Hair Type Question...

Poohbear

Poohbear

Fearfully Wonderfully Made
I think Im 3b/4a but really dont know at all. Before joining this forum, I thought my hair was type 1 because it was relaxed.
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How do u tell your hairtype...when your natural hair (if natural) or new growth (if relaxed) is wet or dry? What is the DISTINCT difference in all of these hair types for those who really understand Andre's scale???
 
I'd strongly suggest that you type your hair when it's dry. The reason is that wet hair weighs heavily on the head, thererfore pulling any new growth that you have. However, one won't really be able to access their TRUE hair type (if there is such a thing) until the hair is 100% natural, JMO.

From reading the system, the main different seems to be the amount of curl/wave that the hair possesses (sp).
 
I'm confused about hair type too.. for awhile I thought I was 4b, but I've recently realized (from looking at pics of me when my hair was natural) that my hair never formed "z" shapes, it was "S" and wavy.. so I'm probably in the 3c/4a category.. but I really don't know!
 
You could be a combination of hair types. For example, I KNOW that I have at least 3 different textures on my head.

...Too bad we can't ask Andre about this...
 
[ QUOTE ]
CheerBear said:
Why is it that you can't tell your true hair type from your new growth and it has to be completely natural????

[/ QUOTE ]

Because you have relaxed/texturized hair that weighs down your natural hair whether you realize it or not. Once the hair is 100% natural, you have nothing weighing down the hair.

You can get a good idea by looking at the new growth, but you won't know for certain until you're 100% natural IMO.
 
[ QUOTE ]
CheerBear said:
Why is it that you can't tell your true hair type from your new growth and it has to be completely natural????

[/ QUOTE ]

Because the weight of your relaxed hair pulls your natural hair and distorts the curl or wave pattern.

But I will say that you can usually tell in the look of someone's relaxed hair what their hairtype might be...i.e. a relaxed 3B's hair doesn't usually look like a relaxed 4A's hair.
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I based my type on my natural hair. I think many people make the mistake of typing based on relaxed hair, so you aren't alone Pooh. I have to say that I don't think my hair type is reflected in the scale at all. I say 3c/4a, b/c my hair is more cottony and fluffy than kinky and nappy. A stylist I used to go to refered to it as being "soft" hair, b/c it's very elastic in it's natural state, holds alot of water, is cottony-soft to the touch and is rather fine, but very, very dense. The wave and kink is tighter is some areas, which I consider the 4a areas.
 
I've learned (from this board, I think) that there is also the way light is reflected from different hair types.

In it's natural state, I don't think mine can get any nappier. I remember clearly my natural, bushy hair in my childhood. I really loved my hair and wore my own thick braids, wearing it loose for church and special occasions, kind of what I do now with my braidouts...
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All in my family have the same 4b type so types of afro-hair never came up in conversation.
 
I thought that even if you were relaxed that you could tell your hair type if you pulled a hair from the kitchen area. That's what I did and now that I'm all natural, my hair type is still the same.
 
I always thought it worked like this:

Type 1 - Straight.
Type 2 - Defined waves.
Type 3 - Defined curls.
Type 4 - Fuzzy, undefined waves/curls.

In the real world, though, just a general description is probably more efficient. If someone outside of a hair forum asked me, I'd probably tell them that my hair looks like a jheri curl -- sans juice.
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~Rochelle.
 
well i just lied and said my hair was 4a/b so people on the board could stop asking me about my hair type
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I honestly don't know what it is and It doesn't matter
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you love me anyway!
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of course anky, how could we do otherwise
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Now back to the fuzzy/undefined thing on type 4 hair. that's just not true. i have type 4 hair and have sections that are tightly coiled and sections that are very seperated and nappy but all the coils and naps are defined. All of our hair is different. the scale is meant to be a general kind of guideline to follow. not something set in stone. I like Pooleylou's explanation. She says she has 100% Pookeylou type hair and i agree with her 100%
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Everyone's hair is different and unique. -- jainygirl
 
[ QUOTE ]
TigerLily said:
I thought that even if you were relaxed that you could tell your hair type if you pulled a hair from the kitchen area. That's what I did and now that I'm all natural, my hair type is still the same.

[/ QUOTE ]

This was not true for me. My new growth was wavy, so I assumed that all of my hair would be wavy once I went natural. Well guess what? I have sprial curls that look like a strawset now
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I never thought my hair would be like this
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The nape thing doesnt work for me either
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i snipped off my relaxed ends-- hey i was excited
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(very small teeny areas so i could see my hair faster without the relaxed ends weighing it down) and i have about 3 different parties happening on my head
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i have a T-zone of one thing happening (from ear to ear and down the middle of my head i have one thing happening) on each section behind my ears i have another thing happening. And the nape section is just doing it's own little "git down" boogie in the back
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so to those that think your hair is all the same all over your head
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but just think of all the fun you'll have learning it
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-- jainygirl
 
[ QUOTE ]
ANaturalBrotha said:
forget hair types my hair is nothing like any of those. My is type is My type.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey! I feel that! That's how I've been feelin' all along.
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I mean take my friend for example his hair looks like mine when out in a afro kinky like except with finer strands but when puts it in a pony tail he has really good defining waves. Me on the other hand if my hair was long enough to put in a pony tail i would have no wave pattern.
 
ive giving up all hope of tryin to figure out the type of my hair. i get type 2 from some ppl, type three from other when i thought i was a type 4 so who knows.
 
[ QUOTE ]
lsubabiedee said:
[ QUOTE ]
silvergirl said:
ive giving up all hope of tryin to figure out the type of my hair.

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AMEN!!

[/ QUOTE ] AMEN 2XXXX'S
 
[ QUOTE ]
jainygirl said:
The nape thing doesnt work for me either
nono.gif
i snipped off my relaxed ends-- hey i was excited
laugh.gif
(very small teeny areas so i could see my hair faster without the relaxed ends weighing it down) and i have about 3 different parties happening on my head
dance7.gif
i have a T-zone of one thing happening (from ear to ear and down the middle of my head i have one thing happening) on each section behind my ears i have another thing happening. And the nape section is just doing it's own little "git down" boogie in the back
band2.gif
so to those that think your hair is all the same all over your head
lachen70.gif
but just think of all the fun you'll have learning it
wink.gif
-- jainygirl

[/ QUOTE ]
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So true!
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I don't know what hair type I am either. I agree that "my type is my type." My hair is fine, soft, and kinky when natural. It's hard to describe it, and I don't even fully understand his descriptions of 4a vs. 4b. You can't throw all tighter coiled textures into two categories so I won't even try figure out which one I belong in.
 
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