How to recognize your hair type? 🧖‍♀️

Having beautiful hair starts with knowing it well. That begins with correctly identifying your hair type, because each texture and hair structure has its own specific needs. Whether your hair is straight, wavy, curly or afro-textured, here is a complete guide to help you determine your hair type and find the right care! 🌱💇‍♀️

You may have already tried lots of hair products without getting the results you hoped for. Knowing your hair type helps you avoid costly and often frustrating trial and error by selecting products that perfectly match your hair's needs. Hair type influences how it reacts to products, how it resists humidity, and even its ability to stay healthy through the seasons. 🎋

With this understanding, you can build an optimal hair routine and adapt your daily care for healthy, radiant hair that is easy to style. 💁‍♀️💦

First, a quick word on the official hair classification, with a few poetic little explanations. 👇

1. Straight hair (Type 1): Hair that wants nothing to do with curls, not even a slight wave. Once straightened, it's ready to star in shampoo ads!
2. Wavy hair (Type 2): A little shy, a little dreamy; they’re always torn between the ocean and the beach.
3. Curly hair (Type 3): Living its best life in a whirl of tight, exuberant curls.
4. Afro-textured hair (Type 4): Nothing less than an architectural masterpiece! These compact, tight curls defy every law of gravity. 

Here are the main steps to determine your hair type. They take into account texture, porosity and density, three essential elements for an accurate diagnosis. ✨

Step 1: Analyse the texture 🧐

Texture refers to the thickness of the hair strand, which can be fine, medium or thick. Texture influences how your hair reacts to products and hairstyles:

• Fine: It is often light and hard to keep voluminous.
• Medium: This is the most common type, with some volume without being too heavy.
• Thick: Heavier and sturdier, this hair tends to hold styles better but needs more hydration.

How can you tell? Take a single hair and compare it to a sewing thread: if it's finer, your hair is fine; if it's thicker, your hair is thick. 👌

Step 2: Observe the porosity 💦

Porosity is your hair's ability to absorb and retain moisture. This factor determines how effective your treatments are and explains why some hydrating products seem to work better than others:

1. Low porosity: Hair struggles to absorb moisture and water. It is usually smooth but needs light care so as not to be weighed down.
2. Medium porosity: The happy medium! This hair absorbs and retains hydration well, which makes it easier to care for.
3. High porosity: Hair absorbs moisture easily but loses it quickly. It often needs richer care and oils to seal in hydration.

Quick test: Drop a clean hair into a glass of water. If it floats, it has low porosity. If it sinks slowly, porosity is medium, and if it sinks quickly, it is highly porous. 🌊

Step 3: Examine the density 💆‍♀️

Density is the number of hairs on your head. Basically, it’s the hair equivalent of a city’s population, but in miniature.

• Low density: The scalp often shows through.
• Medium density: You can see the scalp if you look closely.
• High density: Scalp? Never heard of it. You have an Amazon rainforest on your head!

1. Confusing texture and porosity: texture is the thickness of the hair, while porosity is its ability to absorb moisture.
2. Using unsuitable products: Hair type dictates the right hair products; avoid treatments that are too heavy for fine, light hair.
3. Forgetting density: Two people with the same hair type can have different densities, which affects volume and how to style it.