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By Chinwe of Hair and Health

While on Pinterest one day, I came across a photo of a new “Hair Type Chart” developed by the lovely Alma Ruddock of Blackhairinformation.com.  The chart is not what you think, though.  It is not another chart attempting to dissect hair “types.”  Rather, this chart is pretty innovative in that is tosses out the hair typing system and defines hair by “texture”, that is, on the spectrum from fine hair to coarse hair.  The logic behind this new chart is that our strand thickness is what truly matters when it comes to hair care.  So, today I pose the following questions:

Does hair typing have its benefits in hair care?

Well, I think so … but to an extent.  At what point does hair typing matter in hair care?  For one, it matters during the washing process.  While many type 3’s can wash their hair loose with little to no problem, most type 4’s can forget about it or deal with major tangles and knots.  Then there is the styling process following a wash.  Many type 3’s can retain length perfectly fine with a regular wash-n-go routine.  In contrast, most type 4’s will experience breakage with such a routine, and thus benefit from regular protective styling. Whether our hair has tiny coils that go every which way or whether it has larger curls that clump together determines how we care for our hair, especially in terms of washing and manipulation.  This all being said, though, is hair typing the ultimate way to “type” our hair?

Or is looking at texture more beneficial in hair care?

The reality is that there are some hair care practices that work perfectly well on those with coarse hair that would wreak havoc on those with fine hair and vise versa … regardless of hair type.  For example, frequent heat usage at medium temperatures may have no adverse impact on coarse hair but severely damage fine hair.   For another example, light oils may be sufficient for sealing fine strands but heavier oils and butters are necessary for coarse strands.  So, if we use our strand thickness (that is, fine vs. coarse) to guide our hair care practices, is there any reason to continue using the hair typing system?  What say you?  Check out the innovative hair “texture” chart below and share your thoughts:

bhi_hairchart

(Image Source)

Does it make more sense to have a hair type chart based on strand thickness?