Natural Hair 101 - Curl Pattern

So much has been discussed when it comes to natural hair and how to care for it. The number one discussion is usually Curl Pattern. A simplified definition of curl pattern is how evenly the two sides of a strand of hair grows. 

Hair is made of a Cuticle, a Cortex and sometimes a Medulla. The cuticle is the outer most section, the cortex is inside the cuticle (where keratin and the hair color is located) and the medulla is the innermost section of a hair strand (not everyone has a Medulla and we don't exactly know why). 

​Basically, the more evenly the two sides of a hair strand grows, the less curly that hair will be. The less even the two sides of a hair strand grows, the curlier the hair will be. See the illustration below.

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There are four curl pattern categories with three sub-categories in each. Hair Type 1 has little or no curl. Hair Type 2 has soft waves. Hair Type 3 has curls, ringlets and corkscrews. And Hair Type 4 has tight coils, kinks and even 'z' twists and turns. This concept stems from the book, Andre Talks Hair by Andre Walker.

One strand of hair can have more than one curl shape to it (curls one side in one section and curls to the other side in another section - weird, huh?). And one head of hair can have multiple curl patterns throughout. And to complicate things even more, no two strands of hair are exactly alike. They may clump together (which we highly encourage for curl definition) or they may refuse to clump, which creates frizz and what is known as "big hair". ​

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Type 1 Curl Patterns:
​1A: Soft, fine
1B: A little more texture, medium bodied.
1C: Coarse and does not curl (Asian hair is usually 1C). 

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Type 2 Curl Patterns:
​2A: Fine, easily alternates between curly and straight styles.
2B: Medium texture, can frizz easily.
2C: Coarse texture, resistant to styling and frizzes regularly.

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Type 3 Curl Patterns:
​3A: Large 'S' pattern curls, shiny, no manipulation required.
3B: Bouncy ringlets, medium texture.
3C: Tight corkscrew like the size of a pencil or straw.

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Type 4 Curl Patterns:
​4A: soft and kinky like a crochet hook.
4B: Wiry with a 'Z' pattern to it.
4C: Very tight coils with no visible curl pattern.

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Using the illustrations and information above, what is your curl pattern (or patterns)? Leave a comment below and lets discuss it. Do you style your hair with products based on curl pattern? How do you know what products work best for your hair? What are some products you use to manage your hair?