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Knowing your hair type well is a basic and essential step in your hair care routine. It enables you to choose the right products and styling tools that only suit your hair type. This in turn is crucial to achieving your hair goals.

Did you know there are 12 types of hair? And is fairly easy and takes just a couple of minutes to identify your hair type.

If you have been wondering, ‘What type of hair do I have?’ then here is an in-depth guide on how to know your hair type and the right way to care for it.

How To Know Your Hair Type?

To answer your query, ‘What type of hair do I have?’, we need to discuss understand certain basic hair properties like porosity, density, diameter, greasiness, and elasticity. These are super crucial in deciding your hair’s type and picking up the right hair products for your hair.

A big factor in your hair type being what it is, is your genetics. 

Porosity

Hair porosity is the ability of your hair to absorb and retain the amount of any product or moisture. Your hair can be

• low porosity
• medium porosity
• high porosity

Density

Density is the total number of hair per square inch (or cm.) – also, popularly known as the volume of your hair.

• My thin to thick hair journey

Diameter

It is the thickness of your individual hair strand.

Greasiness

This helps you define whether your hair belongs to the dry, oily, combination, or normal hair family.

• How to care for oily hair?
• Why does my hair get greasy so fast?
• How to care for oily scalp and dry hair?
• The best dry hair care routine

Elasticity

Elasticity is a term used for how easily your hair breaks upon stretching.

Note: The more curly your hair is, the more porous, less elastic, and less greasy it will be.

Different Hair Types Chart & Their Right Hair Care Routines

Here is a hair types chart that will help you identify better.

As you can see in the image above there are 4 main hair types:

• Straight
• Wavy
• Curly
• Kinky/Coily

Straight Hair or Type 1 Hair

If your hair usually lies flat/straight and smooth from the roots till the hair ends, then you have straight hair. Your hair wouldn’t get tangled much and are usually silky to touch. Since the hair is straight, the natural oils produced by your scalp can easily spread over your entire hair length. Hence, you are blessed with shiny hair.

Straight hair isn’t very porous by nature. Straight hair is further divided into the following sub-types:

• Type 1A hair – This kind of hair is very fine and straight and usually lacks volume.
• Type 1B hair – The diameter or density of your hair may be slightly more than type 1A. This hair type is bouncy and voluminous.
• Type 1C hair– The diameter and density of hair will be very high and can be difficult to hold it all up together. It’s a dream hair for many!

How To Care For Type 1 Hair?

Opt for volumizing shampoos so that your hair doesn’t appear limp or flat. You also need to check out the best shampoos for oily hair to keep greasiness at bay and make dry shampoo your best friend as your scalp and hair becomes greasy more often.

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• Minimize hair washing frequency and if you must, then try washing your hair with just water or try reverse hair washing. 
• Use a wooden comb as it helps to distribute the excess oils from your scalp to your entire hair length.

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• Do regular hair rinse with fenugreek or lemon to keep your hair fresh. 
• Incorporate biotin or fish oil supplements in your hair care routine. 

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Wavy Hair or Type 2 Hair

Just like combination skin is a mix of oily and dry skin, wavy hair occupies the sweet spot between straight and curly hair. Often the hair starts straight from the root and curls towards the ends.

The curls are soft, mild, and not pronounced.

Their porosity can vary with every individual and they tend to frizz up with the slightest change in the weather.

Wavy hair is further divided into the following sub-types:

• Type 2A hair: This kind of hair is very fine, wavy, and usually lacks volume.
• Type 2B hair: The diameter or density of this hair type may be slightly more than that of 2A. Thus, they are bouncy and voluminous comparatively.
• Type 2C hair- The diameter and density of hair will be very high and can be difficult to hold it all up together. 

How To Care For Hair Type 2A, 2B, and 2C?

Avoid heavy hair serums, and butters as your hair texture are already fine. Since your hair tends to get frizzy easily, you need to invest in a good-quality hair conditioner or deep conditioning hair masks and hair spray to control the frizz.

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• Invest in a good volumizing mousse and incorporate products that keep your hair straight in your hair care routine. 

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• Use coconut milk and rose petals hair mask or aloe vera and fenugreek hair mask for frizzy hair once a month.

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Curly Hair or Type 3 Hair

To explain in the simplest terms, you have curly hair if you find a lot of “S”s in your hair structure.

Curly hair is difficult to straighten out using mild heat. Since they are very porous, they tend to be very frizzy and tangle up easily. This hair type needs a bit of extra care compared to other hair types.

If your hair is curly, then it may fall into one of the following categories of type 3:

• Type 3A hair: For people with type 3A hair, you might notice that your curls are loose (kind of like tight waves) and can be straightened with some effort. This is the easiest curly hair type to manage.
• Type 3B hair: Compared to type 3A, the curls are tighter in this type.
• Type 3C hair: This hair type looks like tightly-wound springs when taken care of really well.

How To Care For Curly Hair?

The curlier the hair is, the drier it tends to get. You should opt for heavy butter and cream to moisturize your hair. You can also adopt protective hairstyles to avoid breakage.

• Opt for curly girl method-friendly products as they are meant specifically for your hair type. 

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• Do regular deep conditioning treatments at least once a week or you can also use coconut oil as leave-in.

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• Do hair spa at home once a month. 

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Kinky Hair or Type 4 Hair

You have kinky hair if you find a lot of “Z”s in your hair.

Your hair is extremely porous, it can tangle and break easily. It’s extremely fragile and it takes extra TLC to manage.

Kinky hair people further belong to the following subtypes:

• Type 4A hair: This type of hair is a little soft and appears tangled.
• Type 4B hair: This hair feels like a coiled wire.
• Type 4C hair: This is extremely wire-y and feels a bit rough to touch.

Maintenance Tips:

As kinky hair is extremely dry and fragile, you need to moisturize it using raw butters, oils, and creams. Avoid combing your hair as it will break your hair, cause a lot of split ends and disturb your beautiful curls.

You can opt for protective hairstyles like dutch braids or french braids to prevent tangling. A pineapple bun is a must for you.

Incorporate a combination of penetrating and sealing oils in your hair care routine. 

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• Befriend glycerin, rose water, avocado hair mask, egg and banana hair mask.
• For best results use flat iron with teeth to style your hair.

I hope this in-depth guide on the hair types chart answers your query, ‘What type of hair do I have?’ and makes it easier for you to know your hair a little better. Now that you’re clear-headed, you can make an informed decision while choosing any kind of hair product or treatment. Your stylist can never mislead you anymore.

Do share your hair type and what products work best for you via comments. Before you go don’t forget to check out:

• Best Curl Activator For Relaxed Hair To Achieve Your Dream Curls
• Quick And Easy To Do Hairstyles For College Girls
• Best Hair Spray For Women With Prices(Affordable & High end)

Have a lovely day.