Seriously!
We select curling irons and rollers based on size, but we are not sizing up our own hair.
As much fighting and confusion that there is surrounding hair types, we should seriously consider incorporating curl diameters and wavelength measurements as a standard when getting to know our hair.
My curl diameter story started when I did my first successful perm rod set in what I thought was type 4c natural hair. I previously identified as 4b/4c, but I dropped the “b.” As my video gained popularity, I got some comments all over my channel questioning my hair type claim. In an attempt to diffuse the drama, I dropped hair typing in future videos.
I tend to examine my hair during my detangling process because I like to keep track of my shed hair. I’ve always known that I have two distinct curl patterns, but this time I really wanted to measure my hair. I guess some of the comments challenging my texture fueled my curiosity because I never gave it a thought in the past. I started wondering “how kinky is kinky hair and how do I determine kinkiness?” Also, it’s hard to hair type while looking at videos and images on the internet as guides.
After realizing that I had the perfect sample in my shed hair, I decided to separate the strands by size and got the following measurements:
I had curl diameters in the following sizes: 2mm and slightly under, 2.5mm, 3mm, and 4mm. I had a few random short, straight hairs as well.
I took pictures and didn’t think about it again until December, when I filmed a video detailing my experience:
I couldn’t find a single post online about measuring our curl diameters until recently. I did find a video using straws to measure, but nothing with a ruler. The internet was full of posts on how to hair type, but there was nothing about curl diameter measurements despite the term being used repeatedly. After sifting through several posts about how to choose a curling iron based on curl diameter and finally using the right keyword sequence, I was able to find a 2012 forum about our curl and wave patterns.
It primarily featured looser hair types, but it was golden because if one person can say it, then many have thought about it. It never even occurred to me to measure wavelengths, so I will struggle with my hair and see what I can measure. Hopefully we can make these types of measurements part of the standard in the natural hair community so that people can see realistic representations of their own hair and get styling ideas off people who are just like them.
It is possible that some measurements occur more than others…even in multiples and I look forward to seeing more people post and share their curl diameters and wavelengths in the future.
-Please watch my video on YouTube to find out how you can participate in the Curl Diameter Challenge!
