I Have Curls, but What’s My Type?
Is your hair naturally curly? Are you excited to start your curly hair journey? Do you want to understand its ups and downs, its sides and all around? I got you…
If the answer is yes then you my friend are at the right place. I love to see the embracement of curly hair over the years. Hair that was deemed “not desirable” by society, is finally being accepted and I couldn’t be more excited to see the different types of patterns flourish to popular view.
But, taking care of those curls comes with patience, and tons and tons of research, time, and spending money too.
What is your hair type? What is porosity? What does it mean to have density? Questions revolving around products, frizz, cuts, color, methods, styles, scalp and more, are what members of the curly community seem to be searching up on Google and YouTube.
CurlFriend aims to help figure that out for you and bring it right to your mailbox every week. With a different topic every week, we are going to start this curly hair journey together and continue growing as we go.
We hope to spotlight influencers from social media, my personal stories, tips and tricks, and research regarding what curlies care about.
This newsletter will foster community for anyone with curly hair no matter how they identify. This all inclusive space will provide you with all the information you keep spending so much time looking for.
For me personally, growing up in a Dominican household with curly hair was an experience I’m sure many can relate to. Since I was 5 years old, little old me would sit on top of cushions at the local Dominican hair salon to get my hair straightened with a blow dryer and a flat iron.
I would watch how they would to use oils to tame my hair and the blower a couple times to get it completely straight. And then the flat iron would finish the job and leave the hair slick, nevermind the burnt smell my hair let out.
The appraise I would receive from hair stylists and family members when my hair was done, conditioned me into believing that I only looked pretty when my hair was straightened and not in its natural curly hair state.
These eurocentric beauty standards continued well into my preteen years where in middle school, before I even ate breakfast, I had to have the flat iron on its highest setting to slick my hair down, every single day.
This insecurity and physical damage started ending when I entered high school. I was tired of my hair not growing and looking lifeless.
However, I would watch how my best friend would wear her beautiful curls and she did not care what anyone else thought. I felt inspired.
Then it happened, I stopped straightening my hair and a year later I went for the famous “big chop.”
That was six years ago. Now, I am still figuring out what works for my hair. Although I tend to go for drugstore products, I started experimenting with higher end products and I am actively watching and learning about that.
As a college student, it is not easy to spend time looking for tutorials and reading many articles, so that is when CurlFriend came to mind. I want to help those who are also not having the time to do all this research.
What the hell are these numbers and letters to describe hair?
So, let’s start with hair type. If you know your hair type then feel free to skip this next section.
According to this great blog by LivingProof.com there are three types of curls: wavy, curls and coils. Of course, not everyone has just one this one type of classification. Like myself, I range from a 3A-3B.
Wavy hair is defined by the number 2 with A, B, C being different classifications of wavy hair.
2A being loose waves that have some texture.
2B has a loose “S” shape.
2C has that “S” shape that forms from the crown down to the bottom
Curly hair is defined by the number 3 with also having A,B and C as the types of patterns.
3A consists of bouncy, wide curls in a spiral shape from the crown to the tips.
3B has tighter curls that provide more volume.
3C the curls are much tighter, like corkscrew ringlets and keep pattern from from roots to end.
Coily hair is number 4 and just like the past types, it has A, B and C to describe it.
4A Small, tight coils that start at the root and maintain texture throughout the hair.
4B are tight coil that make a “Z” shape and a zig-zag patten. There is shrinkange that happens.
4C the coils are super tight and have a dense texture. It has the highest percentage of shrinkage.
Knowing your hair type is so beneficial because it will help cater what specific products work better for which type. It also helps with different styling and methods as well.
However, knowing your hair type is much much than just your curl shape, there is porosity, density, and thickness
Stay tuned as for the first few editions of CurlFriend we will continue talking about but not limited to:
Curly hair air accessories that I have tried and that I see other people use; some do and dont’s for dyed hair; wash and style routines; understanding what the different ways to cut curly hair; and different hair styles.
I will break down information by hair type starting 2A and up. Please note that I am open to comments, advice and criticism.
We are in this together, curlfriend.
CurlFriend Notable Influencers
Type 2B-C
I found Mary Jo on Instagram and I think she does a great job at exploring different aspect of this type of hair. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CQESDJpATlV/?utm_medium=copy_link
Type 3B-3C
Daniela Santos on Instagram. She has a couple hair styling videos with products review, as well as some tutorials for hairstyles.https://instagram.com/daanielasantos_?utm_medium=copy_link
Type 4B-4C
Found this Tik Tok on hair wash day for men.
