Do you find yourself mesmerized by the beautiful and differently styled hairdos sported by your favorite stars? Most people think that stars are gifted with beautiful skin and hair, but little do they know about the amount of care that goes into maintaining the same. For getting those perfectly styled and healthy looking curls, you'll first need to understand the basics about your hair. Identifying your hair type is extremely important to understand the right kind of beauty products to be used and the amount of care that should go into keeping those locks hale and healthy.
There are different parameters by which hair can be classified. Human hair is of various types. Hair differs in terms of moisture content, amount of wave or curl, thickness of single individual strand, and volume of all hair put together.
Classification Based on Amount of Moisture
You can classify your hair on the basis of the amount of moisture present as normal, dry, oily, or combination. To know your type of hair, wash your hair, wait for a day and take a tissue and dab it on your scalp. Remember not to rub it, just place it on the scalp. If you do not find anything on the tissue then you have dry hair; if you find some oil on the tissue then you have normal hair; if your hairs stick to each other because of their inherent greasiness, then you have oily hair; and if you have an oily scalp and dry ends then you possess combination hair.
Classification Based on Amount of Curl or Wave
To determine the amount of curl or wave in your hair, wash your hair and let it dry. Make sure you do not let your hair dry under a towel or any other way. Once dry, take a look at your hair. Based on the appearance, hair can be classified into:
- Type 1: If the strands look absolutely straight and flat, then you have straight hair. Straight hair is usually sleek and shiny and curl patterns will be absent. This is known as Type 1A hair. If you find some bounce in your straight hair but no visibly apparent wave pattern then the type is 1B, and finally if you find a few waves but still visibly straight hair then you have type 1C hair.
- Type 2: Wavy or curly hair falls under Type 2. Softer curls are classified as type 2A while average textured hair falls under type 2B. Type 2C hair is uncouth and coarse.
- Type 3: Tightly curled hair that looks like a spring falls under Type 3. Type 3 hair is strong and voluminous but hardly shiny. Classifying these further can give you Type 3A with loose curls, type 3B with tighter curves and type 3C with kinky waves.
- Type 4: Kinkily curved hair subsumes the Type 4 category. This type of hair is fine but easily breaks on combing. Type 4A hair has an "S" shape while type 4B has a zigzag pattern. Using a good amount of conditioners to smoothen your hair is really essential because of the breakability.
Classification Based on Thickness of Single Hair
To classify your hair on the basis of its thickness, take a single clean strand of your hair. Make sure that it has not been through brushing or combing because these processes may affect the cleanliness of your hair.
- Thin: If you have thin fine hair, then it would be barely visible in front of your eyes. It will also be hardly visible if held against a different background.
- Average: If your hair type is average, it will be soft and you will be able to feel it between your fingers.
- Coarse: If your hair feels like wiry and is thicker, then it is coarse hair, which will be easily visible against a contrasting background.
Classification Based on Volume of Your Hair
The volume of your hair can be classified into three; type I, II, and III. To know the volume of your coat, gather your hair into a pony tail and measure the circumference.
- Type I: If it measures less than 2 inches, then you have thin hair or Type I.
- Type II: If it measures between 2 to 4 inches, you have normal hair or Type II.
- Type III: If it measures 4 inches and above, then it is thick hair or Type III.
Considering all the categories stated above, you can define the type your hair falls under. For example, you could say your hair is N/2A/M/II (normal, softer curls, medium strand of single hair, average volume). You can use this type of reference before buying any product to know what type of product is best suited according to your hair type.
