Virtually every new natural will ask “What is my hair type?” At Wonder Curl’s “Healthy Hair Summit”, we had hair expert, Keya Artistically Neil discuss different types of curly hair. During her talk, she went into detail about texture, porosity, density and so much more.
With over 26 years of experience in hair color and texture education, Keya is the leading expert on this subject. She travels all over the country teaching stylists all about the different curly hair textures.
What is Texture Typing for Different Types of Curly Hair?
First, Keya defines texture typing as identifying different types of curly hair and how they react to certain products. For a little bit of history, Oprah Winfrey’s hairstylist, Andre Walker, coined hair typing so you can have a better understanding of your natural hair. To clarify, texture is the feel of the hair on your fingers or your touch.
Here is how to understand your hair texture and type:
Texture: A=Fine B=Medium C=Coarse
Type: 1=Straight 2=Wavy 3=Curly 4=Coily
When someone has 2B hair, it means they have a wavy type with medium texture. However, Keya said there are many other types and textures. Here’s what she means...there is coily, zig-zag, kinky, and much more. With that, we keep this method to generalize and understand different types of curly hair.
To dive even further, everyone has more than one texture. It's not going to be one consistent type throughout your entire head of hair. However, there is so much more to consider. For example, a client says they have 2B hair, Keya will take other things into consideration and look at the characteristics of the hair. These characteristics can include the density, elasticity, hydration factor, surface texture, curl diameter and how the hair curls. Therefore, these factors can only be determined by a professional who is able to properly assess your hair.
Porosity Levels:
According to Keya, “Porosity is the ability of the hair to not only absorb but to retain moisture”. This defines the high and low levels of porosity. Now, this is important, the ideal level is medium porosity where the pores are open on your hair cuticle. This is the best way to receive and retain moisture. And so, she recommends getting professional assistance to properly check for problems. This is because different types of curly hair have different types of porosity levels.
Note: For low porosity hair she suggests to shampoo, cleanse and use a deep conditioner to retain the moisture level.
Density Levels:
Every curly girl has different types of curly hair. Density is the amount of hair you have on your head per square inch. To check for high or low level of density, part your hair. If there’s a clear path of scalp, like a high-way, you have low-density hair. If only a small amount of scalp is showing then it’s medium density. And if it’s not showing at all then it’s high density.
Coloring for Different Types of Curly Hair
Finally, for better hair color results, Keya recommends seeing a professional.
To follow Keya Neil’s journey follow her @keya_artistically on Instagram.
About the Healthy Hair Summit
The Healthy Hair Summit is a 2 day virtual summit with 5 experts in their industries. You get the information you need to get on the right track of your healthy hair journey.
With this Healthy Hair Summit, you get the tools that will ensure your success to help you towards your hair goals. Bring your pen and paper, there will be a lot of information that you'll be able to start using right away.