The first step to beautiful hair is to determine what type of hair you have. Everyone has different types of hair; Straight, Wavy, Curly or Kinky.
Straight Hair:
Straight Hair has a mirror-like shine to it as it reflects more light due to its 'flat' surface. it also gets its shine due to the fact that sebum (natural oil) is able to freely distribute itself from scalp to ends. Although many people wish they have straight hair, one of the problems of straight hair is the lack of volume, it also does not hold hairstyles as well as wavy or curly hair.
Texture: Straight hair can be fine, medium, thick or coarse.
Products: Silicone helps straight hair look sleek, smooth and shiny.
Wavy Hair:
Wavy hair is in the middle of straight and curly hair. It has a bit more bounce than straight hair. Wavy hair can have the tendency to frizz. It generally has a loose S-shape that can vary from a slight smooth wave to a tighter S-shape.
Texture: Wavy hair can be fine, medium, thick or coarse.
Products: Silicone and conditioning polymers are good for wavy hair. Silicone gives hair shine while the conditioning polymer aids in bounce and movement. Voluminizing products will give hair on the straighter side a little more volume.
Tip: Use lighter products such as mousse and gels that won't weight down hair.
Curly Hair:
Curly hair can range from loose curls to tight spirals. Major issues of curly hair are frizziness and dryness.
Curlies need to be gentle with their hair as aggressive touching and combing can cause frizz. Even towel drying can cause frizz. Its best to allow hair to air dry. When applying product; curl enhancing, gel or mousse work in direction of the curl pattern. Once hair is dry, avoid touching as it will frizz the more you touch it. Damaged Type 3 hair is usually frizzy, dull, hard and dry to the touch, with fuzzy, ill-defined curls.
Texture: Curly hair can be fine, medium, thick or coarse.
Products: Conditioning Polymers create bounce and define curls, Natural Oils smooth curls and Humectants* hydrate and prevent puffiness. Silicone can be used on the ends to soften curls and enhance shine. Deep conditioning treatments at least once a week will help re-hydrate hair.
Tip: If you can't allow hair to air dry use a diffuser. Reduce tangles by sleeping on a satin pillowcase.
*- Humectants are used in cosmetic products to promote moisture retention.
Kinky Hair:
Kinky or highly textured hair can be the hardest to manage. Type 4 hair appears to be coarse, but it is actually quite fine, with lots and lots of this strands densely packed together.
Curlies can choose to either have it natural or relaxed, either way it still needs the right care. Kinky hair tend to be dry and more susceptible to breakage, especially after chemically treating it. Each time you use a curling iron or treat it with chemicals – you are damaging it by breaking down a cuticle layer, robbing your hair of much-needed moisture.
Natural highly textured hair has a lot of twists and disulphate bonds, relaxing treatments break those bonds making the hair straight and easier to manipulate.
Natural kinky hair does not grow very long as it breaks each time you comb.
Texture: Natural hair can be thick and coarse and tightly curled where as relaxed hair can be flat and shiny.
Products: Deep conditioning treatments will help hydrate hair. Silicone and natural oils will help moisturize hair. Curlies with kinky hair should stay away from alcohol-based products as they tend to dry hair. Those with relaxed hair should space out chemical treatments to reduce breakage and damage.