So many of us are guilty of saying the following, ‘my curl type is fine, medium or coarse.’ However, are we being accurate in describing the true character of our bodacious hair? Let me even take it a step further.

Instead of ‘curl typing’ which to me seems rather divisive in some ways; we should explore the beauty of curl patterns and texture. We should ask the question, what benefits do we gain from knowing our curl type and texture?

In my world of cosmetology, licensed professionals would describe curl type as straight, wavy, curly, very curly, coiled, very coiled, or zig zag coiled. Within these eight patterns, you would obviously have a variety of textures. People say knowledge is power and it can also save you some cash. Some of the benefits of knowing and understanding your hair allow you the consumer to make better-informed decisions in regards to hair products.

Manufacturers spend billions of dollars on advertising hair products. We have all fallen victim to the ‘this curl cream smells lush’ but in reality, the product is horrible for your hair. Technically speaking, hair texture is the thickness or diameter of the individual hair strand. For this reason, hair texture can be listed as coarse, medium, or fine and differs from person to person. It is very common for hair from different areas of the head to have different textures.

For example, you may notice your hair at the nape, crown, temples, and front hairlines all have different textures. Coarse hair texture has the largest diameter. It is stronger than fine hair, for that reason it usually requires longer processing time and is typically structurally stronger.

If you have ever experienced hair lighteners, hair color, permanent waving solutions, and chemical relaxers taking longer than usual to process, this is the reason! At the end of the spectrum, you have fine hair which has the smallest diameter is usually most fragile.

It is so important to have a hair analysis performed by a licensed cosmetologist. We can determine what your specific texture is by a specialized technique. The same is true for curl or wave patterns. Curl pattern means the amount of movement in the hair strand. It can all be predetermined by our genetic makeup and racial background.

Please get out of the mindset of saying I have ‘mixed girl hair or white hair, black hair’ or whatever. Regardless of what your ethnicity is, it is possible to have a varying degree of curl types or patterns. Mizani recently came out with their curl key which highlights the characteristics of textured hair.

Not only does it explain how the hair grows but also shows different types of techniques that can be used to define your coiff even more. Remember there is beauty in textured hair. Let’s always celebrate and embrace the individuality of our hair instead of comparing. Love your hair, love your curls, love yourself!

-Melanie Day