Classification Systems ( Hair Typing) PART II

Hey hey


   This is a quick follow-up to my previous post. I decided to split it to prevent an over- lengthy post. The Andre Walker system might be well recognized but is not the only system used to determine curl patterns.


FIA HAIR SYSTEM
   This is a method that is classified by curl pattern, hair strand thickness and overall hair volume.
           
                         CURLINESS
Straight

• 1A - Straight- stick.
• 1B - Straight but slight body wave adding some volume.
• 1C - Straight with body waves and one or two visible S- waves.

Wavy

• 2A - Loose with stretched S- waves throughout.
• 2B - Shorter with distinct S- waves.
• 2C - Distinct S- waves, some spiral curling.

Curly

• 3A - Big loose spiral curls.
• 3B - Bouncy ringlets.
• 3C - Tight corkscrews

Very (really) Curly

• 4A - Tightly coiled S- curls
• 4B - Z- patterned (tightly coiled, sharply angled).
• 4C - Mostly Z- patterned (tightly kink, less definition.

                     
                            STRANDS

Fine

   Thin strands that sometimes are almost translucent when held up in the light. Shed strands are hard to see against a constrasting background. It feels like ultra- fine strand of silk.

Medium

   Strands are neither fine nor coarse. It feels like rough cotton thread. It is not stiff or rough.

Coarse

   Thick strands which can easily be identified against any background. It feels hard and wiry, and may hear it if you roll it between your fingers.
                     
                           VOLUME

Volume by circumference of a full hair ponytail.

Thin- Circumferences less than 2 inches (5 centimeteres).

Normal - From 2 to 4 inches (5-10 centimetres).

Thick - More than 4 inches (10 centimetres).

LOIS HAIR SYSTEM

   This system compares hair strands to the letters L, O, I, S. Take a strand and compare it to the shapes if the letters.                            

                       CURL PATTERN

   The bends, kinks and coils will or may resemble more than one of the letters.

• L - The strand will look like the letter L with right angles, bends and folds.
• O - Your strand resembles the letter O or spirals into several Os.
• I - The strand is straight with little or no curves or waves .
• S - Your strand is wavy and curves back and forth like the letter S.
• Combination - Your strand may have a combination of two or more letters. If this is the case, then check a few more strands all over your head to know which of the letters is more dominant.

                         STRAND SIZE

• A strand of frayed thread is about the same size of a medium sized strand of human hair. If your strand is larger than it, then, your hair is thick. But if it is smaller than it, then your hair is thin or fine.

                           TEXTURE

   Shine is a sharp reflection of light while sheen is a dull reflection of light.

• Thready - Hair has a low sheen with high shine if the hair is put in a braid with little frizz. Wets easily but dries out quickly.
• Wiry - It has a sparkly sheen with low shine and low frizz. Water beads up or bounces off the hair strands. It never seems to get fully wet.
• Cottony - It has low sheen, high shine if it is held together with high frizz. Absorbs water quickly but does not get thoroughly wet very fast.
• Spongy - Hair has high sheen with low shine with compacted looking frizz. Absorbs water before it gets thoroughly wet.
• Silky - Hair has low sheen, a very high shine with a lot of low frizz. Easily gets wet in water.

   Personally, I do not consider hair typing as necessary in terms of hair care. Though I have heard of some ladies using it as a guide to creating a hair regimen. Do note that even if you are a 4C or 3C as the next lady, it does not necessary mean that what works for her will work for you because every individual is different.

   

   Do tell me which if these hair typing systems you prefer or which you can easily relate with.

Classification Systems (Hair Typing) PART I

Hey hey


   How have you all been? Hope all is well? There are various systems used to determine curl patterns. It is possible to have more than one kind of hair type on your scalp, for instance, a mixture of 3a and 3b.
   If you want to know your hair type, then, you must start with a clean scalp. Wash and condition as you normally would. Do not use a hair dryer (just air dry) or add any product to your hair as these may alter the result. Then, you may take hair strands from different sections of your hair or simply look at the hair from your scalp area, and compare them to the description of each hair type.
   It is actually believed that having knowledge of your curl pattern could help you in creating a healthy hair regimen. Without further ado, let's get to it.


ANDRE WALKER SYSTEM
  I believe most would have heard of this system as it is the most widely used to classify hair. Andre Walker who happens to be Oprah Winfrey's hairstylist came up with this system to help determine curl patterns. According to this system, there are four hair types each with three sub-categories.

• Type 1(straight) - Hair has no curl in it at all.
• Type 2 (wavy) - Hair is wavy but does not curl much.
• Type 3 (curly) - Hair is curly with a 'S' shape and holds a definite curl pattern.
• Type 4 (coily) - Hair is tightly curled or kinky often with a definite 'Z'. It can stretch and return to its coiled shape when released. Type 4 hair might shrink up to 75% of its actual length.

                           TYPE 1: Straight

• 1A (Fine/Thin) - Hair is soft and cannot hold a curl.
• 1B (Medium) - Hair does not curl but has more volume.
• 1C (Coarse) - Hair does not curl and is rather coarse.

                           TYPE 2: Wavy

• 2A (Fine/Thin) - Hair is wavy resembling the letter 'S'.
• 2B (Medium) - Hair is often frizzy with a definite wave.
• 2C (Coarse) - Hair is very frizzy with thicker waves and  is more resistant to styling. It is the most coarse in this category.

                           TYPE 3: Curly

• 3A (Loose) - Hair has a definite 'S' pattern and tends to combine thickness, fullness, body and/or frizziness.
• 3B (Medium) - As 3A but has tighter curls like a spiral.
• 3C (Tight) - Hair has the tightest curls like corkscrews.

                          TYPE 4: Kinky

• 4A (Soft) - Hair tends to be very fragile, tightly coiled and can feature a curling pattern.
• 4B (Wiry) - Curls resemble a zigzag pattern looking like letter 'Z' with less visible curl pattern.
• 4C (Wiry) - As 4A and 4B but with almost no curl pattern.

   Do tell me what you think about hair typing. Do you know what category your hair falls in? Do you believe hair typing is necessary or can be used to create a regimen for your hair?

The Hair Growth Cycle

Hey hey



  How have you been? Trust we are good. Today, we will be looking at the process of hair growth. The hair growth cycle consists of three stages or phases namely; Anagen, Catagen and Telogen. The names are derived by using the Greek prefixes ana-, kata- and telos-, meaning up, down and end respectively.

Anagen Phase
    This is the growth phase of hair follicles. During this phase, the hair grows about 1/2 an inch every month usually faster during warm climate than cold climate. This phase lasts about an average of 3-7 years or more as it also depends on genetics. Normally, 85%-90% of the hair follicles are in the anagen phase.


Catagen Phase
    This is known as the transition phase. It occurs after the anagen. It signals the end of the growth of a hair follicle. This phase lasts for about 2-3 weeks. The hair follicle will shrink about 1/6 of its original length. The lower part of the hair will be destroyed as its blood supply will be cut off. During this process, a new hair (club hair) will be produced. After this, the hair enters the telogen phase. About 1%-2% of  hair follicles are in this phase.


Telogen Phase
    This is known as the resting phase. The hair is released and eventually falls off. The follicle then remains inactive and does not grow any hair. This period lasts about 5-6 weeks. Overall about 10%-15% of the hairs on our scalp are in this phase. Once it is over, the anagen phase begins again. Thus, completing the hair growth cycle.

    The time these phases lasts varies per individual. Different hair colour and shapes of follicles also affect the timing of these phases. Note that each hair strand goes through these phases each at its own pace and not altogether at once, if not all the hair on our scalp will fall out once they reach the telogen phase. Lol.
 
    Even our eyebrows are not left out as they also go through these phases. The anagen lasts about 4-7 months, catagen for about 3-4 weeks, while the telogen lasts about 9 months. Hmm, now that's a long time.

Hair Science

Hey hey


  First things first, I'm not a scientist or anything like that, lol, but I'm going to be sharing with you just a little study about hair.


HAIR STRUCTURE
 Hair is a protein filament called keratin that grows from the follicles found in the dermis or skin. However, hair is usually referred as two distinct structures;
Firstly, the part beneath the skin called follicles, or bulb (the whitish part) that is when it is pulled out of the skin, and;
Secondly, the shaft which is the hard, visbile and filamentous part extends above the skin surface. Surprisingly, it is also considered "dead" as no biochemical activity takes place there.

  This shaft is divided into three layers namely;

1.The Cuticle is the outer covering of the hair which consist of several layers of flat, thin cells overlapping one another.

2. The Cortex , or middle layer contains the keratin bundles in cell-like structures. It is the primary source of mechanical strength and water uptake. It also contains the melanin which colours the hair fibres (hmm, interesting). This melanin consists of two hair pigments which are produced in the hair follicles.
  Eumelanin is the dominant pigment in brown and black hair. While, Pheomelanin is dominant in red hair. Blond hair is the result of having little pigmentation, whilst gray hair occurs when melanin production decreases or stops.
  The shapes of the follicles are determined by the shape of the cortex, and the shape of the fibres relates to how straight or curly your hair is. Straight hair has round fibres while wavy and curly hair have oval and other shaped fibres.

3. The Medulla is the innermost layer of the hair shaft. This nearly invisible layer is the most soft and fragile. It serves as the pith or marrow of the hair.

HAIR GROWTH
  I think this is the part most of us are really interested in. Well, it is believed that an average human's hair grows half an inch per month. This does not pertain to every individual as everyone is different. Some experience a quarter of an inch while others might be an inch or even more per month. One should not compare themselves to others in terms of hair growth as it is said that hair growth varies per individual as genetics play a role in hair growth.

   Do tell me, do you experience half an inch of growth. Do you believe that genetics can determine one's hair growth?

The Art of Detangling Part II

Hey hey


   
   So this is a follow up to my previous post. If you remember I did mention that detangling was a skill for you know how much hair one can lose if not done properly. I know most ladies love smooth and neat looking hair especially when the hair is pull into a bun. Enough chitchat, let's us get to it.

   Use your fingers to run through your locks like you would do with a comb. Try to seperate any action against knots or tangles you may find. Your fingers are gentle and will cause less damage to your tresses.

  Once you are done, you may now use your comb starting with a wide-tooth comb. For best results use seamless combs. They have smoother and well refined teeth as compared to the ordinary ones. The wide spaces between the teeth reduces the risk of damage. Begin by combing the tips of your hair and slowly work your way up. This process is efficient as it eliminates unnecessary breakage by creating easy passage for the teeth as you detangle from the bottom to the top.
                                 
                    

   Once you are done,  you may follow this with a medium tooth comb. Obviously, its teeth are smaller and will give you a sleeker look. Don't forget to work your way from the tips to the top as well.

    I believe that you must have accomplished a beautiful look by now. Except if you wish to use that tiny comb which I dread, lol. The rat tailed comb as it's popularly called should not be the first detangling tool you use even after you may have finger detangled or not. It can cause more damage as the tiny spaces between the teeth can rip through your tresses especially if there are tangles. This comb should not be used too frequently. Most times I use it to brush the top of my hair once it's in a bun and not that I run it through. I only do that if I'm wearing a weave or wig.

   Do tell me what type(s) of combs you use or have. Do you follow this method to detangle?