Natural Hair Types
Description of Natural Hair Types
One of the most widely used hair classification systems today was created by Oprah Winfrey's hair stylist, Andre Walker. He talks about his system in his book "Andre Talks Hair". His system is the original & the one we still refer to classify hair textures. I hope our Natural Hair Type page helps you clasify your Natural Hair type!
Andre Walker's Hair Classification System
| Type # | Hair Texture | Hair Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1a | Straight (Fine/Thin) | Very Soft, Shiny, Hard to hold a curl, hair tends to be oily, hard to damage. |
| 1b | Straight (Medium) | Has lots of body. (i.e. more volume, more full) |
| 1c | Straight (Coarse) | Hard to curl. (i.e. bone straight) Most Asian women fall into this category. |
| 2a | Wavy (Fine/Thin) | Can accomplish various styles. Definite "S" pattern. Hair sticks close to the head. |
| 2b | Wavy (Medium) | A bit resistant to styling. Hair tends to be frizzy. |
| 2c | Wavy (Coarse) | Hair has thicker waves. Also resistant to styling. Hair tends to be frizzy. |
| 3a | Curly (Loose Curls) | Thick & full with lots of body. Definite "S" pattern. Hair tends to be frizzy. Can have a combination texture. |
| 3b | Curly (Tight Curls) | Medium amount of curl. Can have a combination texture. |
| 3c | Curly (Tight Curls or Corkscrews) |
Tight curls in corkscrews. The curls can be either kinky, or very tightly curled, with lots and lots of strands densely packed together. (3c not in book) |
| 4a | Kinky (Soft) | Tightly coiled. Very Fragile. Has a more defined curly pattern |
| 4b | Kinky (Wiry) | Tightly coiled. Very Fragile. Less defined curly pattern. Has more of a "Z" shaped pattern. |