Having curly hair can be taken as a blessing or curse, depending on the person who has it. While having naturally curly locks is excellent as you continuously have volumized hair, not everyone can embrace their gorgeous locks as they find managing this type of hair tiring.
Curly hair is the total opposite of straight hair. It could range from wavy or an intense kinky hairdo. If you have curly hair, you need to take care of it meticulously to guarantee that your curls stay in excellent condition. Ideally, it’ll be best if all your products are curl boosting so that you can fully maximize the advantages of having curly hair.
As you have curly hair, you need to embrace it and take care of it more. One way you can master the art of taking care of your hair is by identifying your curl type. Worry not, as listed below are the ways on how you can determine your hair’s curl pattern:
1. Get a Strand of Your Hair
One of the easiest ways to identify your hair type is by cutting a piece of your hair and laying it flat on a contrasting color to determine what kind of curl or wave your hair makes.
Ideally, you should cut a strand of your hair and avoid pulling it from its roots. Doing this could disrupt your curl pattern because you’ve introduced tension by pulling your hair down. When you snip off a bit of your hair, try to keep the length as long as possible to identify your curl pattern better.
If your hair has a wide wave to it, you can fall under type 2. If your hair has a defined curl that can wrap around a toothpaste tube down to a toothbrush, you may have a type 3 hair type. On the other hand, if your hair is exceptionally curly, as you can see it wrapped around each other tightly, your hair pattern could be a type 4.
2. Twist Your Hair Around
You can also identify your curl pattern by twisting your hair around to see how it forms after a few turns.
You can get an inch thick of your hair and try to twist it around in the direction of the curl of your hair. If your hair falls back into place and doesn’t come together to form one giant loop, you have a type 2 or 4 hair type.
If your hair cooperates well and you can see goldilocks strands forming on your hair, you have a type 3 hair type with a usual curly hair.
When it comes to twisting your hair, you shouldn’t force it too much and just allow it to be as natural as possible. You can use your index finger to turn your hair. Avoid using your entire hand to shape it, as this might damage your hair due to the amount of force that’s placed on it.
3. Take a Look at the Mirror
While it may be too obvious, looking at yourself in the mirror can also help you identify your curl pattern. If you notice that your hair is merely wavy, similar to beach waves that have a natural flow to your hair that doesn’t form a hard S on every strand, your hair type falls into Type 2.
A type 2 hair type is when your hair is mistakenly not considered curly hair because you only have flawless natural waves. Your hair doesn’t get too attached that they frequently cause tangles, which can be difficult to brush away.
Most curly girls fall into the type 3 hair type as it’s where your locks are spring-like and can even imitate the look for a wine bottle cork. A type 3 hair type is usually full of luxurious volume that allows you to twist them around together to form one giant curl. You can generally spot each strand to have bouncy S shaped-curls, which have a more defined curl than type 2.
If you take a look at the mirror and notice that your hair is insanely curly and full of volume as your curls are intense yet small, you can fall under type 4 hair type.
Type 4 hair is when your locks are in a compact or zigzag pattern, not allowing you to twist them around with each other as each curl is exceptionally tight. You can also call type 4 hair as kinky since each strand tends to be super dry and has a spongy texture that bounces right back when you squeeze them upwards.
4. See How It Dries
You can identify your curl pattern by observing how it dries out after you take a relaxing shower.
When you take a bath and notice that your hair is silky straight and has no-curl evidence, you might be falling into type 2 hair type. A wavy hair usually is straight when wet and forms soft waves or curls as it dries.
When you wash your hair and observe that your hair looks wavy, similar to a type 2 type, your hair could fall into the type 3 curly type. As your hair is wavy when wet, you may notice that it slowly makes a swirl shape as they dry after a few minutes to hours.
With curly hair, you may want to avoid brushing it as it dries, as it can make your hair look fluffy and not in a fabulous way. The best time to comb your hair is when they’re still wet with the help of a wide-toothed comb.
As you take a shower and allow your hair to dry, if you notice that your hair starts to shrink intensely and forms a significant volume on your head, especially on the roots, you can fall into the type 4 hair category. You’d be surprised how much you can stretch your hair as it dries and see how long it grows.
With type 4 hair, they need extra-loving and care as they’re more prone to develop coarse and curly hair since it’s challenging to comb to each strand. It’ll be best if you use a sulfate-free shampoo as they’re gentle on your hair, allowing you to retain moisture and follow it up with deep conditioning, hair masking, or leave-in conditioners.
Conclusion
While there are plenty of types for a curl pattern, you need to look for your hair type so you can take the appropriate actions on how you can take care of it effectively. Having curly hair means giving extra love and care as they’re more prone to damage and frizz. While they can be hard to maintain, you’d be happy with the results as your delicate curls are what most people dream of.
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