Tell me the truth: Is my hair typed incorrectly?

[Speedbump]

The more I'm thinking about my natural hair pictures, the more I think maybe I've mistyped my hair. I don't know anymore! I definitely have spiral curls when it's shorter, but they are lying flatter and flatter the longer my hair gets, especially with too much product that weighs it down or no product to help the curl formation (follow that if you can! LOL) I still get plenty of real S-waves, but not so much the 3-D effect that the 3 category demands. I definitely have *some* 3C hair at my nape, and I definitely have *some* 3B hair in the front because the layers are shorter up there...but the main length is looking less and less like 3B hair all the time.

Should I change my hair type to reflect current reality, or what I know my hair is like when it's not so long? Is it pronounced enough already that I should change it to avoid confusion???

ARGH.

I just don't know. The floor is open, folks. Is it correct or not? And if not, what do you think it should be??

Just to help, here is one of my natural hair pix:



Thank you,

Speedy

[Rain]

The canopy looks wavy but also a little dry so I'd hesitate to say it's wavy. I definitely see at least one spiral wanting to form. That combined with how familiar this sight is to me makes me say I think you probably have 3a or 3b or a combination of those two. Your hair is curlier underneath the canopy, isn't it?

Look at this. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ecelt/e510.jpg It's my hair air dried hanging down so the water in the hair pulled it out. Looks wavy, doesn't it? But it's not really. That picture is what I'm thinking of while looking at your hair right now. I think your hair is either needing more moisture or a different way of handling in order for spirals to show but I do think there are spirals there.

Of course I could be totally wrong!

[Speedbump]

Originally Posted by Rain

The canopy looks wavy but also a little dry so I'd hesitate to say it's wavy. I definitely see at least one spiral wanting to form. That combined with how familiar this sight is to me makes me say I think you probably have 3a or 3b or a combination of those two. Your hair is curlier underneath the canopy, isn't it?

It is dry here because I hadn't put any leave-in in it. I have naturally very dry hair and I have to put goo in it to make it nice. My hair is indeed much curlier underneath. I have real 3Cs on my nape, and I have real spirals in my "undercanopy." It's the longest hairs on my head, growing from the top, that are spiralling less and less.

As I'm looking at your picture, it's amazing how similar it looks to mine!

Also, if I scrunch my hair after I let it sit in the towel a few minutes to stop dripping, I get a lot more curl definition -- but it makes it messy looking, too. The same with plopping. Messy, messy, messy.

And: If I mist on the second day, I usually get a lot more spirals than the first day. This was first-day hair and I hadn't put anything on it or even combed it after I got out of the shower. Perhaps I'm freaking myself out over nothing here, since what is in this picture, while my natural hair, isn't the way I usually deal with it at all. It's just that I've noticed that my hair isn't curling as much. I started looking at pix taken in the fall, and I had more curls then. My hair was in worse shape, too, though. It is much better moisturized overall than it was and it seems the more moisturized it gets the less it curls. I still have a lot to think about.

Thanks for your response, Rain. I really appreciate it.

Speedy

[DancesWithCurls]

Wow, Speedy, your hair's getting long!

I see what you mean about having flatter S shapes instead of the 3D spirals, but I still think you're a 3 of some kind. You have awesome clumping.

FWIW, here's my hair with no product. No definition, zero clumping, just a mass of fluff. But the ends pop into small corkscrews, which is why I fall squarely into 3c, I think.

http://www.geocities.com/danceswithcurls//nogoop.jpg

It's amazing the difference product makes in curly hair, isn't it? Yours looks great (I'd go out of the house with that hair!) I hate mine without.

Dances w/ curls

[Fia]

Your pic is one of the one's I've been mulling over for the visual hairtyping project. I think I'd like to put you in a 3a based on what your hair looks like there, especially since you say that you have curlier parts underneath the canopy.

Definitely in the 3-category as your hair exhibits the typical "curly-widness", i.e. growing larger as it grows longer.

[zift]

Speedbump first of all I'd like to say that you have very pretty hair, you should be proud of it. And second I think it'S a 3a or maybe 3a/3b

[Sally]

Originally Posted by Fia

Your pic is one of the one's I've been mulling over for the visual hairtyping project. I think I'd like to put you in a 3a based on what your hair looks like there, especially since you say that you have curlier parts underneath the canopy.

Definitely in the 3-category as your hair exhibits the typical "curly-widness", i.e. growing larger as it grows longer.

I agree with Fia, i.e., more like a 3a. Part of what makes me want to push it deeper into the 3 category is that there's so very much of it, and that imparts a wildness. You're definitely a curly, but more like dense S waves than like full-out spirals.

[Speedbump]

Originally Posted by Fia

Your pic is one of the one's I've been mulling over for the visual hairtyping project. I think I'd like to put you in a 3a based on what your hair looks like there, especially since you say that you have curlier parts underneath the canopy.

Definitely in the 3-category as your hair exhibits the typical "curly-widness", i.e. growing larger as it grows longer.

Thank you DancesWithCurls, Fia and Sally for your replies and compliments. After much thinking, I have decided to change my hair type to 3A/3B. I wish that I could do a 3A-3C hair type, because I DO have 3C hair underneath, and I want to reflect my whole head, not just part of the hair, but that's the way it goes. I feel more upset about this than I probably should. I don't know why this is such a big deal to me, but it is. I never knew how curly my hair was, not really, until I started taking better care of it. And it's like I've sort of lost my curls again so shortly after "finding them" in the first place. I'll get over it.

Thanks,

Speedy

[harpgal]

Speedy...I think your hair is awesome! When I look at you, I think of Starfilly! Is she the same?

[wonderlywroughte]

your hair is so much like mine!! I have these flat s shaped waves that turn into spirals at the bottom. However, I've put my hairtyping as a 3a because I do get spirals but nothing that's above a 3a curl really (on a few occasions, I can get this one coarse patch of my hair to make nice 3b spirals).

however, in your case I think I would say 3b, just to be inbetween the 3a upper layer and the 3c curls underneath. In my case I usually hesitate to say i'm a 3a becaue my bottom layer of hair is stick straight. not a curl to it at all! Here's a picture...


Also, my hair tends to form different curl patterns depending on product, but I feel that you would't be able to make your hair have, say, 3c curls through product usage if it didn't have the potential to be 3c, you know what I mean?

I think i've confused myself!!

[Rain]

Originally Posted by wonderlywroughte

Also, my hair tends to form different curl patterns depending on product, but I feel that you would't be able to make your hair have, say, 3c curls through product usage if it didn't have the potential to be 3c, you know what I mean?

I think i've confused myself!!

Welcome back!

I know exactly what you mean and I completely agree. I've done curl enhancing tests on my poor unsuspecting kids (okay, they suspect <g>) and we do not get similar results from the same products. It is easy to get some types of curly hair to become loose and wavy (I'm thinking 3c is a bit more work to stretch out) but not so easy to go from straight or wavy to curly.

[CurlyKitten]

Speedy,
I, too, was a little sad when I saw that you'd re-typed yourself as a 3a/3b Don't be sad though. You're on a journey of self discovery, and are learning more about your beautiful hair

[Speedbump]

Originally Posted by harpgal

Speedy...I think your hair is awesome! When I look at you, I think of Starfilly! Is she the same?

I checked Starfilly's profile, and her hair is very much like mine! I really like her hair, so I'm starting to feel better about this. Thanks!

Originally Posted by CurlyKitten

Speedy,
I, too, was a little sad when I saw that you'd re-typed yourself as a 3a/3b Don't be sad though. You're on a journey of self discovery, and are learning more about your beautiful hair

Aw, Kitten. ((((((HUGS))))))

Thanks everyone,

Speedy

[Speedbump]

Originally Posted by wonderlywroughte

your hair is so much like mine!! I have these flat s shaped waves that turn into spirals at the bottom. However, I've put my hairtyping as a 3a because I do get spirals but nothing that's above a 3a curl really (on a few occasions, I can get this one coarse patch of my hair to make nice 3b spirals).

however, in your case I think I would say 3b, just to be inbetween the 3a upper layer and the 3c curls underneath. In my case I usually hesitate to say i'm a 3a becaue my bottom layer of hair is stick straight. not a curl to it at all! Here's a picture...

Also, my hair tends to form different curl patterns depending on product, but I feel that you would't be able to make your hair have, say, 3c curls through product usage if it didn't have the potential to be 3c, you know what I mean?

I think i've confused myself!!

For some reason the reply I put to your post didn't show up! I replied to you before Kitten and HarpGal, so I have no clue what happened to it.

But to the reply: First of all I was at your straight hair under all those gorgeous curls! Holy moly! Second, I mostly followed you. Really. And third...your hair DOES look a lot like mine! Wow! Since I think your hair is absolutely beautiful, this makes me feel better about this whole situation. I am going to go ahead and stick with the 3A/3B designation since it covers most of my hair bases, even though it's not completely accurate.

Thank you for your reply, and to everyone who has responded. Accepting this has not been easy for me at all, but everyone's comments have really helped out a lot. Being showered with compliments and compared to Rain, WonderlyWroughte and Starfilly didn't hurt my hair ego any either. LOL

THANK YOU!!

[Pilgrim]

Speedy,

First of all, your hair is gorgeous, plain and simple!

As far as hairtyping, it can be helpful, I feel, but just isn't an exact science. There are so many variables that can affect how hair behaves, even aside from products - e.g., weather, seasons, length, health, etc. My own hair is significantly curlier in the summer when humidity is higher than on a cold, dry winter day.

That said, since most of us try to put ourselves somewhere in the typing system, why not just use every designation that describes your hair, which in your case, IMO, could be 2c-3c! Lots of people show a range in their designation.

I'll end my post with the way I started it - your hair is gorgeous!

Julie