Here's Exactly How You Can Find Your Curl Type, According To Hairstylists (2024)

Curls aren’t a one-type-fits-all. In reality, they are intricate and can't fit into one broad category of "curls," just because you have curly hair. Categorizing your curl type is quite the mission, and most of the time, finding a starting point is overwhelming. Rather than defining your curl type vaguely, we asked two experts to guide us on curl types from 2a to 4c curls, so you no longer have to take a guess.

Why is it important to become familiar with your curl pattern? “Getting to know your hair and identifying the textures you have is important to help you understand how to care for it, how to go about styling it, and how to best look after it,” says Vernon François, celebrity hairstylist and founder of the Vernon François Haircare collection. “It will help you to set or reset your expectations of what can be achieved, which makes for a happy and harmonious relationship with your hair.”

In addition to familiarizing yourself with your curl pattern, it’s helpful to understand your hair’s porosity and density. “Porosity and density are also important factors when getting to know your hair—in some cases, even more, important factors than curl type,” explains Michelle Breyer, co-founder of naturallycurly.com and the author of The Curl Revolution. Breyer explains that if you have high porosity hair and want more curl definition, you may need a higher hold product, because your hair sucks in moisture like a sponge. Those with low porosity hair require more moisturizing products because their hair has a difficult time absorbing products,” she notes. “If your hair is fine, you want lighter products than if your hair is dense, so that your hair isn’t weighed down,” Breyer says.

Keep scrolling to get more familiar with your curl texture type, curl pattern, and how to best care for your own curly crown.

How Do You Find Your Curl Type?

Now, let’s talk about curl textures. Curls are classified anywhere from 2a to 4c, each with its own personality and set of needs. Your hair may fall into a kinky, coily, curly, wavy, and even straight category within these classifications. François explains that there are several ways to identify your hair texture type. “The most straightforward and effective way, for me, is to look at your hair and see what shape the strands make,” François explains. He also notes that your “curly hair” may be kinky, coily, curly, wavy, and even straight in places, or it could be a combination of these. François breaks down each category:

• Wavy: Wavy hair makes a loose or definite “S” shape
• Curly: Curly hair winds around itself naturally.
• Coily: Coily hair looks like coils, with tiny springs in it.
• Kinky: “Kinky hair has kinks in it and the hair strands have a V or Z shape,” François says.

“Each of these will have a different level of intensity to it, which is where the a, b, and c of the number charts would come in, but I don’t personally use that method,” François explains.

What do the numbers mean? According to Breyer, type 1s have straight hair, 2s have wavy hair, 3’s have curly hair, and 4’s have coily hair. “We basically took Andre Walker’s texture system but added the a, b, and c to better describe the texture’s tightness,” Breyer says. “A 3a curl pattern has a much looser curl than a 3c pattern,” she adds. Also, note that even these groupings have variations—2a curl patterns have a light wave, and a 2c pattern is closer to a curl. “It might vary by the chart you’re looking at, but a number 2 could be wavy, number 3 curly and coily, and number 4 coily and kinky,” François says.

What’s Your Exact Curl Pattern, Then?

2a Curls

Those with a 2a curl type have loose, fine, and thin waves—like a loose tousled texture, according to Breyer. “Their lack of volume and definition means that products can weigh them down easily make the strands straight,” she says.

2b Curls

With 2b curls, “the hair is mostly straight at the roots and falls into more defined S-shaped waves from the mid-length to the ends,” Breyer notes.

2c Curls

2c curls mean your waves are more defined and start at the roots, says Breyer. There is a mix of curls and ringlets. “This texture is typically thick or coarse and prone to frizz,” she says.

3a Curls

With 3a curls, “you have big, loose curls and spirals similar in circumference to a piece of thick sidewalk chalk. Your curls tend to be shiny, with a well defined S-shape. Blowouts are usually no problem for you, nor is styling your hair in its natural texture,” Breyer explains.

3b Curls

These curls are “springy” curls. They vary from ringlets to corkscrews and are incredibly voluminous. Breyer says that these will have a circumference similar to a Sharpie marker. “Type 3b hair lacks the shine of 3a curls and tends to be coarse and dense—also prone to shrinkage and frizz,” she adds.

3c Curls

“You have very dense, tightly packed corkscrews curls that are the circumference of a pencil or a straw,” Breyer explains. 3c curls commonly have a combination of both curly and coily textures.” Type 3c tends to experience the most volume but also the most shrinkage,” Breyer says.

4a Curls

4a curls are dense and have coils that are “springy.” These may are either wiry or fine and have the circumference of a crochet needle. “They are tightly coiled, experience a lot of shrinkage, and have a visible 'S' pattern,” Breyer says.

4b Curls

“Instead of curling or coiling, your hair bends in sharp angles like the letter Z,” Breyer says. The curls are tighter and not as defined as the previous curl types, and their circumference is smaller (think a ballpoint pen). “The strands range from fine to think to wiry and coarse. 4b coils are densely packed and experience about 75 percent shrinkage,” Breyer explains.

4c Curls

Lastly, some curls are categorized as 4c—they’re similar to 4b curls but have less definition and more shrinkage (75 percent or more). “The tightly coiled strands range from super fine, thin and soft, to wiry and coarse. It is very fragile and tends to have low porosity,” says Breyer.

Okay, so now how do you care for these curls?

Every curl type has specific needs, and with those needs comes a unique care method. “My favorite products for kinks, coils, curls, and waves are those from my own collection. I created the Curl Shampoo and Curl Conditioner specifically for wavy, curly, and coily hair,” François says.

• Type 2s: Stick to clarifying and moisturizing shampoos. When conditioning your hair, opt for leave-in sprays and lighter conditioners so they don't weigh your hair down, says Breyer. If you're styling, stick to mousses, gels, and cream gels.
• Type 3s: Breyer recommends both moisturizing and clarifying shampoos (once a week if you use a lot of styling products). You can still use leave-in conditioners to give your curls hydration that lasts all day. A light to medium conditioner is best for your type 3 curl (hello, cleansing conditioners), but as you move into type 3b and 3c, use a heavier conditioner to suit the coarser texture of your hair.
• Type 4s: For type, 4s focus more on conditioning your curls. Breyer suggests heavier and more moisturizing conditioners. And, for styling your hair, opt for creams and butter-based products.

The Best Products For Your Curls