An alternative to Andre Walker's hair typing system is the LOIS hair typing system. This system is goes into much more detial as to how to classify your strands.
This system should only be used as a guide and, in my opinion, is more important for natural-heads to know and become familiar with hair types than relaxed-heads as far as CARE is concerned.
DISCLAIMER: ALL TYPES OF HAIR GROWS one hair type is not "superior" over another. The foundation of growing hair to its longest lengths has little to do with (if at all) the type of hair one has and MORE to do with a solid 3C's regimen.
Examine Your Hair Strand
Select a single strand of the most common type of hair on your head. Aim for the most common texture on your head if you have different hair textures. The hair should be freshly washed without products applied to it and rinsed in cold water. Or, gently rinse a single hair with a little dish detergent and rinse in cold water. Allow the hair to dry on a bit of paper towel so that you can look at the pattern without touching it. Find Your Pattern The bends, kinks and coils of your hair will resemble one of more of the letters L, O, I or S. L - If the hair has all bends, right angles and folds with little to no curve then you are daughter L. O - If the strand is rolled up into the shape of one or several zeros like a spiral, then you are daughter O. I - If the hair lies mostly flat with no distinctive curve or bend you are daughter I. S - If the strand looks like a wavy line with hills and valleys then you are daughter S. You may have a combination of the L,O,I,S letters, possibly with one dominant. If you cannot see one letter over the others, then combine the letters. Example: LO or IL or OS. Find Your Strand Size A strand of frayed thread is about the thickness of a medium sized strand of human hair. If your strand is larger than this, then your hair is thick. If your strand is smaller than this, hair is thin, or fine. Find Your Texture Shine is a sharp reflection of light while Sheen is a dull reflection of light. Thready - Hair as a low sheen, with high shine if the hair is held taut (as in a braid), with low frizz. Wets easily but water dries out quickly. Wiry - Hair has a sparkly sheen, with low shine and low frizz. Water beads up or bounces off the hair strands. Hair never seems to get fully wet. Cottony - Hair has a low sheen, a high shine if the hair is held taunt and has high frizz. Absorbs water quickly but does not get thoroughly wet very fast. Spongy - Hair has a high sheen with low shine with a compacted looking frizz. Absorbs water before it gets thoroughly wet. Silky - Hair has low sheen, a very high shine, with a lot or low frizz. Easily wets in water. [Credit]
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