Maybe you are wondering what’s the fuzz about the hair type and curl pattern going around the curly hair community. Why are we diving too much about it that we even write this blog? First, allow us to tell you why it is important for us and for the whole curly hair community. Knowing your hair type and curl pattern will give you an idea of which hair care product works best for your hair. The more you know about your hair and your curls, the more you can take care of them. Great hairstyle comes from healthy hair and scalp.

But what is the difference between hair type and curl pattern? How to identify your curl type? There are 4 hair types: Type 1 is straight, type 2 is wavy, type 3 for curly hair and type 4 for coily hair. Apart from obviously how they look, there are other factors that can identify your hair types like hair porosity, hair structure, hair texture and scalp moisture.  

Although it is clear the difference between the different curl types, there is still confusion. Here are 5 reasons why trying to figure out your curl pattern is such a headache.

The controversy between dry and wet hair

Our hair looks totally different whenever it is wet compared to when it is dry. This is because the water weighs down the hair making it look straighter and less curly. As our hair dries down, it will start to go back to its natural curls. So if you want to identify your hair type, wait for your hair to completely dry. This way, you can clearly identify your curl pattern.

Stop brushing your curls

If you are trying to find out the curl pattern of your natural hair, avoid brushing your hair until it dries up. Brushing your hair after washing it disrupts the natural curl pattern of your hair. Also, when you are trying to know your curl type, you might want to avoid styling your hair to stay true to your natural curls.

Get unplugged

As we mentioned, when identifying your curl type, try to avoid styling your hair. Heat and other styling tools can alter the natural texture of our hair. The heat from styling tools alters the hydrogen bonds in our hair and temporarily changing the hair pattern. Blow drying our hair can suck up moisture from our strands making the hair dry, hence affecting the natural pattern of our curls.

Get a grip

We know styling the hair is every girl’s weakness. But hold your horses and get a grip of yourself! How to identify the curl type of you keep on changing your hairstyle? Let your hair relax and grow for a few months before going to the salon to style your hair. The newly grown hair will show your actual hair type and natural curl pattern. Once you identify your curl type, you can finally go to your salon and style your hair to your heart’s content!

Make the switch  

When you are still transitioning from your salon hair to your natural hair, it is difficult to identify your curl type. The best thing to do is to let your hair grow for a few months or a year to let your natural hair outgrow your salon hair. Apart from knowing your hair type, you can also revive your natural hair and let your hair and scalp rest. This way, the health of your strands and scalp will come back. Hitting 2 birds with one stone!

Knowing your curl type is important so you can do the best for your hair. If you know your hair type and curl pattern, you can buy the best hair care product compatible with your hair type. The hair care products for a 3C curl type might not work for a 4A curl type even if they look very similar. When you know your curl type, you can easily choose a hairstyle that will complement your hair type.