Know your curls: waves, curls and coils, explained simply

You have probably seen the numbers: 2A, 3B, 4C. They come from a chart created by stylist Andre Walker in the 1990s and later expanded by the curly community. It sorts hair by the shape strands make as they dry. It isn’t scientific, it isn’t a ranking and it isn’t a rule. It’s a shared vocabulary, so you can find advice from people whose hair behaves like yours.

The first number describes the family: 1 is straight, 2 is wavy, 3 is curly, 4 is coily. The letter describes how tight the pattern is inside that family, from A (looser) to C (tighter).

Find your pattern

Pick the shape that looks most like your hair on a wash day, when it has dried without being touched. Look at a few strands from different parts of your head.

Most heads are a mix

It’s very common to have looser waves at the crown and tighter curls at the nape, or springy coils at the front and softer S-shapes underneath. Damage, growth and even the season can change how your hair sits. So don’t chase one label. Notice how each section behaves and give it what it asks for.

What the type does and doesn’t tell you

• Oils seem to travel more slowly along tighter patterns. That’s one reason tighter curls and coils often feel drier.
• It suggests how much a style will shrink. Coils can look half their stretched length, or even shorter. That’s shrinkage. It’s a natural part of how coils behave, not a sign your hair is short.
• It doesn’t tell you how thick each strand is, how dense your hair is, or how quickly it soaks up water. Those matter just as much when you choose products.

Why this matters for a scarf

Looser waves like a flat band that frames the face. Defined curls love a pineapple at night and a halo band by day. Big coils and afros want room: a wrap that builds height instead of flattening it. Whatever your mix, silk is smoother than cotton, and many people find it helps their pattern last until tomorrow.

Whichever letter you land on, it’s yours. Wear it.