About this site
Hair Types Chart, plainly
An independent reference for the Andre Walker 1A to 4C system. All 12 patterns covered with equal depth, the system's limits acknowledged openly, and Black hair scholarship credited where it is the primary source.
Reviewed against primary sources May 2026
Why this site exists
The Andre Walker 1A to 4C typing system is universally taught and rarely shipped complete. Most reference sites cover the head term and a handful of Type 3 and Type 4 sub-pages, then quietly leave Type 1 and Type 2 as stub redirects or coming-soon cards. Type 4 in particular has historically been under-documented in mainstream beauty media, with product development and editorial attention disproportionately focused on the looser end of the spectrum.
Walker himself created the system as a practical styling classification, not a rigorous scientific taxonomy. It has limits. Black hair scholars and Type 4 creators (Whitney White at Naptural85, Curly Nikki, NaturallyCurly's per-type community archives, OurX, and others) have done the long-form documentation work on Type 4 texture that the mainstream typing literature largely skipped. This site cites and links to that work rather than paraphrasing it without credit.
The gap this site fills is a single reference that ships all 12 patterns at equal depth, pairs each type with the porosity axis (which often matters more than type for product choice), and addresses the texturism debate honestly on a dedicated page rather than sidestepping it because it is commercially awkward.
Who builds this
Oliver Wakefield-Smith at Digital Signet, an independent reference-site portfolio. Not a trichologist, not a licensed stylist, not a dermatologist. The role here is editorial: read the primary literature, name the sources, surface the contested calls, and credit the Black creators and scholars whose long-form documentation is what makes Type 4 coverage possible at all.
Hair Types Chart sits inside a small cluster of reference sites in the chart and health-information surface. Sister sites:
Urine Colour Chart
Reference chart for urine colour, hydration triage, and red flags.
Bristol Stool Chart
The Bristol Stool Form Scale plus what each Type 1 to 7 actually means clinically.
Blood Type Chart
ABO and Rh systems, donor and recipient compatibility, plus the diet-myth section.
Probiotic vs Prebiotic
The difference, the strains with evidence behind them, and the food sources.
Editorial position
Not affiliated with Andre Walker, the Walker product line, L'Oreal, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, SheaMoisture, Pattern Beauty, DevaCurl, Ouidad, Mielle Organics, Carol's Daughter, Cantu, NaturallyCurly, Naptural85, Curly Nikki, OurX, the American Academy of Dermatology, the Journal of Cosmetic Science, or the International Journal of Trichology. Named brands and authorities appear here for editorial and clinical specificity, not as endorsement or paid placement.
Per-type product recommendations carry Amazon affiliate links via our tag (hairtypeschart-20). We earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Product picks are chosen for fit-to-type and value, not affiliate yield. Where the best product for a type is from a brand that does not offer Amazon affiliate revenue (Pattern Beauty direct, DevaCurl direct on certain SKUs), we still recommend it and link to where it can be bought.
The texturism debate page is not a hedge. Andre Walker's system has documented limits, and our coverage of those limits is the same on /texturism-debate as it would be in any other context. We use the framework because it remains the dominant search shorthand, not because we treat it as definitive. Read the full texturism coverage.
What this site covers
The hair types chart
All 12 patterns from 1A through 4C on a single page.
Type 1A
Pin-straight, very fine, zero wave.
Type 1B
Straight with body and natural bounce.
Type 1C
Straight, coarse, frizz-prone.
Type 2A
Loose fine S-waves close to the head.
Type 2B
Medium S-waves with definition.
Type 2C
Coarse S-waves bordering on curls.
Type 3A
Loose, springy marker-diameter curls.
Type 3B
Defined marker-diameter corkscrews.
Type 3C
Tight pencil-diameter corkscrews.
Type 4A
Tight S-coils, crochet-needle diameter.
Type 4B
Z-pattern coils, sharp angular structure.
Type 4C
Densely packed coils, 75%+ shrinkage.
Hair type quiz
8 questions, primary plus secondary type, confidence score.
Porosity test
The float test plus low, medium, and high care approaches.
5-step self-test
Find your type without the quiz.
Texturism debate
Honest coverage of the criticism of the Walker system.
FAQ
20+ common questions answered.
Methodology and sources
Primary sources, scope, calculation framework, and refresh cadence.
Editorial principles
Primary sources cited
Andre Walker's own writing for the system framing; L'Oreal Research and Journal of Cosmetic Science for cuticle and cortex biology; the American Academy of Dermatology for haircare guidance; Whitney White (Naptural85), NaturallyCurly, and Curly Nikki for documented Type 4 long-form care.
Real products, named brands
Per-type product recommendations name real brands (SheaMoisture, Pattern Beauty, DevaCurl, Mielle Organics, Cantu, Ouidad, Carol's Daughter) with the reasoning behind each pick. No fabricated product claims, no invented price points.
Affiliate links disclosed
Product cards link to Amazon via our affiliate tag (hairtypeschart-20). We earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Disclosure appears on every page that carries a product card, not just buried in the footer.
Monthly review cadence
Sources reviewed monthly. Product mixes refreshed when category leaders change. Type-page care advice reviewed when the AAD updates its hair-care guidance or when new peer-reviewed studies materially change the per-type recommendation.
Single-source freshness
Every Updated stamp, every Article schema dateModified, and every Reviewed against primary sources badge across the site reads from one LAST_VERIFIED_DATE constant in src/lib/schema.ts. Rolling one constant updates the whole site.
Texturism honesty
The Andre Walker system has known limits and a documented history of underrepresenting Type 4 textures in product development and editorial coverage. Our /texturism-debate page covers that openly. We use the framework because it is the dominant search shorthand, not because we treat it as definitive.
Methodology in brief
Pattern descriptions and care recommendations cross-reference Walker's own classification, L'Oreal Research and the Journal of Cosmetic Science peer-reviewed literature on cuticle and cortex biology, the American Academy of Dermatology's consumer-facing haircare guidance, and the Type 4 long-form work of Whitney White (Naptural85), NaturallyCurly's per-type community archives, and the Black hair scholarship cited on /texturism-debate. Product picks reflect category leadership at the price points readers actually shop. Photo placeholders use coloured CSS blocks today with documented alt text; commissioned and licensed photography from diverse libraries (Nappy.co, Create Her Stock) is the next phase.
Disclosures
- This site is informational. Hair-care recommendations should be adapted to your individual scalp and hair health, and trichologist or dermatologist consultation is the right route for hair loss, scalp conditions, or chemical-treatment damage.
- Per-type product cards carry Amazon affiliate links via tag hairtypeschart-20. We earn a small commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Disclosure appears on every page that carries a product card.
- No paid placements by any product brand, manufacturer, or stylist. No sponsored type pages. Product picks are chosen on fit-to-type and value, not affiliate yield.
- Where Black creators and scholars (Whitney White, NaturallyCurly community archives, Curly Nikki, OurX, the Aisle One Beauty writers) are the primary source for Type 4 documentation, they are named and linked, not silently paraphrased.
Contact and corrections
Correction or factual challenge? Email via the contact form at digitalsignet.com. Include the URL, the claim you are challenging, and the primary source you believe corrects it. Five-business-day SLA on substantive corrections. We do not credit corrections by default; flag in your message if you would like a credit line.
Do not email for stylist consultations or hair-loss medical concerns. Hair loss with rapid onset, scarring, severe scalp inflammation, or chemical damage needs a dermatologist or licensed trichologist. The American Academy of Dermatology's directory is the right starting point.