3 Natural Hair Types of Black Women

When Maya Angelou wrote the words “when you know better you do better,” the hope was that she had the state of our hair on the brain, but all signs point to not even close!

Not knowing or understanding what kind of natural hair you have makes it impossible to improve the overall look and feel of your precious natural mane without knowing the correct hair products to use.

This article is for you if:

• You’re the woman who turned her back on the affectionately named ‘creamy crack,’ (also known as relaxer) in favor of virgin hair.
• You’re the mother of a biracial child who has absolutely no clue how to work with what appears to be unmanageable hair.
• You’re the woman who’s forever worn natural hair, but wants to elevate her average, dull-looking curly hair to enviable, defined curly locks.

Using natural hair care brand Uncle Funky’s Daughter (UFD) marketing materials as inspiration, let’s define the three natural hair types of your curly personality:

FRIZZY = best described as hair that looks like actress & comedienne Maya Rudolph’s. Hair is usually straight at the crown and as it gets longer becomes wavy. The wave pattern stretches into “S” shaped curls that are medium-to-less defined and hair doesn’t bounce. To bring definition to frizzy hair, try Uncle Funky’s Daughter SuperCurl Miracle ($29, unclefunkysdaughter.com) which detangles, stretches and defines curls while it adds all-too-necessary moisture.

PLENTY ‘O VOLUME = UFD describes hair like actress Rachel True’s as stretched, loose, loopy “S” curls, bouncy medium ringlets and tight corkscrew (size of a straw) curls. Hair has plenty of volume. If you have no choice but to wash your hair every couple of days, then try something like DevaCurl’s Low-Poo Cleanser($18.95, devashansalon.com). It’s a low-lather (only about 5%) shampoo that gently removes dirt and styling products that weigh hair down without stripping hair of it’s moisture.

TIGHTLY COILED = the singer Shingai Shoniwa is the epitome of this hair type. While some curls in this category appear in tight ‘Z’ formations, others have no visible curl pattern, are coarse, densely packed, fragile hair that looks dry, but is, in fact, moisturized. To get and keep your hair super soft and manageable, use Nexxus Humectress Moisturizing Conditioner ($24.99, walgreens.com).

Curly girls unite and do you – I love it!

Hue Knew It? I did.