It’s a simple fact – the more you know about your hair, the better you can take care of it. What is effective for straight hair might not be effective for curly or coily. Similarly, thin hair might require a different approach than thick or coarse hair. Fortunately, you don’t need an appointment at the salon to get a better look at your hair type. By carefully examining a few things at home, you can get to know your natural texture, thickness and hair characteristics.
Here are 7 easy steps to help you determine your hair type and what it might require.
1. Look at Your Natural Hair Pattern
The key first step is to understand the texture of your hair. Don’t judge it right after straightening, curling, and/or heavy styling product application. Rather, use a mild shampoo and let your locks air-dry, and avoid heat/hair products.
After your hair is thoroughly dry, examine it to see if it has a pattern. Straight hair typically grows straight, with no bend or curve. Wavy hair tends to be loose bends or an ‘S’ shape. While curly hair makes for more noticeable loops or spirals, coily hair depends on tight curls, coils or zigzag patterns. You can use your natural pattern as a guide to find out what type of hair you have.
2. Check How Your Hair Behaves When Wet
Your hair may appear even different when wet than when dry. This is helpful for characterizing its natural attributes, in the washing process.
Once you’ve washed your hair, leave it ungelled, and no-oiled. Watch if your hair stays fairly flat or starts to curl, bunch up, and/or form waves as it dries.
Another area in which you can observe hair texture changes is by looking for changes in shape. For some hair, this results in a much curlier look when it dries, and other hair is not as curly. Some hair will look much curlier after it is dry and other hair is not as curly. It’s important to notice the transition and get to know your natural hair, not just its appearance after treatment.
3. Examine the Thickness of Individual Strands
Hair type is far more than just straight, wavy, curly or coily. The thickness of each strand is also important. Hold one strand of clean and dry hair and look it over with your hands. It can be hard to see and feel small strings between your fingers. Medium strands are easier to feel with a more delicate texture and feel, whereas coarse strands feel thicker and more substantial.
One can also match one strand with a piece of sewing thread. This isn’t a scientific measurement, but it can be a great way to look at your hair at home for a rough estimate. It will help you understand why some products are too thick, or whether you need more moisture in the hair based on the thickness of the strands.
4. Observe Your Hair’s Overall Density
Hair density is about how much hair is on the scalp and not the thickness of the hair itself. A person may have thin hairs with a high hair density or thick hairs with a moderate density.
To determine a basic estimate of your density, divide your hair in a few areas and observe if your scalp is visible or not. In case it’s hard to see the scalp through the hair, that can be a higher density. If it is evident even at a moderate part width, you might have a lower density.
This is crucial because two people with matches curls can require entirely different routines when it comes to the thickness and density of their curls.
5. Pay Attention to How Quickly Your Hair Becomes Oily
Another indicator might be how your scalp handles dirt. Once you’ve washed out the hair, be careful not to put anything heavy in the hair right on the scalp, and see how that hair reacts in the next couple of days.
If your roots get oily fairly easily, chances are that you have an oilier scalp. If it’s not greasy over the following few days, your skin may not produce as much oil as normal. There are a few in the middle.
Remember other factors can make your hair look greasy, including weather, hormones, washing products and how often you wash your hair. So, it is best to check hair over the course of days and not one wash and consider that as a decision.
6. Test How Your Hair Responds to Moisture
Another good method for learning about your hair is to study their moisture response. Is it soft and easy to handle right after conditioning or is it dry? Is it easy to soak up water or does it appear as if water is on the outside of strands?
These qualities can be seen with a person’s regular washing activities and not a complicated washing tests at home. Observe the rate at which the hair absorbs water, the rate of drying and the feel of the hair after conditioning.
These reflections will aid you in realizing the requirement for moisturizing your hair. But the porosity of the hair cannot be confused with the straight hair, the wavy hair, the curly hair or coily hair, as they are different.
7. Take a Hair Type Quiz for a More Complete Picture
There are times when it’s not easy to recognize your hair type from inspecting your hair. Your roots could be fine and dense, or they could be wavy and have curled ends. This is where a hair type quiz can come in handy.
Beauty Lies Truth’s free hair type quiz asks five questions about curl pattern, strand thickness, density and porosity, then turns the answers into a single code from 1A to 4C. Those four traits are what decide how your hair behaves, so knowing them is what stops the guesswork.
Don’t attempt to rank hair just by looks, account for the characteristics of the hair as well. Your curl or wave shape, the thickness, density of the strands, the behavior and moisture response of your scalp and hair can all help to provide an understanding of your hair.
Understanding Your Hair Type Can Simplify Hair Care
You don’t need to get confused when it comes to identifying the type of hair you have. First look at your natural pattern, then consider your strand thickness, density, moisture response of your scalp, and oiliness. Such observations can provide you with a far more clear idea of your hair’s uniqueness.
Also keep in mind that hair is subject to changes. Factors such as coloring, heat styling, chemical processing, the environment, age, and changing your routine can all impact your otherwise well-behaved hair. You might not fall into one category or another, and it’s okay because our hair is individual and unique.
The purpose of doing a hair type test is to identify the type of hair that you have so that you can follow a correct routine and not rigidly a hair type. It’s something else – it’s about understanding your hair’s tendencies and choosing the best product, wash, condition, and style.