Large, loose curls with a clear spiral. Type 3A hair forms large, loose, shiny spiral curls roughly the width of sidewalk chalk. Learn how to identify 3A hair and build a routine that keeps the curls defined and not stretched out.
Build my 3A routineFree · 2 minutes · No signup required
Your curls form clear, springy spirals about the circumference of sidewalk chalk. They have real loop structure rather than an S-wave, and the pattern starts at or near the root. Curls stretch out easily if the hair gets heavy.
Losing definition. Type 3A curls are structured enough to look great when styled and loose enough to fall flat under product weight or from handling. The window between "defined" and "stretched out" is narrow.
3A hair is most often normal porosity, which gives you the widest product latitude of any curly type. Start with medium-weight products and adjust from there.
Knowing your type is the first half. The quiz covers the other half — your porosity, scalp condition, damage level, and which ingredients your hair does not tolerate — then builds the routine around all of it.
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