Living with curls means, chances are, that everyday you’re learning new stuff about your hair. Whether it’s the latest buzzword, method, or invention, there’s always something brewing, begging you to ask what it means or what it does. The most important things to know about your hair, though, are the basics — what’s it all about and what type of curl routine is best for you?
To find out the best ways to take care of your hair, you have to find out a few different characteristics of your hair: curl type, density, texture, and porosity. It’s okay — we’ll take it one at a time.
LET'S BREAK IT DOWN
Curl Pattern Type: Most Curlies fall into one of 9 hair patterns. Beginning from Type 1, pin-straight, to Type 4C, the curliest, coiliest pattern, and everything in between – 1, 2A, B, C, 3A, B, C, and 4A, B, C. The number represents what category of curl your hair falls into, with 2 being wavy hair, 3 for curly, and 4 for coily. The letter, or sub-type, describes how loose or tight the curl itself is, with A being the loosest and C being the tightest. By figuring out your curl type, you’re taking a great first step in finding the products and methods that can best bring out your curls! Here at Jessicurl, we create products for all curl types, not just generalized curly hair.
Texture: Texture defines the circumference of each individual hair strand. There are three different textures that our hair falls into: fine, medium, and thick. Finer hair has a smaller circumference, making it more prone to being weighed down by product. Medium hair is a middle ground between fine and thick hair, making it balanced in oils and moisture. Thick hair is the largest of the strands, and these curls often need a moisture boost because they may lose hydration from the inner layers of the hair strand more quickly than finer textures would. You can find out your texture by taking a singular strand of hair and feeling the thickness by rolling it between your fingers; if it feels like you’re holding a piece of thread, your texture is thick. Medium hair will feel slightly less thick, whereas fine hair won’t have much feeling. It’s also totally normal to have a mix of all three of these hair textures, many Curlies do!
Density: The amount of hair strands per square inch on our heads is what us Curlies mean when we refer to density. This is very easy to confuse with hair texture, as it is common for people to use “thickness” as an umbrella term — but, as always, every Curly cannot fit under a singular umbrella. Texture refers to the thickness of each individual strand, and density refers to how many of those individual strands are actually popping out of your scalp. People with high density hair usually have no visible scalp or sparsity, medium density may have a slightly visible scalp where they part their hair, and those with low density have a visible part and greater spacing between follicles.
Porosity: To figure out if you have low, medium, or high porosity hair, think back on your last wash day. How long does it take for your hair to dry, with or without heat-styling products? If the answer is FOREVER, you probably have low porosity hair, which means the hair strand is tightly packed, taking longer to get both wet and dry. Medium porosity strands are able to retain moisture, but also dry reasonably fast as well. High porosity, similar to a sponge, over-absorbs the moisture and water, but can also quickly lose it. The openness of the strand makes it so that it can quickly soak in water, but, due to the cuticle layer being open, does not retain the moisture it absorbs.
📌Extra Tips for Different Curlies:
- Prepping for sleep is helpful for hair types of all kinds! From Type 1 to Type 4, protecting your hair by scarf-wrapping it or wearing a silk/satin bonnet, using a silk/satin pillowcase and wearing protective sleep styles will help preserve and maintain curls. Click here for more tips on how to style curls at night!
- A clarifying shampoo once every week is good for all hair types, just make sure to use a deeper than daily conditioner after the fact to still lock in hydration! A good option for finer hair is Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner, and one for medium to thick hair is Deep Conditioning Treatment.
- Finer-haired Curlies will work best with lightweight products, as it can be pretty easy to get weighed down by extra oils and proteins. Medium and thicker-haired Curlies will want something with a bit more weight to it, since those locks need that extra boost of hydration & hold.
- Like I mentioned about some Curlies having multiple different textures, this also applies for curl type, porosity, and density, too! It’s totally normal – and also, still manageable – to have a mix of all of the above.
- The type of brush you use can change everything! I always recommend using a wide-tooth comb when conditioning or styling wet hair, because it is gentle on the hair follicle while also properly dispersing the product. A hair comb pick adds volume and definition to curls at the roots, elongates curls, and may stimulate blood flow to the scalp, which is incredible for hair health. For Curlies with finer hair or lower density, try spraying your hair pick comb with Aquavescent Hair Spray before fluffing at the root to create longer-lasting volume.
- Frizz is your friend! A normal human will never, ever be able to achieve “frizz-free” – it’s just not a real thing! Your frizz is a part of who you are, so why try to change or hide that? Once you get to know your frizz, you might learn to love it, too.
- Low density, finer hair types should avoid brushing when wet and over-brushing. High density, thicker hair types, on the other hand, should brush only when wet and section their hair in parts to brush out. Wet brushing can help with thicker, coilier curls, as it helps with detangling curls and easing the pain of detangling. However, those with finer and lower density hair risk losing more strands when wet brushing, as the follicle is looser and more fragile due to the extra moisture.