Understanding Straight Hair

by Anjelina Tongco

Has anyone ever asked you what your hair type is? What did you say? Or what would you have said if someone did? Most people can describe their hair but only a few will be able to answer specifically what their hair type is. It may seem unnecessary, but it’s really something we need to spend a bit more time and effort into researching, especially if you want to be able to care for your hair better and style it the right way. 

Did you know that there are four main hair types: straight, wavy, curly, and coily? And that each of these hair types can be further categorized into three more hair types (A, B, and C)? Let’s talk about straight hair today. Here’s what you need to know about it and how you can style it better if this is the type of hair that you have. 

Straight Hair Types 

  • Straight Hair 1A - 1A hair is the straightest and the thinnest of all hair types. It is characterized by pin-straight hair that’s often limp and flat. This hair type is prone to breakage so you’re going to want to learn how to do protective hairstyles and how to protect your hair (especially when you’re sleeping). This is also the type of that can barely hold a curl so, if you’re thinking of using a curling wand, you’re going to want to go for something that’ll give off heat that can penetrate the strands. In fact, you might even be better off with a set of hot rollers. You might also want to load up on products to help your hair keep its shape for longer periods of time.
  • Straight Hair 1B - most people with straight hair fall into the 1B category. This hair type is characterized by straight hair with more body and volume. You might also see slight bends and bumps here and there, but nothing too drastic to take away from the overall straight hair look. Compared to 1A hair, 1B hair holds curls better, though you can’t expect them to last too long either. At least not without the help of a few styling products to lock in the look. Still, with 1B hair, your style choices are wider. You can go for subtle waves using your favorite hair wand, beach waves with a 3 barrel curling iron, or even full glam curls with electric curlers
  • Straight Hair 1C - now, let’s talk about 1C hair. This hair type is seen as predominantly straight and typically very thick. For most people, they might also observe that their 1C hair is rather coarse. The good news: this hair type holds curls and hairstyles in general very well. The bad-ish news: it’s going to take a little longer to style since the hair is thicker and coarser. 

Straight hair is generally very easy to style. It’s also a little more versatile since there’s tons of looks that you can pull off with minimum effort.