Introduction
Understanding your hair type is the foundational step toward building an effective hair care routine. Without knowing your hair type, you risk using products or styling methods that don’t suit your hair’s needs, leading to dryness, breakage, frizz, or limpness. In this guide, you will learn how to identify your hair type precisely — from curl pattern to texture, density, porosity, and more — so you can choose the best care for your unique strands.
In this article, you’ll discover:
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The major components of “hair type” (curl pattern, texture, density, porosity, etc.)
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Step-by-step tests you can do at home
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Tips for interpreting results
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Why it matters for product choice and styling
Let’s dive in.
What Does “Hair Type” Mean?
When people say “hair type,” they usually refer not to a single characteristic, but a combination of factors:
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Curl / wave / coil pattern
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Strand texture (fine, medium, coarse)
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Density (how many hairs per square inch)
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Porosity (how easily hair absorbs and retains moisture)
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Elasticity / strength / health
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Other factors, like hair thickness, length, and whether your hair is chemically treated
By combining these, you get a more complete picture of your hair. Two people may both have “curly hair,” but one might have fine, low-density hair, while the other has coarse, high-density curls. Their care needs will differ.
Many hair care systems (such as the Andre Walker system) focus primarily on curl / coil pattern as the first dimension.
Below we break down each dimension and show you how to test and interpret.