Things You'll Need:
- hair!
- ponytail holder (If hair is long enough)
- string or measuring string
- measuring tape or ruler
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Step 1
Type 1bAnalyze your hair. Is it straight as a stick, bouncy curly, slightly wavy, tight curls? Figure out how you would describe it (Medium wavy, etc. -my personal favorite is 'wurly'). Figure out your general type: 1 (straight), 2 (wavy), 3 (Botticelli), or 4 (corkscrew).
My Type: 2 -
Step 2
After the number comes a letter: a, b, or sometimes c. Here's the line-up:
1's:
1a - absolutely straight hair that has little body and no wave
1b - very straight hair with just enough wave to give a little body, but no noticeable S's.
1c - straight hair that has body and a few loose S waves
2's:
2a - loose S waves through all of hair
2b - tighter S waves in hair, usually semi-uniform
2c - tight S waves and the occasional spiral, not uniform
3's
3a - large spiral curls that are looser the longer the hair
3b - ringlets that are about the circumference of sidewalk chalk
3c - tight corkscrew curls that are about the circumference of a pencil
4's (Sometimes called kinky)
4a - very tightly coiled S waves about the circumference of a coffee-stirrer
4b - tightly coiled waves in a z pattern
My Type: 2c -
Step 3
Type 2bThe second classifier is what each individual strand of hair is like. The letters are F (Fine), N or M (Normal or Medium), or C (Coarse)
Fine: very thin strands that are almost translucent and can hardly be felt to the touch
Normal or Medium: strands are not baby fine or very thick. Easily felt and seen, but do not feel coarse or thick. Most Caucasians are Medium.
Coarse: strand feels thick to the touch and may be slightly wiry.
My Type: 2cM -
Step 4
The next step is to measure the thickness of your hair as a whole. If your hair is long enough, put it in a ponytail, getting as much of your hair in as possible. Put the string around your ponytail just after the holder. Measure the string with the ruler to see the circumference of your ponytail.
i- thin- less than 2 in. (5 cm)
ii- medium- 2-4 in. (5-10 cm)
iii- thick- more than 4 in. (10 cm)
If your hair isn't long enough to go into a ponytail, estimate how thick you think it would be. If it will go into pigtails on the side of your head, you could measure those, add them together, allow for a little bit more thickness, and that should be close to your correct thickness.
My Type: 2cMii -
Step 5
Type 3aAnd that's it! Still not sure about which type you are? Here's some little facts about some of the hair types that might help you discover yours. You probably won't fit absolutely perfectly into any type, so find your closest one.
1b- You may be thinking, my hair isn't flat, but it sure doesn't have any wave! 1b's do not have any visible waves. Their hair is not flat and most often not sleek, it has body but no noticeable waves.
2c- If your hair is cut short, then it may seem almost completely straight. All wavies, but especially 2c's, will only see their full curl/wave potential when their hair reaches about shoulder length or more.
3a- Opposite of the 2's, the 3's (especially 3a's) will usually see full curl potential with shorter hair. Often when the hair reaches shoulder length and beyond, the curl will be weighed down.
