The difference between wavy and curly is really a spectral one, but Type 3 hair is full of springy curls that are easier to style. 2C is the waviest, and is prone to frizz, which can make it harder to work with.
2A tends to be more fine, with S-shaped waves, with 2B becoming more frizzy and slightly thicker. Type 2 picks up where Type 1 ends: the hair in this category tends to have a subtle wave to it, and tends likewise to be thicker than hair from the previous category. As the letters go higher, the hair gains both volume and thickness, with the individual follicles becoming more coarse. Type 1 hair is divided into three subcategories, 1A, 1B, and 1C. Type 1 hair is straight, with a tendency to become shiny or greasy, in part because the oil from your scalp travels down a straight follicle more quickly. As numbers move higher, the texture of the hair becomes less straight as the letters go higher, the hair becomes more coarse. Andre Walker’s Hair Typing SystemĪs we mentioned, Walker’s system is built on four major categories with subcategories to further specify subtypes. Still, it also arguably puts the most tools in front of people for communicating hair types. Walker’s system is really about directing people to the right practices and products for their hair type (he also produces product lines) but the system isn’t perfect.Īside from the problems with a system that starts with straight hair as the default, it’s relying on hair texture as the primary organization as opposed to density or coarseness (both of which can be used to describe hair’s “thickness.”)ĭensity is defined as the number of hairs on your head, whereas coarseness describes the relative thickness of the individual hair follicles.