The hair typing system below was developed by Wild Sunshine Bliss founder Kasheera LaTash and is specifically created for curly/coily-textured hair. This system was created so that we can understand and define our hair texture, pattern, and condition which will help newly natural women and men to understand how to care for their specific hair needs.

Curl Pattern

The Curl pattern is the shape and/or pattern of each strand of hair. A simple way to understand hair texture is through genetics. There are two types of hair genes “curly” and “straight”, we inherit one gene from each parent which gives us a set of hair genes.  The Curly gene is dominant and the straight gene is recessive. If you get two Curly genes, one from each parent you will have curly hair. If you get two (ss) straight genes, one from each parent you will have straight hair. Now the interesting part comes in to play when you get one (C) curly gene and one (s) straight gene, usually the dominant gene wins over the recessive. However with hair typing genes we encounter “incomplete dominance” which means that instead of (Cs) resulting in curly hair, you get a mixture of both which is wavy hair.

People of African descent have many variations of the curly gene. We have different types of curls: big coils, med coils, tiny coils, s shaped curls, waves all with different variations of kinkiness and thickness. There are also some Africans in some parts of Africa with naturally straight hair.

Texture Chart: Curl Pattern

In my texture chart below I define the curl shape/pattern using the letters S (s wave) and C (coils/ spirals).

S= S wave

C= Coil

(It is best to examine your natural curl pattern while your hair is wet.)

(Sometimes the S wave can resemble a sideways U)

I have yet to come across  someone with a Z curl pattern, Coils and waves occur naturally, if upon further research I find more textures they will be added to the chart in the future.

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Curl Size

Next I define the curl size using numbers 1 through 4. Measurements are given in the chart below.

Next let’s take a look at the shape of the hair follicle. The hair follicle is the pocket from which the hair grows. The shape and size of the hair follicle determines the the density (number of hairs lining the scalp) of our hair and thickness of each strand of hair.

The Follicle size determines how thick each strand of hair will be. However you could have thin strands of hair but a high hair density or low hair density and thick strands of hair. (More on hair density soon) The follicle can not be seen with the naked eye but these charts can help us visualize how the hair grows and what factors determine our hair texture.

I use the terms thin, medium and thick but thin hair and fine hair are one and the same, it just means that you have  thin or fine strands of hair lining your scalp.

Understanding Hair Density

Hair density is based on the number of hairs lining a person’s scalp. There are many influences that can effect the hair density throughout one’s lifetime such as: Life style, genetics or medications. The average person has about 100,000 hairs over their entire scalp.  Hair density decreases naturally with age. Hair density is defined in three main categories: thin, medium, and thick. Some people have a higher or lower hair density than others. The thickness of an individuals hair is based on both the size of the individual strands of hair and the hair density combined. How to determine your hair density? Check out the simple and easy method listed below:

1. Pull your hair back into a ponytail.
2. Measure the circumference of your ponytail.
~Thin hair will be less than 2 inches
~Medium hair: 2 inches-3 inches
~Thick hair: 4 or more inches

This is a simple and easy method originally found on naturallycurly.com~ A great resource for understanding curly hair!  To read more on hair density check out http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curly-hair-care-methods/quick-easy-hair-porosity-density-tests?page=2

Understanding Hair Porosity

Hair porosity is defined as the hairs ability to absorb moisture. There are 3 categories to define hair porosity, normal, dry and oily. If the the cuticle layers are naturally very open then the hair will absorb moisture easily. If the cuticle layers are very tight it will be difficult to absorb moisture. You can determine your hiar porosity by doing the “floating strand test”. I first came across this test on the naturallycurly.com website. It’s so easy and simple.

1. Take a strand of your hair and drop it into a container of water. Push it down into the water so that the strand is fully submerged.
2. Let the strand sit in the water for about 4 mins.
3. Notice if the hair is floating on top of the water or if it has sank to the bottom.
If the strand of hair sank to the bottom you have high porosity meaning the strand was able to absorb the moisture which made it more dense. If the strand stayed afloat you have low porosity and will need to give your hair extra moisture. Stay tuned for more info on what products work best on each hair type.