In my previous blogs I discussed the hair’s structure and melanin, in this blog I will take a look at the texture of hair, that is, the straightness and waviness of hair. When it comes to physically working with strong textured hair I am not as proficient as I would like to be. Although having spent three years in Los Angeles-California developing products for different textured needs, my science is strong and I had the pleasure of working with Stylists who were hands on experts in all kinds of hair texture, so some of their expertise I hope rubbed off. It was an interesting transition both in lifestyle and in hair terms as I had moved to the US having spent nearly six years in Asia working predominately with straight Japanese and Chinese hair with some months each year working in Indian on their beautifully strong, dark yet flexible hair. If I were to sum it up; it was a culture shock.
Colour has always been my passion however texture is my delight whether it is running my hands over textiles or yarns to dressing and shaping all kinds of hair. I am also one of those who will admit fondly to looking back at the perming, straightening and relaxing years of my career. While working at Sassoon’s in London I was a technician which meant I was trained and worked across all chemical services. Interesting times with lots of interesting smells.
While carrying out some additional research for this blog I was able to find through a simple Google search lots of examples of the different types of hair texture from straight to curls categorised beautifully which does make me smile. I can see how useful the segmentation is in understanding our own hair and who can’t resist the temptation to classify themselves; I am 1B and as a training tools they are very helpful. I can also see how they could be helpful in discovering the right products and services. The reason I smile is that this type of segmentation is coming from work done by either universities or manufactures which is then used to market products to a specific type or ideally create products to fit the type.
How our texture is defined; it’s in our genes. Our unique genetic make-up determines the type of hair texture we have in addition to the colour and thickness. You can inherit all of the hair traits from one or both your parents and you can also inherit traits from a previous generation; a throwback or as my geneticist pal explained a dormant gene that suddenly found the perfect conditions to express itself.
Our genes determine the configuration and shape of our hair. The cortex is made up of long cords of telescopically arranged cells, one sliding into the other. If you want to discover more about the hair structure click here. There are two main types of cortical cells; ‘hard’ (high-sulphur), Paracortical cells and the ‘soft’ (low-sulphur), Orthocortical cells. Cross-sections of hair show that in straight and curly hair the arrangement of these cells are different. In straight hair the arrangement of the soft (Orthocortical) cells and the hard (Paracortical) hard cells are in concentric rings (like the rings on a tree) whereas in wavy and curly hair the arrangement is off-set or bilateral, with the harder contacting Paracortical cells located toward the inner side of the wavy or curl and the softer Orthocortical cells found toward the outer side of the wavy or curl.
The intensity of the straightness, waves and curls is further influenced by the shape of the hair itself. If we look at absolutes Japanese hair has a round shape, Caucasian hair has a slightly oval-egg shape and African hair has an elliptical shape. You can experiment with this yourself to demonstrate how the shape can affect the texture; take a round plastic drinking straw and a plastic ribbon, same substance different shape. Using the edge of an old scissors carefully run one of the blades along the length of the ribbon to make it curl, it curls beautifully and now do the same thing with a straw… hmmm not so good. It is both the shape of the hair and the arrangement of the cortical cells that determine the type and strength of straightness, waviness or curls we have.
Texture Types
Straight hair can range from silky and thin to thick and voluminous, one common fact is the shine because the cuticles can lay flat on the straight hair, they maximise the reflection. Type 1a; tends to be the flattest, thinnest, and silkiest of the straight hair types, this is the hair that holds nothing, not a bobbin, clip, volume or style. When working with this hair I keep the colours and cuts solid to emphasis uniformity within the hair and give it the illusion of body. Type 1b; still straight but has some movement could have a slight wavy when wet but vanishes when dried. This hair can have irregularity in its distribution with denser areas of thicker hair generally around the crown and back of the head. When working with this hair I am looking to work with colour placement and cuts to create balance throughout the hair. Type 1c is the thickest and strongest of the straight hair which can limits the styling options as any waves will fall out but colouring options are limitless although care is needed in sectioning and placement otherwise this strong straight hair will look streaky. This hair benefits from some length to weigh it down.
Wavy hair tends to have definitive and multiple bends from roots to tips. So, if you have a few of those weird bumps you are probably looking at type 1 straight hair rather than type 2 wavy hair. Type 2 waves can range from perfect-looking beachy waves to fluffy, undefined waves, and they’re also one of the most easy-to-play-with hair types. Type 2a has a very open S-shape pattern that gives it its wavy effect, it tends to be finer and flatter but can still be easily dried straight. To show off the waves I tend to work with more solid colours with a few large but subtle variations of tone to create the illusion of thicker hair and more movement. Type 2b has a more defined S-shape the hair can vary from fine and/or medium thickness and is slightly more prone to frizz and ‘poofing’, especially if the hair is dry. The options are wide when colouring this hair although I do emphasis with clients about moisturising and strengthening their hair with a Wellaplex treatment at home to keep the waves looking great. Type 2c still mostly S-shaped waves, some forming loose curls and coarser hair structures mixed in. The biggest challenge is not hair colouring, but managing the aesthetics as it tends to frizz easily and loose definition fast. My emphasis with this hair is all about wearable treatments that can be topped up as and when needed like Moroccanoil Treatment.
Curly hair, in order for you to be part of the curly-hair club, your hair has to have actual curls, pieces that spiral around themselves like a spring, versus pieces that just wave back and forth in a flat S-shape. It’s also common to have a mix of different curl textures (and even some waves!) on your head at once. Type 3a hair is mostly loose curls and a few waves, it tends to be finer in structure and can be relatively easy to dry straight. It is however very reactive to the elements (humidity! Wind! Dryness!). I always think of my Italian friend with this hair type and how we keep the colouring very soft working with demi-permanent and semi-permanent and visually cut her hair to keep her fine yet incredibly curly hair looking great. Type 3b these curls usually have the circumference of your finger or a pencil. The hair varies in density and tends to have a medium structure. When working with a bleach on strong curls it can create beautiful effects throughout the hair I recommend working ‘low & slow’ to maintain the integrity of the curls, more information on bleaching click here. Type 3c the circumference of these curls can range from loose to tightly sprung and are thickly packed together, giving the hair major volume. Ironically these beautiful curls are delicate, prone to dryness and breakage. Due to the delicate nature of the hair, I like to work with as mild a formula as possible for the result we are aiming for and take it slow carefully sectioning while avoiding unnecessary breakage through pulling. I am also a fan of working with real oil such as Argan Oil and slowing working it into the hair over time and oil-based shampoos such as New Wash alternated with a more traditional shampoo.
Coiled/kinky hair is coming from African ancestry where the hair form is a flatter elliptical shape, the movement is more of a zig-zag and/or flattened coil rather than a round curl. 4a although tightly coiled it tends to be finer and not very dense which allows the coils to be more defined. The hair has a tendency to be quite dry and I always recommend a treatment mask every second shampoo. I have also become a fan of the Wet Brush I know, a brush! It is somewhat controversial because I have always been taught that wide tooth combs are the golden standard for detangling curls. My initial though when ‘testing’ on my friends’ hair was…this is a disaster waiting to happen, I could imagine the hair ripping from her head but, it does work so give it a try and see for yourself. 4b is tightly coiled hair with some areas that have more of a kink especially around the hairline but also can be interspaced with the softer coils, generally it is a medium to coarse thickness with a high density that can felt when dry. I find working colours and lighteners on this hair can relax the texture without damaging the form completely. The key is to work low and slow and to use more free-hand applications although I will admit I have for large transformations and for finer detailing temporarily straightened the hair first. 4c has the strongest texture in that the coils are so tightly formed they are kinked. The hair can appear frizzy and is misleading delicate. I will colour this type of hair once it is a shorter length but as the hair gets longer it can break so if length is the priority, I always advise either semi or demi-permanent colours. For more information check out my blogs on semi-permanent and mild oxidising demi-permanent colours.
Tips for working with tight textures
- Be patient – take you time with your hair it will thank you for it
- Fortunately, textured hair gets nicer after a few days post washing. It also does not need to be shampooed frequently, but it does need to be shampooed as the scalp needs a thorough cleanse. Try alternating between a regular shampoo and cleansing conditioner. If your looking for a deep scalp cleanse you could consider Nioxin’s Dermabrasion Scalp Treatment before you start your cleansing routine.
- Apply lots of conditioning/treatment and work it into the hair, give it time to soak in and rinse out lightly before you start to detangle.
- Detangling; divide the hair into 4 large sections, from ear to ear and then from forehead to nape. Clip them out of the way and carefully work each section one by one.
- While you’re detangling, wetness is key for easing out the knots, so keep a water spray handy, use your fingers to loosen out the section and then move to a wide tooth comb or Wet Brush.
- With strong textured hair, when it comes to styling less is not more. Work plenty of product well into the hair. For very strong coils I like to work with Sebastian’s Liquigel Texturizer, thoroughly working it into the section after detangling. Using my fingers, I really comb and work the product through each section helping to separate and form the coil definition.
- Air-dry when possible and if not use a diffuser on a low heat.
- Make sure the hair is completely dry before pulling the coils/curls into shape. I like to wait until I can feel the polymer of the styling product harden before loosening out the texture.
- Don’t forget to regularly trim your hair, especially if you wear it long, at least every 4 months.
Texture and chemistry
Adjusting our texture is big business whether it is temporary or more permanent solutions. Without going into too much details as these will be separate blogs in themselves the type of chemistry, we use is dependent on the hair we are working with. Traditionally Perms and Straighteners have been used on Caucasian hair with milder versions used on Asian hair. Relaxers which use a different chemistry traditionally are used and are more effective on the elliptical shape of African ancestry hair types. The main thing to note here is that both chemistries are very different and the two should never be used on the hair at the same time, that is one must grow out before the other is used otherwise the hair will break at the point of overlapping.
And on that happy note I will wrap up this blog and wish you all a safe return to work, enjoy getting back to hair and continue learning along the way.
Caroline
