What is my hair type?
Most people describe hair type with a simple chart. The number is the basic shape your hair takes when it dries on its own:
- 1 is straight: hair falls flat with no bend.
- 2 is wavy: hair bends into loose S shapes.
- 3 is curly: hair forms loops and ringlets.
- 4 is coily: hair forms tight coils or zigzags and shrinks a lot as it dries.
The letter after it, A to C, shows how loose or tight that shape is, with A the loosest and C the tightest. So 2A is a gentle wave, 3C is a tight corkscrew curl, and 4C is a very tight zigzag with lots of shrinkage.
It is a styling shorthand, not a scientific measurement, and plenty of hair sits between two types. Used loosely, it is a handy way to find care advice that suits hair like yours.
Hair type chart: 1A to 4C
| Type | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| 1A | Very fine, flat and shiny, hard to hold a curl |
| 1B | Straight with a little body at the root |
| 1C | Straight but coarse, may have a slight bend |
| 2A | Barely-there waves, easy to brush straight |
| 2B | Clear S-waves starting around the middle |
| 2C | Deep S-waves from near the root, a few loose loops |
| 3A | Big, loose loops, about the width of a stick of chalk |
| 3B | Springy ringlets, about the width of a marker pen |
| 3C | Tight corkscrews, about the width of a pencil or straw |
| 4A | Tight, defined S-shaped coils |
| 4B | Sharp, Z-shaped zigzags rather than curls |
| 4C | Very tight zigzags, pattern hard to see, lots of shrinkage |
How to find your hair type at home
The trick is to look at your hair in its natural state, not after styling.
- Wash your hair and use conditioner as you normally would.
- Skip styling products: no gel, cream or mousse.
- Let it air-dry without brushing, scrunching or touching it.
- Look at the middle and ends in good light, and compare what you see with the chart above.
That is what the quiz asks about. It also asks two questions the chart leaves out, because they matter just as much for care.
Strand thickness and density: the other two numbers
Two people with the same curl pattern can need completely different care because of these:
- Strand thickness is how wide one hair is. Roll a single strand between your fingers. If you can hardly feel it, it is fine; if it feels like sewing thread, it is medium; if it is thicker than thread, it is coarse. Fine hair is weighed down easily; coarse hair can take richer products.
- Density is how many hairs grow on your head. With your hair dry and down, notice how much scalp you can see. Lots of scalp means lower density; hardly any means high density.
Thickness and density are often confused. Fine hair can grow densely, and coarse hair can be sparse. Our article on fine versus thin hair explains the difference.
Can you have more than one hair type?
Yes, and most people do to some extent. The hair at the nape and crown often curls differently from the front, and the underneath can be tighter than the top layer. Pick the type that covers most of your head, and treat the other areas as a close neighbour on the chart. The quiz asks about this and notes it in your result.
Hair type can also change over time, with hormones, age, damage and even a big haircut that takes weight off. If your hair behaves differently than it used to, take the quiz again.
Caring for your hair type
These are starting points, not rules:
- Type 1, straight: scalp oil travels down straight hair easily, so it can look oily sooner. Lightweight products and regular washing usually suit it.
- Type 2, wavy: waves are easy to weigh down or brush out. Light, moisturising products and scrunching help them form.
- Type 3, curly: curls often feel drier. Moisture, detangling gently while wet with conditioner in, and less heat help curls hold their shape.
- Type 4, coily: tight bends make hair more prone to breaking and often dry. Rich conditioners, protective styles and very gentle handling help it keep length.
The American Academy of Dermatology’s advice works for every type: use conditioner after every wash, detangle gently, limit heat and avoid styles that pull tightly.
What your hair type leaves out
A hair type describes shape. It does not tell you how your hair takes in water, how damaged it is, or what your scalp is doing, and those decide a lot about which products work.
- Porosity is how easily water gets into the strand. Our free hair porosity test gives you a leaning.
- Damage from bleach, heat and tight styles changes how any hair type behaves.
- Scalp health matters as much as the hair itself.
Is the quiz saved anywhere?
No. Your answers stay on this page and are gone when you leave. There is no account and nothing is sent.
Go beyond the label
Your type is a starting point. The HairLens app reads moisture, frizz and breakage from your photos, fills in what a photo cannot show with short Hair Type Lab tests, and builds a routine and product list around your actual hair.