Men's Hair Types: How To Identify and Style Yours

Do you look in the mirror and wonder, “What type of hair do I have, and how the heck do I style it?” You’re not alone. When it comes to hair types, men fall into the same four categories as women: straight, wavy, curly, and coily. By taking a look at a simple hair types chart, men can easily compare their locks to the images and descriptions to learn their type. 

Understanding your unique texture and curl pattern will help you decide what grooming products to use. Thankfully, the process isn’t difficult. In this article, we’ll explore all the different types of hair men have, discover how best to style and care for each type, and uncover the best products to use.

Understanding Texture With the André Walker Hair Type System

Hair stylist André Walker developed the modern consumer hair-typing system in 1990. He originally used it to market his line of haircare products, but it gained popularity through celebrity endorsements. The system classifies hair into types and sub-types. Each number corresponds to a texture ( straight, wavy, curly, or coily ), and each letter defines curl tightness within each texture. Knowing which type and sub-type your hair falls into helps you find compatible styles and products.

How To Identify Your Hair Type

Now that you know what you’re looking for, it’s time to identify your hair type:

• Wash and air dry your hair. Don’t add any post-shower products or use heat treatments like a blow-dryer or flat iron. 

• Observe your overall hair shape in the mirror. Notice whether it sits flat against your head or if it lifts away. The flatter it sits on your head, the straighter it is. If your hair frizzes out away from your head, it’s likely wavy or curly. 

• Look at your individual hair strands to see whether they have a distinct shape. Find that shape in the chart to identify your hair type.

How To Style Each Hair Type

Knowing your hair type gets you halfway there. However, for all types of hair, men need to pair that knowledge with the right styling routine. Here’s how to style each texture and curl pattern with natural hair products .

Type 1: Straight Hair

Straight hair tends to lie flat from root to tip with no discernible curl pattern. It gets oily quickly because natural sebum travels down the smooth shaft easily. This oiliness makes it more resistant to humidity and frizziness.

1a (Fine)

• Appearance: Fine hair sits flat against the head and has a tendency to look greasy.

• Care: Wash with a gentle clarifying shampoo to control oil, and follow with a lightweight volumizing conditioner.

• Styling: Avoid heavy creams, gels, or pomades. Apply a dry shampoo sparingly at the roots for volume or spritz with a light texturizing spray.

1b (Medium)

• Appearance: Medium hair has more body and holds styling better than 1a, but it’s still prone to grease and flyaways.

• Care: Use a balanced everyday shampoo and a lightweight conditioner. Avoid overwashing or sleeping on wet hair. Overwashing strips out natural oils, and sleeping on wet hair causes breakage and bedhead.

• Styling: Work a lightweight leave-in conditioner into the mid-lengths and ends. Then, use a light styling paste or cream to shape and maintain natural volume.

1c (Coarse)

• Appearance: Coarse hair is more voluminous and air-dries with more body, but it’s also prone to frizz.

• Care: Focus on lightweight hydrating shampoos and smoothing conditioners that keep your hair feeling silky without weighing it down.

• Styling: Apply an anti-frizz serum to damp hair, then use a lightweight styling cream or clay with a blow-dryer to maintain shape and control stray hairs.

Type 2: Wavy Hair

Wavy hair has a distinct “S”-pattern that’s either long and swooping or short and frizzy. It’s less oily than straight hair but a bit harder to style. With thick, wavy hair, men need to be a bit more careful with managing moisture. They take well to products but are prone to severe frizz and dryness because scalp oils struggle to travel down the bendy shaft.

2a (Loose waves)

• Appearance: Loose waves tend to be straight at the roots with beachy “S” waves near the ends.

• Care: Wash with a gentle hydrating shampoo and a lightweight conditioner that won’t flatten your roots. 

• Styling: Air dry using a microfiber towel or cotton T-shirt, scrunching upward to minimize frizz. Finish with a lightweight texturizing spray or curl-defining cream.

2b (Defined waves)

• Appearance: Defined waves are more pronounced, but the hair is prone to frizz.

• Care: Use a moisture-rich shampoo and a regular conditioning routine to tame frizz and protect against dryness.

• Styling: Scrunch a curl-enhancing mousse or a light styling paste into damp hair to define waves further. Let it air dry, or use a diffuser.

2c (Wide waves)

• Appearance: Wide waves are highly-defined and tend to look curlier when styled wet.

• Care: Wash with a deep-moisturizing shampoo and follow with a rich conditioner to combat dryness.

• Styling: Apply a rich leave-in conditioner or anti-frizz oil to damp hair, then define the texture by scrunching in a curl cream and air drying.

Type 3: Curly Hair

For curly hair types, men have a lot of volume to work with. Curls range from loose loops to tight corkscrews, with a tendency toward dryness because moisture struggles to travel down the spiral-shaped shaft. 

3a (Loose curls)

• Appearance: Loose curls are big, bouncy, and defined.

• Care: Use a hydrating shampoo and a moisturizing conditioner to maintain bounce.

• Styling: Detangle gently with a wide-toothed comb or fingers while the hair is soaked. Scrunch in a lightweight curl cream and a water-based leave-in conditioner, then diffuse on low heat.

3b (Tight curls)

• Appearance: Tight curls are voluminous and tightly wound.

• Care: Use moisturizing shampoo and a heavy-duty conditioner to prevent frizz and breakage.

• Styling: Work a water-based leave-in conditioner through wet hair, define curls with a medium-hold gel, and finish by scrunching in argan or jojoba oil to seal in moisture.

• 3c (Corkscrews)

• Appearance: Corkscrews are high density, high volume, and prone to dryness and shrinkage.

• Care: Use a deep moisturizing shampoo followed by a deep conditioning mask to restore hydration.

• Styling: Rake a rich leave-in conditioner and a heavy curl cream through soaking wet hair with your fingers. Use a diffuser on low or air fry, then lock in hydration and tame frizz with argan or jojoba oil.

Type 4: Coily Hair

Coily hair features tight zig-zags or dense coils that start at the scalp. It’s the most fragile and prone to dryness and shrinkage. Men with coily hair can shampoo it less often ; it’s the conditioner that you want to rely on instead. A nourishing conditioner will keep your hair strong enough to resist damage and repel grime naturally. 

4a (Defined coils)

• Appearance: Defined coils have a visible “S” or “Z” pattern when wet.

• Care: Wash with a hydrating shampoo and follow with a detangling conditioner.

• Styling: Apply a rich leave-in conditioner and a heavy-duty curl cream to soaking wet hair. Use a wide-toothed comb or your fingers to coil sections. Then, seal in moisture with a nourishing oil.

4b (“Z” coils)

• Appearance: “ Z” coils bend in sharp angles rather than smooth curves.

• Care: Use a moisturizing shampoo and a deep conditioning mask weekly to combat dryness and shrinkage.

• Styling: Layer a thick leave-in conditioner and a styling butter or curl cream section-by-section, twisting to elongate the curls. Seal with a heavy oil.

4c (“O” coils)

• Appearance: “ O” coils are the tightest curl pattern with minimal natural definition and extreme shrinkage.

• Care: Use a nourishing co-wash (conditioning wash), followed by a deep conditioning treatment every wash day.

• Styling: Apply leave-in conditioner, oil, and cream to soaking wet hair. Use a dense curl cream and heavy sealing oils like castor or coconut oil to lock in moisture. Style into a protective look like braids to prevent breakage.

Other Hair Considerations for Men

Beyond your hair type, knowing your hair’s thickness, density, and porosity can help you better understand what it needs.

Find the Thickness

Hold a single hair strand between your fingers and roll it back and forth. How it feels determines the texture and what adjustments you should make (if any): 

• Fine: You can hardly feel the hair, and it’s fragile. Swap heavy creams and butters for foams, mousses, or texturizing sprays.

• Medium: You can definitely feel the hair, and it’s smooth. Stick with the standard routine.

• Coarse: You can feel the hair, and it spins roughly across your finger. Upgrade to rich butters and smoothing serums to tame resistance.

Notice the Density

Look at your scalp. If hairs are tightly clustered together, you have high density hair. If they’re more spread out, you have low density hair. Consider a thickening shampoo if you have low density hair to help it appear fuller.

Discover the Porosity

Porosity measures how readily your hair absorbs water and releases it. Higher porosity means hair is more likely to dry out and frizz. Snip a strand of hair and put it in a glass of room-temperature water. Observe what it does and make adjustments:

• Low porosity: The hair doesn’t take in water and floats at the top of the glass. Use heat during conditioning to help products penetrate, and stick to water-based products to prevent buildup.

• Medium porosity: The hair takes in water normally and slowly floats to the bottom. Stick to the standard routine.

• High porosity: The hair sinks straight to the bottom, meaning it absorbs water but is too porous to hold it. Always finish with a heavier sealing oil or butter to trap in escaping water.

Observe How Your Hair Behaves Over Time

Your hair can change with the seasons and climate due to shifts in humidity and natural oil production. It may need different products at different times. Keep a simple monthly log by your bathroom sink to understand these changes over time. It’ll help you know when to swap your products or tweak your grooming routine .

Find Your Haircare Routine With Dr. Squatch

Identifying your hair type can help you make the most of your natural locks and lean into the styles and shapes that suit you best. It’ll also help you maintain that mane with the products and grooming routine that can stave off damage and nourish follicles. It takes some time and experimentation to learn everything you need to know about your hair, but Dr. Squatch is here to help.

Using what you learned in this article, pick a natural shampoo that works with your hair type and a matching conditioner that’ll nourish your hair, making it soft and shiny. Try them out, learn what works, and eventually, you’ll land on the right products for your locks.