Is hair Type all Hype?

 

There are a few systems in the hair care world designed to classify a person's hair type.  Knowing your hair type is helpful in selecting products, building a regimen that works for you, and finding hair styles that work for you.  The most popular typing system was created by my favorite (not favorite) celebrity hair stylist, Andre Walker, emphasizing curl pattern.  What is critical to fully understanding your hair type, and what is currently missing from the Walker System is the consideration of each individual's porosity, strand size, and hair density.  It is important to note that often times, more than one hair type exists on a single head.  The crown texture can be different from the nape or the edges, and so on.

 

Some people love hair typing, and some people hate it.  Some people think that it's divisive, and some people think it is the holy grail.  I personally think that hair typing is very useful as a starting point to understanding your own hair.

 

There is a wealth of information available online about natural hair care.  Watching girls with 3c hair spritzing water on their twist-outs to "refresh their curls", is not very helpful to a 4c kinky like me....try spritzing water on a 4c twist-out, and see what happens....Can I get a witness??  So in that regard, I know going in, that the tips I get from a fellow 4c gal would probably be more useful, than tips from a 3c gal.  That s not to say that you cannot learn anything from people with other hair types.  Some principles are universal - moisturizing, protective styling, pH balance, etc.  It just helps you know you hair is probably not going to do what the next type's will.

 

At the end of the day, take the typing chart for what it is.  But do your due diligence and find out about your hair's porosity, density, and strand size.  That is really the only way you can figure out what is going to work best for you.  No 2 heads of hair on this planet are exactly alike. - YB