What Is My Hair Type? How to Find Yours (Types 1–4)
There are four hair types - straight, wavy, curly and coily - each split into A, B and C. Here's what they mean, a simple test to find yours at home, and why your type is only the beginning of the story.
Key takeaways
- There are four hair types: 1 straight, 2 wavy, 3 curly, 4 coily - each split into A, B and C from the loosest pattern to the tightest.
- To find yours, wash with a clarifying shampoo, use no product, air-dry without touching, then read the dried pattern.
- The number is your curl shape; the letter is how tight it is. Most people are a mix (say, 2B with some 2C underneath).
- Type isn't everything. Thickness, density and porosity often matter more for choosing products.
"What's my hair type?" is usually the first question people ask when they try to build a real hair routine. Knowing whether you're wavy or curly, loose or tight, tells you how your hair behaves and roughly what it needs. The good news: you can figure it out in one wash, at home, with nothing but a mirror.
What does "hair type" mean?
"Hair type" almost always refers to your curl pattern - the shape your hair grows in. The most widely used system, popularised by stylist Andre Walker, sorts hair into four types:
- Type 1 - straight: no natural curl or wave.
- Type 2 - wavy: a loose "S" shape.
- Type 3 - curly: defined loops and ringlets.
- Type 4 - coily: tight coils or zigzags.
Each type then gets a letter - A, B or C - for how tight the pattern is, from the loosest (A) to the tightest (C). So a 2A is a soft, barely-there wave, while a 2C is a strong, well-defined one. The shape itself comes from your follicle: a round follicle grows straight hair, a flatter, more curved one grows coils. It's mostly written into your genetics.
The number is your curl shape; the letter is how tight it is. Almost nobody is one clean category - most people are a blend of two neighbouring subtypes.
How to find your hair type (the wash test)
The most reliable way to see your true pattern is to look at your hair clean, product-free, and dried without any interference:
- Wash with a clarifying or gentle shampoo to strip away product and buildup that can hide your natural shape.
- Apply no product afterwards - no leave-in, cream, mousse or gel.
- Let it air-dry completely, without brushing, scrunching, diffusing, or touching it.
- Read the dried pattern: straight with no bend is type 1; a loose "S" is type 2; defined loops or ringlets are type 3; tight coils or zigzags are type 4.
- Find your letter by how tight and defined the pattern is - looser leans A, tighter leans C.
Check the hair underneath and at the back of your head, too. It's least exposed to heat and styling, so it often shows your truest, least-damaged pattern - and it's common to be one subtype on top and another underneath.
Want a shortcut? For a quicker route, try our free hair type finder - it uses reference photos and a few questions to help you place your type and subtype, then points you to the right routine.
Tip: If your pattern looks weaker than it used to, heat and product buildup are the usual culprits. Clarify, skip the hot tools for a few washes, and your natural texture often comes back.
The four hair types at a glance
Here's a quick overview of each type - and a link to the full care guide.
Type 1 - Straight
Falls straight from root to tip, no curl or wave. Naturally shiny and easy to grow, but goes oily and flat fast and won't hold a curl. Splits into 1A (finest) to 1C (coarsest). Read the full straight-hair guide →
Type 2 - Wavy
A loose "S" with natural body - more texture than straight, not quite curly. Versatile and beachy, but frizz-prone and easily weighed down. Splits into 2A (loose) to 2C (strong waves). Read the full wavy-hair guide →
Type 3 - Curly
Defined loops and ringlets with big volume, but dry by design and prone to frizz and shrinkage. Splits into 3A (loose curls) to 3C (tight corkscrews). Read the full curly-hair guide →
Type 4 - Coily
Tight coils to zigzags - the most voluminous and versatile type, and the driest and most fragile. Splits into 4A (springy coils) to 4C (tightest, least defined). Read the full coily-hair guide →
| Type | Pattern | Subtypes | You'll notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Straight | No curl or wave | 1A–1C | Shine, oily roots, flat |
| 2 · Wavy | Loose "S" | 2A–2C | Body, frizz, beachy texture |
| 3 · Curly | Loops & ringlets | 3A–3C | Volume, dryness, shrinkage |
| 4 · Coily | Tight coils / zigzags | 4A–4C | Max volume, very dry, fragile |
Why your type is only half the story
Curl pattern tells you a lot, but it's not the whole picture. Two people who are both "3B" can need completely different products because of three other traits:
- Strand thickness. Whether each hair is fine, medium or coarse changes how much weight and moisture it can take before it falls flat or feels dry.
- Density. How many strands you have per square inch - thin, medium or thick - affects volume and how much product you actually need.
- Porosity. How easily your hair absorbs and holds moisture. This often matters more than curl type for whether a product soaks in or just sits on top. Here's how to test your porosity at home.
That's why "what's my hair type?" is the start, not the finish. Your type sets the broad strategy - light products for straight hair, deep moisture for coily - but thickness, density and porosity fine-tune it. If you want your hair read across all of these at once, Hairmony analyses your type, thickness, oiliness and porosity from a single photo and builds a routine around the full picture, not just your curl pattern.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out my hair type?
Wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo, apply no product, and let it air-dry completely without touching or brushing it. Then look at the dried pattern: straight with no bend is type 1, a loose "S" is type 2, defined loops or ringlets are type 3, and tight coils or zigzags are type 4. Check the hair underneath and at the back, which is least affected by heat and styling.
What are the four hair types?
Type 1 is straight, type 2 is wavy, type 3 is curly, and type 4 is coily (also called kinky). Each is split into A, B and C subtypes that go from the loosest pattern (A) to the tightest (C) - so 2A is a soft wave while 4C is a tight coil. The system was popularised by stylist Andre Walker.
What is the rarest hair type?
Type 1A - completely straight, very fine, glossy hair with no body at all - is generally considered the rarest, and is most common in people of East Asian descent. In truth most people are a blend of a couple of subtypes rather than one pure category, so "rarest" is a rough label more than a strict count.
Can my hair type change over time?
Yes. Your baseline pattern is set by genetics, but hormones (puberty, pregnancy, menopause), some medications, ageing, and heat or chemical damage can all loosen, tighten, or alter your curl pattern. It's common for hair to change texture more than once across a lifetime.
Is my hair type genetic?
Mostly, yes. The shape of your hair follicle - which decides whether hair grows straight, wavy, curly or coily - is largely inherited, along with thickness, density and porosity. Environment, hormones and damage can shift it, but your genes set the starting point.
Keep reading
The Hairmony Team
We're the team behind Hairmony - the app that reads your hair and scalp from a photo and builds a routine around it. We write these guides to make the science of hair care simple and actually usable.
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