The world is filled with diversity. Right from eating habits to culture, hair and skin too, lifestyles and the way we look as well, everyone is different from the next. There are many research teams of repute that have done immense studies on the different hair types found across the globe. This is research that has taken scholars from one continent to another, studying varied hair types, their texture, colour, factors that made them so and the works.

Interestingly men and women have the same hair texture. The only difference is the men have it short and cropped, while the women tend to grow them. However, even women have shorted hair these days. The difference in styling and beauty products brings most of the variation you will see between a man and a woman’s hair. While the texture remains the same, thickness may vary not just from man to women, but also from person to person. There are many hair types for men and women.

Take a look at some of the most natural hair types.

  • Straight Hair: The most common one is the straight hair. It is easy to manage and can be styled to spikes or just neatly combed.
  • Curls: Women tend to love those curls. The more intense curl is the maggi curl. While maintaining curly hair can be tuff, it nevertheless is a huge style statement for both men and women. For the men, maintaining curls shouldn’t be a big deal!
  • Wavy Hair: another natural hair types is the wavy hair. Wavy hair is apparently the most desired hair type for men. For the women, a long or medium length wavy hair will look absolutely gorgeous and a range of conditioners are available to handle the waves if it gets dry.

Hair types for men and women will range anywhere from straight to kinky hair. You will also find medium coiled tresses. Coiled tresses are difficult to maintain when left uncombed and tend to fall on your face. Kinky hair is typical of men. The first task however is to identify your hair type. Once you do, start taking care of you hair.

What Makes Their Hair Different From Ours?

  • Ethnic origin
  • Age
  • Diet
  • Geography and culture
  • Products used
  1. The range is wide and far to fathom or put in one box. We have people with tight curls to poker straight hair, dark haired men and women to light haired ones too. Shape and color of the hair too makes a difference as well. So, what is my hair type? Typically, your hair type will depend these.
  2. You inherit your hair type from your parents, say experts. One can even take a look into the past and check where the ancestors originated from.

Some look at the race or combination of races that has happened since time immemorial. In the ancient days, human evolution has three basic groups or race in the world. In time, they spread out and branched across continents, and the world became a mixed group of people. Look at countries such as UK, USA and Asian countries, immigration has happened on a big scale in these countries, which is why you have people with so many hair types here.

How to Know Your Hair Type?

Here is a quick guide to know your hair type.

  • Kinky hair: this is the fourth hair type. The curl patterns are ‘s’ shaped and tends to lock the moisture in your hair. However, it is prone to dryness, but since it is naturally curly, you can wash and walk out without any styling. This is the 4a hair type.
  • The 4b hair type is ‘z’ shaped and is fluffier. However, the bends and curves in the hair will make it prone to dryness and breakage. This hair type has the potential to shrink in size and has to be stretched out often to make it look in the right length. Cleansers and deep conditioning will come in rescue to type 4b hair type.
  • The 4c hair type is a little similar to type 4b. However, it is tightly coiled and in its unwashed state, there is no definite curl pattern. A little of twisting and braiding is required to bring the curls back to its form. They also have the tendency to shrink to 70% and has to be stretched to make it look in its natural length. 4c hair type is the most fragile of all.
  • Curly hair: curly hair is the type 3 hair type. Type 3a is another natural hair curl type. 3a hair type has lovely looking loopy curls. Use light products to tackle the frizz and dryness that this hair type will experience. Cleanse your hair with appropriate conditioner to keep away dryness.
  • 3b curls hair types are coarse and dense. Keep your conditioners free of sulfate and silicon to maintain healthy hair.
  • 3c hair is the cock screw shape. It is at best to avoid heat and using stretching exercises like braiding and twisting.

So, it’s easy as this! Read these well and observe well to analyze what your hair type is. The natural hair types 4a 4b 4c are very common among many women.

Read: How To Style Short Natural Hair

What Scientists Have to Say?

Researchers now say the human population has three types of hair, which is basic and have their origins to;

  • Asian roots
  • Caucasoid roots
  • African roots

The three types look very different from one another and remarkably so. However, when clinical research changed the types physically and through chemicals, the outcomes were different, with disastrous results that too.

Different Types Of  Hair:

1. The Asian Type:

Mostly this would be hair type from the east, such as Japan and China. Here the hair would be poker straight and mostly black.

2. The Caucasoid Type:

Experts call this type of hair the varied type of the three groups mentioned. In this day and age, Caucasoid hair is varied even though they all have originated from a single source of ancestordom.

The hair is different and varied for those in the north west of Europe to the many that stay in the lap of the Indian sub-continent. Here you would find hair which is straight, wavy and with large diameter differences too. Right from dark black to pale blondish hues, or completely white, and all the shades in the middle, the Caucasoid hair is a range with plenty of variations. This is another hair texture types.

Read: Short Hairstyles For Ladies Over 50

The African Type:

As the name suggests, these would be people from Africa and with hair types that suit the climate of the land. Hair is curled and tight, black in most cases and woolly but dry. The use of chemicals and heat can easily damage this type of hair, say experts.

Hair Structure And Variations:

It isn’t yet fully understood as to why hair types grow differently. Come are naturally wavy, some curly and the rest absolutely straight. There are many reasons as to why this happens and in varied stages of an individual’s lifetime too. Some may be born with straight hair, only to have curly hair naturally as they age. Blame thus goes on;

  • The keratin bundles in each shaft and the way they behave over time
  • Hair bulb position in the follicles
  • Growth of hair in the bulb, if irregular or not
  • Hair follicle shape
  • Twists per unit length

It is true to an extent that the keratin bundles in the hair of Caucasoid folks are a mix. You have some that possess wavy hair while others that have poker straight hair. Hence the proportions vary big time, and the hair shaft in most cases would be oval.

In the case of African hair, the twists are more as compared to the Asian quality. Here the oval hair shaft has defined edges. The cuticles of the hair are sharply poised around the edges too, and it is here where most of the damages happen in African hair.

With straight hair there is a chance of it turning wavy when moisture is in abundance in it. Wavy hair too can go all straight when water is thrown on it, check your wavy hair under a shower and you would see it for yourself. Why does this happen? This is because there are hydrogen bonds that break in large numbers. This is a temporary effect, and in no time the hydrogen bonds are restored, bringing the hair type back to its original shape and form.

Read: Round Face Short Haircuts Female

Let’s Talk About The Mixed Type:

Over the many years gone by, the three basic groups socialized and have cross-bred. Hence, now you find a mixed type of hair amongst the descendants, shape and colour wise.

When you look into the basics of the three groups spoken off, the hair type of Caucasoid people would be varied in looks, and the way their hair falls. Some have it poker straight from birth, some wavy and crinkly and others with large ringlets or curls. Caucasoid folks with blonde hair usually have straight hair, say experts, and brunettes have the opposite.

So now that you have a little more idea on the various types of hair, which of the categories do you fall under? Take a good look at yourself, maybe this would also give you an impetus to go searching for your roots and legacy too.

Share with us your findings; we are eager to know more!!

Varnika

About Varnika

Varnika is among our main content writer from last three years. She has been in the same field from around a decade. With her immense knowledge and abilities to managing the content, she has been creating and working on articles specializing in trendy hairstyles, makeup, nail art, and celebrity trends. She is hooked to create unique and interesting content through timely research and analyses of the reader’s interest. To know more about her works and profile do check out.
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