Types of Hair - Andre Walker Hair Typing System

Hair Happiness Blog Comment

Andre Walker Hair Typing system

There is not just one method to discovering one's hair type and people use to classify their curl patterns of hair.

In 1990s the hairstylist of Oprah Winfrey and Andre Walker were created the Andre Walker Hair Typing System which has since been widely adopted as a hair type classification system. According to this system there are four types of hair based on the shape of the hair fiber.

Type 1 (Straight)

Class	Type	Properties
Type 1	Straight	i. has no natural curl ii. healthy surface reflects the most sheen iii. reflects light to the eye iv. the most resilient hair v. hard to damage break vi. difficult to curl vii. the sebum spreads from scalp to the ends without curls or kinks viii. becomes the most oily hair ix. having glossy appearance x. the strongest type hair

Type 1a Straight (Fine/Thin)

Class	Type	Properties
1a	Straight (Fine/Thin)	i. very soft hair ii. thin iii. shiny iv. oily hair v. poor at holding curls vi. difficult to damage vii. absolutely straight hair viii. no wave

Type 1b Straight (Medium)

Class	Type	Properties
1b	Straight (Medium)	i. characterized by volume and body ii. very straight hair iii. just enough wave to give a little body

Type 1c Straight (Coarse)

Class	Type	Properties
1c	Straight (Coarse)	i. bone-straight ii. coarse iii. resistant to curling

Type 2 (Wavy)

Class	Type	Properties
Type 2	Wavy	i. texture and sheen ranges between straight & curly hair ii. more likely to become curly than straight hair iii. appears straight with slight bends towards the ends of the hair

Type 2a Wavy (Fine/thin)

Class	Type	Properties
2a	Wavy (Fine/Thin)	i. "S" pattern curls ii. can easily be strightened or curled iii. flexible to a various type of style iv. tousled texture v. gentle hair vi. under fined wave vii. easy to creat beachy look

Type 2b Wavy (Medium)

Class	Type	Properties
2b	Wavy (Medium)	i. can tend to be curly ii. a little resistant to styling iii. tighter "S" waves iv. semi-uniform v. hair curls from the midpoint to the ends vi. ideal for the balayage trend

Type 2c Wavy (Coarse)

Class	Type	Properties
2c	Wavy (Coarse)	i. fairly coarse ii. curly or very kinky with thicker waves iii. often more resistant to styling iv. occasional spiral v. S-shaped waves vi. wave pattern may begin close to the crown and tumble downward vii. often thick hair viii. can be prone to curl in damp weather

Type 3 (Curly)

Class	Type	Properties
Type 3	Curly	i. curl pattern may have a look of a lowercase "s", uppercase "S" ii. sometimes curl pattern may resemble an uppercase "Z" or lowercase "z" iii. usually large hair iv. climate dependent (more humidity more curl) v. shrink and dry vi. from fine to coarse strand thickness range

Type 3a Curly (Loose)

Class	Type	Properties
3a	Curly (Loose)	i. "S" pattern curls form loose loops ii. tends to combine thickness, volume, fizziness iii. large spiral curls

Type 3b Curly (Tight)

Class	Type	Properties
3b	Curly (Tight)	i. definite "S" pattern ii. curls spring from the roots iii. have ample volume iv. spiral shaped v. dry hair vi. bouncy ringlets

Type 4 (Kinky)

Class	Type	Properties
Type 4	Kinky	i. tightly coiled curl pattern feature ii. fragile with a very high density iii. shrink type wet hair iv. has fewer cuticle layers v. curls from fine to coarse range vi. has the tightest curls vii. s or z-shaped curls viii. the most fragile ix. fight against dryness

Type 4a Kinky (Soft)

Class	Type	Properties
4a	Kinky (Soft)	i. hair tends to be very wiry ii. very fragile iii. tightly coiled iv. curly patterning feature