girls & their curls Lauren Easton
Index
Introduction 3 Type 3A 4 Type 3B 5 Type 3C 6 Type 4A 7 Type 4B 8 Type 4C 9
Introduction Welcome to the wonderful world of curls! There are oh-so-many different types of curls out there. This gallery will display and define their beauty for all to see. So dive in (but please, don’t touch)! Hair types come in ranges from 1-4 which is from a scale of pin straight to fully coiled. On this hair spectrum, curly hair falls at type 3 and 4. This will focus on those different subtypes and what sets them apart. Jaroslav Devia // Unsplash
Type 3B Type 3A Joanna Nix // Unsplash
Type 3A hair defines the boundary between wavy and true curls. This is a light curly pattern that begins to develop some real twists and turns! Above, you can see the curls are still quite loose and the closest to wavy hair on the curl spectrum.
Jaroslav Devia // Unsplash
The model to left is rocking a natural curl. This hair texture is, as you can see, very voluminous and springy. One downside, however, is that it relies on a lot of moisture to prevent frizz. A good leave-in conditioner is a curly girls bestfriend.
Type 3B hair is full of spirals and bounce! This is usually the basic curl pattern people think of when they envision curly hair. To the right, the model has a looser type 3B style. You can see the ringlets beginning to form!
Thought Catalog //Unsplash
The models below have a more tight, cork screw curl. Even within the different types of curls, there’s still variation with the patterns! The texture ranges from fine to medium. This curl pattern also benefits from lots of body and volume. Even the curls on one girl can vary! Some curls can be more compact while other sections can be more loose. Sometimes it just depends on the product used to style.
Ivana Cajina // Unsplash
Phillipe Cavalcante //Unsplash
Cortney White //Unsplash
Ohian Oliviera //Unsplash
Type 4A
Type 3C O. Carswell //Unsplash
The difference between the types may be a bit hard to spot the closer you are in the spectrum. While they have a similiar curl pattern to type 3B, type 3C curls start to get more tight and coarse.
Caution: Curls may be longer than they seem! When pulled down, curls can seemingly double in length.
The best advice you can get about taking care of your own curls comes from another curly girl-y.
J. Owens//Unsplash
These curls also benefit from a lot more volume than the previous types. They almost defy gravity, refusing to stay down. Because curls are tighter and compact, shrinkage occurs preventing the full length to be visble.
The up-do, fluffy bun style is a favorite among many for very obvious reasons. (It’s cute!). Ian Dooley //Unsplash
Jessica Fellicio//Unsplash
There are many wide range of styles from long to short that can be rocked with this pattern.
Type 4A curls enter a new sector of curlage. The curl pattern is a lot more coarse. Curls become tighter and less defined. Shrinkage for type 4 curls also becomes major. These curls are, however, still beautiful and equally deserving of celebration.
Type 4C Type 4B Melody Jakob //Unsplash
Buns, braids, and ponytails are a popular, protective style used for this curl pattern.
Type 4B curls become tighter and more coarse. These styles begin to grow high up rather than down. It creates very nice, rounded hair styles. As seen to the right!
Shawn Fields //Unsplash
Leighanee Renee //Unsplash
Pictured left, you can see how much volume is packed in with these curls. The curl pattern becomes a bit more diffuclt to distringuish. Nonethess, it is still included on the curly specturm. Hair requires lots of moisture!
Calvin Lupiya //Unsplash
Last but not least, type 4C curls are the final texture. These are the most dense and tight. Shrinkage is especially high among these curls.
Jakob Owens//Unsplash
Pictured above, a large variety of styles can still be used for these curly girls.
Suad Karmadeen //Unsplash
The curls grow towards the sky! They require a lot of moisture to manage but they’re clearly worth it.
Thank you!