All 12 hair types from 1A to 4C, what each one looks like, and what it actually needs. Find yours below — or skip the guesswork and let the quiz work it out.
Find my hair typeFree · 2 minutes · No signup required
| Type | Family | Pattern | Main struggle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | Straight | Fine, pin-straight hair with no natural bend | Volume |
| 1B | Straight | Straight hair with medium texture and more body | Balance |
| 1C | Straight | Coarse, thick straight hair that frizzes easily | Frizz |
| 2A | Wavy | Fine, loose S-waves that fall out easily | Holding the pattern |
| 2B | Wavy | Defined S-waves with a frizz-prone crown | Frizz at the crown while the ends stay defined |
| 2C | Wavy | Thick waves with loose curls starting at the root | Whole-head frizz and inconsistent pattern |
| 3A | Curly | Large, loose curls with a clear spiral | Losing definition |
| 3B | Curly | Springy ringlets with real volume | Dryness |
| 3C | Curly | Tight corkscrew curls, densely packed | Moisture retention and breakage |
| 4A | Coily | Dense springy coils with a visible S-pattern | Moisture loss |
| 4B | Coily | Sharp Z-shaped bends with little natural definition | Fragility and definition |
| 4C | Coily | The tightest coil pattern with maximum shrinkage | Length retention |
Type 1 hair has no curl pattern. It falls flat from root to tip and reflects the most light of any type, which is why it looks the shiniest. Its defining problem is oil: with no bends to slow it down, scalp sebum travels straight down the strand.
Type 2 hair forms an S-shape without spiralling into a loop. It sits between straight and curly, which is why generic advice fails it so often — products for straight hair flatten the wave, and products for curly hair weigh it down.
Type 3 hair forms defined spiral loops that start at or near the root. The strand has enough bends that natural scalp oil never reaches the ends, so every Type 3 routine is built around adding and sealing moisture.
Type 4 hair has the tightest pattern, coiling or bending sharply enough that the cuticle stays raised along the whole strand. It is the most fragile type and shrinks the most, so routines focus on retaining length rather than growing it.
Wash with a clarifying shampoo
Product buildup hides your real pattern. Start from genuinely clean hair.
Apply nothing and air-dry completely
No product, no towel-rubbing, no touching. Any interference changes the pattern you are trying to read.
Read the shape, then the tightness
Flat is Type 1, an S-shape is Type 2, a spiral loop is Type 3, and a tight coil or sharp Z-bend is Type 4. Then compare against the chart above to find your letter.
Check your porosity too
Type tells you the shape; porosity tells you what products will actually absorb. You need both before buying anything.
The quiz reads your curl pattern, porosity, thickness, scalp condition, and damage level, then builds a routine around all five. It takes two minutes.
Start the free quiz