Textured Hair Care
Curl pattern quiz: find your hair type.
Wash your hair with no product, let it air-dry, then pick the description that fits best. The tool names the closest type from the 2A to 4C chart and what to compare it with. Hair typing is a rough guide only. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent or stored.
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Your closest type
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Answer in brief
Match your hair to the 2A to 4C curl pattern chart descriptions and get your closest type with care notes.
Worked example
Hair that forms well-defined, springy tight coils, and forms an S shape when stretched: Type 4A. Well-defined, tightly coiled, springy curls that form an S shape when stretched. The notes suggest a hydrating conditioner and leave-in, and gentle brushing to avoid breakage.
How it works
The nine descriptions are paraphrased from WebMD's hair types article: 2A fine and thin loose waves; 2B gentle waves with more volume and some frizz; 2C thicker waves that stay curly when air-dried; 3A loose S-shaped curls; 3B tighter spirals or corkscrews; 3C very tight corkscrews or coils; 4A well-defined, tightly coiled, springy curls that form an S shape when stretched; 4B curls with a sharp-angled Z that have more volume when wet and shrink as they dry; 4C the smallest, tightest curls, which grow outward instead of down.
Caveat. WebMD says the hair typing system was created by stylist Andre Walker in the 1990s to market his line of hair care products, and that hair typing is considered controversial because it was used in the past to assess how close to whiteness a person was. Use it only as a shared vocabulary for product and style choices, not as a measure of your hair. The stretch question only checks type 4 answers against WebMD's S and Z descriptions. For a routine built around porosity, try the hair porosity test result interpreter.
Not professional advice. This is general cosmetic hair care information. For scalp conditions, hair loss, pain or irritation, see a board-certified dermatologist.
Sources (retrieved 2026-10-15):
FAQ
What are the hair types from 2A to 4C?
Type 2 is wavy, type 3 is curly and type 4 is coily, each split into A, B and C subtypes by texture, thickness and curl pattern, according to WebMD.
Who invented the curl pattern chart?
WebMD says stylist Andre Walker created the hair typing system in the 1990s to market his line of hair care products.
Is hair typing reliable?
It is a rough guide. WebMD notes hair typing is considered controversial because it was used in the past to assess how close to whiteness a person was. Porosity and density also affect how hair behaves.
How do I tell 4A, 4B and 4C apart?
WebMD describes 4A as an S shape when stretched, 4B as a sharp-angled Z that shrinks as it dries, and 4C as the smallest and tightest curls, growing outward.
Should I take the quiz on wet or dry hair?
Use clean, air-dried hair with no product, so heat and styling do not change the pattern you are judging.