Coloured or white, but all 3c?! - Page 3

love yourself first · 06-23-2005, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zsazsa

Thank You so much for addressing this issue!
By the posting NC members and celeb photos, I have been able to 'find' my hair type.

I'm 3C !

I agree - you have very tight , small, well-formed 3C corkscrews. They are so cute!

Amneris · 06-24-2005, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cehua

IMO, curly hair differs in the following:

-pattern - coils, springs. zig zags, s-curves
-pattern size - watch spring to chalk size
-density - sparse, dense
-strand diameter - fine, medium, wide
-feel/texture - cottony, wooly, spongy

I feel that Andre’s system does not address all of these issues. From what I heard, his system was meant to address his wife’s 3b hair. I am not sure but that is what I heard.

I have seen the LOIS system floating on the net. It is supposed to identify the different hair structures.

Quote:

Another hair typing system, L.O.I.S. was developed by Our Hair as a simpler way to identify different hair structures.

Pattern
L = Bend
O = Curl
I = Straight
S = Wave

Strands
Thick
Medium
Thin

Texture
Thready - low sheen, high shine, low frizz
Wiry - sparkly sheen, low shine, low frizz
Cottony - low sheen, high shine, high frizz
Spongy - high sheen, low shine, high frizz
Silky - low sheen, high shine, low frizz

Shine - hair that reflects light along its surface.
Sheen - hair that sparkles as if filled with light.

How to determine which daughter (or son) of LOIS you are (from ourhair.net):

Remove a single strand of the most common type of hair on your head. Aim for 70%, so if you have different textures, use the most common texture on your head.

The hair should be freshly washed without products applied to it and rinsed in cold water. Or, gently rinse a single hair with a little dish detergent and rinse in cold water.

Lay the hair on an absorbent paper towel to dry.

When the hair is completely dry, look at the pattern without touching it.

-If the hair has all bends, right angles and folds with little to no curve then you are daughter L.
-If the strand is rolled up into the shape of one or several zeros like a spiral, then you are daughter O.
-If the hair lies mostly flat with no distinctive curve or bend you are daughter I.
-If the strand looks like a wavy line with hills and valleys then you are daughter S.

It will be common to have a combination of the LOIS letters, (with more dominant) which can help you determine which daughter of LOIS you are. If you cannot see one letter over the others, then combine the letters. Example: LO or IL or OS.

Other characteristics of LOIS:
Strand Size: One half of a piece of inexpensive sewing thread (such as the kind that is contained in those palm sized personal sewing kits) split in two is about the thickness of a medium strand size of human hair. If you hair is larger than this, then your strand size is thick. If you hair is smaller than the split thread, then your hair strand is thin, or fine.

If you want to compare your hair strand to a split piece of thread, it can be done by moving the thread back and forth between your thumb and forefinger holding the free end taunt.

Texture:
Thready texture of hair usually has a low sheen, with high shine if the hair is held taunt (as in a braid), with low frizz. Wets easily but water dries out quickly.

Wiry hair textures have sparkle sheen, with low shine and low frizz. Water beads up or bounces off the hair strands. Hair never seems to get fully wet.

Cottony hair texture will have a low sheen, a high shine if the hair is held taunt and has high frizz. Absorbs water quickly but does not get thoroughly wet very fast.

Spongy hair has a high sheen with low shine with a compacted looking frizz. Absorbs water before it gets thoroughly wet.

Silky hair has low sheen, a very high shine, with a lot or low frizz. Easily wets in water.

If I were to talk about 3c hair of African descent I would feel that the *biggest* difference lies in texture.

I am not sure what my hair type is (will post pictures soon so you guys can see). I am not the corkscrew of the textbook 3c but is not tight and has a lot more movement than a 4a (looks like almost like CDG’s hair but my roots are flatter). I have a s wave pattern, thin strands, cottony hair that does not get wet fast but as long as I do DT and make sure I have a good leave-in, I do not get frizzy hair.

So I guess that would make me a SThinCottony with pencil size dense curls.

Edited to separate web info (in quotes) from my opinions

I've seen LOIS too, but always found it too confusing. The pictures you posted, Cehua, are how I think of 3c hair too, (and I think all those people are mixed.... I KNOW not every 3c is mixed, but I do think of it as primarily mixed hair.) I think my natural hair is like those pictures, especially the Poitier girls. My celebrity hair twins, who I think of as 3c, are Alicia Keys, Mya and Nancy Randall. Some people on this board, however, have much tighter hair and call themselves 3c, so I agree it;s confusing.

As to LOIS, I would say I am daughter S with a bit of O (most of the hair is in bumps and valleys but part of it springs up into an O), thick strand size, and cottony texture, but it does not have hig frizz, so maybe it is thready in that area, but it definitely fits the rest of the cottony description. Even there, my hair is so mixed it is hard to type!

alguma pessoa · 06-24-2005, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amneris

The pictures you posted, Cehua, are how I think of 3c hair too, (and I think all those people are mixed.... I KNOW not every 3c is mixed, but I do think of it as primarily mixed hair.) I think my natural hair is like those pictures, especially the Poitier girls. My celebrity hair twins, who I think of as 3c, are Alicia Keys, Mya and Nancy Randall. Some people on this board, however, have much tighter hair and call themselves 3c, so I agree it;s confusing.

I posted the “mixed” girls because they were easier to find/talked about the most.

From the pictures I have seen, I consider Nancy, Mya, and Alicia Keys 3b/3c (or a 3b.5 LOL). From your pictures I think you are a 3b.5 too.

Sydney looks like a 3c in the pictures I posted because of her tight ringlets but a 3b/3c in the one Werenumber2 posted. That picture looked like it was of an award show so I am sure she could have had her curls styled to make them bigger. It is interesting to see people’s curls change. A lot of celebrities curls get bigger or change if they are in the public eye more. Two I can think of are the Tracee Ellis Ross and Alison Stewart the news reporter.

I consider Rae Dawn Chong, Gloria Reuben, Valéria Valenssa, Janaína Lince, and Holy Robinson (is that her real hair or is it a straw set. I read in a magazine that it was a straw set but I was not sure) 3cs. They have medium to tight curls but not as tight and kinky-coily as a 4a (although some have the same texture).

I guess off the top of my head (there are so many) the 3cs on this board are Portae, Shygirl, CurlyDutchGirl, and Cupcake.

I guess it really does not matter. I receive/give advice from/to everyone. I experiment to see which one works for my hair and then once I find it I am through.

Curious, why was the hair typing system started any way? The stylists I used to go to just talk about curl size and look at me with a weird look if I say 3c. LOL

Yep, LOIS is confusing but I like it because it accounts for texture too. I also like it because it is not hierarchal. I have seen some people use it with the Andre/Fia system too (e.g. 3c SOfdc).

I like the Ouidad curl profile too: Almost Straight to Wavy (2a-2b), Wavy to Loose (2c-3a), Loose to Medium (3b), Medium (3b/3c), Medium to Tight (3c), Tight to Kinky (4a), Kinky (4b).

sck · 06-24-2005, 12:29 PM

Quote:

From the pictures I have seen, I consider Nancy, Mya, and Alicia Keys 3b/3c (or a 3b.5 LOL). From your pictures I think you are a 3b.5 too.

I agree with this. 3b is sidewalk chalk size and 3c is pencil/straw size according to the definition. The best way to tell if you're 3b or 3b.5

or 3c would be to actually compare one of your strands to a pencil or a straw. If you're bigger, you definitely fit in the 3b or 3b.5.

Amneris · 06-24-2005, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sck

Quote:

From the pictures I have seen, I consider Nancy, Mya, and Alicia Keys 3b/3c (or a 3b.5 LOL). From your pictures I think you are a 3b.5 too.

I agree with this. 3b is sidewalk chalk size and 3c is pencil/straw size according to the definition. The best way to tell if you're 3b or 3b.5

or 3c would be to actually compare one of your strands to a pencil or a straw. If you're bigger, you definitely fit in the 3b or 3b.5.

Most of mine are about pencil size and some are slightly smaller. I've never had anything like sidewalk chalk.

alguma pessoa · 06-24-2005, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amneris

Quote:

Originally Posted by sck

Quote:

From the pictures I have seen, I consider Nancy, Mya, and Alicia Keys 3b/3c (or a 3b.5 LOL). From your pictures I think you are a 3b.5 too.

I agree with this. 3b is sidewalk chalk size and 3c is pencil/straw size according to the definition. The best way to tell if you're 3b or 3b.5

or 3c would be to actually compare one of your strands to a pencil or a straw. If you're bigger, you definitely fit in the 3b or 3b.5.

Most of mine are about pencil size and some are slightly smaller. I've never had anything like sidewalk chalk.

Amneris-I guess because you play with your texture and curl size so much (not a bad thing at all) it is hard for us to tell just by looking at your pictures.

I guess it really does not matter as long as you have healthy hair.

I still do not know what the purpose is. I prefer Ouidad for curl sizing and LOIS for texture assessment (although it is not perfect either).

Sck-Andre is talking about the fat drinking straws right?

Amneris · 06-24-2005, 12:40 PM

[quote="Cehua

[b]Amneris[/b]-I guess because you play with your texture and curl size so much (not a bad thing at all) it is hard for us to tell just by looking at your pictures.

I guess it really does not matter as long as you have healthy hair. :

I agree with this, too.

LipGlassHoney · 06-24-2005, 12:53 PM

I may be a little late in asking this. If everyone of the same hair type STILL can't use the same products, why does hair type matter. I typically use it just to give a general idea. A lot of people are WAAAAYY off on their typing anyway. I too have come across people who say they have 2b when it is probably closer to 3c. IMHO, it's almost getting as bad as the whole good hair/bad hair dilemma.

Amneris · 06-24-2005, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LipGlassHoney

I may be a little late in asking this. If everyone of the same hair type STILL can't use the same products, why does hair type matter. I typically use it just to give a general idea. A lot of people are WAAAAYY off on their typing anyway. I too have come across people who say they have 2b when it is probably closer to 3c. IMHO, it's almost getting as bad as the whole good hair/bad hair dilemma.

very good point!
I think some people use different typing, like on the My Honeychild site , the 2-type hair looks like 3b and even 3c according to this site.

love yourself first · 06-24-2005, 01:11 PM

Yes, the hair typing is just supposed to be a shorthand for us to quickly determine whether we have similar hair so can follow each others tips... It is an approximation, and as I've posted over and over again, I go by what people post and their hair pictures much more than the self-description, although it is truly helpful when people self-classify in a manner that is somewhat consistent with the more formal descriptions (i.e. wavy~curls are 3A, big, bouncy curls are 3B, tight ringlets are 3C and with many of us having mixed and/or blended types all on the same head!).

It's definitely not a science, that's for sure!

But it's interesting to me that among the new hair sub-type boards, 3A and 3C have the most action, with 4A on the heels of that. The other sub-type boards are getting less play and exchange for some reason, I guess because there are fewer NC curlies who have super wavy hair or super kinky hair...

love yourself first · 06-24-2005, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amneris

very good point!
I think some people use different typing, like on the My Honeychild site , the 2-type hair looks like 3b and even 3c according to this site.

Yes, according to the MHC site, I am a 2. But I don't go by that because it so inconsistent with the other hair typing systems. In the LOIS sytem, I am a O/S, but I don't go by that either.

sck · 06-24-2005, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Sck-Andre is talking about the fat drinking straws right?

Just regular straws. The diameter should be about 1/4 of an inch.

HeatherNicole · 07-05-2005, 01:36 PM

I know this thread has been inactive for a while but since I just got back into town I'm gonna post anyway. lol. I'm convinced that my hair just does it's own thing. So I've put it somewhere in between 3C and 4A because now it's starting to corkscrew on the ends as it gets longer. It's crazy, it's mine, I love it.

I asked a couple of people a while ago (i think curltopia and Amneris chimed in) and they agreed that my hair was a combo of both. I just didn't want to be one of those people in denial that really was in the 4 catagory and wanting to be 3C.

love yourself first · 07-05-2005, 02:15 PM

HN-

You're so silly and cute... and for the record, yes, I think you are 3c/4a -your hair is really pretty and also unique!

HeatherNicole · 07-05-2005, 02:39 PM

Curltopia-

Where would I be without you? I'm adopting you as my Hairy Godmother... wait that sounds gross. See what happens when I try to be clever? lol. Well then just my hair Fairy Godmother.

love yourself first · 07-05-2005, 02:52 PM

HN-

You are a riot! I am deeply flattered, but, yes, Hairy Godmother does make me think of men in bad drag :P But I know what you are trying to say and I appreciate it!