Black hair Care Basics: Hair Texture and the Protein-Moisture Balance

Well, it’s been a minute. School and stuff, you know the deal. But now I’m back with more info for hair care beginners who are looking up their knowledge game when it comes to hair. Today’s subject will be the 4 different basic textures of hair care and the protein moisture balance. Now, if you’re not blind, I’m sure you’ve noticed by now hair comes in different textures, colors, lengths, etc. All of this and your genes plays a huge role in how you should take care of your hair. There are four basic hair textures: type one: straight hair, type two: wavy/slightly curled hair, type three: tightly curled hair, and type 4: kinky/coily hair. All hair has different needs, but knowing your hair type can help you assess those needs better and to help guide you to get good products to use on your hair.

The Four Textures


Type One – Straight Hair
Type one hair is straight hair. It is sleek, lack any curl pattern, and is very hard to damage. Sebum (and oil the body produces to naturally protect the hair and skin) can be transported down the hair shaft very easily on this type of hair, which helps protect the hair, but can also make it easy for people with this hair type to get greasy hair. People with type one hair tend to have to wash their hair more often than people of other types, and their hair reflects shine easier because of it’s straight and sleek texture.

Type Two – Wavy Hair
Type two is caught between having curly hair, and having straight hair. It can be from fine to thick, and is also harder to damage than curly types of hair. Sebum can travel down the shaft of type two hair, but not as easily as it can on type one. Type two hair has subcategories 2a, 2b, and 2c depending on the curl pattern. A being the loosest waves, and c being the tightest.

Type Three – Tightly Curled Hair

Type three hair is definitely curly hair. It’s not as shiny as type one or two because light doesn’t reflect off it with ease. When wet, the hair curls up tightly which can produce shrinkage, which basically means the actual length of the hair isn’t seen once it’s dry because the hair is curled so much. It’s a lot more fragile than type two or type one, so beware. It has subcategories 3a, 3b, and 3c.

Type 4 – Kinky/Coily Hair

Type 4 hair has the most tightly curled/coiled hair texture. It is very fragile and should be treated with a lot of care and tenderness. It has fewer cuticle layers than the other types of hair, and sebum has trouble getting down the hair shaft, therefore it needs a lot of moisture to thrive. If you have type 4 hair you should definitely baby it. There’s a stigma in society that says type 4 hair is ugly and doesn’t grow, but contrary to that it grows at the same rate as other hair and is beautiful. Type four hair is commonly misunderstood and abused and that’s why it’s said it doesn’t grow

More info on hair textures:
Hair Type Guide

Now that you know about the different hair textures, you’re probably wondering what is a Protein-Moisture balance and why do I care? Well, you care because the protein moisture balance is vital to how your hair needs to be taken care of to thrive. The name of it is very self-explanatory, to be honest. The protein-moisture balance of hair is the delicate balance between protein and moisture within a person’s hair. Hair needs both protein and moisture to grow, and depending on how your hair is processed and what texture it is you’ll need to use to use products with differing amounts of protein and moisture. Generally, the 1-2 need less moisture because of how the sebum is distributed while 3-4 needs a lot of moisture. Hair is made up of protein, so protein should really be only used when some force damages hair or on chemically processed to upkeep healthy hair.

To achieve the correct protein-moisture balance for your hair you’re going to have to experiment. Do not go crazy with either protein or moisture at first. Only use what keeps your hair moisturized and strong. Find water based moisturizers for adding moisture in your hair and for adding protein look for conditioners and moisturizers with the ingredients keratin, wheat germ, silk, pearl extract, cholesterol, amino acid, and soy protein etc. (Thanks to Martha on Hairlista for telling me this!) If you use too much moisture your hair willy get mushy, limp, and break. If you use too much protein your hair will get hard, straw-like, and then break. It truly is a delicate balance, so with the knowledge of your hair texture and how your hair is processed in mind, go out there and find products that will work right for you.

Hope this helps,
Marissa.