Is Your Hair Straight, Wavy, Curly or Coily?

Everyone’s hair can be sorted into one of four categories based on its level of curliness. These four categories are: straight, wavy, curly and coily.

Knowing what your hair type can be important when it comes to working out the best way to keep it healthy. This includes knowing what products to use and how often to use them. You can also get a better idea as to how to style your hair.

To help you identify your hair type, this post delves more into the differences between each hair type, while also offering some tips on how to care for each type of hair. 

Straight

Straight hair is hair that remains completely straight when it dries. It is most common in people of Asian or European descent. In fact, about 45% of White and East Asian people are believed to have straight hair.

Straight hair gets oily faster than other hair types, and tends to require more regular shampoo washing than other types of hair. This is particularly the case with finer straight hair, which can quickly get greasy and many benefit from daily washing. Conditioning is often not as essential for straight hair, but can still have health benefits. It is best to condition infrequently and use a light conditioner. 

There are many great ways to style straight hair. Bangs can help frame the face, while choppy hair cuts and bobs can be used to add volume. Check out this guide to the 20 Best Haircuts for Straight Hair to Suit Your Face Shape. 

Wavy

Wavy hair can often look straight when it is wet. However, when it dries it tends to take on a slight curve or ‘S-shape’. About 40% of White and Asian people have wavy hair. Meanwhile, about 5% of Black people have wavy hair.

Wavy hair does not get as oily as straight hair, or as dry as curly hair. However, it can still get visibly oily towards the top if not washed with shampoo regularly and dry towards the bottom if not conditioned regularly. A light conditioner is recommended with wavy hair. 

Arguably the most versatile hair type, wavy hair has more natural volume than straight hair while being easier to keep in shape than curly hair. This allows you to explore a huge array of styles. Just check out this guide to Wavy Hair Cuts: 16 Flattering Styles to Try for Every Length and see some of the options that are available to you.

Curly

Curly hair forms much more defined curls when it is dry. These tend to form a loose corkscrew shape. It’s believed that about 95% of Black people have curly or coily hair. Only about 15% of White and Asian people have curly hair. 

Curly hair does not need to be washed with shampoo as often as wavy hair. However, regular conditioning is recommended to add moisture – especially for those with curly hair that is quite coarse. This could include using rinse-out conditioners every day or two and a deep conditioner once per week.

Curly hair doesn’t stay in shape well, and as a result can feel more limiting than some other hair types. But in fact, there are many different hairstyles to explore – these 19 Easy-to-Do and Flattering Hairstyles for Curly Hair prove it. Get creative and embrace those curls.

Coily

Coily hair (also known as kinky hair) forms much tighter curls. Whereas you may be able to fit a pencil inside the curls or curly hair, this is not possible with coily hair. As already mentioned, 95% of Black people have curly or coily hair, however coily hair is more common. 

Coily hair is the most delicate hair type. It rarely needs to be washed with shampoo, with some experts recommending a shampoo wash only once per month. However, it needs more moisturising than any other hair type – which means using more conditioner. If you’re washing your hair every day, this means ideally using a deep conditioner or a leave-in conditioner every day to keep your hair as healthy as possible. 

When well maintained, coily hair can be styled into a range of unique hair styles. It may be the most voluminous type of hair, but unlike curly hair it holds its shape due to its spongy nature. Check out these Hairstyle Ideas For Type 4 Kinky Hair. 

Conclusion

As you can see, the hair types are all very different and require different types of maintenance. However, there are still some universal hairstyles – just check out these 10 Simple Hairstyles For The Jet Lagged Traveller. 

It’s important to embrace your hair type, and not try to curl or straighten it too often using heat, as this will damage it. Find the right products and explore the styles that are suited to your hair type.