Multiple Curl Patterns
When we first arrived on the natural scene, many of us wanted to know what our curl patterns were to help with styling and choosing products. We all figured that we should fit neatly into one of the categories, so we scanned our hair for markers like curl size and pattern and still drew blanks.
The reason we were so confused is because many of us have many different curl patterns on our heads. For some the difference can be as slight as 4a-4c curls or as huge as 2b-3c. If you have noticed that your hair has varying curl patterns, you might be suffering from Multiple Curl Personality Disorder.
MORE: Find Your Texture Type
Diagnosis
Diagnosing your hair is as simple as taking a good look at it. Hair that suffers from this disorder will have multiple curl patterns or different textures and may shrink unevenly.
One of the best ways to diagnose your hair is after a wash and go when you can clearly see your curls. The good news about this disorder is that almost every curly has it. In fact, it’s rarer to find a curly with a uniform head of curls.
Treatment
When styling your hair, it’s important to take into consideration all of the different textures of hair on your head as they may have different needs.
Many women will find that hair on their head which is more tightly coiled will require more moisturizing or more styling product to hold a curl, whereas the looser sections may become weighed down easily. You may also need to implement some creative techniques to blend your curl patterns and make your hair more uniformed.
For example, when attempting wash and gos, you might want to do braid or twist outs on certain sections to mimic the curl pattern of the majority of your head. You could also set sections of your hair on Flexi Rods if the curls hang far more loosely than the rest of your head.
For styles like the twist and curl, it’s important to take into account how the areas of your hair shrink differently and set the curlers at varying heights so that the length is not uneven when your hair dries.
Living With Multiple Curl Personality Disorder
After accepting that your hair has multiple curl patterns, you need to be more open to learning about them all. Each section of your hair is unique and distinct from the others, but still uniquely beautiful, so rather than simply choosing one of the curl patterns, embrace them all.
It’s also important that you love all your curl patterns since they combine to help to create your unique curl identity. Try not to fall into the trap of loving one section of your hair and trying to make the rest of it look like the curls you so dearly love because it simply won’t happen naturally.
Being natural comes with its many quirks, but if you are willing to learn how to handle and accept them then the journey is made that much easier. Having a myriad of curl patterns on your head only adds to the interest of your hair and makes it that much more amazing.
