What Is My Hair Type?

What this tool does

What is my hair type? This AI takes a photo of your clean, freshly washed, air-dried hair and places you in the Andre Walker system: Type 1 straight, Type 2 wavy, Type 3 curly, or Type 4 coily, with the a-b-c sub-type marking how loose to tight the pattern is (1a fine-straight, 4c tightest coil). It also reads density (fine, medium, thick), gives a porosity estimate, and notes whether you have multi-textured hair, since most people have at least two different patterns across their head. Useful before booking a curly hair cut, picking products, or learning a styling routine designed for your actual texture.

How it works

Wash your hair, skip product, let it air-dry without manipulation. Take a clear photo in natural light, ideally showing more than one section of your head. The AI runs curl pattern detection (S-curve for 2 and 3, Z-bend for 4, no curve for 1), strand-width estimation for texture, and density inference from the visible coverage. It then maps the pattern to the Andre Walker classification and adds the sub-type based on tightness. The result is your primary type, your sub-type, and any secondary patterns visible (most people have a tighter crown or perimeter than the rest). Heat styling, product residue, and wet hair all hurt accuracy. The clean-and-dry rule matters.

Benefits

• Find out your hair type without the towel test
• Get the Andre Walker sub-type, not just 'curly' or 'wavy'
• Spot multi-textured hair, which is more common than people realize
• Pick products that match your actual type. Curly girl method works for 2c and up, not for Type 1
• Before booking a curly cut, know what your stylist will be working with
• Track changes over time. Hormones, postpartum, and chemical processing all shift type
• Settle the 4a vs 4b question, which is one of the most argued classifications in the curly community

Tips for Best Results

• Wash hair the day of the test. Product residue throws off the pattern reading
• Air-dry without manipulation. No brushing, twisting, or scrunching while drying
• Take the photo in natural light, not under overhead bulbs
• Show multiple sections if your hair varies across your head
• Don't be in a humid room. Humidity affects curl tightness
• If you heat-style regularly, you may need to do a multi-week heat detox before getting an accurate read
• Don't be surprised by multi-textured results. A 2c crown with 3a everywhere else is normal

Popular Use Cases

• Before your first curly hair cut, so you can communicate type to your stylist
• Picking products. The Type 1 routine and the Type 4 routine are totally different
• Settling the long-running 4a vs 4b vs 4c argument (a common source of confusion in the natural hair community)
• Multi-textured hair owners trying to figure out which type to follow for product choice
• Tracking changes through hormonal shifts (pregnancy, menopause) or treatment cycles (color, relaxers)
• Curly community newcomers learning the system
• Pure curiosity about whether your guess matches the AI read

Frequently Asked Questions