Type 1 Hair – Straight Hair
Type 1A, 1B, and 1C hair all fall into the “straight” category.
Type 1A is the rarest hair type and is stick-straight without even a hint of a wave. This type of hair tends to be healthy and glossy, but it’s extremely difficult to get it to hold curl or style.
Type 1B is a bit coarser than 1A, which means that it has more body and can generally hold a wave or a curl.
Type 1C is the coarsest of the straight hair types, which means it has a bit more volume than the first two and can hold style well.
Type 2 Hair – Wavy Hair
Type 2A, 2B, and 2C hair are wavy textures – not straight, but not quite curly, and it tends to get wavier the further down the shaft the hair goes. This hair has body and volume, but it’s also prone to frizz.
Type 2A is made up of fine strands with s-shaped waves and has less volume than the other 2 subtypes. This makes it look a bit less thick, but also means it’s usually easy to manage.
Type 2B has more body and texture than 2A, making it look fuller, but also more prone to dryness and frizz.
Type 2C is the coarsest of the wavy hair types, meaning it holds style well but it’s prone to frizz, dryness, and damage.
Type 3 Hair – Curly Hair
Type 3A, 3B, and 3C strands make up gorgeous curls. All type 3 hair tends to have lots of volume and texture, but can also be prone to dryness because oils don’t travel as easily down curly and coil hair types as they do down straight and wavy.
Type 3A are the biggest, loosest curls, and tend to have a lot of body and volume.
Type 3B are tighter, bouncier curls that still have body and volume, but can also be prone to shrinkage.
Type 3C curls are the curly-curly curls. These strands are tightly wound and bring the volume, but can experience serious shrinkage because of the shape of the strands.
Type 4 Hair – Coily Hair
Type 4A, 4B, and 4C hair all fall into the coily category. These beautiful but delicate strands coil in s-shape or z-shaped patterns and tend to have the most volume out of any hair type – but also the most shrinkage.
Type 4A hair falls in thick, s-shaped curls that are well-defined and springy.
Type 4B hair can look fluffy when compared to 4A because the curls are less defined, giving it a softer appearance. When stretched, the strands form a z-shaped pattern, which are especially prone to dryness.
Type 4C hair is the tightest, densest, and coiliest of all hair types – and these strands experience the most shrinkage: up to 75%.
Want to learn more about your unique strands? Take Our Quiz to begin the journey to better hair, and learn more about the science behind the strands at our Tips & Tricks.
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