OC Hair Design Blog: Find your hair type

First, you should know that every hair type is different from one person to another; in order to define what haircut to adopt, you’ll need to know what your hair type is.

There are 4 different types of hair:

- Straight

- Wavy

- Curly

- Coily

We can also divide each type into 3 categories according to their accentuation, such as light, average and strong.

1. The straight hair

Thin straight hair has no curls and usually free-falling, smooth whether they are thin or thick. For the most part of you won’t be able to curve it. If you have very thin straight hair, the goal is to add some volume to the haircut because it could easily look weighted down. This type of hair is quite easy to manage and there are many possibilities.

If you have enough volume and consistence in your hair, you will have more possibilities and be able to wave them, create nice hairstyles such as buns, UpDos, etc.

2. The wavy hair

Wavy hair types are recognizable by their slight curves but straightness near the roots and the gentle “S” shape. This type of hair is the most versatile, indeed it is easy to straighten and to curl, but the wavier the hair is, the more difficult it is to style. The main advantage of this hair type is that you can change it at will to suit your mood.

Light Wavy type

3. The curly hair

Unlike the previous hair type, the curls are well-defined, lighter and smaller. Just like the straight and wavy types, we can define here 3 pattern from light curly to very curly. The common shape is a springy and loopy “S”.

Curly hair could look amazing but can also be really annoying to style if you don’t have the right haircut and the right product. You won’t be able to wear some haircuts (for example, fringes will be difficult or impossible to be adapted to your hair). If you are fed-up of wearing your hair in a natural shape, ask for advice from a professional.

Average curly type

4. The coily hair

This is a very common hair type for Afro-American women. The coily hair type ranges from thin and fine “strands” to wiry and kinky locks and can be easily identified by “Z” shape wicks

The problem with this type of hair is it’s fragility against combing, brushing, etc. This is why you need to be very careful when you style your hair. But this unique hair type, if properly understood by the hairstylist and well-treated, can be outstanding.