Top 3 Easy Ways To Find Out If You Have Naturally Curly Hair

how to tell if I have naturally curly hair

Are you trying to find out if you have naturally curly or wavy hair? Here’s how you can tell if you have curly hair.

Maybe your hair is secretly wavy or curly and you’ve been using the wrong products and techniques to bring out its natural beauty.

In this post, we will explore a few ways to find out if you have natural beach waves or natural gorgeous curls and ringlets.

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Curl Patterns

Knowing the different hair types is the first step in figuring out your hair and curl type.

The main advantage of knowing your hair type and curl pattern is to be able to choose the best curly hair products and methods for your specific curly hair pattern.

Figuring out your hair type involves knowing your:

1. Scalp type – is it normal, dry or oily?

2. Hair pattern – is it straight, wavy, curly or coily

3. Hair density – is your hair fine, thick, coarse?

4. Porosity – your hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture.

Hair Types

There are 4 hair types and 3 sub types:

1. Type 1 – Straight – no texture, bends or kinks

2. Type 2 – Wavy – waves, bends or s patterns

3. Type 3 – Curly – s shaped pattern, curls, ringlets

4. Type 4 – Coily – tight curls

Curly hair types range from type 2 to 4 and it’s important to note that most people have more than one hair type and that their hair type may change throughout their lifetime.

Types of Hair: How to Style and Care for Your Hair Type

Type 2A wavy hair is perhaps the trickiest hair pattern to identify. Some women with wavy hair, opt to flat iron to style their hair straight. Others may think their hair is straight and that their only option to control the frizz is to flat iron.

If you want to enhance your natural hair type and curl pattern though, the first step is to figure out what your hair type is so that you can follow curly hair guides, tricks, hacks, and most importantly products specifically designed for your hair type.

How To Find Out If You Have Natural Curly Hair

Now that we know the different hair types, let’s dive into the fun part of this post! Figuring out if you have natural waves or curls.

The best time to get the most accurate results from these curly hair tests is when your hair is healthy. If your hair is processed or damaged from frequent heat straightening or dyeing, for instance, these curly hair type tests may give you inaccurate results. The great news is that if you do have damaged hair and you can still determine that you have waves or curls, you can start transitioning and training your curls.

Top 3 Easy Ways To Test If You Have Curly or Wavy hair

These are the easiest ways to find out if you have straight, wavy or curly hair.

1. Wondering if your hair is wavy or curly

“Is my hair wavy or curly?” If you’re even asking this and you’re trying to figure out if your hair is wavy or curly this is probably the first clue that you might have a textured hair pattern.

2. Wet hair forms natural waves, curls or even ringlets

Without brushing your wet hair, check to see if waves or curls form. If you have a bend or ringlets then chances are you have textured hair.

The reason for not brushing it wet is because when you brush it you may encourage your waves or curls to elongate and look straight.

I have type 3a and 3b curls and if I brush my wet hair, it can sometimes look straight for a bit before it starts to curl naturally. If you have looser curls this may not be the case. So, by brushing it you may think you have straight hair and miss the opportunity to use the wavy or curly hair products and techniques to style your natural curls.

3. Let your hair air dry with no products and examine the results

Many women and men with type 2 hair may end up with results that basically look straight. But, if they look closely at different sections of their hair, they may see a slight bend, twist or wave.

Even on the hair shaft, it may be straight towards the end and wavy or curly closer to the scalp. There are a couple of reasons for this. One may be that the length of the hair shaft has become accustomed to being styled straight and the new natural growth is closer to the scalp and has not yet been exposed to straight styling. Or you may need a trim for your waves or curls to bounce up.

You should also examine your hair line to see if you have ringlets forming.

Other Ways To Tell If You Have Curly Hair

1. You struggle with dry, frizzy hair

If you experience frizz when your hair is dry, even if most of your hair looks straight, you may have wavy or curly hair. I say “may” because this could also be a sign of damage. Your best option is to use less damaging hair products and techniques for at least a month and then check again to see if your hair pattern has changed.

2. You must flat iron your hair often or need keratin treatment

If you must blow dry, flat iron or require keratin treatment to manage or maintain your straight hairstyle, you probably have wavy or curly hair. Again, your best bet is to stop using damaging heat styling techniques or chemical treatments and check it again in about a month.

3. Style with curly hair products and techniques

This one is obvious. If you want to know once and for all if you have textured hair, try to style your hair using wavy or curly hair products.

How To Tell If You Have Curly Hair Quiz

A fun and easy way to try to answer your question “how can I tell if I have curly hair?” is to try this curly hair quiz to see if you might have naturally textured hair.

How To Style Naturally Curly Hair

So, you’ve done the tests above and you’ve found out that you have naturally curly hair. What’s your next step?

The great news is that there is so much information on curly hair care and affordable curly hair products that work to help you to experiment and enjoy your new journey.

Many girls start off with the curly girl method or a variation of it. Essentially, the curly girl method is aimed to help curly girls achieve healthy curls. Some products on the market have damaging ingredients that cause your curls to look dull, frizzy, and undefined.

The curly girl method has brought to light what those ingredients are so that you’re better able to choose the best products for your hair.

I personally don’t follow the curly girl method exactly, but I do practice some of the advice given. If you’re interested, this is the routine I use for my 3a, 3b curls.

Can You Make Your Hair Curlier?

It’s possible that your curls aren’t living up to its true potentional. Perhaps it’s damaged from heat or maybe you just haven’t been using the right products and techniques. You’re probably wondering if you can bring back your curls.

The good news is that you can definitely make your hair curlier and more defined by training your curls:

Use the best products for your hair type
Finger coiling is my favorite way to train your curls especially when transitioning.
Two strand twists – check this video for a simple tutorial

Being consistent with curly hair methods, techniques, and best practices will improve the health of your textured hair and encourage defined curls.

Can Your Hair Suddenly Become Curlier?

Without getting into a scientific explanation (if you’re interested, this is a good article), your hair can become curlier, wavier, or straighter throughout your life. Genetics might be the main contributor to your hair type but you can also have lifestyle, dietary or environmental factors.

I’ve heard of many women’s hair getting curlier during and after pregnancy. In different climates, your curl type, texture, and pattern can change.

In cases of environmental factors like climate and humidity, choosing the correct products is extremely important. The products that you use and work well during the summer may not necessarily work as well during winter.

Embracing Your Textured Hair

I hope this has helped tell if you have naturally curly hair.

If you’ve done the tests and quiz in this post and you’ve realized that you have waves or curls the first thing to do is to embrace your textured hair.

Before you go, check out these other curly girl posts:

Be patient and give your hair time to adjust to the change in routine.

Most importantly, experiment and be consistent.

I’d love to hear what you learned about your hair today!