Is Knowing Your Hair Type Really Necessary?

3C/4A. At the start of my natural journey, that’s what someone said my hair type was. Hmm. Intrigued I ran to the charts and held up my strands after washing and seeing how they measured up.

Not quite 3C but I wouldn’t say 4A either. Is there such thing as a 3C.5 or 1/2 of 4A? All the numbers and letters can get quite confusing, but I was left with one final question. Does it really matter?

I mean what purpose does grouping my hair texture into one or two categories really have on my hair styling methods?

I’m well aware that certain hairstyles and products work better on some hair types versus others. For example, whatever hair type I do have is extremely coily which causes difficulty when it comes to styles such as wash n go’s.

I feel like my hair type is pretty unique, as is everyone else’s, and maybe coming to that realization has made me question the relevance of it all. But the truth is I really don’t care!

I don’t care what my hair type is because no matter what I’m going to experiment and find styles that work for my hair, instead of going off what someone says.

I’ve also learned that a lot of the curly clip in* extensions* which are really popular right now are not based on the letter-number hair typing system. Curl pattern manipulation is something anyone can take part in by just doing a simple twist or braid out. Your hair should blend well as long as the textures match.

So overall, I personally think trying to determine your hair type with respect to letters and numbers is pointless. Focus on the density, thickness, and porosity and use those details to make decisions when it comes to styling and picking appropriate products.

Do you know your hair type? What difference, if any, has it made for you?