Key Points Identifying your curl pattern helps build a foundation for better care and styling. The best way to determine your true curl type is when hair is wet or damp, not stretched or blown out ...

“One way to identify 1A hair is that the hair strand (diameter) is extremely fine and it does not hold a curl, even when styled with a curling iron,” says Saviano.

Designed by Oprah Winfrey’s hairdresser Andre Walker in the 1990s, the 1a-4c hair chart has become a staple way for many Black women to categorise their natural curls.