Hair Type Chart: All 12 Hair Types From 1A to 4C, Explained

The numbering most people use comes from the system hairstylist Andre Walker published in the 1990s. The number describes the shape, the letter how tight that shape is.

Short version: type 1 is straight, 2 is wavy, 3 is curly and 4 is coily. A, B and C go from loosest to tightest. To find yours, look at clean hair that dried with no product, and expect two or three neighboring types on one head.

Walker's original chart did not have every letter for every number. The full 1A to 4C grid used today was filled in later, mostly by curly hair communities online. It is a description of shape, nothing more: it doesn't tell you porosity, thickness or density, which matter as much for choosing products.

Type	Shape	What you usually notice
1A	Straight, very fine	Lies flat, gets oily fast, won't hold a curl
1B	Straight, some body	A little movement at the ends
1C	Straight, coarse	Thick strands, slight bend, can frizz
2A	Loose, stretched S-waves	Easily brushed or weighed down to straight
2B	Defined S-waves from mid-length	Flat at the crown, frizz on top
2C	Deep waves, some loose ringlets	Starts near the root, frizzes easily
3A	Large, loose curls	Roughly the width of a sidewalk chalk stick
3B	Springy ringlets	About marker-width, lots of volume
3C	Tight corkscrews	Pencil-width or less, dense, shrinks
4A	Small, defined coils	S-pattern visible when stretched
4B	Z-shaped, sharp angles	Less defined curl, high shrinkage
4C	Very tight zigzag, little visible pattern	Shrinks a lot as it dries, fragile when dry

What is my hair type?

Your hair type is the shape your hair takes when nothing is pulling it straight or holding it in a curl. Check it on the second half of a wash day: clean, conditioned, no styler, air-dried and untouched. The shape you see then is the one to match against the chart.

How to find your type

Wash with a plain shampoo and conditioner, skip every styler, and let one section air-dry without touching it. Look at the hair that grows out of the crown and the back of the head, not the face frame, which is often looser. Compare the shape to the table. Strand width is easy to judge against a pen or a marker.

Most people land on two or three neighboring types: 2C at the back with 2A around the face, or 4A at the nape with 4B on top. That is normal. Pick products for the type that covers most of your head and handle the rest when styling.

The chart is the same for men. Very short hair hides the pattern, though: a buzz cut on 3B hair can look straight. Let it grow out to a few inches before you judge it, or look at the hair at the nape, which is usually longest.

The 12 hair types, one by one

The table gives the shape. Below is what each type is like to live with: how to tell it from its neighbors, the mistake people with that type make most, and where to start.

1A hair

Completely straight and very fine, so soft it slips out of a ponytail. Looks oily by the end of the first day and drops a curl within an hour. The usual mistake is a rich conditioner on the roots, which flattens it by lunchtime. Wash often, condition the ends only, and keep volume products at the root. More on 1A.

1B hair

Still straight, but with body: a little bend at the ends and enough grip to hold a blowout. It is the easiest type to style with heat, which is also how it gets damaged. A heat protectant every time matters more here than any styler. More on 1B.

1C hair

Straight on top but coarse, with a slight bend and frizzy ends in humid weather. Plenty of 1C heads are really 2A. Scrunch it wet with a little mousse: if a wave shows up, read the 2A section below. If not, a smoothing serum on the ends handles most of it. More on 1C.

2A hair

A loose S that starts around mid-length and disappears under a brush. 2A is the type most often misread as "straight but frizzy". The fix is mostly subtraction: lighter conditioner, no brushing once dry, and a foam scrunched in while the hair is still wet. More on 2A.

2B hair

Clear S-waves from about ear level, flatter at the crown. Day one looks good, day two is frizz. What makes the waves last is a gel on soaking wet hair, left to dry hard and then scrunched out. More on 2B.

2C hair

Deep waves from the root with a few ringlets mixed in, thick and prone to frizz. 2C sits on the border with curly hair and usually does better on a curly routine than a wavy one: more conditioner, a cream under the gel, and a diffuser. More on 2C.

3A hair

Big, loose curls with a lot of shine, roughly as wide as a stick of sidewalk chalk. They stretch out easily and lose shape under heavy butters. Gel or foam on wet hair keeps the loops together. Once it is dry, scrunch instead of combing. More on 3A.

3B hair

Springy ringlets about the width of a marker, with plenty of volume and dry ends. This is where you start needing moisture and hold at the same time: a leave-in first, then a gel over it. Brushing it dry is the quickest way to lose the ringlets. More on 3B.

3C hair

Tight corkscrews, pencil-width or smaller, packed close together. It shrinks a lot and tangles at the nape. Detangle only with conditioner in, layer a cream under a gel, and expect it to look shorter than it is. More on 3C.

4A hair

Small coils that show a clear S when you stretch one out. Defined, but dry. The common mistake is washing it like looser curls. A cream leave-in, sealed with oil on the ends, keeps it soft between wash days. More on 4A.

4B hair

Bends in sharp Z angles rather than curves, so the pattern looks less defined and the hair feels fluffy. Every bend is a weak point. Twist-outs and braid-outs give it shape, and finger detangling with plenty of conditioner saves a lot of breakage. More on 4B.

4C hair

The tightest zigzag, with little visible pattern and the most shrinkage of any type. It is also the most fragile when dry. Protective styles, gentle handling and moisture on a regular schedule matter more than any single product. More on 4C.

What the chart leaves out

Two people with 3B hair can need opposite products. One has fine, low porosity strands that collapse under heavy creams. The other has coarse, bleached, high porosity hair that drinks them. That is why the quiz asks about porosity, thickness and scalp before it builds a routine, and why porosity has its own test page.

Texture and density: the two things the chart doesn't show

Hair type only describes the shape. Two more measures change which products work, and each takes a minute to check.

Strand thickness

Pull out a single hair and roll it between your fingers, or lay it next to a piece of sewing thread. If you can barely feel it, it is fine. If it feels about like the thread, medium. Thicker and wiry means coarse. Fine hair goes limp under heavy products whatever its pattern, while coarse hair takes creams and oils that would flatten a fine head of the same type.

Density

Density is how many hairs you have, not how thick each one is. Part your hair down the middle and look in a mirror. Lots of scalp along the part means low density; a part that is hard to find means high. Low density looks better with light products and some lift at the root. High density takes longer to dry and needs product worked through in sections, or the middle stays bare.

A fine, low density 3A head and a coarse, high density 3A head share a type and almost nothing else. That is why the quiz asks about thickness separately.

Styling by pattern, briefly

Type 1

Fine straight hair wants volume at the roots and nothing heavy. Coarse straight hair often needs a smoothing serum on the ends. Heat protectant before any hot tool, either way. More: 1A, 1B and 1C in detail.

Type 2

Waves are easy to weigh down. Light mousse or gel scrunched into wet hair, then hands off until dry. Brushing dry waves turns them into frizz. More: 2A, 2B and 2C in detail.

Type 3

Curls need water and hold. Apply gel to soaking wet hair, let it dry into a cast, then scrunch the cast out. A diffuser on low speeds this up without blowing the pattern apart. More: 3A, 3B and 3C in detail.

Type 4

Coils are the most fragile type, because every bend in the strand is a weak point. Detangle only with conditioner in, seal moisture in with a cream and an oil, and use stretched styles (twist-outs, braid-outs) or a strong gel for definition. Sleep on satin. More: 4A, 4B and 4C in detail, with safe protective styles.

What to buy by hair type

A starting point for each pattern, not a full routine. Porosity and thickness change the picks, which is what the quiz is for. Each product is described from its own Amazon listing.

Type 1: volume at the root, smoothing on the ends

A mousse for fine 1A and 1B hair. The serum is for coarse 1C ends that frizz.

Keranique Volumizing MousseLightweight mousse for fine, straight or wavy hair that goes flat.
John Frieda Frizz Ease Extra Strength SerumA few drops on the ends. The brand says it shields from heat and humidity.

Type 2: a light leave-in

Sprays and airy creams that don't flatten the wave. Stylers for each wave type are on the wavy hair page.

Briogeo Farewell Frizz Rosarco Milk Leave-In SprayA lightweight milky spray that detangles and softens without weighing hair down.
It's a 10 Miracle Leave-InDetangling spray that doubles as a thermal protector.
Curlsmith Weightless Air Dry CreamThe listing says it is best for fine to medium textures.

Type 3: something that holds the curl

Foam for looser 3A curls, a creme gel or a curl smoothie for 3B and 3C.

The Doux Mousse Def Texture FoamFlexible hold without crunch or flakes, for curls, coils and textured styles.
Bounce Curl Light Hold Creme GelLight hold for waves and loose curls that a hard gel weighs down.
SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing SmoothieCurl cream with coconut oil and silk protein, sold to soften dry curls and cut frizz.

Type 4: a cream leave-in

Coils lose water fastest, so a cream that stays on matters more than the styler.

Cantu Argan Oil Leave-In Conditioning Repair CreamThick cream leave-in. No drying alcohols and no silicones.
Mielle Pomegranate & Honey Leave-In ConditionerFormulated with curly hair in mind: pomegranate, honey and babassu oil.

Any type, before heat

CHI 44 Iron Guard Thermal Protection SprayWeightless spray, rated by CHI up to 450°F.
TRESemmé Keratin Smooth Heat Protection SprayDrugstore heat spray with keratin and marula oil, made for flat irons.

Questions people ask about hair types

How do I find out my hair type?

Wash and condition, skip every styler, and let your hair air-dry without touching it. Compare the shape at the crown and the back of the head with the chart above. If it falls between two rows, you are a mix, which most people are.

Is the hair type chart the same for men?

Yes. The types describe the strand, not who it grows on. Men tend to wear shorter cuts that hide the pattern, so a man with 2B or 3A hair may only see it once the hair on top grows out.

Can your hair type change?

It can shift. Many people notice a change in texture after pregnancy, around menopause, with some medications, or simply with age. Damage changes how hair looks too: heat and bleach can loosen a curl on the lengths they touched, while new growth comes in with your natural pattern.

Is the chart accurate?

It is accurate about shape and nothing else. It doesn't measure porosity, strand thickness or how much hair you have, and those decide which products work. Two people with the same letter and number can need opposite routines.

What is the difference between hair type and porosity?

Hair type is the shape of the strand. Porosity is how easily water gets in and out of it, which depends on the cuticle. Any type can have any porosity. The porosity test takes a minute.

Sources: pattern names follow the system Andre Walker published in the 1990s. Care advice: American Academy of Dermatology, Tips for healthy hair and 6 curly hair care tips from dermatologists.

The hair type chart, 1A to 4C