Type 3: Curly Hair. This category encompasses hair that curls into springs and corkscrew shapes. When hair is wet, curls usually look like waves but take on a three-dimensional swirl shape as they dry. Each strand of this hair type can be unique.
Type 3b Curls
Each curl is about as wide as a tapered candlestick. Because 3b curls are fairly tight and springy, this hair type experiences a lot of shrinkage when it goes from wet to dry. Since these curls are more defined than that of a looser texture, it takes a lot of time and effort to change their curl pattern.
Type 3 hair ranges from tight, curly tendrils to light curls. It generally has a combination of different textures. Type 3 hair types are also defined as springy curls. They have more volume as well as height at the roots than type 2 hair types, which are wavy.
If your curls easily wrap around the sidewalk chalk, then you have type 3A hair. If the permanent marker is the best fit, then your hair type is 3B. If your spiral curls are the size of a pencil, you have type 3C hair.
Type 4c. 4c hair is the queen of thick, bold afros. From afar, 4c hair looks like a thick fro, but if you look closely, you'll notice very tight, small springs or coils on each strand. Coils are pretty different from curls.
Type 3a hair is characterized by well-defined spiral curls that are typically the size of a piece of sidewalk chalk. Although the circumference of 3a curls is wider than that of 3b and 3c hair, it can be difficult to tell the three curl types apart.
The reason why it's so important to use a wide-tooth comb for type 3 hair is because it prevents breakage and therefore split ends. A heavy duty brush with thin, long bristles tears at the hair, which leads to significantly more hair loss, damaged hair and split ends which can cause frizz.
3C curls are tight corkscrews that range in circumference from a straw to a pencil, like you see her on Nathalie Emmanuel. Strands are densely packed together, giving way to lots of natural volume.
3C hair strands have larger curls than 4A hair, which are a bit more tightly coiled. 3C hair has a reputation for being tightly densely packed, but otherwise soft to touch.
4c hair type has the tightest curl pattern of all the curly hair types. Strands are formed in tight, springy, ringlets. 4c hair tends to clump more at the ends and is even more prone to shrinkage than 4b hair. According to CURLS, 4c hair can shrink up to 75% of its length!
3C hair is made up of well-defined, tight corkscrews or coils with lots of strands densely packed together. Their circumference is the size of a pencil or straw. 3C curls have a fine to medium texture. This curl type is prone to dryness, tangles, and lack of curl definition.
Type 3 curly hair is springy, bouncy, defined curls and ringlets. 3a curly hair is more defined and less elongated than type 2 wavy hair, but rather a more compact, bouncy S-shape. 3b curls are more defined, bouncy spirals.
Within the category of type 3 hair, 3b curls are a collection of bouncy ringlets. The circumference of each swirl is roughly that of a Sharpie marker. Because your curl type straddles the happy medium between 3a and 3c hair, you may also have some loose spirals and springy corkscrews in your locks.
Type 2C hair has defined waves that start at the roots, and is thicker than the other subcategories. This hair type starts to form loose spiral curls and has that “S” shape. Type 2C tends to be the most prone to frizz of the Type 2 category. With wavy hair, the biggest frustration is that it tends to frizz easily.
For type 2s and some type 3s, shrinkage is hardly noticeable, since the hair won't look all that different dry than it does when it's wet. For type 3s with super-coils, it's pretty noticeable as well. Some type 3cs and type 4s have even reported losing as much as eight inches once their hair dries!
Type 5 hair typically refers to natural, multi-textured hair with a mixture of frizz and curls within its fine strands. In its natural state, you'll find that type 5 hair ranges from loosely coiled to tightly coiled, usually with S or Z-shaped curls that would typically fall under the 3A to 4C hair type categories.
"Prep your hair before you blow-dry with a heat protectant and a hold product, then spray it with hairspray before you start curling." Not only will it keep your hair from frying, but it'll help set the curl better.
3A curls are known as some of the easiest types of curls to manage and with the right products, might not even require much styling. Look for light styling creams to help control strands when styling and drying.
2B Hair type is best described as wavy hair. This hair type is not quite curly and it's not quite straight. If your hair is mostly flat and straight at the roots but gets wavier and more “S” shaped toward the bottom, then you have 2B hair!
Washing your curls everyday can remove the natural oils of your curls and makes it difficult to retain moisture. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't wet your hair. “Rinse and condition more often; shampoo less,” Hallman advises.