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Editorial
by Tori
Let me preface by saying, that I have a love/hate relationship with the hair typing system. On one hand, I do believe the system can be beneficial to help individuals understand how their hair type typically operates. It can help in identifying hair techniques and products that will or won’t work with each hair type. However, I do believe the system can be quite divisive. Sometimes, certain levels within the system are portrayed as being more superior to another, which could potentially lead one to feel as if their hair type is inferior.
The hair typing system is based on numbers from 1 to 4, with subcategories from a to c. Generally speaking, type 1 hair is straight, type 2 is wavy, type 3 is curly and type 4 is kinky. The subcategories go into more detail about each level of ‘wavy-ness’, ‘curly-ness’, or ‘kinky-ness’. Recently I have been wondering: Are the subcategories (or letters) in the hair typing system really that significant? For instance, one person’s hair could be a little wavier than another’s, but wouldn’t they still both have wavy hair?
Let me explain a bit more why I think the subcategories may not be necessary.
First of all, the subcategories make hair typing even more complicated and divisive than it should be. It starts getting confusing when you have to determine which of the subcategories of type 4 hair you have, especially since many naturals have multiple hair types and textures all over their heads. I have type 4 hair, which, personally, for me this means I have all three subcategories mixed in all over my head. So, it would be hard for me to simply say that I am 4c, for instance, when I also have type 4a and 4b hair strands.
Also, since we are discussing type 4 hair, I can say from personal experience that all the subcategories of type 4 hair react in a similar way. Type 4 hair, regardless of the subcategory, is still kinky hair. It requires lots of moisture, attention, careful detangling, heavier creams/butters. It’s also prone to more tangles, knots and lots of shrinkage.
With that being said, I think if there is going to be a hair classification or typing system in effect, we could certainly eliminate the subcategories, thus making the system less complicated.
What are your thoughts about the hair typing system? Do you think the subcategories are really necessary? Share with us.
About Tori: I’m Tori, a Jamaican-born natural currently living in Texas. I was reunited with my natural texture in January 2012 when I big chopped, after transitioning for a year and a half. I am still learning about my natural hair, and hope to share the knowledge and experiences I gain as I continue on my natural hair journey. You can find me on Instagram @bonafidestyle.
32 Responses
Personally, I prefer the LOIS rather than the Andre Walker’s (explained above) hair typing system for several reasons:
1) I find it derogatory
2) For me, it doesn’t properly explain what are the strengths and weaknesses of my hair type
3) According to this system, I would be a 2a, 3a,b,c, and 4a. Now, what does that mean???
It is more meaningful to know that my hair is coarse; meaning that it has natural sheen when put in a bun, it is thick in diameter therefore more resistant to breakage and that it is very low in porosity. As to the shape of my curls, they are mostly “S” and “O” tightly coiled at the back and looser in front.
Truthfully, the shape of the curls has little importance other that “L” shape (kinky) is more prone to breakage than a “S” (curly). Also, we know that tightly coiled hair are more fragile, no matter the shape of the curl.
@Lee
I enjoyed reading your comment. I also refer to African hair as coily. The word ‘kinky’ is indeed offensive and derogatory… aka kinky sex. The term ‘nappy’ is also off-putting. In the US, our unique textured hair is likened to the naps found in cloth! In the UK ‘nappy’ is the word for ‘diaper’ and so ‘nappy hair’ translates to ‘diaper hair’ a very unflattering terminology! I do wish we would STOP and THINK about the words we use to describe ourselves, because the words ‘kinky’ and ‘nappy’ are not beautiful words and we beautiful people.
As for hair GRADING… which is what it really is, I am 100% against it. The last place position for Type 4 hair and the abc letters that accompany the number 4 are used to grade good hair from bad hair. Yes, once again we are being told in the most subtlest way possible, that our hair is in last place because it just ain’t good enough. The truth of the matter is that coily hair is amazingly unique and doesn’t belong on a hair chart with stringy hair. Coily hair is unlike the hair of every other race. The coiled hair of Africans grows in a spiral from the root upwards, but the stringy hair of all other races, Aborigines, Indians, Asians and Europeans, grows straight from the root downwards. Coily hair is unique to Africans alone. It is the only hair that recoils upwards when touched with water… no other hair does that. Our hair keeps us cool, while the stringy hair of other races keeps them warm. The uniqueness of coily hair is profoundly wonderful.
“Stringy” is as offensive as “nappy.”
No need to put down others in order to be proud of what you have. It comes across as though you feel inferior and need to make other people feel bad in order for you to feel good.
The word you’re looking for is “straight.”
@Candace
Stringy is offensive to whom?
@Edens Sahara
True that!!! Loving the way you put the science on it! We are kindred spirits on this
subject 😉
@Lee
Back at ya Sis 🙂
Greetings all. Just for the record, Type 4 hair should be noted as “Coily” not kinky. ‘Kinky’ is an archaic term coined centuries ago by those who attempted to denigrate, shame and throw shade on a ‘stolen’ people. Today we are knowledgeable in who we are and from whence we came. And so, this day, let us set the parameters and decide to use the correct terminology to describe our being …and every hair on our head. Let’s start using correct terminology …coily, for Type 4 hair.
Sorry for the passion, but I’ve been down this road before. (Had to’school’ several beauty-school instructors straight a few years ago when they attempted to describe Black hair using slavers’ terminology (i.e.,kinky, nappy).
As professionals, we use the terms ‘coily’, ‘soft’ (high porosity, cottony hair) and ‘textured’ (low-medium porosity) when describing some aspects of Black hair. The
negative terms noted above are never used, and I am constantly shocked and dismayed by their usage on bloggers and vloggers sites in this day and time.
Forgive my tirade, it’s just my passion showing through on this subject 😉
Peace be unto you.
I don’t like the hair typing system. For me hair care is all about trying and finding what works for your own hair (I’m natural from my birth 25 years ago – I’ve never relaxed – and still don’t know what is my hair type according to this system and my hair is fine cause I’ve tried things and now I know how to handle it…it’s nothing more than that ^^).
Another article about hair typing?
In the comment sections, there are always people who like it, don’t like it, tolerate it or just don’t care.
Next….
In my opinion the hair tying system was not created by someone who knew how to care for or appreciated the beauty of natural hair. Due to this, I fail to see it’s relevance to the natural hair community. Straight, wavy, curly, and kinky just about covers it for me. These are things you can see and if someone has a looser curl than you that is something that is readily seen too. We do not need a system for that.
Now, porosity, density, and thickness are things that have more of an impact on hair care in my opinion.
I personally don’t like it .I know I might sound silly but hair typing is just another way to label, divide us..I believe that the point of our natural hair journey is to get to know and appreciate own individual hair, not some hair type on a chart
In my personal opinion there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the hair typing system. The issue lies in the good hair/ bad hair mentality which has been attached to it. The “good hair” mentality was around long before the hair typing system. That’s the real problem and until we get rid of that, nothing will be fixed.
I agree.
When I hear people say things like “grade of hair” it reminds me that there are still deep-seeded issues with the “good hair” mentality.
I think one thing the natural movement can finally help us accept that no matter the texture we can all have “good hair” once we learn to stop fighting its nature and treat what we have with care because we understand it’s beauty and strength.
There’s nothing wrong with saying that one person’s hair has loose curls while noting that my hair has tight curls or zig zags. The issue comes in when someone is made to feel inferior for it.
the system CAN be useful to a certain extent (technique, finding a hair twin for inspiration) but at the same time it can get confusing when you have multiple textures…or in my case when a curl is too tight to be this but too loose to be that…or when some guru say only 4c hair has no curl pattern =/ no ma’am my crown has no curl patern and its def not 4c. theres so many more textures that are excluded from the AW system IMO. i use the the LOIS system now
I like the subcategories . I have a mix of 3c and 4a so it helps when some products work and why others won’t help at all. Even having a 4-type on my head, the hair is fine so I can’t do butters. This is why I think the subcategories are necessary: even if we were lumped into just wavy or just kinky categories the differences are what makes one girl’s wash-n-go another’s Wash-n-OH HECK NO!!! lol
For some the typing system is helpful, for others not so much. By category am a 4, however my hair response far better if I treat/use products for type 3c. I personally think texture and porosity is more helpful in determining what you can do and how your hair will respond to products and techniques.
I don’t see anything wrong with typing because it helps when it comes to STYLING. Knowing what your hair is most likely to do/not do and also what products are more effective for your texture (for styling). The Somali girls back in school used to use this gel to “slick” their 3c hair. Didn’t work on my hair and it was relaxed! If I want a “defined” twist out, I think what Ms 4c uses is more important than 3a (because I have 4c hair also). Similarly if I want to create an afro, what techniques did Ms 4c use? Doesn’t really need to be called a type, as I can SEE the texture. But as someone above said, there’s nothing wrong with recognising differences.
I don’t want to play the devils advocate here… but I value the hair typing system simply because it makes things easier for me.
In my three year natural hair journey, I’ve found only 3 naturals whose hair and regimens seem identical to mine in a number of aspects… So I turn to those naturals to get answers, information, learn from their regimens and hairstyles and know what to expect( how a style may turn out on my natural hair ).
Natural hair comes in SOOOOO many different curl patterns, densities, textures, etc that it’s easy to get lost but not always easy to find what your looking for.
Have you ever tried Googling / searching on YouTube for natural hair. You’ll get so many different options. I’ve been disappointed trying styles that turned out perfectly on a natural with another type of type 4 hair but came out differently on my hair. Bantu knot outs come out perfectly on some people but on me, it’s extremely shrunken( which is not the look I’m going for ) so I learnt to use Bunning as a means of stretching it out; from Naptural85.
Whenever I want to try out new hairstyles, I search for “4a natural hair” and I get what I’m looking for or something close to it and also know what to expect; how the hairstyle will turn out for me. That’s how I found Naptural85 years ago and I stuck to her channel simply because her hair is similar to mine in some ways.
If hair typing doesn’t work for you, you don’t have to use or acknowledge it. I understand the struggle between preference of some certain hair types over others. Though, I don’t like to discriminate other hair types. My sister had 4c natural hair( before relaxing it ) and I LOVED IT! People( Me included ) kept admiring her hair, especially it’s density and she was often asked if she added any hair extensions to make her braids that thick… No, she didn’t! ????.
My point is that I love ALL hair types. My closest friend is an Asian who has straight jet-black hair, I love her hair and she loves mine. She sometimes says that she wishes she could have my hair on her head for one day, so that she could try so many styles on it( she loves the versatility of natural hair ).
Sorry for the rambling… It’s just that hair typing works for me and I don’t dislike any hair type or get confused with the system. Some naturals state that their hair is type 4a which makes it much easier to find them. I don’t want to go through a hundred type 4 natural hair videos before finding a natural whose hair is identical to mine.
Sorry, I put a smiley in my previous comment but it changed to four question marks. I guess I should have done it the normal way( 🙂 ). I’ll try to do that next time.
I agree with Chanda.
[img]https://bglh-marketplace.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/image-23.jpg[/img]
lovely 🙂
The system is misleading b/c it makes people think that they have to care for their hair based on how it looks. Knowing hair properties is more important. Texture, porosity, elasticity & density should be stressed. Looking at people w/ similar hair is good for inspiration & hair style ideas. That’s it.
What’s more important than my hair type is my personal experience with my hair. I guess mine and my daughter’s hair is 3c or 4a, perhaps like a combo between Jess (Mahogany Curls) and Whitney (Naptural85) from YouTube. However, when I’ve tried some of their hair tutorials for my daughter and I, they’ve been epic fails for us even though our hair type is similar. Not all of the time but some. My hair is more fragile than Whitney’s and Jess’, also less dense than Whitney’s. My daughter’s hair is also less dense and takes more than 24 hours to dry on its own. So I can’t do wash and go’s without experiencing dryness and matting after a few days for me and major shrinkage and frizziness for her. I also can’t manipulate my hair too much when it’s soaking wet, even if there’s a lot of conditioner in it or I’ll lose a lot of hair. Things like that are more important than hair type. So we dry/oil detangle, I wear my hair stretched in a braid-out and she wears twist outs or bantu knot outs. I had to get over trying to showcase mine and my daughter’s curls if I didn’t want to spend two hours de-tangling it, clipping out fairy knots, or seeing large clumps of hair on the bathroom floor or in the shower. Andre’s hair typing system doesn’t take things like that into consideration.
I think it’s best to learn your own hair and once you find a regimen or products that work for you, stick to it. That’s the best natural hair advice I once heard.
Acknowledging differences is NOT divisiveness. Read that again, acknowledging differences is NOT divisiveness.
I agree with the numbers alone category, as for me I have three or more different textures on my head, three or more strand thicknesses and about three densities…. Hair typing is so not for me. I’ll be there for years describing my hair when someone asks me about my hair type.
I agree, the letters are a bit obsolete. I could go wash my hair right now and pretty much be able to classify my hair in any of those categories. With a little product i’m a 3C, with a little less product I am a 3A and I guess my heat damage is a 1. I’m not necessarily offended by the system but depending on how you word things, people can get touchy. I have been working on being less offended by the small stuff especially when we have HUGE offenses being committed against us daily that we over look.
I commend you for approaching the subject because some people are so passionate about hair typing.
I don’t think it’s important at all. I can’t use any of the products that are recommended for my 4b/4c hair. Not shea butter, not coconut oil nothing. It’s more divisive than anything else.
Going by that chart alone my hair runs from 2c to 3c. I personally think that hair typing (especially with the letters) is unnecessary and silly. What’s the point? I love my thick curls and waves and have nothing to prove. Sorry but I just go by straight, wavy, curly and kinky. Thin or thick. Badda-bing badda-boom.
Well, for me, it helped to set realistic goals for my hair and ended a lot of the frustration that I was feeling because my hair didn’t look like Curly Nikki’s even though I had used the same products, techniques, etc.
To go back a bit: I went natural in 2009 while living in South Africa. As a black American woman living in an “Indian” town in SA, I didn’t have people to talk to about the natural hair experience. When I told people that I needed to get my hair done, they would send me to a salon where I could get my hair straightened or get a sew-in. Most of women that I knew fell into the weave or relaxer category while perhaps two or three had locs.
Curly Nikki was the site that I found first and so I bought my henna and whatever else she was using in ’09 and went to work. Now I laugh about it, but honestly, it never occurred to me that we had completely different hair textures. I was expecting my 4b/c hair to look like…well, whatever CN’s hair is. It wasn’t until I stumbled across curl-typing that I realized why I wasn’t getting the same results.
Which led the other reason that curl-typing helped me initially. I had gone natural because my hair was in terrible shape. If I had grown out my relaxer and seen a head of thick, healthy hair that easily retained moisture, then I wouldn’t have cared what type of hair I had (or about porosity). Unfortunately, that wasn’t what happened. My hair was a hot buttered mess and it helped me to see women who identified as having the type of hair that I seemed to have so that I could have a better sense of what I could potentially achieve.
I think it is a mistake to rely only on the hair typing system (in my case, once I got my hydration game on point I realized that my hair type wasn’t quite what I thought it was) because many people have multiple hair types on their head. However, it can be useful touchstone for people getting started on their journey.
One thing that I wish the natural hair community could do a better job of is not belittling the choices of others. Just because something doesn’t work for you doesn’t mean that people who it does work for are silly.
Back in the 90’s, André Walker wrote a book that first described the hair chart. I purchased that book and, after reading it, I was left offended.
I never thought much about it again until last year, when I learned ladies were doing natural hairstyles on YouTube.
After reacquainting myself with the chart, I tried to figure out my hair type. Naturallycurly had built on André’s system. His typing was mostly about the size of the curl. Their typing went on to add various characteristics to each curl type and created an additional curl pattern.
I have tiny, little curls like my dad’s 4c hair, but my hair also has some slickness like my mom’s 2a hair. Any tips or tricks I found on YouTube (that actually worked for me) came from ladies with Type 3 hair. Initially, I thought that I was 4c based on curl size, but, the best way for me to describe my hair is Type 4 with Type 3 tendencies.
I think the chart can be useful for someone with an easily classified curl pattern who wants try a hairstyle from someone with similar curls.
However, the chart is useless for me because:
1. So many people are against the chart and won’t type their hair; so, it’s difficult to actually find people with a similar hair.
2. Some people type their hair (in my opinion) incorrectly.
3. Not everyone has a uniform curl pattern.
4. Curl patterns don’t take into consideration hair texture and density. My curl pattern and density are about the same as NaturalMe4c, but my texture is different. My hair does not behave like hers and I can’t use the same styling products as her.
I remember seeing André Walker promoting his book on Oprah back in the 90s and I ran out and bought it, too. There was soooo little information about natural hair back then. That book was very disappointing in it’s coverage of type 4 hair and he didn’t seem to think much could be done with it in it’s natural state as I recall.
I guess I don’t mind the hair typing system, but it does conflate curl diameter with kinkiness. There are a lot of people with loose kinky hair that doesn’t clump easily (think natural blowout) or small diameter curly hair that is very well defined and everything in between. I mostly just follow people who’s personality I like who do interesting styles or have interesting techniques regardless of the hair type they claim. I just experiment and take what works.
I prefer the LOIS system over Andre’s found at Green Beauty Channel on Youtube. It deals with curl pattern, texture, porosity, thickness and density. Less complicated and deals with things that matter.