You’re standing in front of the bathroom mirror with a handful of expensive gel and a look of pure confusion. One side of your head looks like a Shirley Temple ringlet, while the other is a frizzy, semi-straight mess that refuses to cooperate. We’ve all been there. You start googling what's my curl type because you’re tired of the guesswork, but the charts you find online feel like a math equation you never studied for. Honestly, the whole "hair typing" world is a bit of a mess.
It’s not just about a letter and a number.
The system most people use today was popularized by Andre Walker—Oprah’s long-time stylist—back in the 90s. It was a breakthrough at the time because it finally gave a vocabulary to hair that wasn't just "straight" or "unruly." But here’s the kicker: your hair doesn't care about a chart. You likely have three or four different patterns living on your head at the same time. The crown might be a tight 4C, while the nape of your neck is a loose 3B. That’s totally normal, yet nobody talks about it.
The Breakdown: Deciphering the 2, 3, and 4 Scale
If you’re trying to figure out what's my curl type, you have to look at the shape the strand makes when it's soaking wet and free of product. That’s your baseline. Don't look at it when it's dry and brushed out—that's just a recipe for a bad mood.
Type 2 is all about waves. If your hair hangs in an "S" shape rather than a coil, you’re in the Type 2 camp. 2A is that barely-there tousled look that people spend hours trying to get with a sea salt spray. 2B is a bit more defined, usually starting to wave a few inches off the scalp. Then there’s 2C. 2C is the "troublemaker" of the group because it’s thick, prone to frizz, and often gets mistaken for curly hair when it’s actually just very intense waves.
Then we hit the Type 3s. This is "true" curly hair. 3A curls are about the width of a piece of sidewalk chalk. They’re big, loopy, and have a lot of shine because the cuticle is relatively flat. 3B curls are tighter, more like the size of a Sharpie marker. By the time you get to 3C, you’re looking at "corkscrew" curls that are the circumference of a pencil or a drinking straw. 3C hair has a ton of volume, but it’s also where "shrinkage" starts to become a real factor in your daily life.
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Type 4 is coily, kinky, and incredibly delicate. 4A hair has a visible "S" pattern but it’s packed tight. 4B is different; it doesn't really "coil" so much as it "zigs." It follows a Z-pattern with sharp angles instead of curves. And 4C? 4C is the most densely packed of all. It can shrink up to 75% of its actual length. If you have 4C hair, your hair is a structural marvel, but it’s also the most prone to dryness because those tight turns make it hard for your scalp’s natural oils to travel down the shaft.
Why the Charts Usually Fail You
Most people get frustrated asking what's my curl type because they expect a static answer. Your hair is an ecosystem. It reacts to the humidity in Georgia, the hard water in London, and that one time you decided to bleach it in your kitchen in 2022.
Porosity actually matters more than your curl pattern.
Think about it. If you have "Type 4" hair but it’s low porosity, water slides off it like a duck’s back. You can put all the heavy creams in the world on it, and they’ll just sit on the surface like grease. Meanwhile, someone with "Type 2" high-porosity hair might need way more protein because their hair structure is full of holes. If you only focus on the curl shape, you’re ignoring the "engine" of the hair.
Density is another big one. You can have 3C curls but very "fine" hair, meaning each individual strand is thin. If you use the heavy butters often recommended for 3C hair, your curls will look limp and greasy. On the flip side, you could have 2B waves that are incredibly "coarse" and thick, requiring way more moisture than the average wavy-hair guide suggests. This is why you see people on TikTok with the "wrong" products getting amazing results—they’re styling for their hair’s behavior, not its shape.
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The Myth of the "Perfect" Pattern
Let's be real: your curl pattern isn't a permanent contract. Hormones are a huge factor. Many people find that after pregnancy or during menopause, their hair goes from curly to straight or vice versa. This happens because hormones affect the shape of the hair follicle itself. A round follicle produces straight hair; an oval or elliptical follicle produces curls. If the shape of that follicle shifts even a millimeter, your "type" changes.
Damage also masks your real type. If you’ve been flat-ironing your hair for a decade, your hair isn't "Type 2." It’s "Type 4 in hiding." Heat damage breaks the disulfide bonds that hold the curl together. You can't "fix" those bonds with a magic serum, despite what the marketing says. You can patch them up temporarily with plex products like Olaplex or K18, but the only real way to see your true pattern is to grow it out and cut the damage off.
Stop Obsessing and Start Testing
If you really want to know what's my curl type, stop looking at the mirror for a second and grab a glass of water. Take a clean strand of hair (no product!) and drop it in.
- Does it float? Low porosity.
- Does it sink slowly? Normal.
- Does it plummet to the bottom? High porosity.
Now, look at your scalp. Can you see your skin easily? If yes, you have low density. If you can’t see your scalp at all, you have high density.
Combine these two facts with your curl shape. For example: "I am a 3A, high porosity, low density." That sentence tells you exactly what to buy. You need light products (low density) that are rich in protein and moisture (high porosity) to help hold that loopy shape (3A).
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How to Actually Care for Your Specific Pattern
For the wavy 2s: your biggest enemy is weight. You don't need heavy shea butter or coconut oil. You need mousses and foams. Something that provides "grit" and hold without pulling the wave straight. Honestly, most 2s should avoid the "co-wash" trend entirely. Your scalp likely needs a real sulfate-free shampoo to stay clean.
For the curly 3s: balance is the game. You need a mix of moisture and "slip." Look for conditioners with a lot of marshmallow root or slippery elm. You need to detangle while the hair is soaking wet and coated in conditioner—never, ever touch it with a brush when it's dry unless you’re going for the 80s rockstar frizz look.
For the coily 4s: moisture is your full-time job. The L.C.O. (Liquid, Cream, Oil) or L.O.C. method is usually the gold standard here. You’re layering products to seal in the water. Because your hair is so fragile, protective styling like braids or twists isn't just a fashion choice; it’s a health choice for your ends.
Actionable Steps to Finding Your Routine
- The "Naked" Wash: Wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo to remove all the silicone buildup. Don't add any conditioner or styler. Let it air dry. This is your "true" hair. This is the baseline you're working with.
- Section Your Search: Don't try to treat your whole head the same. If the front is straighter, use a bit more product or a finger-coil technique there. If the back is tighter, give it more leave-in conditioner.
- Document the Weather: Start noticing a pattern. Does your hair look great at 40% humidity but terrible at 80%? You might need to swap your glycerin-heavy products for anti-humectants during the summer months.
- Ignore the Labels: Don't buy a product just because it says "For Type 4 Hair" if you have Type 3 hair. Look at the ingredients. If the first five ingredients are water, aloe, and light oils, it might be perfect for your 3C curls even if the bottle says otherwise.
- Trim the Dead Weight: If you haven't had a haircut in six months, your "type" is currently "weighted down." Even a half-inch trim can make your curls spring up and reveal their actual shape.
Your curl type is a starting point, not a destination. It’s a way to narrow down the aisle at the drugstore so you don't spend $200 on things that won't work. Once you realize that you're likely a "3B-3C hybrid with high porosity and medium density," the world of hair care suddenly makes a lot more sense. You stop fighting your hair and start working with the biology of what’s actually growing out of your head. Give yourself some grace; it’s just hair, and it’s going to look different tomorrow anyway. That's just the nature of the beast.