Hair types: frequently asked questions

The Andre Walker system divides hair into four categories: Type 1 (straight: 1A very fine, 1B medium, 1C coarse), Type 2 (wavy: 2A loose S-waves, 2B medium S-waves, 2C coarse S-waves), Type 3 (curly: 3A loose corkscrews, 3B medium corkscrews, 3C tight pencil-diameter corkscrews), and Type 4 (coily: 4A defined S-coils, 4B Z-pattern coils, 4C tightly packed coils with minimal visible pattern when dry). Full guides for 3A through 4C are available on this site.

Yes, and it's more common than having exactly one type. Many people have different patterns at the crown versus the nape, or at the edges versus the mid-section. Having a 4C crown with 4A or 3C edges is very common. Having 3B in most of the hair but 3C at the nape is also common. Our quiz outputs a primary and secondary type to reflect this. The typing system's weakness is its implication that a person has one type - most don't.

Type 1A - completely straight, very fine hair with zero wave - is often described as rare because truly flat, silky-fine hair with no natural bend is uncommon. 4C is sometimes wrongly described as rare; it is not. 4C is extremely common among people of African descent, but has historically been undercounted and underrepresented in beauty media, which can create a false impression of rarity.

No. Hair growth rate is primarily genetic and is not correlated with curl type. 4C hair grows at the same average rate (approximately 0.5 inches per month) as any other hair type. What is harder for 4C is length retention - keeping the hair from breaking at the same rate it grows. The tight coil structure creates many bend points that are vulnerable to breakage, and 4C's 75%+ shrinkage means the hair appears much shorter than its actual length. These are retention challenges, not growth challenges.

The main difference is curl diameter. 3B curls are roughly marker-diameter; 3C curls are closer to pencil-diameter. Test: wrap a natural curl around a standard pencil. If the curl fits snugly around the pencil and maintains a clear spiral, you're likely 3C. If the curl is too wide for the pencil, you're probably 3B. Shrinkage also differs: 3B typically shows 30-45% shrinkage; 3C shows 35-50%. If you're between the two, you may genuinely be a 3B/3C mix - read both full guides.

Yes, somewhat. Hormonal changes (pregnancy, menopause, thyroid conditions, medication) can alter the curl pattern temporarily or permanently. Significant weight change affects hair thickness and sometimes texture. Age generally causes hair to become slightly finer. Heat damage can permanently loosen the natural pattern. Chemical treatments alter the pattern until the hair grows out. The changes are usually gradual and partial rather than a complete type shift.

The curl pattern tends to change slightly with age - often becoming looser or thinner in later decades, primarily due to changes in the hair follicle's shape and hormonal shifts. Some people experience the opposite in early adulthood. Hair that was straight in childhood can develop waves or curls during puberty or pregnancy; this is a documented phenomenon and reflects how the follicle shape changes. Going grey also often changes texture.

It is useful shorthand, not a precise scientific system. Walker created it as a practical styling classification tool, not a rigorous scientific taxonomy. Its main limitations are: it implies a single type when most people have two or more textures; it centres straightness as the implicit baseline; it has been used in ways that reinforced the underrepresentation of Type 4 textures in product development. We cover the texturism debate in full on a dedicated page. We use the system because it remains the dominant search shorthand, not because it is definitive.

Both are coily types with high shrinkage, minimal visible pattern when dry, and Z-pattern coils. The differences are subtle: 4C has higher shrinkage (75%+ versus 4B's 65-75%) and even less visible coil pattern when dry. 4B has a slightly more defined Z-pattern visible in individual strands when stretched. In practice, the care approaches are very similar, and many people find themselves genuinely between the two. The 4B/4C boundary is the least clearly defined in the entire typing system.

Mixed texture across different sections of the head is extremely common - it is the norm, not the exception. The hair follicles on different parts of the scalp can have slightly different shapes, producing different curl patterns. Edges and nape areas are often tighter than the crown; temples are often finer. Internal factors (hormones) and external factors (tension from styling, heat use, chemical processing) can also affect texture differently across sections.

Yes. Repeated high-heat styling can permanently alter the hydrogen bonds in the hair strand that give it its natural curl pattern. This is sometimes called 'heat damage' - the hair appears looser or straight even when air-dried without products. Mild heat damage may partially reverse as hair grows out; severe heat damage is permanent until the affected hair grows out and is cut. There is no product or treatment that restores the original pattern to a permanently heat-damaged strand.

It can appear so during and after pregnancy. Hormonal changes during pregnancy (particularly increased oestrogen) often cause hair to thicken, grow faster, and sometimes change in curl pattern. Post-partum hair loss (telogen effluvium) affects most people with hair after delivery, and the hair that regrows may temporarily have a different texture. The changes usually resolve within 6-12 months, though some people do find a permanent slight shift.

This is often asked separately from hair type. Within the curly and coily categories, the most defined S-coil pattern of Type 4A is relatively rare in its pure form - most people described as 4A have some 3C or 4B characteristics. The most perfect examples of each sub-type's textbook pattern are uncommon; most people sit between two types.

Hair type is polygenic - determined by multiple genes, not one. Siblings share approximately 50% of their genes on average, which means siblings can have significantly different hair types. The genes controlling follicle shape, strand diameter, and coil pattern all vary. Identical twins generally have the same hair type; non-twin siblings may differ considerably.

You cannot change your genetic hair type without intervention. Chemical processes (relaxers, texturisers, perms) alter the pattern temporarily or permanently (until the hair grows out or is cut). Heat damage can permanently loosen the pattern in the affected strands. Hair care practices can affect how well your natural type expresses itself - a well-moisturised and well-conditioned 4C shows more of its natural pattern than the same hair that is chronically dry and damaged - but the underlying genetic type does not change.

Edges (hairline) and nape hair are often tighter in curl pattern than the crown and mid-sections of the head. This is common enough to have its own discussion in natural hair communities - many people with 3B or 3C mid-sections have 4A or 4B edges. The edges are also more delicate than mid-shaft hair and more vulnerable to damage from tight hairstyles (traction alopecia) and repeated tension. Many routine guides address edges and crown separately from the rest of the hair.

Hair type (curl pattern) and porosity are independent axes. A Type 3B person can have low, medium, or high porosity depending on their cuticle structure, genetics, and hair history. Type and porosity together give a much more complete picture than type alone. Porosity often matters more than type for product selection: two people with identical 3C curls can need completely different products if one is low porosity (needs lightweight, penetrating products) and one is high porosity (needs heavy sealants and protein).

Ethnicity and ancestry are correlated with hair type - because hair type is genetic, and populations with shared ancestry tend to have more genetic overlap. However, the relationship is not deterministic. People of the same ethnic background can have very different hair types, and people of mixed heritage may have any combination. No hair type 'belongs to' any ethnic group. The Andre Walker system is applicable to all ethnicities; the texturism critique is particularly important in the context of how the system has been applied to Black hair specifically.

Protective styling refers to hairstyles that tuck the ends of the hair away and minimise daily manipulation and friction. Common protective styles include braids, twists, buns, updos, cornrows, box braids, and wigs or weaves. These styles are used primarily for length retention - keeping hair from breaking at the same rate it grows. They are most commonly discussed in the context of Type 3 and Type 4 hair where daily manipulation is a significant source of breakage. Protective styles should not be left in too long (creating new breakage from tension or matting) or installed too tightly (risk of traction alopecia at the edges).

In different sections of your head, yes. Mixed texture this extreme is less common than adjacent-type mixing (like 3C and 4A), but it exists. People with significant texture variation across their head - particularly those with stretched or blown-out sections alongside untouched sections - may observe very different patterns in different areas. 'Mixed texture' as a hair identity is increasingly recognised as a valid description rather than forcing people to pick one type.

Wavy hair (Type 2) forms S-shaped waves that tend to lie closer to the head and have less spring and volume than curly hair. When stretched, wavy hair shows a clear S-wave. Curly hair (Type 3) forms defined ringlets or corkscrews with clear volume and spring - the curl bounces back when released. The 2C/3A boundary is the most contested: 2C hair at its most defined can look like loose 3A, and 3A at its least defined can look like coarse 2C. Shrinkage and spring are the best differentiators: 3A shows noticeably more shrinkage and spring than 2C.