Find the pattern.
Leave room for a mix.

Read the pattern before choosing a letter

The familiar four-family chart groups hair by visible shape. Type 1 describes predominantly straight lengths; type 2 describes waves; type 3 describes curls that form loops; type 4 describes tightly coiled or closely bending patterns. These are informal styling categories with fuzzy boundaries. A head of hair can fit more than one box.

The A, B and C letters usually describe increasing pattern tightness within a family. Charts do not always agree on the exact boundary. Treat a label such as 2B/2C as useful shorthand rather than a result that needs correcting.

• 1: Mostly straight lengths, with possible bends from a cut or styling.
• 2A: Broad, loose waves that may be most visible through the ends.
• 2B: More distinct repeating S-shaped waves.
• 2C: Stronger, closer waves, sometimes mixed with loose loops.
• 3A–3C: Visible spiral curls, from broader loops to tighter curls.
• 4A–4C: Small coils, close bends or a mixture; shrinkage can make the underlying shape harder to see.

Make your comparison on an ordinary wash day

Look at several sections once dry: around the face, the crown, each side and underneath. Use hair that has not just been curled, flat-ironed, braided or stretched for the comparison. Keep your usual necessary conditioning. There is no need to make hair uncomfortable by stripping away everything merely to obtain a label.

Take a front and back photograph in similar light on two different wash days. Note which sections repeat the same shape and which change. A brief note such as “loose waves above, stronger waves underneath” is often more useful than choosing a single letter from one photograph.

Pattern, strand thickness and density are separate

Fine, medium and coarse refer to individual strand diameter. Density describes how much hair is present across the scalp. BCcampus distinguishes these explicitly: fine strands can occur at high density, and coarse strands at low density. Neither characteristic can be reliably read from a curl letter.

This matters when copying a routine. Two people with 2C waves may need different amounts of the same styler. One may prefer a light finish with little product; the other may need to divide the hair into more sections to distribute it. The chart cannot settle that choice for either person.

What the chart cannot tell you

Hair research uses several classification approaches. A study of 2,449 people used measured shape characteristics to define eight groups. That does not validate every four-family internet chart, or establish a medical meaning for 2A, 3B or 4C. Our illustrated chart is an explanatory guide, not that research instrument.

A picture also cannot measure porosity, diagnose scalp problems, or tell you which ingredient you must avoid. Do not use ethnicity, gender or a desired hairstyle as a shortcut to someone’s hair characteristics.

Turn your description into one useful experiment

Complete this sentence: “My pattern is mostly ___, my routine feels ___, and I want ___.” The last two blanks direct the next step. “Mostly 2B, sticky by afternoon, more movement” suggests testing less leave-on product before buying another curl cream. “Mixed 3A/3B, uneven definition, less styling time” suggests comparing application in sections with the same products.

Keep the rest of the routine steady for the next comparison. Save the amount used and the result the following morning. A routine that repeatedly gives you a comfortable scalp and a finish you enjoy matters more than moving to another square on the chart.