If your hair floats, it’s nonporous and doesn’t easily absorb product, so you should reach for heavier creams that’ll fight the good fight and get the job done. If it sinks, your hair takes in liquids easily. Look for lighter, water-based products, Francois says.
This may be obvious, but elasticity refers to your hair’s snap-back. Amiel suggests stretching a curl out with your fingers. If it barely coils back to where it started, that means it’s lacking elasticity and needs moisture. But he warns against reaching for oils to do the job. That sentence strikes fear right into our oil-loving hearts, but unfortunately, he compares them to wetsuits in a bad way.
“We know that oil and water don’t mix, so you can’t apply anything oily to wet hair. If your hair is wet and you’re applying an oil-based product on it, the water will push the oil out, and it’ll sit on top of the surface,” Amiel says. “It’s like trying to shower with a wetsuit: Your hair’s not getting any moisture, so it becomes dry and brittle and breaks off.” Yeah, not great. Instead, Amiel recommends water-based products. While they may feel lighter and less powerful, you can rest easy knowing they’re sinking into your hair instead of just lying on top.
So what happens if you have two curl types on your one head? Don’t stress, Francois says, because it’s super common. Most people’s curls fall somewhere between types or they’ve got multiple patterns. He suggests using more product in the stronger-curl sections—so no, you don’t need to pick up a gel just for the section behind your ear or at the nape of your neck.
How to figure out where you fall on the curl type chart
Still not sure what curl type you fall into? We asked the pros to help identify and define each curl pattern, along with product recommendations to make the curl-care aisle a little more inviting the next time you wander down it. We all know how fast our tubes and jars go empty.
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Understanding 2A Hair Type
If you have Type 2A, there’s a slight wave to your hair and lots of body. Frizz can be a factor depending on the porosity. You typically have medium- to lower-porosity hair (depending upon chemical or heat damage). Hydrating shampoos and conditioners, especially for longer lengths, will help minimize frizz.
How to care for type 2A Hair
Leigh Hardges, a stylist at Maxine Salon in Chicago, suggests water-based products like mousses and gels to give your waves the best results possible. Two of her favorite products to use when styling are Kerastase Discipline Curl Ideal and Oribe Gel Serum Radiance in addition to a light leave-in conditioner.
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Understanding 2B Hair Type
Celebrity stylist Kim Kimble defines this curl type as “beachy waves with a loose S-pattern with little to no bounce.” She suggests her Curl Whip Mousse to achieve a defined curl.
How to care for type 2B Hair
Frizz is sometimes an issue for 2B, which can be aided with extra moisture. Kimble recommends incorporating a mask into your shampoo routine about twice a month. To achieve softer, more uniform waves, use water-based products in lotion or cream form, like the Aveda Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother or Moroccanoil Smoothing Lotion.
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Understanding 2C Hair Type
Type 2C can be described as a deep wave, or “a true definition of S-waves,” says celebrity hairstylist Marcus Francis. Almost curly, your hair is manageable to style but prone to frizz—still with a smooth texture to each strand. That means it’s also more vulnerable to heat damage, especially when chemically treated.
How to care for type 2C Hair
Francis recommends doing a mask twice a month to provide manageability and moisture. To smooth the hair cuticle and help reduce frizz, Hardges says to apply a light layer of a cream-based product for blowouts or natural waves. We love the Better Natured Damage Repair Strengthening Leave-In Cream or Amika Curl Corps Curl Defining Cream for a bouncy yet defined look.
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Understanding 3A Hair Type
Type 3A is a loose spiral curl without a lot of shrinkage. The loop of your curl can fit around a permanent marker.
How to care for type 3A Hair
Hardges warns that shampooing too frequently is not good for your hair (since it can dry your curls out), and that you should aim to shampoo every five to seven days for healthier-looking curls. Using masks or leave-ins instead of a classic conditioner is best for your hair. One Hardges recommends? The Joico Moisture Recovery Treatment Balm.
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