Hair Types - What's Yours?

My hair is 2B. My hair starts to wave just about eye-level. when I was getting shorter haircuts my hair would poof out like a mushroom until it grew and the S wave pattern would start.

Curl Pattern: Straight

Porosity: not very, hard to hold water and dye

Density: Thick, super 4.5" pony tail

Width: super fine

Length: to the ears

Very interesting. I can see how knowing this information would certainly help with the product selection for our hair.

Question is, are we to figure this out on our own or is this a service that can be done??

Wow, I can't make a definitive answer to these. Some of my hair is coarse and some, not so much. Some strands seem wavy and some aren't.

Great, now I've got weird hair, too. What else do I need??!?

It's just a guideline, the wave or curl types are listed on the right of the linked page and the texture choices on the left (density, porosity etc.) . My hair is highly porous with random density - thinner on top, thicker in the back, and fine width.

I just posted it because different hair cleansers seem to work better for different hair types.

For example, I can't use a cleansing conditioner more than 2x in a row because my hair gets too oily and flat and also my porous hair sops up any product, but the ends dry out.

I used to think I had straight hair, I had no idea there were hair wave types and subtypes!

My hair is baby fine and poker straight. I don't need to take a test to know this.It does not at all hold any curl so I don't even try. I have an excellent cut and I can just blow it dry and it falls into place. Add to all that I have several cowlicks that I have to deal with every day.

I'm not sure I found anything practical for myself, but I did find the criteria interesting (porosity, curl pattern, etc.) Are these the kinds of things one would learn in a cosmetology program?

Head - straight

Armpits - fine

Legs - stubbly

Pubes - curly

On 7/27/2014 Harpa said:

I'm not sure I found anything practical for myself, but I did find the criteria interesting (porosity, curl pattern, etc.) Are these the kinds of things one would learn in a cosmetology program?

These hair types are helpful to know if your hair is wavy or curly, coily or frizzy. But the porosity is helpful to know if you color, so you can time the process or use a fill prior to coloring. Unless a stylist tells you your hair type, you wouldn't necessarily know. They should learn this in cosmetology school, but considering all the bad haircuts I've had, and others have had, very few stylists understand how to cut hair that has a distinct wave/curl pattern without making someone look like Roseanne Rosannadanna. Many curly girls on here use WEN, this info may be useful.