Which Hair Type Am I

Knowing your hair type can be useful in understanding the kind of natural hair products that you should be using. Although, categorizing hair does not provide a comprehensive solution to hair care, it can definitely assist in a better coming up with a hair care regime that suits your natural curls.

Andre Walker hair types

Andre Walker system of hair types is one of the easiest hair typing systems. Types 3 and 4, which are further divided into a, b and c best describe the Afro-American hair.

• Type 3a – Loose curls - Voluminous thick hair that make an ‘S’ shaped pattern. This hair type has the tendency to be frizzy due to the fineness of the hair strands.
• Type 3b – Medium curls – This hair type has a medium amount of curls is very bouncy.
• Type 3c – Tight curls – This hair type is defined by spirals with either tight curls or kinky hair. A large number of hair strands, tightly packed together make for this type of hair.
• Type 4a – Kinky soft – This hair type has a well defined curl pattern due to the tightly coiled hair. It is also very sensitive and fragile.
• Type 4b – Kinky wiry – This hair type makes a ‘Z’ shaped pattern and is tightly coiled. It is also very sensitive and fragile.
• Type 4c – Kinky zingy – This hair type is almost the same as Type 4b with the only difference that the hair strands are even more tightly coiled.

Both 3c and 4c are not defined by the Andre Walker system, but have been included in this hair typing for the benefit of women who find that their hair falls in none of the mentioned categories. It is possible to have a combination hair type with some of your hair being of one quality and some of the other.

To best understand your hair type, analyze it only after washing your hair properly with shampoo and allowing it to dry naturally without any application of products, including conditioners.

Whatever hair type you may have, every kind of Afro-American hair is dry as well as sensitive, and requires a lot of moisturization in addition to gentle care. The key to African American hair care is not being hard on your hair.

There are a lot of products available in the market for defining natural curls. You can choose the one that suits your hair type the best. Understanding your hair type and embracing it is yet another way to celebrate your curls.