What’s Your Type? A Guide to Men’s Hair Types
Almost 35 million men in the United States alone are experiencing hair loss, and the percentage of males with this problem only increases with age. As such, 40% of men at age 35 are balding, while 80% at age 85 have signs of hair loss.
Much of this is due to men not understanding how to take care of their hair. Indeed, many are not even aware of the different men’s hair types that need special attention.
This article will go into the different hair types of men. It will help you understand how to care for your hair — no matter its thickness, length, or feel. Practicing the tips provided in this article should help prevent you from losing more hair in the future, regardless of your hair type.
What Are the Men’s Hair Types?
Four primary different types of hair grow on men. There are also three different thicknesses and four different types. The three different thicknesses are:
- Thin Hair
- Normal Hair
- Thick Hair
This article will not focus on these, but instead on the different textures. The different types of hair textures for men are:
- Straight Hair
- Wavy Hair
- Curvy Hair
- Kinky (or Coiled) Hair
The following guidance will explain what each of these means, as well as how to care for them.
Straight Hair
Straight hair is without any bends, curves, or waves. While it can appear shiny or oily, it is no more than any other hair. Instead, this is due to the ease by which oils move from the scalp along the hair’s strands.
Unfortunately, this can mean that hair further away from the head can look “greasy” if it is not washed regularly. But it should not deter you from maintaining your hair, as it is one of the easiest hair types to work with when styling.
Advantages of Straight Hair
Straight hair is very easy to style due to its inherent strength. Its lack of curves means that it has no weak points along each strand. You can thus style it in a great many ways.
Many products are also available for straight hair that give you even more options. Creams, clays, and putties are accessible in the market for different levels of hold and can do so without exacerbating the oils that can build up.
How to Care for Your Straight Hair
To avoid greasy-looking straight hair, you are going to want to ensure that you shampoo and wash it frequently. If you decide not to use any product, you are fortunate as it does not need much else in the way of significant hair maintenance.
You may want to condition it once or twice each week. Any more than that will be redundant, as your hair’s own oils should be able to look after it, and the conditioner will only cause an excess of oil if used too much. Such oil could easily pick up dirt and pollution in the air, especially if you live in an urban area.
Wavy Hair
This type of hair has very noticeable curves, especially when recently dried. It does not fall in thick curls, but has a back-and-forth texture to it as it falls down the head. When shorter, it can be mistaken for treated straight hair; on occasion, waves may not be noticeable until the hair is especially long.
A natural-looking wave to the hair can be very desirable to both the owner as well as other people. Wavy hair can create a rugged and deliberately unkempt appearance when desired.
Advantages of Wavy Hair
Wavy hair is attractive to many, and it is so without a great deal of maintenance. It is the most likely to give a man that “lion’s mane” look that can add to a strong natural appearance.
Wavy hair also looks good when either short or long. It can continue to extend past the shoulders while maintaining its natural shape. This gives several advantages when deciding on the style wanted for it daily.
Wavy hair has a good amount of volume to it without needing regular maintenance. It does not have the “just out of bed” ease that straight hair has, but it does not need as much work as curvy hair.
This kind of hair is also less likely to get an oily consistency like straight hair does in a very short amount of time. But it is more prone to getting frizzy, which can be especially noticeable.
One of the less commonly discussed advantages of wavy hair is that it does not get as much negative attention. While you can have significant numbers of options with styling, you do not get people asking you about your hair care like with curly or kinky hair. If you do not think this happens, ask your friends with thicker and denser-textured hair. It may surprise you what you learn about the experiences they go through.
How to Care for Your Wavy Hair
Wavy hair is very stylable and many hair models have made use of this hair type due to its ability to hold shapes. For this reason, a light hair product may be able to do the majority of the work by giving it the look you want.
When you want to clean it of products and oils, you must focus on the conditioning rather than the washing. While shampooing out the oil and hair products is important, a good conditioner will prevent damage to the waves. If you do not do so, you may end up encouraging frizziness and preventing the natural waves in your hair from forming.
Curly Hair
Curly hair has several delicate curls all along its length. These curls are much more significant than those of someone with wavy hair. Thus they might need to be of a significant length before starting to descend from the top of the head.
If you are unsure if your hair is wavy or curly, there is a useful definition so you can communicate with your hairdresser easier. People describe hair as “curly” rather than “wavy” when it has more than one curl in the space of only a single inch of hair. Any less, and you have wavy hair.
Curly hair is often very thick, as that thickness is what it takes to maintain such a shape as a curl in a small area. Any thinner and the hair may be easy to mistake for wavy, despite having the same curve due to how the hair falls on the head.
Advantages of Curly Hair
Curled hair is very noticeable in a group of people. If you maintain and care for your hair regularly, you will likely be “the one with curly hair” among your friends. This can even give you the reputation of being the one who looks like a model if you play your cards right.
Curly hair has a lot of natural volume to it. This means that while you may not be able to style it quite as fast, it is very unlikely you will want to. Once you have a style that works, the hair will sit where you have put it for extended periods of time.
This ability to maintain its shape gives curled hair a specific allure, but you must be aware of your hair’s health. It only maintains this shape if you continue to take care of it over time. If you do not, it may turn into little more than a frizzy mess.
How to Care for Your Curly Hair
With great, powerful hair comes great responsibility. If you wish to keep up with your hair’s good looks, you are going to have to both shampoo and condition it regularly. Doing this will prevent any oil buildup from affecting its volume. It will instead replace what oils it has with enough moisturizing effects from the conditioner for the hair to keep its natural sheen.
When washing, be careful of the water temperature you use. If you use water that is too hot, you may end up frizzing your hair further. Be careful to not get into a shower that is steaming if you are washing your hair.
Also, your hair can get damaged fast. For this reason, do not brush your hair when it is dry. Be careful with it; instead, comb conditioner into it while you are in the shower.
Kinky Hair
Kinky hair, or coiled hair, is when the curls as described above curve even more than with “curly” hair. Coiled hair has a significant number of spirals that can make the hair itself look quite thick, even if each individual hair is thin.
This hair is very common in those with darker skin. So much so that several hair products market themselves to appeal to this demographic.
In the past, kinky hair got ignored by many hair brands. Since then, advocacy on the part of those looking to maintain their natural hair type has put coiled hair on the same level as other types.
This hair has gained a level of fame through afro-styled hair, with several beautiful styles displaying unique fashions. Many of these have even been a symbol of the heritage and culture, with simply the display of thick hair being an act of rebellion against oppression. It even had international recognition in 2009 as President Barrack Obama allowed a child who wanted to know if he had “Hair Like Mine” to touch his hair.
Advantages of Kinky Hair
Kinky hair is the most voluminous of all the different types. This allows for its owners to adopt several different styles and methods of maintenance. While it can take several years to get long enough to pass one’s shoulders, other options are available. This is a common complaint of teenagers and women who want long hair alike.
Braiding, cornrows, dreadlocks, and several other manners of growing the hair have dominated media over the years. Each of them has shown a way to accentuate this hair both before and after growing it instead.
Other options include the ability to get a very well-defined fade in your hair, as well as a high-top, or several others. You should discuss what options are available to you with your peers and your hairdresser.
Topics have included discussions about natural hair, the portrayal of coiled hair in media, and several other topics. Especially those related to hair-based discrimination.
How to Care for Your Kinky Hair
Your main dangers with coiled hair are in the hair getting too dry at the roots and follicles or over-styling it in a way that damages it. Damage can occur fast when it comes to coiled fair, so avoid hot showers for your hair. Also, generally try to avoid getting your hair wet outside of the shower as this can have a drastic change to the moisture level in your coils.
Try not to weigh your hair down with excessive products, so try to hand-style your hair if you can. Ask your hairdresser or family how to do this if you do not know.
Also, try to keep a hairbrush handy even when going out. Sometimes, it may only be necessary to pop into a bathroom to sort your hair in front of a mirror. Or, you could find peers and friends with similar hair who may well be able to gently brush it for you in case of emergencies.
Even with the best hair care, you may still fall foul of the dangers of hair loss no matter which of the men’s hair types you have. Be sure to get in contact with hair restoration experts to determine your options.
