Are You In Touch With Your Hair Type?
Naturally straight hair is the first type of hair. This kind of hair has more layers of cuticles which means the hair is more resistant to damage. That's a good thing but also a bad thing. This protection also means the strands of hair are more resistant to shaping or styling. When damaged, straight hair is dry and brittle and forms thin ends.
There are 3 kinds of straight hair; course, medium and fine. Course hair is the thickest and most resistant to being styled. Next is medium straight hair which has lots of body and texture but less so than course hair. Fine hair is the 3rd subtype. It tends to be very soft and shiny although it also can be quite thin.
Wavy hair is the next kind of hair. It is kind of hard to classify but normally is can be thought of as not quite curly yet not quite straight. An easier way to detect it is to examine a single strand on a table. The individual strands will form S shapes when dry (unstyled). Oddly enough wavy hair can be difficult to style or curl.
There are 3 separate kinds of wavy hair. Just as with straight hair, wavy comes in fine, medium and course. The fine kind is actually able to be straightened or curled in normal circumstances. Medium hair has a harder time with styling and sometimes gets frizzy. Lastly, course wavy hair is very prone to frizzing and is very difficult to style.
Our third hair type is curly hair. This kind of hair has a definite S pattern that often forms loops. When stretched out it bounces back like a slinky toy. Normally it is very soft and fine in texture. The layers of cuticles are smooth and not flat. That also means that this kind of hair has less shine than straight or wavy. It has lots of body and when wet straightens out. But in high humidity the curls tighten and it is prone to frizzing.
Curly hair only comes in 2 different subtypes. There is loosely curled hair and tightly curled hair. The loose variety is almost straight when its cut short and when grown long it makes big curls that can even be shiny. Tightly curled hair appears almost as cork screws. One thing worth noting is that some people with curly hair have both types in various places through out their head.
The last hair type is kinky hair. This kind of hair is very tightly curls. It is really wiry and extremely fragile. It is made of lots and lots of really thin strands of hair that are densely packed together. Kinky hair has a sheen but does not shine. Because it has the least amount of cuticles, it is often very soft but that also means it is easy to break. And because of this, kinky hair is hard to grow long.
There are only 2 subtypes when it comes to kinky hair. They are S pattern and Z pattern. That refers to how the strands look when stretched. S type hair has a bit of moisture to it naturally. Z type hair has the least amount of moisture of any hair type.
There you have it. Ten unique and distinct hair types. Now, knowing this, it should be easier for you to decide exactly what specific type of hair you possess. That is important because you will get better styling results if you work with what nature gave you rather than against it. For example, if you have tight curly hair but you love the look of straight hair, you may not get the best results with a hair straightener. Or, if you have coarse straight hair but want to get tight curls, knowing that your hair will resist this type of styling helps you decide the best hair style for you.
About the Author:
Marcy Givens is a hair care buff who felt obliged to get educated about the wild variety of hair care products. She gives out free tips and secrets for selecting the best Sedu straighteners and Chi flat irons.
