Type 1 - Straight Hair



There is no discernible wave pattern.  

Due to the lack of speed-bumps (curls/waves), hairs' natural oil (Sebum) is able to work its way from root to tip more readily with straight hair than any other hair type.  Straight hair therefore gets oilier quicker, usually needs more frequent shampooing than other hair types and has the potential to attain greater lengths.  

Straight hair also appears to be shiniest of all hair types.  Reason being, light best refracts (bounces) off of a flat surface.  This doesn't mean that straight hair is "better."  But truth is, we all like shiny things.  Would you buy a brand new car that had a dull paint job?  Of course you wouldn't.  But you also would pay brand new car price for a shiny scooty poo (bucket, hoopdy, lemon, POS...).  So listen to what I'm saying folk, who cares about the bling if the actual product is crap.  If the hair in question is healthy and shiny or healthy and not shiny, what matters is it's healthy.  Now to explain how light works with straight hair, consider this...

Imagine you're in a dark room with a flash light, a mirror and prism.  What would happen if you pointed the flash light directly at the mirror?  The light would bounce off the mirror's surface and reflect back onto the wall with little to no variations in the color of the light.  In other words, it'd be like a spot-light on the wall.  

This represents what happens with straight hair.  When day or artificial light hits straight hair, it can more directly reflect back just as the mirror did because it represents a flat surface.  This means straight hair, no matter what it's condition, will appear shinier.  Again, shinier doesn't necessarily mean healthier...it's just the nature of how light works.

Now imagine you're in the same dark room and shined the flash light directly into a prism.  The light would hit the varying points in the prism and reflect onto the wall in a scattered pattern with variations in color.  For those that don't know what a prism is, think "disco ball."  

The curlier your hair is, the more it behaves like a disco ball.  Each bump/wave in your hair represents a point at which the light has to break its "concentration" and this causes it to reflect a different way or shoot in a different direction.  So less shiny doesn't mean less healthy.  You can have healthy hair and no shine.  Again, it's just the nature of how light works.

Type 2 - Wavy Hair




There is a discernible wave pattern but the hair lacks curl.  

The hair does not curl into rings or ringlets but there are some "bumps" or waves.  

Wavy hair is generally coarser (thicker) than Type 1.  It will also cling to the scalp in elongated, "S-shaped" waves rather than hang straight and flat.  

Wavy hair has a lower degree of sheen when compared to straight hair but higher than types 3 or 4.

Type 3 - Curly Hair



There is a discernible curl pattern.

The hair will form more clearly defined elongated S-shapes or medium-short s-shapes.

The "S's" or "s's" will have tighter, more compact formations as the hair transitions from wet to dry.  

In some cases, Curly Hair may take O-shapes.  This is where the hair curls onto itself, like a pill-bug or armadillo.

Curly hair is more susceptible to frizziness and humidity.

Curly hair is best styled with fingers rather than combs.

Curly hair is best shampooed 2-3 times per week in most cases and/or No-poo'd (conditioned then rinsed).

The key distinction between curly hair and Types 4 and 5 is the degree to which Curly hair refracts light (or has the ability to shine) AND the discernability of the curl pattern.

Curly hair shines more readily than Type 4 and 5.

Curly hair has a discernible curl pattern.  Curls exist with Type 4 and 5 but unlike curly and wavy hair, Type 4 and 5's individual hair strands do not work in tandem.  In other words, each strand of hair is a curl, but doesn't always play nice with it's neighbors.

---

As we move forward, it's important that we differentiate between S-curls, s-curls and corkscrews.  The S-shape, short or long is pictured above, left.

Uppercase S-curls are elongated.  Imagine the picture on the left stretched out a little more.

Lowercase s-curls are short.  Imagine the picture on the left as pictured on squished a little more.

Corkscrews are short and compact.  Corkscrews are indicative of the picture on the right.  They may resemble the picture (short) or they may be stretched out a little (long/elongated).  Corkscrews however will always be tighter than S-curls.

As we move forward, ask yourself, are my curls more s-shaped or more like a corkscrew or spring?  This will help you in the next section as you differentiate between Types 2, 3 and 4.