Curl Type Quiz
Find your curl pattern: wavy, curly, or coily
Answer 5 quick questions to find your curl pattern.
What is a curl pattern?
Your curl pattern is the shape your strands grow in, set by your follicle and visible the moment your hair dries untouched. Patterns run from loose S-waves through bouncy spirals to tight coils, and each one wants different moisture, products, and drying technique. Pattern is only half the story, though: pair it with your hair porosity to know what your hair actually absorbs.
The three curl families
Wavy (Type 2)
S-shaped bends that lie close to the head. The most flexible pattern, it straightens easily and curls up with the right product, but also the easiest to flatten with heavy creams.
Curly (Type 3)
True ringlets that spring back when stretched. Type 3 needs moisture constantly, oil from your scalp can't navigate the spiral, and rewards wet styling with serious definition.
Coily (Type 4)
The tightest patterns: small coils and zig-zags with major shrinkage (hair can be half its real length when dry). Beautiful, dense, and delicate, layered moisture and gentle handling are the whole game.
Styling your pattern
Whatever your pattern, definition follows the same recipe: style on soaking-wet hair, scrunch upward, and keep hands off while it dries. In our Online Hairstyling Course for Teens, Ksenia Bardova and Svetlana Shekhovtsova demonstrate 10 specific braids, bows, buns, and a half-up style with curls, $15, self-paced, ages 11–17.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my hair is wavy or curly?
Look at clean, air-dried hair with no product: waves form an S-shape that lies fairly flat, while curls form springs or ringlets that bounce back when gently pulled. If your "waves" wrap all the way around a finger, you have curls.
What are the curl pattern numbers (2a–4c)?
The number is the family: 2 is wavy, 3 is curly, 4 is coily. The letter is the tightness: A is loosest, C is tightest. A 2B has defined S-waves; a 3B has springy ringlets about marker-width; a 4C has the tightest zig-zag coils.
Do I have curly hair if it only curls when wet?
Probably, yes: a pattern that shows when wet is your real pattern. If it disappears as it dries, the curl is being weighed down, roughed up by towel-drying, or damaged by heat. Styling products applied to soaking-wet hair usually bring it back.
Why does my curl pattern look different in different spots?
Totally normal: most curly heads carry two or three patterns at once, often looser at the crown and tighter underneath. Style for your tightest sections and the rest follows.