Friday, May 15, 2009

WHAT IS YOUR HAIR TYPE, CHICA??!!

First Things First Ladies.. When you have made the decision to be done with the dreaded relaxer hair, you have to learn your own. There are many different textures of hair which requires special needs. Andre Walker, who has won numerous Emmys for his work on the Oprah Winfrey Show, has worked out this hair classification system. It should help you find out what hair type you have so your transition can move smoothly.



1.Type 1 Hair- Type 1 hair is straight with no discernible curl or wave pattern. This type of hair tends to get oily and is usually shiny.





Type 2 Hair- Type 2 hair is hair that has some soft waves, but little to no real curl. It doesn’t form rings, just waves. It typically is more coarse than Type 1 hair and will cling to the scalp in long “S” shaped waves.




Type 3 Hair- Type 3 hair has a more definite “S” pattern to it with the “S” being more tightly formed. It will typically be relatively soft and will have less shine than type 1 or 2 hair. It will straighten out or form ringlets when wet but will draw up into a curlier pattern when it dries. This hair type is typical of biracial (African and Caucasian mix) people and of Blacks of a more mixed heritage.


Type 4 Hair- Type 4 hair will have kinks and twists and possibly coils but does not form an “S” shape. It may be “L” shaped with bends in it. It may form tight coils or “O” shapes (not really the same as the “ringlets”formed by Type 3 hair. This type of hair generally doesn’t change shape much wet or dry. It can be wiry and usually is fragile. It tends to be drier than other hair types because the bends and twists not only provide points that are more fragile, they actually make it hard for the natural oil (sebum) produced by the scalp to reach the ends of the hair shaft. Because the cuticles do not lay flat on Type 4 hair, the hair tends to be less shiny than Types 1, 2 and 3 and people will often think natural Black hair is dry or dull looking. Most African-Americans have Type 4 hair, which is why this designation alone is not really super descriptive. It seems we are the ones most concerned with categorizing our hair and by this pretty crude system, most of us fall into basically the same category.

and if you are relaxed.. ( which we were)

Chemically Straightened Hair- Chemically Treated or Permed hair is a hair type we think we have to add. Perming the hair changes the natural structure of the hair creating its own hair type. It is going to be anywhere from a Type 2 to a Type 1 in terms of straightness (depending on the strength of the perm). In spite of the fact the hair shaft is slightly thinner due to the action of the perming chemicals, it might still be a relatively thick hair shaft. It will have more shine than natural hair because the cuticles lay more flat. But, it will tend to be dry.

This should help... So what type are you? I'm a 3 B 3C.. mixed in.. Tania is 3C all over ..soooo lucky.. post pics soon.

Yanicka*

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOVE THIS IDEA LADIES!!!

Erica Jordan said...

seriously thank you for breaking this down!

i read black hair media and they are always saying something about
3B, 4C etc. and I never really got it...thanks!

jlk said...

I'm not really sure, but by looking and just washing my hair I would say i'm a mix between 3A and 2B. as far as appearance when wet goes. now when I was on the swim team and my hair was doin its own thing cause i was tired it started to look like 4A.

RiekaBaby said...

Well, im definitely in the 4's! Maybe 4B or 4C...but the pic of 4B looks like weave LOL. idk...but i used to be uncomfortable with my hair type. Always wished i had dat "good hair" but 4get all that...we ALL have good hair! Im learning to embrace my hair texture. And im sure this blog will make me feel even better bout it!

jemimahnaa said...

aww..thanx a bunch 4 d info. knew ma hair was ype 4 but now i know its 4c..m still reading tho

jemimahnaa said...

your blog is really interesting and helpful especially with d pics of the hair products it will be easier to locate and try them out..and ur pics are very lovely too i commend u on ur BC i dont think i can do that tho m patiently waiting for the relaxed part to grow out but i may end up cutting it...vewi nice gals and l try to add pics

Mamabelle said...

Hi Yantan! Just saw your post on Teri's blog Notes of a Former Mushroom Haired Girl and dropped in to pay you a visit. I haven't begun posting about my hair yet, but I too decided to stop relaxing when I had my daughter. Her hair will probably be type 2 or 3, but whatever it is, I want her to love it as it is--how could she do that when mama is being a bad example? I'm definitely a 3C and have almost all of my relaxer cut out now. I can't believe how easy it still is to manage. I hope to learn more here, and I'll let you know when I post about beautiful, natural hair! Best Wishes!

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