The Art of Shaving #1: What's Your Facial Hair Type
yongyuan
So, you stared at your face in the mirror this morning, and you thought of finally styling that unruly beard you’ve been growing. Before you start buying products to tame your facial hair dilemma, you need to understand your hair type.
There are four types of hair: straight, wavy, curly, and kinky. In general, hair type is determined by the shape of your hair shaft types-of-hair-men. For instance, curly hair is oval-shaped, straight is round and kinky hair is flat.
According to Andre Walker in his book, Andre Talks Hair!, each type of hair is further divided into more specific categories. Straight hair can be fine or coarse and is divided into three categories: 1a, 1b, 1c. The thickest is 1c and the thinnest is 1a. Wavy hair can be fine and thin to coarse and frizzy and is divided into three categories 2a, 2b, 2c. You can easily straighten 2a but 2c is more difficult to straighten and is prone to frizziness. Curly hair is also divided into three categories: 3a, 3b, 3c. With the levelness of curly increasing from 3a to 3c. Finally, kinky hair can also be divided into three categories labeled 4a, 4b, and 4c. A person with 4a kinky hair will have more defined coils and will have coarser hair than someone with 4c kinky hair who will have less defined coils and who will have more delicate hair.
Straight Hair - izusek
While these hair type divisions are usually used to determine how to categorize care for the hair on top of your head, facial hair abides by many of the same care rules.
The Beard Club advises that straight facial hair tends to grow patchier than curlier facial hair, so it’s important to remember this when looking for care products. It also means if you’re growing out your beard you need to be careful when you brush it out, so you won’t end up looking like Keanu Reeves from the new “Matrix” movie.
Wavy hair - PeopleImages
Wavy: Wavy facial hair tends to get unruly quickly. One hair follicle could have a different degree of waviness compared to another so it could leave you with an asymmetrical appearance if you aren’t careful. You won’t know you have wavy hair until you’ve been growing out your beard for a month or so. The Beard Club recommends using waxes and balms to tame the beast and to keep everything in place.
curly and kinky hair - simonkr
Curly and Kinky: Curly and kinky facial hair requires more upkeep than the other hair types as your beard can easily get tangled and matted. The Beard Club suggests avoiding unnatural straightening methods and to apply specific hair oils regularly to combat dryness.
Now that you know your hair type, stay tuned for later advice on what products best suit your bearded needs.
Curly and kinky facial hair requires more upkeep than the other hair types as your beard can easily get tangled and matted. The Beard Club suggests avoiding unnatural straightening methods and to apply specific hair oils regularly to combat dryness.
Now that you know your hair type, stay tuned for later advice on what products best suit your bearded needs.