The hair atop our heads is incredible. You may not always see it as such in the midst of a bad hair day, but each strand in itself is kind of a miracle. Even the science of your hair is fascinating: It’s made from a special protein called keratin, and when the strand sprouts from the follicle, it magically has a personality and identity entirely special to just you. In fact, the shape of the follicle is what determines what your hair will look like–circular follicles produce straighter hair, while oval follicles produce curlier locks. Even when it doesn’t always act miracle-like on certain days, hair is still a wonder in itself. 

Every woman’s hair–whether it be glorious coils, joyous curls, radiant waves, or sleek and straight–is different and exceptional in its own way. Here at Crown Affair, we believe hair has a mind of its own–and that is precisely the point: It’s not about ‘fixing,’ ‘controlling’ or ‘taming’ your God-given locks, but rather celebrating and personalizing your natural hair. If you ask us, there’s not enough pride in our natural hair types, we think every woman’s tresses are special and exceptional.

We also know that loving your hair starts with understanding how to care for it. Knowledge is power. Just like how understanding your skin type is important for implementing an effective skincare regimen, determining your hair type can play a massive role in the efficacy of your daily hair care routine. Not sure what specific hair type you are? You’re not alone: In our research, we’ve found a majority of women, even beauty aficionados, haven’t yet identified their hair type. But that magic number is the key to the perfect ritual for your hair type, helping you to determine the best regime specifically for you. 

There are 12 different hair types–four categories (1, 2, 3, and 4) and then three subcategories (A, B and C) within each section, based on density and thickness. Why 12, and not any more or less? Well, you’ve got Oprah to thank for this clever concept. More specifically, Oprah’s former longtime hairstylist Andre Walker. The 12 category system, aptly named the Andre Walker Hair Typing System, was originally devised in the early 1990s by Walker and was quickly adopted as the main classification tool for identifying hair types.  

Why we classify your hair into these simplified categories, rather than letting it shine all on its own individual category, is to understand how to care for it best. Also, don’t stress over this, it’s not an exact science–one expert might categorize your waves as 2A while another might say 2B–so it might take a bit of trial and error to discover your ideal number and regime. It’s simply about keeping the conversation going with your hair, feeding it love and attention, and noticing how it feels and reacts with certain products and regimes. The end goal here is to have a connection with your hair, while also perfecting your routine, so your hair is both uniquely you and wildly healthy. 

Without further ado, let the games begin…