Hair typing - curiosity question

[yamilee21]

I know hair type is not such a useful piece of information, but one thing I wonder about - does *anyone's* hair type stay consistent through most conditions? (Assuming someone has just one texture to begin with, .) My hair looks one way when wet, another way dry without anything, a different way dry with product, etc. My son's hair texture looks different depending on the length. Same is true for many people I know; I have some cousins who had big afros back in the 70s, but now that they have shorter cuts, their hair looks straight or only slightly wavy. One of my aunts has loose waves, almost straight [natural] hair when it is long but it is really curly when it is short. Among my older relatives, texture often seems to change as they grow older. Maybe type 1 hair has a consistent texture, but not the other types... so what conditions would be the ones to use to determine hair type anyway?

 

[msa]

Well generally, people use their dry, naked hair to determine hair type.

Longer hair appears that it changes type because the hair is heavier so it stretches out the curl. Water stretches the hair (and weighs it down, that's why when your hair is moisturized there's usually less shrinkage) so it will appear a different texture then as well.

I've been told by a dermatologist that hair texture changes several times over your lifetime. That's why you'll have different hair as a baby, child, adult, and then elderly person. Makes sense, considering all the hormonal and other biological changes that take place over time.

My hair looks different wet, dry, with product, and naked. It's not long enough yet for the added weight to stretch it out. That's just the way it is.