UNDERSTANDING
YOUR HAIR.

The most widely used system is Andre Walker's 1–4 scale, split into A/B/C sub-grades by curl tightness. Almost everyone falls somewhere on it. Knowing your number tells you which products work and which cuts are realistic.

Type 1 — Straight

1A is pin-straight and fine — gets oily quickly, struggles to hold volume. 1B has more body and a bit of bend. 1C is straight but coarse, sometimes with the odd wave. Straight hair shows off precise cuts (crops, classic side parts, hard fades) because there's nothing to hide behind.

Type 2 — Wavy

2A is loose S-shape waves. 2B is more defined and prone to frizz. 2C is thick, coarse waves bordering on curl. Wavy hair responds well to a bit of length on top, matte products, and low-to-mid fades that let the wave breathe.

Type 3 — Curly

3A is loose ringlets. 3B is tighter, springier curls. 3C is dense corkscrews. Curls shrink 20–40% when dry — cut curly hair dry, not wet, or you'll leave with a much shorter cut than you bargained for.

Type 4 — Coily

4A is defined coils. 4B is Z-shape with less definition. 4C is the tightest, densest pattern. Coily hair needs moisture, gentle handling, and cuts that respect the shape (afros, tapers, sponge twists, sculpted shapes).

Finding your type

Wash your hair, let it air dry with no product, and look. The pattern you see naturally is your type. Most people are a mix — the crown might be 2B while the sides are 1C. That's normal. Cut to the dominant pattern.

The goal is balance. A good cut adds height, width or length where your face needs it and takes it away where it doesn't. Look in a mirror, pull your hair off your face, and honestly clock the shape.

Oval

The easy one. Length roughly 1.5× width, gentle jaw, forehead slightly wider than chin. Almost any cut works — quiffs, crops, fringes, longer flow. Enjoy it.

Round

Similar width and length, soft jaw. Add vertical height (pompadour, quiff, taller textured crop) and keep the sides tight (skin fade, low taper). Avoid heavy floppy fringes that widen the face.

Square

Strong jaw, forehead and jaw similar width. Softer, textured styles work best — messy crops, textured side parts, medium-length flow. Avoid overly sharp box cuts that double down on the jaw.

Heart

Wide forehead, narrow chin. Add weight below the temples — side- swept fringes, medium length on top, softer sides. Skip very tight fades and slick-backs that expose the forehead.

Diamond

Narrow forehead and chin, wide cheekbones. A fringe or textured top balances the forehead, and a beard adds width to the chin. Avoid styles that add bulk at the cheeks.

Oblong / long

Longer than wide, straight sides. Keep the top shorter and add width — side parts, textured crops, fuller sides. Avoid tall pompadours that stretch the face further.

Density and thickness are two different things and both matter. Density is how many hairs you have per square inch. Thickness is the diameter of each individual hair. You can have thick strands with low density, or fine strands packed in dense.

Fine

Individual strands are thin. Gets weighed down easily. Use light products — matte clays, sea salt spray, mousse. Skip heavy pomades. Textured layered cuts create the illusion of volume.

Medium

The default setting — holds most styles, takes most products. Lucky you.

Thick / coarse

Strong strands with body of their own. Needs heavier product to control (fibre, clay, pomade). Point-cutting and thinning shears keep it from looking helmet-like. Long-on-top styles look great because you've got the raw material.

Quick density test

Tie a ponytail (or gather at the crown). Under 2 inches around is low density, 2–3 is medium, over 4 is high. Combine with a strand test — feel a single hair between two fingers. Barely there is fine, wire-like is coarse.

Good hair starts at the scalp. If the soil is bad the plant struggles — same principle.

Washing frequency

Not every day. Shampoo strips natural oils; overdoing it triggers the scalp to produce more oil, not less. 2–3 washes a week suits most people. Rinse and condition daily if you like. Very curly and coily hair often needs even less — once a week is common.

Dry scalp

Tight, itchy, small white flakes. Switch to a sulphate-free shampoo, condition every wash, and use a scalp oil (jojoba, argan) once a week. Turn the shower temperature down.

Oily scalp

Roots greasy within a day. Use a gentle clarifying shampoo 1–2× a week, don't over-condition the roots, and stop touching your hair all day.

Dandruff

Larger yellowish flakes, sometimes itchy or inflamed. Usually malassezia yeast, not dryness. Ketoconazole (Nizoral) or zinc pyrithione shampoo twice a week clears most cases. See a GP if it persists.

General care

Sleep on a silk or satin pillowcase if you value definition. Drink water. Eat protein. Take a multivitamin if your diet is patchy. None of it is magic, but neglect shows on your head first.

Hair grows out of the scalp at an angle, and it grows in swirls called whorls. Most people have one at the crown; some have two or three. A cowlick is where the growth direction fights the style you want.

You can't cut a cowlick out. You can only work with it. Common spots:

• Crown whorl — sticks up if the hair is too short. Leave a bit more length or fade around it, don't fight it.
• Front hairline cowlick — makes fringes split or flip. A side part along the natural growth usually settles it.
• Nape cowlicks — cause fluffy neck hair. A clean taper or hard line keeps it tidy.

Tell your barber where yours are before they start. Any half-decent one will feel for them anyway, but pointing them out saves a conversation halfway through.

The biggest reason people leave unhappy is unclear communication. Not the barber's skill — the brief. Fix the brief and the cut fixes itself.

Bring a reference photo

One or two photos beat any description. Screenshots from Instagram, Pinterest, whatever. Ideally the model has similar hair type and face shape to you — a slick pompadour on a 1A model isn't going to look the same on 3B curls.

Length terminology

• Clipper grades: #0 (bald) to #8 (about an inch). Each grade is 1/8 inch (roughly 3mm). "A 2 on the sides" means 6mm.
• Scissor length: ask in finger widths (one, two, three) or in inches. "Two fingers off the top."

Fade terminology

• Low fade — starts just above the ear.
• Mid fade — starts around the temple.
• High fade — starts near the parietal ridge (widest point of the skull).
• Skin / bald fade — goes down to nothing.
• Taper — softer, subtler, keeps some length at the bottom.
• Drop fade — curves down behind the ear.

Describing what you want

Give the barber three things and you're set:

1. How you want the sides (fade type + grade or length).
2. How much off the top (finger widths or inches).
3. The finish — textured, slick, side part, fringe, natural.

And be honest about maintenance. If you're back every 6 weeks not every 3, ask for a cut that grows out well. A high skin fade looks unreal for a week and rough for a month.