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oktobergoud
October 31st, 2011, 05:06 PM
I'm sure this has been asked before, but I couldn't find it. I can never seem to find anything on this board :P (and honestly can't be bothered to look a 100 pages back :P)

But, being a super shortie, I was wondering HOW ON EARTH are we shorties going to type our hair? Eh is that a verb? Or something?

Anyway, does hair have to be a specific length in order to figure out the hair type specifically? Does it have to be, let's just say something random, at least 24 inches?

When you have short hair, it obviously behaves different then when it's long. I think my hair will be less wavy when it's longer, however, the last time I had longer hair (like 5 years ago) it was in really bad condition, brushed through while wet etc. I really don't have any hair typing appropriate pictures (meaning: unbrushed hair etc.), not when it's short or long, and have no idea what kind of hair I have!

I basically just guessed everything... do I really have to wait 2 years or so before I can properly hair type my.. well.. hair?

I'll leave this with a picture, be free to guess my hair type! :P I guessed the thickness: I made pony stub a few months ago and that stub was an ii (forgot the exact measurements), however, it was only like 70% that was in the pony stub so I figured it could be ii/iii BUT I HAVE NO IDEA REALLY! And all the thickness is on the back of my head, my hair is coarse and thick there, but it's fine and thin at the sides. Maybe it's ii? It used to be BIG when it was long though. I guess I'll only know that when it's long enough for a proper pony ;)

Sigh :P

Sometimes my hair is really straight (like my siggypicture) and a lot of times it's wavy. Even though I use the same products/techniques :P

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e375/moresque/Fotoop30-10-2011om12082.jpg

It is combed though here, I have not yet taken a picture with unbrushed hair, but I don't think it would look different (I never notice a difference when I comb my hair, I use a widetooth comb)

Like I've said before: sometimes it's really straight and flat and then I think 'mm well maybe it's the length that is making it straight' and then all of a sudden I have really wavy hair for the next 2 weeks o_O It's that annoying wave that just flips up :P

I apologize if there is already a thread about this, which will be most likely. However, since a lot of people are making 'PLEASE HAIRTYPE ME!!' posts, I figured, why not? ;) I'm doing this for the super shorties! :P

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e375/moresque/IMG_3860.jpg

Also, a pic of me with 'long' hair. It has never been longer since I was 13 or so. But I don't think this picture will really help because 1. it was greasy, unwashed, probably brushed the day before and 2. I gave myself horrible haircuts with weird layers and had tons of split ends :P
But still, might give an idea?

(I'm sorry, this has turned out in one of those maybe tiring 'HAIRTYPE ME PLEAAAAASE' posts :x BUT I STILL WANT TO KNOW HOW WE SUPER SHORTIES HAVE TO MEASURE!)

spidermom
October 31st, 2011, 05:22 PM
It can take length for the real texture to express itself. I have loose spirals, and they don't show up until arm pit length. Until then, it looks like I have really thick and bushy hair, with no discernible wave or curl pattern. Like so:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/spidermom/BOONEW.jpg

Isn't that hideous? That was washed, conditioned, air dried, then combed.

Yours looks maybe 1C, but I'm going to reserve judgement until it's APL because of my own experience. Happy growing!

oktobergoud
October 31st, 2011, 05:32 PM
Thanks Spidermom! Woah, that was a lot of hair! (Well, you obviously have lots of more hair now, but still ;))

I always thought that length would make it heavier and thus less wavy, had no idea it could be the other way around :o I sure hope so! ;)

KrissyKitty
October 31st, 2011, 05:42 PM
Thanks Spidermom! Woah, that was a lot of hair! (Well, you obviously have lots of more hair now, but still ;))

I always thought that length would make it heavier and thus less wavy, had no idea it could be the other way around :o I sure hope so! ;)
My experience is also that my hair was much curlier when it was longer. Before cutting from BSL to a pixie I was 2c/3a/F/iii. Now at jaw length my hair is more of a 2a. The curls just aren't showing up. The fact that I've hennaed may be affecting this (henna can sometimes loosen curls). And my waves are super easy to comb out. I'm assuming that cutting my hair hasn't actually changed the texture (how could it?) and am hoping that my curls come back as everything gets longer and the henna grows out.

oktobergoud
October 31st, 2011, 05:52 PM
My experience is also that my hair was much curlier when it was longer. Before cutting from BSL to a pixie I was 2c/3a/F/iii. Now at jaw length my hair is more of a 2a. The curls just aren't showing up. The fact that I've hennaed may be affecting this (henna can sometimes loosen curls). And my waves are super easy to comb out. I'm assuming that cutting my hair hasn't actually changed the texture (how could it?) and am hoping that my curls come back as everything gets longer and the henna grows out.

Mmm really? I guess it's just really impossible to type our hair while it's short.. sigh :P
My hair has always been wavy, but not EXTREMELY. When I was a kid I did have spiral curls, but kids' hair is always different and changing, of course.

I'm curious if my hair will be more wavy now I take much better care of my hair! I do use henna though, I read that they will make it less wavy.. I guess I'll just have to wait :(

delsh
October 31st, 2011, 07:35 PM
My hair looked just like yours when I was growing out my pixie, oktobergoud! You might be in for more waves when it gets longer. For me, all those flips I couldn't make lie right were the beginning of waves. They just needed more length to finish the wave, so to speak. I've gone through a lot of awkward, spiky stages with all my layers poking out at different lengths, but they're just doing their best to wave that I'm not blowdrying them into submission! :laugh:

So I really think for some people, they do need more length before they can really identify their hairtype. I certainly did. Even now I'm not sure if I'm inching into the 2b category - the longer my layers get the more they're waving up. It's a fun journey :flowers:

delsh
October 31st, 2011, 07:50 PM
I found some pictures, here you can really tell the difference. Sorry they're a little bit big!

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=7886&pictureid=117638
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=7886&pictureid=117639[/B]

xoxophelia
October 31st, 2011, 09:13 PM
I really love your hair. If I looked like you I think I wouldn't even be growing mine out (and I don't even usually like short hair much you just pull off the edgy haircuts really well!)

I wish I had photos for you but the shortest I have had my hair recently was about shoulder length. I had to get it chopped off after being ill about 2 and a half year ago now. When I was at that length my hair actually kind of looked more like spirals and not AS big as spidermom's but definitely not sleek like yours is. My hair might be more than 2a and I style it wrong but based off of that, my guess would be you are 1c. Who knows if you are secretly 4a though :P

ddiana1979
October 31st, 2011, 11:12 PM
It looks like a 1c to me. . . at least now. You'll probably know for sure by shoulder length. As far as i - iii, you won't know for sure until you can put your hair in a pony tail, but it seems to me that most Caucasian people fall in the ii category, which makes sense because it's kind of the "average thickness" category. As far as fine vs. coarse, you should be able to tell that now. . . does an individual hair feel like a thread when you roll it in your fingers? Your individual hair thickness shouldn't change with length unless you have a major change in hormone levels, become ill, or something drastic like that.

As far as your hair changing waviness from week to week, sometimes mine does that too. I *finally* figured out if I use a cone-y conditioner, it gets absolutely stick straight (1a). If I go cone-free, I progressively get more and more wave, up to about a 1b and possibly even 1c after a few weeks of using the cone-free conditioner. Who knew a simple change in shampoo & conditioner could make so much difference in waviness! The humidity seems to affect it a little too.

joflakes
November 1st, 2011, 01:30 AM
This is helping me and something I'd kinda been holding off asking, so thanks oktobergoud!

I think I'm the same as you. From the looks of it our hair is similar waves wise. At the moment it flicks just in front of my ear and there's another one at the back right of my head! Hehe.

Toadstool
November 1st, 2011, 02:02 AM
It looks like mine, which is 2a.

Mesmerise
November 1st, 2011, 02:11 AM
I think the only thing you can do is guess!

When I had short hair, it used to be stupid and generally stick out on one side and go under on the other. Used to drive me INSANE lol.

Once it got to shoulder length it showed much more curl, and then went a bit straighter as it got longer. It seems straighter now than it used to (except underneath where it is stubbornly curly and weird) and I think that may be due to henna.

I figure by the time my hair is hip length, it will probably be 1c.

oktobergoud
November 1st, 2011, 04:07 AM
Delsh, our short hair does look alike! I do hope I will get those awesome waves you have now :D



I really love your hair. If I looked like you I think I wouldn't even be growing mine out (and I don't even usually like short hair much you just pull off the edgy haircuts really well!)

I wish I had photos for you but the shortest I have had my hair recently was about shoulder length. I had to get it chopped off after being ill about 2 and a half year ago now. When I was at that length my hair actually kind of looked more like spirals and not AS big as spidermom's but definitely not sleek like yours is. My hair might be more than 2a and I style it wrong but based off of that, my guess would be you are 1c. Who knows if you are secretly 4a though :P

Hehe a 4a, that would be well.. a big surprise :P :P My dad has some really coarse kinky hair though (sisters & mother as well), but I'm glad I have my mother's fine wavy hair!
& Thank you! I've had short hair for years, did all kinds of things (buzzcuts and stuff) but now I'm finally ready to grow again :D It hasn't been this long for 3 years or so! (When I grew it out from a pixie to a bob as well, but that only lasted for 2 months before I got bored.. different this time :D)

ddiana1979 I do think I know if my hair is fine/medium/coarse. I actually think IT'S ALL OF THEM O_O For instance, my hair at the sides is very fine and also really thin (scalp cleavage!). But at the back it's much thicker and the hair there is also a lot more coarse (like I can feel it when I pluck a hair and roll it between my fingers and it's always knotted when I wash it, even though it's still supershort!).
I always thought my hair would get more wavy when I'm not using cones, but it actually doesn't matter! Right now my hair is full of cones and it's exactly like that picture I posted. And sometimes I don't use cones and it's the same.. or it's really straight! I think my hair just has a mind of it's own :P

Joflakes hehe it is annoying isn't it? :P

chou
November 1st, 2011, 06:58 AM
I think that us shorties will just have to wait it out to get an accurate read on hair type. My hair looked pretty similar to yours at ear length but with perhaps a few more flips and cowlicks, something like 1c/2a. Now, at chin (in front) and brushing shoulder (in back) I've got waves and loose curls all over and someone in the wurly and wavy thread diagnosed me as a 2c. They're totally variable day to day though.
I think that the layers that come with growing out a pixie cut can disguise your hair type by giving you flips in some places and keeping some strands too short to express what texture they might have. My bangs, for instance, used to fall straight when they were at eye-length but are now starting to twist into a loose-spiral/flip shape. It's actually driving me crazy :P . Until it's solidly at shoulder and mostly one length we may not really know our hair types.