What is the Difference Between 1b and 1c Hair?

[MissManda]

Hey all,

This has been really bugging me for a while now and I've done a lot of searching, but I couldn't find anything helpful. I'm pretty confident that I understand the difference between 1a and 1b (http://archive.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=53924), but I'm not so sure about 1b, 1b/1c, and 1c.

Looking through other members' albums and numerous threads has just confused me even more. :confused:

If anyone could give an alternative description to Fia's hairtyping system and/or give some picture examples, I'd greatly appreciate it!

[tinti]

1b is allmost pin straight but has a bit of a body wave, while 1c has more body wave, but still isn't what you'd call wavy? :p That's how I've understood it but I'm horrible at typing and explaining so I'm going to leave the "final say" to others.

[Anje]

1c hair really isn't that straight anymore. It has some lazy waves in it, but not enough to exactly be called wavy. One of the defining characteristics, I think, is that it tends to frizz. The end of every hair seems to flip out from the mass of hair. 1b hair, on the other hand, doesn't seem like it has a lot of frizz. It's not quite stick-straight and tends to curve a bit at the ends, no matter how you cut them, but it's definitely what you'd call "straight" hair when you look at it.

[danacc]

I think of it similar to Anje. There is a lazy wave in 1c hair. The overall impression that it gives is that the person "has straight hair", but you can track a gentle back-and-forth wave in it. In 1b hair, part of the hair may have a gentle wave, and nearby, neighboring hair is straight. Or the canopy on top is straight. Or it doesn't wave back-and-forth, looking more like a single c-shape than gently repeating, large S's.

If the overall impression is that the person "has wavy hair", then you've crossed into 2a, 2b, or 2c territory.

[skyblue]

I get confused too, I have wavy hair but once combed or brushed it goes straight
with just a tiny wave to it so I guess I chose right for mine
it really depends on the weather lol!

[freckles]

I agree with the others. I typed myself 1b because when it doesn't have braid or bun waves (rarely, these days!) I can't find anything you could call a wave -- the only reason I don't consider myself a 1a is because at neck length it did those 'j' flick things on either side of my face, and I occasionally get half-waves in my hair with a shorter terminal length (around my hairline). If the hair looks like 'straight hair' but you can find a full wave or two in it, I would call that 1c. But I'm really bad at hair typing, this is just my guess!

[Mesmerise]

The way I see it is that 1a is dead straight. Just straight.

1b has very slight waves, or just a bit more body maybe. Nothing that you'd describe as wavy, just not dead straight.

1c has more of a wave without being wavy, but it's at the point where you're not really calling it straight anymore... more straightish hair than straight.

Although, TBH I get a bit confused too... when I first did hairtyping I had people saying 1c/2a about my hair, and yet errm I don't know... maybe my hairtyping pic looked sort of straighter than normal, but honestly... it's not straight at all, and even brushing it doesn't make it look straight (just a frizzly mess lol).

I find hairtyping a bit difficult, because I think maybe my hair was sort of "stuck" to my back a bit which straightened it more than it would have been had I combed it before letting it dry. I've now settled on 2a, but I've seen people who call themselves 2c with hair that looks similar to mine in pics, and I've seen people who call themselves 1c whose hair looks too wavy to me... so errm...I get confused lol.

However, the way I see it is that the 1s are straights, so I'd think even a 1c would have fairly straight hair maybe with a wee bit of gentle wave. Too much wave and you've got to enter the 2s.

I personally struggle a bit more with 2a and 2b!

[Finoriel]

What is the difference between 1b and 1c hair?
I can't tell, I'm dyslexic! :p :wink:[/unhelpful]

On a more helpful note, hopefully, I tend to think of it the way like Anje does :agree:
And judging from pictures of people who classified themselves as a certain type can be confusing out of several reasons. Not every picture with hair down was taken under classifying circumstances. I have quite a few pics showing artificial waves (braid, bun etc.) and just one or two proper classifying pics. Or the picture is just not showing nuances well, structures need the right lighting to really become visible. Or the typing is seemingly off because everybody views it a bit differently or somebody does not want to use inbetween types like 1b/c and just types it as the type it is leaning more to from their point of view. Etc. etc. there's many different reasons why typing-results can vary.
I gave up viewing hairtyping as something too serious, it's just a convenient tool to give hints about which sort of hair somebody has, but it will always vary to some degree. It's shorter than describing ones hair in words, but it can't be any more accurate than the words behind it, which always depend on personal definitions. Ask 5 people if a pic is showing a body-wave and you'll likely get at least 5 1/2 different answers, depending on how they personally define a body-wave. :wink:

[triumphator!]

1c can become 1a with a straightener. 1b hair is like when you straighened 1c hair to be 1a but then it was really humid outside so it flips out at the bottom and gets curves based on the shape of the head.

[spidermom]

I thought that 1B hair can have a bit of wave while wet but can be combed out to be perfectly straight, while 1C hair will retain a bit of curve to it with combing.

[jojo]

the 1 category are the straight hairs, as you get to the 1c waves are starting to for and then you go into the wavy 2 category! slight wave patterns are apparent in 1c!

[MissManda]

Okay, thanks everyone! Now it's starting to make more sense. I know it's kind of silly for me to wonder about it, but the pictures on Fia's web site weren't that helpful to me when they were still up.

So 1c is the one with the very stretched out S-shaped wave-things? I've seen some 1b's with shapes like that in the hair and I would have called them 1c.

[celebriangel]

The way I see it is that 1a is dead straight. Just straight.

1b has very slight waves, or just a bit more body maybe. Nothing that you'd describe as wavy, just not dead straight.

1c has more of a wave without being wavy, but it's at the point where you're not really calling it straight anymore... more straightish hair than straight.

Although, TBH I get a bit confused too... when I first did hairtyping I had people saying 1c/2a about my hair, and yet errm I don't know... maybe my hairtyping pic looked sort of straighter than normal, but honestly... it's not straight at all, and even brushing it doesn't make it look straight (just a frizzly mess lol).

I find hairtyping a bit difficult, because I think maybe my hair was sort of "stuck" to my back a bit which straightened it more than it would have been had I combed it before letting it dry. I've now settled on 2a, but I've seen people who call themselves 2c with hair that looks similar to mine in pics, and I've seen people who call themselves 1c whose hair looks too wavy to me... so errm...I get confused lol.

However, the way I see it is that the 1s are straights, so I'd think even a 1c would have fairly straight hair maybe with a wee bit of gentle wave. Too much wave and you've got to enter the 2s.

I personally struggle a bit more with 2a and 2b!

Yeah, members pics won't be that accurate. for example: my hair is definitely 2c. You can tell because, on the single pic I posted to the boards, it fell into perfect ringlets on the bottom half (no idea how that happened...I didn't do anything to it)

However, if I comb it dry, it falls into more like 2a waves, then, over the course of the day, will resolve into 2b s-waves with a little curl at the end, so it looks like 2b/2c. But the effect I get with no combing or brushing, just leaving to air-dry, means I am definitely 2c...it's just my hair doesn't always look 2c.

Braid-waves, for example, are really weird on me - they're definitely waves and not curls, but they're really tight, close-together waves, almost like I did them with a really big crimper. An infinity bun seems to work contrary to my curls, and give me big, soft body-waves with a little curl at the end so I look kinda 1c/2a.

I think 2s are hard, though, because our hair is so changeable. It does different things on different days, will stay fairly straight (big, soft waves) if I want it to and holds a curl with tenacity.

[Eolan]

I have been wondering about this too! Now I'm starting to think I am a 1C. But I'm still not sure... :ponder:

[Idun]

I´m starting to think I might be 1c too. When I did chemical dyes and cones my hair was clearly straighter than it is now. But it still doesn´t really have waves, - they look more like dents. :rolleyes:

[SilvraShadows]

When I don't touch my hair after a wash, it has definite waves that fall very loosely and random. My hair tends to frizz... the canopy is the culprit... other than that it is very smooth and silky. So I classify myself as a 1b.

How I see it is... 1a folk are smoothies, silky and straight. 1b folk have body and therefore some subtle waviness, but not full out waves. And 1b folk have the loose random waves and I do think more frizz going on.

The Twosies are the wavy people. Beginning with more defined, loose waves than a 1c would have and things tighten up as we move into the 2c's.

The pictures I see in the classification thread are misleading to me, also some people mis-classify their hair, so it can get all very confusing. Another thing that adds to the confusion is the way a person wears their hair can makes it appear differently than how it's been classified.

Such might be my case. But trust me, I am a 1c. I always have braided tresses so my hair has lots of little waves in it, sometimes to the point of witchy-frizziness. Or the bun curls...

[PiroskaCicu]

I'm confused by this, too. I typed myself as 1c/2a because when uncombed, my hair is 2a, with s-waves. But after I comb it it becomes straight-ish, with still very very loose waves (1c).

[jojo]

My wavy has waved me goodbye, due to BBB I think its fair to say im more a 1c/2a person when I brush it, if I comb it or leave it 2a/2b

[freckles]

I agree with others saying that members pictures aren't a great way to judge. Many of us don't show our natural texture a whole lot. Personally, I don't think any of my pictures in my albums show my 'real' texture -- every one of mine is either blowdried, wet, or at least a little bit of braid/bun waves!

[Idun]

Aren´t you supposed to drip dry and not comb your hair before attempting to hairtype?