by Kelsey of Lifewithcoco2
Before going natural, I had never heard of a hair typing system. Everyone I knew had a perm and our hair pretty much did the same thing: bone straight when wet and puffed up at the roots when it was time for a new relaxer. When I decided to go natural, I stumbled upon a website that had a list of different hair types from 2a (being bone straight) until 4c (being kinky). It also listed different types of products that were suited to use for each hair type and how to generally take care of your hair.
In the beginning of my journey, I found the hair typing list to be quite helpful in regards to developing my own hair care regimen. Once I figured that out, I didn’t give hair typing a second thought. Soon after, I began to notice that I had 3 different hair types. Also, I learned just because someone with my similar, “hair type” used a certain product on their hair didn’t mean it would work for me.
As time went on, I noticed an underlying division in the natural hair community regarding the different hair types. I’ve observed those who are not natural are often hesitant to do so because of fear of having a “less desired“ hair type. From my understanding, part of going natural is to embrace who you are and love your natural self. It seems as if there are still certain beauty standards even within the natural hair community, which seem to be linked to the hair typing system.
What are your thoughts? Where did those standards come from? Do you think there are division in the natural hair community partially caused by the hair typing system? Do you benefit from the hair typing system?
About Kelsey: I’m Kelsey Janae aka Lifewithcoco2, I love all things natural hair. I seek to inspire and educate using my knowledge of all things hair, health, and beauty. My goal is to encourage women and men to always be the best version of themselves.
