed my hair to right at the base of the sacrum. it had been at tailbone previously. I might let it grow down to classic next year but this year I'm trying to get a little less fairytale ends, see how I feel about that and if i don't like it then I'll probably shape it.

GoddesJourney
January 8th, 2011, 12:39 AM
3c. By the way, your REAL hair type is "awesome". You hair looks just like one of my sister-in-laws. Same lengths, color, texture, thickness...just beautiful.

Timkerbelle
January 8th, 2011, 04:09 AM
No clue about hair type I'm afraid, just HAD to tell you how STUNNING your hair is Athena!

lacefrost
January 8th, 2011, 12:05 PM
Definitely a 3b. 3c and 4a is what I've got goin on in my head and your hair is definitely looser than that. As others have sad, 3b is sidewalk chalk, 3c is a pencil and 4a is a coffee stirrer.

I've heard that curls change with length, so as your hair gets longer, it makes sense that it'd get looser up top and stay more tightly curled at the bottom.

Also, your hair IS awesome :)

sibiryachka
January 8th, 2011, 01:58 PM
"G" for "Goddess"? Is that a type? ;) Stunning, just stunning!

littlenvy
January 8th, 2011, 02:03 PM
oh WOW!!! What beautiful hair!!!

sorry, I have no hair typing info but you sure can call your hair a treasure!! :)

hazelnut
January 8th, 2011, 02:43 PM
First off, your hair is gorgeous. And second off, I'd say that your hair is a solid 3b/3c mix.

missfortune9335
January 8th, 2011, 04:04 PM
Wow, I'm having some *serious* hair envy over here. Really, that's just beautiful.

Sammich
January 8th, 2011, 04:37 PM
3B/C.

Gorgeous. ;)

jujube
January 8th, 2011, 04:59 PM
Definitely 3c. 3b curls are a bit looser, aren't they?

GRU
January 8th, 2011, 05:42 PM
Definitely 3c. 3b curls are a bit looser, aren't they?

That's the thing -- there's no "middle ground" label... it's either "sidewalk chalk" or "pencil".... so what are we supposed to do if we're "Sharpie marker" sized instead?

redcelticcurls
January 9th, 2011, 10:01 PM
That's the thing -- there's no "middle ground" label... it's either "sidewalk chalk" or "pencil".... so what are we supposed to do if we're "Sharpie marker" sized instead?

Sharpie size is 3b. Sidewalk chalk is 3a.

http://www.naturallycurly.com/pages/hairtypes/type3

Athena's Owl
January 10th, 2011, 12:00 AM
oh well in that case! it's definitely 3b, because my curls are *exactly* that size.

GRU
January 10th, 2011, 12:54 AM
Sharpie size is 3b. Sidewalk chalk is 3a.

http://www.naturallycurly.com/pages/hairtypes/type3

Well heck, why can't they all use the same descriptions? Do they ENJOY driving us crazy? :lol:

redcelticcurls
January 10th, 2011, 10:28 AM
Well heck, why can't they all use the same descriptions? Do they ENJOY driving us crazy? :lol:

:lol:

I think the descriptors get more difficult here because it's not a curly majority board, and even some of those who have waves and curls don't use or show them because they want more length or to do certain updos that just don't work the same on hair that hasn't its curled pulled out. I think that makes it harder when a board with a lot of straighter hair is trying to describe curly or kinkier hair.

The Fia descriptors seem to be based off the Walker system, with added subtypes for type 1s that Walker doesn't use. I figure that the descriptions should at least match.

ddiana1979
January 10th, 2011, 10:34 AM
I'm not even going to hazard a guess, because my hair is so straight, I don't really have anything to compare it to.

Just wanted to say that you have GORGEOUS hair! Love the color & the curls!

CurlAhead
January 10th, 2011, 11:07 AM
This will not help to classify(?) your curls, but your hair is just lovely!!

lascuba
January 10th, 2011, 11:13 AM
Wow, gorgeous hair! And without products!

I'd say you're at the tighter end of 3B.