How to Care for your Hair Type

Many women wear their hair as something they’re proud of. Whether your hair is fine, thick, long, short, matte, glossy, curly, coily, straight, or wavy, it deserves your respect. It’s important to know how to care for your hair and what products to use or avoid to make sure your hair is strong and healthy. Here are some insights into the different hair types and their characteristics. As well as what products to apply or avoid for each different hair type.

Let’s start with the basics. There are four main hair types: straight, wavy, curly, and coily. Straight is, obviously, straight. It has no curls and the tendency to get oily. Wavy is in between straight and curly. It’s often found in S-shaped curls that look amazing in their natural state. Curly is the hair type with spring curls and lacks moisture. Coily is the one with stubborn zigzag curls that demand gentleness and loads of moisture.

These four hair types are further categorized into more specific categories depending on their structure and porosity. Hair structure refers to the thickness of each strand. It can be classified as fine, medium, or coarse (thick). Porosity talks about how much moisture your hair can lock and its ability to absorb products. It can be classified as dry, normal, or oily.

Today, however, we’re not going deep into all the sub-categories like hair type 1a or 4c. Instead, we’re going to talk about determining your hair type and it’s characteristics. As well as what products you should focus on to maintain a healthy look and feel for your specific hair type.>

Type 1: Straight Hair

Type 1 hair is often shiny and easy to grow out. It has no natural curl and the individual strands can be fine or coarse, thick or thin, but they all tend to fall without waving from root to tip. Straight hair tends to get greasy faster than other hair types. So it’s highly recommended to use dry shampoo to prevent adding more oil to your hair.

Recommended Products: Since straight hair lacks natural volume and texture, volumizing shampoo and conditioner would be a great addition. But don’t forget to check and make sure it’s a dry shampoo and won’t add extra oil.

Recommended Hairstyles: Blunt cuts look nice on straight hair as it makes your locks look thicker with more volume. If you have medium or thick straight hair, going with a layered look will add some movement to your locks and let them dance.

Type 2: Wavy Hair

Type 2 hair is the type that tends to frizz. It often forms S-shaped waves and is in between straight and curly hair. The main goal of wavy hair is to control the frizz without weighing down your natural curl. That means your key concern should be adding moisture and volume without altering that beautiful curl.

Recommended Products: Since we’re trying to add more moisture and volume, keeping an eye out for shampoos and conditioners that hydrate and moisturize your hair would be substantial. You can also try using hair masks for this hair type. They would come handy in managing that frizz. But be sure not to go overboard and ruin that natural curl.

Recommended Hairstyles: If you have finer wavy hair, a layered look would go nicely to add more volume. In terms of thicker wavy hair, leaving it long would be better as it’ll keep your waves relaxed. The shorter you cut it, the curlier it’s going to get because there is less length to weight it down.

Type 3: Curly Hair

Type 3 hair has springy curls. If type 2 hair is frizzy, meet type 3 hair. Fighting the frizz is curly hair’s main battle. To win this fight, keeping your hair moisturized and hydrated would be a key strategy. Curly hair also tends to be dry. All the springy curls blocks oil from slipping down the strands. So you might want to avoid further drying out your hair by heat or dry shampoos.

Recommended Products: The chief factor of your hair care routine should be a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. You can even try to look for a shampoo or conditioner made specifically for this hair type. To further control that frizz and define your curls, you might even try out different mousse, hair oils, and curl gels.

Recommended Hairstyles: Just like wavy hair, the closer you cut Type 3 hair, the curlier it’s going to be. For some curly hair, you can try avoiding a ponytail. Putting it in a ponytail, you might lose the formation of your curls.

Type 4: Coily Hair

Type 4 hair is stubborn and hard to maintain. Unlike curly hair, coily hair will stay curled even if it’s wet. They are often found in a zigzag shape that is hard to brush. It’s the most delicate hair type so you have to be very gentle with it. Since the strands are zigzag-y, oil has difficulties finding it’s way down the strand making it even drier and fragile. Your primary concern here should be moisturizing, moisturizing, and moisturizing.

Recommended Products: Since this hair type is quite fragile, it’s better to talk to your stylist about which products you should use and avoid. Still, you should definitely try out a shampoo designed for coily hair and a heavy moisturizing conditioner. And don’t refrain from using moisturizing hair masks weekly, as often as you wash your hair. Even experiment with finishing creams, oils, and pomades.

Recommended Hairstyles: The thing with Type 4 hair is that just like wavy and curly hair types, the shorter you go the curlier it gets. So a longer style might be an option. But this doesn’t mean you should avoid haircuts entirely. Regular trims are needed to keep the curls healthy. Just a reminder, that if you chose to keep your coily curls in a protective style like braids, it may be harder to moisturize them. That’s why a style that allows easy moisturizing is more recommended.

Suggested Read: 10 Worst Hair Care Mistakes