You have to consider your hair type when deciding on a style for your curly hair.

The right style will bring out the best in your curly hair and complement your features.

There are two factor to take into account when choosing a style; wave pattern and texture.

1) Wave Pattern is the amount of movement in the strand of hair. There are 4 major categories for the wave pattern: Straight, Wavy, Curly, and Extremely Curly (Coiled)

2) Hair Texture is the thickness or diameter of the individual hair strands. The basic hair textures are: Fine, Medium, and Coarse.

Let’s look at the possible combinations of hair types and their characteristics:

1) Straight, Fine Hair

This combination hugs the head because there is no volume or body. The silhouette is small and narrow. If this in not a good look for your face shape and body structure, trying styling aids or chemical services to achieve a more flattering style. In the natural state, this hair does not offer enough support for versatility in styling.

2) Straight, Medium Hair

This type of hair offers more versatility in styling. The hair responds well to blow-drying with various sized brushes and has a good amount of movement. It also responds well to rollers and thermal styling.

3) Straight, Coarse Hair

This hair is hard to curl and has more volume than the previous two types. It casts a slightly wider silhouette and responds well to thermal styling.

Blow-drying with round brushes can make this hair look too « poofy » because the hair shaft itself is very wide in diameter. Flat brushes are fine for blow-dry styling. Chemical services may take a little longer to process.

-> As you can see, straight hair can be either fine, medium, or coarse.

4) Wavy, Fine Hair

This hair type can appear fuller with the appropriate haircut and style. With layering, it will look fuller, and responds well to blow-drying and chemical services. Do not overdo any of these services, however, as this hair can be fragile.

If the desired result is straight hair, it will straighten easily by blow-drying, but you may sacrifice volume. If diffused, the hair will have a fuller appearance.

5) Wavy, Medium Hair

There are many styling options for this type of hair. If the hair is diffused dry, it could look curly, if it is blow-dried, you can easily get it straight. This type is the most versatile.

6) Wavy, Coarse Hair

The silhouette could get very wide, and the hair could appear unruly if it is not shaped properly. Chemical services like mild relaxers work very well.

You may feel in between styles with this hair type. Too wavy to be left in a straight style, but not curly enough for a curly style. A soft perm can easily bring you to a curly style or a mild relaxer can give you a straight style.

--> Wavy hair can be fine, medium and coarse.

7) Curly, Fine Hair

If this hair is left too long, it could separate and show too much scalp if the hair is not abundant. It will respond well to a mild relaxer, and to color. Blow-drying could be difficult unless the hair is cut into short layers, but the humidity will just make it curly again.

8) Curly, Medium Hair

This creates a wide silhouette, and looks romantic if left natural. Shape the hair appropriately, keeping in mind where the weight line of the haircut will fall, and make sure that where it falls will be flattering to your face shape.

The wide silhouette should be in proportion the your body shape and not overwhelm it. This hair responds well to relaxers and color.

9) Curly, Coarse Hair

This type of hair needs lots of heavy styling product(s) to weigh it down. It is easy for this hair to look overwhelming.

Keep in mind when cutting the hair will shrink considerably when dry, making it appear much shorter.

--->Curly hair can be fine, medium, and coarse.

10) Extremely Curly, Fine Hair

It is best to style this hair most flattering to the face shape and best left short; for ease of styling. If the hair is left long, the silhouette will be wide and extremely voluminous. Chemical services take well, but be careful with relaxing, as the hair could be fragile. Temporary straightening (hair pressing or flat ironing) is an option, but don’t overdo it.

11) Extremely Curly, Medium Hair

This hair will look very wide, the longer it grows the wider it will look. Chemical relaxers work very well to make the shape narrower, and temporary hair straightening is a good option too. If the hair is left in its natural state, cropping close to the head in a flattering shape is great for ease of styling and low maintenance.

12) Extremely Curly, Coarse Hair

This silhouette will be extremely wide without proper maintenance. Chemical relaxing is a choice, if not to straighten the hair, then to relax it enough to make it easier to style. Once this is accomplished, other thermal services will be easier to perform. This hair is often too thick to tie back in a ponytail. Try short, cropped layers to make the silhouette narrower.

--->Extremely curly hair is either fine, medium, or coarse.

Did you find your hair type in the combination(s) of wave patterns and textures listed above?

Good Job!

Just knowing your hair type will get you the right style and hair services to bring out the best in your fabulously curly hair.

Maintain your gorgeously attractive style with the right hair products and techniques for managing your curly.

How To Get Curly Hair Naturally?

If you are wondering how to get curly hair naturally, all you have to do is wet the hair with lukewarm water, shampoo and then rinse.

Dab the excess water from the hair with a soft towel. Then use a wide toothed comb to remove the tangles. It helps to apply a small amount of leave in conditioner to add smoothness and shine.

For fewer curls, plait the hair into 3 to 4 braids. If you want tight curls, make more braids. Blow-dry the hair and leave the braids on overnight. The hair should not be combed after plaiting it.

The next morning you can remove the braids. This technique works well for long hair.