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Debunking Curly Hair Typing Myths
Depending on statistics you read and believe in, it has been estimated that as many as 60 percent of women in the United States have curly hair. Some experts believe the percentage is accurate but it includes all types of textures from wavy to curly to kinky curls.
Regardless of the stats or what you believe, there is a lot of confusion about naturally curly hair, how and whether you should type it and what the true definitions are.
On Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 1:10 pm CST I had the great pleasure of reconnecting with Lorraine Massey the co-author of 2001's curl defining handbook, 'Curly Girl: The Handbook'. She was in Dallas to visit a salon which promotes her curl philosophies and to have a short Q&A with the salon's curly haired clients.
I met Lorraine personally in Dallas many years ago right after her book was published and we had a conversation about my own wavy/curly hair and whether I was in denial about my own hair type. We laughed about my wave and curl denials and she told me she had a photo I took from that first meeting with all the curly girls around her framed in her office in New York.
Although we chatted for close to an hour on Saturday we covered a vast range of curl concepts.
Lorraine agreed this is a lot of misinformation about curly hair. I specifically asked her if she approved or disapproved of the various Naturally Curly Hair Typing Systems in use today.
Andre Walker Naturally Curly Hair Typing System
I referenced the original Andre Walker hair typing system which has four rankings which include:
Type 1 - straight tresses
Type 2 - wavy hair with subcategories A, B, C for fine, medium and coarse hair
Type 3 - naturally curly hair with subcategories A, B, C for both type and curl definition from loose curls to tight ringlets
Type 4 - kinky curly hair with subcategory A for S shaped curls and B for Z shaped curls
Curly Girl The Handbook Curl Definitionsn
I also referenced Lorraine's own curl typing system from Curly Girl: The Handbook which she defined as:
1 - Corkscrew,
2 - Botticelli
3 - Wavy/Curly
In addition I questions Lorraine about other specific curl experts who have their own version of a Naturally Curly Typing formula.
Did Lorraine agree with the popular typing systems heavily utilized by curly girls both on and off the Web?
She laughed and said "I hate those systems" because they don't take into consideration all the different curl and wave combinations and possibilities.
The charming curl guru noted in her own research over the past ten years she has identified as many as four different curl formation which can occur on one head of curls and waves at the same time. She pointed out people with predominantly straight hair can still have curls and waves with the reverse also being true.
Indeed, other curl experts are moving away from too confining curl classification systems.
Lonnice Brittenum Bonner who wrote 'Good Hair For Colored Girls Who've Considered Weaves When The Chemicals Became Too Ruff' starts her book by saying "notice that I didn't refer to hair of a certain texture or "grade" as if our hair should be graded like a piece of USDA choice meat."
As far back as 2001 the natural curl experts at Pantene came out with their own opinion that there are 2-3 types of curl patterns on every head of curly haired people at any one time.
Pantene made the following claims:
- 34 percent of women have wavy hair
- 11 percent of women have curly hair
- 40 percent of women polled want their hair to have more curl rather than less
I asked Lorraine how a wavy, curly, kinky or combination textured person should define their curls, if not by the popular curl typing systems.
She said it should be a "very individual thing" with the key being is "to find a hairdresser who is a curl expert." A well educated curly hair professional can help a curly girl understand and define their personal texture from a personal point of reference.
While the popular curly hair typing systems can offer a general starting point, ultimately every curly girl, according to Lorraine, needs to define their own system of typing which doesn't limit them to popular curl theories or opinions.
At the end of the day you and your curl expert professional hairdresser should define your curls and waves and be prepared to work with them to maximize their type, texture, condition and natural design.
Meanwhile, Dallas does have their own group of amazing curl experts. My own hair is wavy/curly with some tight S curves interwoven at the nape of my neck. Rose Zuniga of LaCoupe Salon located near Mockingbird Station (off 75) is a curl guru who also excels at color. She does an amazing job of guiding me in the proper tender loving care of my natural texture. The lovely Rose is also amazing with my highlights.
Lorraine Massey also still works behind the chair four days a week at three different Devachan Salons in the NYC area. For more details on Lorraine's amazing curl philosophies pick up her book, Curly Girl: The Handbook or visit her website.
For more info: Visit HairBoutique.com for more hair, beauty, fashion and related tips.
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