The type of hair a person has, has a major impact on how you cut their hair, the length you cut it to, the final appearance of the hair and the way it looks a couple of weeks or a month later.
For purposes of classification, there are four hairtypes: straight, wavy, curly and kinky.
Straight hair, like all hairtypes, can be cut to any length, but if you want straight hair to LAY well, it has one best cutting length.
a. To get it to lay well, it is cut as short as an inch on finer textured hair to as long as three inches on coarser hair.
b.Cut it shorter than these recommendations and the hair wants to stand on end; leave it longer and the hair tends to be floppy and easily messed up.
c. Since hair grows 1/2 to 3/4 inch a month, this kind of hair needs to be cut every 4 to 6 weeks to keep it shape.
d. Hairgrain (the direction of the hairs coming out of the follicle) has a major impact on how straight hair lays. For example, hairgrain determines if the hair easily lays toward the back on the sides or does it want to lay downward.
e. If straight hair is not laying the way the hairgrain wants it to lay, it can stand on end instead of laying down or it can take on a wavy or curly appearance.
f. Most straight hair has the side hair growing downward.
Wavy hair ranges from slightly wavy to quite wavy.
a. This hairtype like the others has a texture that can range from fine to medium to coarse on different people.
b. If wavy hair is cut to a length of 1 1/2 inches or shorter, the hairgrain determines what direction the hair lays.
c. Leave wavy hair longer and it can usually lay in different directions quite easily, especially on finer textured hair.
d. Wavy hair takes on different looks depending on length–cut it shorter than an inch and it looks straight, add an inch of growth and it takes on a wavy appearance, get it to a length of three inches or more and it can take on a curly look.
e. Wavy hair usually grows toward the back on the sides and a ducktail neckline is common.
Curly hair takes a winding path (like a stretched out spring) as it grows out of the follicle.
a. If curly hair is cut shorter than an inch, the hairgrain will show itself.
b.This hair looks fairly straight if cut shorter than an inch; add a little length and it quickly goes into waves and then curls.
c. A ducktail neckline is also common on this hairtype.
Kinky hair is the curliest of the curly hair varieties.
a. Kinky hair also takes a winding path and it also resembles a spring, but it is not stretched out as much as curly hair.
b. It too has a hairgrain, but to see it, this hair has to be cut a quarter-inch or less.
c. Curly and especially kinky hair, does not show its growth as much a straight hair. It has a similar growth rate, but to see how much has grown, you have to stretch out the hair.
All hairtypes need a smooth, even cutting to be well-shaped. Choppy uneven cutting is a sign of poor cutting, or worse, the hair will look like there is some kind of underlying growth or an odd shape to the head.
HELPERS
Knowledge helps you make a living; wisdom helps you make a life.
Chinese fortune cookie saying