From loops to ringlet, this hair type has a soft S shaped curl pattern which may or may not be consistent throughout.  Hair may appear straighter at the top of the head and become wavier towards the middle and ends.  The ends may tend to be dry, as natural scalp oils have difficulty working its way down to the ends.  Because the hair is fine, heavy styling products add too much weight, which will straighten out the curls. 

Waves and curls give the illusion of fuller hair, even on fine or thin hair, and has visible body and movement.  This hair type grows down from the scalp and lies flat.  When hair is towel dried, a soft curly pattern is visible but can easily be dried straight.  Hair tends to swell in the humid weather and curl patterns return.

• Hair grows down from the scalp
• Hair has volume and body
• Hair is curly when damp and may lose curl pattern when dried

Styling Options:

• Blow dry hair straight with little effort
• Wash n Go styles are perfect if you want to wear your curls. Style with a light curl defining cream when damp to help shape
• Finger Coils are a great option to define the curl pattern and avoid frizziness
• Hair can be straightened chemically with good results.

This hair type has a coarser, thicker strands of hair.  Curly Medium hair still has a well-defined, springy S shaped curl, but the weight of the hair tends to stretch the curl pattern.

• Hair grows down from the scalp in an S shape curl pattern
• Curl pattern is a distinct spiral
• Hair prone to dryness and curls tighten up in humid weather
• Highly receptive to heat styling

Styling Options:

• Wash n Go styles are perfect if you want to wear your curls. Style with a light curl defining cream when damp to help shape.
• Finger Coils are a great option to define the curl pattern and avoid fizziness
• Hair can be straightened chemically but hair may be fragile so a Keratin Smoothing Treatment may be good alternative.

In this hair type,  the S shaped curls become more defined and the curl pattern becomes more consistent throughout the head. In contrast to hair type 3A, hair type 3B curls tend to be uniform, with a coiling shape from roots to ends. When dehydrated or damaged, these curls can become frizzy and lose definition.

Curly Coarse Hair Types tend to have a springy curl pattern with medium sized curls vs the larger S curls and saves in type 3A. This hair type requires the right type of styling products for better manageability.  No worries.  Because of the hair's coarser texture, it can handle a heavier styling product.  

• Hair grows down from the scalp and then forms curls
• Curl pattern is a medium sized ringlet that stretches when wet, shrinks when dry
• Hair has reduced visible volume and has some movement
• Hair prone to frizz and tangling

Styling Options:

• Wash n Go styles work well with a defining cream to help shape and moisturize curls.
• Twist Outs, Bantu knots, Flexi Rod Sets great natural styles for this hair type
• Hair can be straightened chemically but hair may be fragile so a Keratin Smoothing Treatment may be good alternative.
• Silk Press is a great, non-chemical option to temporarily smooth the hair

In hair type 3C, you will notice a small corkscrew-like S shaped curl pattern throughout the hair.  The spiral shape is tighter than in hair type 3B and these ringlets tend to be finer and lighter in weight.  To keep curls soft and strong, moisture is essential.  

Very Curly Fine Hair type tends to look wide and voluminous.  In terms of density, hair can be thin to thick or a combination of both.

• Hair strands send to be coarse and densely packed together
• Hair has LOTS of natural volume
• Because hair is dry, it is prone to breakage and absorbs water easily

Styling Options:

• Wash n Go styles work well with a defining cream to help shape and moisturize curls.
• Twist Outs, Bantu knots, Flexi Rod Sets great natural styles for this hair type
• Hair can be straightened chemically but hair may be fragile so a Keratin Smoothing Treatment may be good alternative.
• Silk Press is a great, non-chemical option to temporarily smooth the hair

In hair type 4, the shape of the curls takes on a more angular “Z” shape from roots to end.  As opposed to the S pattern, the Z pattern is so tightly coiled that it can cause hair to dramatically shrink in length.

Very Curly Medium Hair has more weight to it than the finer hair types.  The strands of hair are thicker and the curls are a bit tighter and smaller than hair type 3.  The texture ranges from thin to thick or has a combination of both.  This hair type is often called Coily Hair and has the look of soft, Afro-textured hair. 

• Hair has a visible curly, kinky texture
• Hair grows up and away from the scalp
• Coils may stretch and lengthen with minimal bounce-back
• Hair tends to frizz and tangle easily

Styling Options:

• Easily wear hair in its natural state.  Use a curl-defining cream to help shape and moisturize curl patterns.
• Twist Outs, Bantu knots, Flexi Rod Sets great natural styles for this hair type
• Hair can be straightened chemically but hair may be fragile so a Keratin Smoothing Treatment may be good alternative.
• Silk Press is a great, non-chemical option to temporarily smooth the hair

This coiled curly hair type has tight afro-distinct springy curls that adhere close to the scalp.  The fascinating thing about this hair texture is that is kinky when dry, but literally will have a looser curl pattern when wet.  Hair strands form very tight, small curls of zig-zags right from the scalp.  This curl type is prone to major shrinkage, dryness, tangles, and lack of curl definition.

• Hair grows tight curls upwards directly from the scalp
• Hair is kinky when dry, loose curls when wet
• Curls lack definition when hair is dry
• Hair tends to frizz and tangle easily

Styling Options:

• Easily wear hair in its natural state.  Use a curl-defining cream to help shape and moisturize curl patterns.
• Twist Outs, Bantu knots, Flexi Rod Sets great natural styles for this hair type
• Hair can be straightened chemically but hair may be fragile so a Keratin Smoothing Treatment may be good alternative.
• Silk Press is a great, non-chemical option to temporarily smooth the hair

This coiled curly hair type also has tight afro-distinct springy curls that adhere close to the scalp, but they are kinky.  Imagine coils having an S shape with curved edges and kinks having Z shape with some straight edges.

• Springy curls that adhere close to the scalp
• Hair is kinky when dry, looser curls when wet
• Curls lack definition when hair is dry
• Hair tends to frizz and tangle easily

Styling Options:

• We are showing several long hair models to demonstrate the hair type but short hair with curly, kinky hair types is extremely chic!
• Easily wear hair in its natural state.  Use a curl-defining cream to help shape and moisturize curl patterns.
• Twist Outs, Bantu knots, Flexi Rod Sets great natural styles for this hair type
• Hair can be straightened chemically but hair may be fragile so a Keratin Smoothing Treatment may be good alternative.
• Silk Press is a great, non-chemical option to temporarily smooth the hair

This hair type forms springy spirals and coils or the combination of both with an afro-distinct kinky-texture and can range from fine to coarse.  This curl type is very small compared to hair types 2 and 3.  It is prone to dryness and therefore breakage.

• Hair is tightly curled with a short “Z” curl pattern
• Coils are very voluminous and full of body and movement
• Coils spring back when stretched
• Hair tends to frizz, tangle and break easily

Styling Options:

• We are showing several long hair models to demonstrate the hair type but short hair with curly, kinky hair types is extremely chic!
• Easily wear hair in its natural state.  Use a curl-defining cream to help shape and moisturize curl patterns.
• Twist Outs, Bantu knots, Flexi Rod Sets great natural styles for this hair type
• Hair can be straightened chemically but hair may be fragile so a Keratin Smoothing Treatment may be good alternative.
• Silk Press is a great, non-chemical option to temporarily smooth the hair

This hair type is commonly referred to as Kinky Hair.  It is very fragile and has a raised cuticle of the hair shaft, making this hair type frizzy and tangled.  Curl patterns are tight with lots of right angles rather than curves and S shapes.

• Hair is highly dense and wiry in texture
• Hair is extremely tight afro-distinct coils and zig-zag patterns that interlock.
• Hair appears compact and has no movement
• Hair tends to frizz, tangle and break easily
• This hair type experiences the greatest amount of shrinkage
• Hair knots easily

Styling Options:

• We are showing several long hair models to demonstrate the hair type but short hair with curly, kinky hair types is extremely chic!
• Easily wear hair in its natural state.  Use a curl-defining cream to help shape and moisturize curl patterns.
• Twist Outs, Bantu knots, Flexi Rod Sets great natural styles for this hair type
• Hair can be straightened chemically but hair may be fragile so a Keratin Smoothing Treatment may be good alternative.
• Silk Press is a great, non-chemical option to temporarily smooth the hair

This hair type has extremely, curly coarse hair and is especially wide in shape.  Hair  remains tight or has more shrinkage when wet. 

• Hair is highly dense and wiry in texture
• Hair is extremely tight afro-distinct coils and zig-zag patterns that interlock.
• Hair appears compact and has no movement
• Hair tends to frizz, tangle and break easily
• This hair type experiences the greatest amount of shrinkage
• Hair knots easily

Styling Options:

• We are showing several long hair models to demonstrate the hair type but short hair with curly, kinky hair types is extremely chic!
• Easily wear hair in its natural state.  Use a curl-defining cream to help shape and moisturize curl patterns.
• Twist Outs, Bantu knots, Flexi Rod Sets great natural styles for this hair type
• Hair can be straightened chemically but hair may be fragile so a Keratin Smoothing Treatment may be good alternative.
• Silk Press is a great, non-chemical option to temporarily smooth the hair