CURLS, KINKS, AND WAVES...What's your hair type?

Hello again natural beauties! I think we need a moment of clarity on hair types before I go any further. First and foremost, I personally can't stand the word "nappy" to describe "natural hair". It just has a negative ring to it (if some of you love it...by all means keep the party going). I've never heard anyone call someone nappy and meant it in a positive way. Instead, I'd like to call the hair like I see it. Our hair is CURLY not nappy! To describe the different curly types, I think Curly, Kinky curly, and Wavy are more appropriate. Anyway, I'll be using these terms frequently throught this blog so I wanted to give heads up before doing so. Sooooo, without further ado, here is a breakdown of curly hair types (courtesy of Andre Walker) for your reference:

Type 2-Wavy: Type 2 hair falls into the great divide between Type 1, straight hair, and Type 3, curly hair. A relatively unusual type, wavy hair tends to be coarse, with a definite "S" pattern to it. By that I mean the wave forms throughout the hair in the shape of the letter "S". Your hair is wavy, or Type 2, if it curves in the "S" shape while lying flat against the scalp

Type 3-curly: If you're a Type 3, your hair has a lot of body and is easily styled in its natural state, or it can be easily straightened with a blow-dryer into a smoother style. Healthy Type 3 hair is shiny, with soft, smooth curls and strong elasticity. The curls are well-defined and springy: pull out a strand of hair and stretch it; it won't snap in two. Damaged Type 3 hair is usually frizzy, dull, hard and dry to the touch, with fuzzy, ill-defined curls.

There are two subtypes of Type 3 hair. Type 3A, hair that is very loosely curled, like Julia Robert's or Susan Sarandon's, is usually very shiny with big curls. The shorter the hair, the straighter it gets. The longer the hair, the more defined the curl.

Type 3B, on the other hand, is hair with a medium amount of curl, ranging from bouncy ringlets – think of Shirley Temple – to tight corkscrews – think of actress Cree Summer or Tracey Ellis Ross.

Type 4-Kinky Curly: Kinky curly hair-your hair falls into the Type 4 category, then it is kinky, or very tightly curled. Generally, Type 4 hair is very wiry, very tightly coiled and very, very fragile. Like Type 3 hair, Type 4 hair appears to be coarse, but it is actually quite fine, with lots and lots of this strands densely packed together. Healthy Type 4 hair won't shine, but it will have sheen. It will be soft to the touch and will pass the strand test with ease. It will feel more silky than it will look shiny. Oprah, Whoopi Goldberg and the actress Angela Bassett are all Type 4s.