Hair Type Analyzer
Answer 6 questions about how your hair behaves and discover your exact hair type on the Andre Walker scale, from 1A to 4C.
Your hair type is the key to unlocking the right products, techniques, and styles. But most people guess their type wrong because they have never seen their hair in its fully natural state. This quiz analyzes how your hair actually behaves — not how it looks after styling — to give you an accurate Andre Walker type from 1A to 4C.
The questions focus on observable behaviors: what happens when you air dry, how a strand feels between your fingers, how your hair reacts to humidity and brushing. These behavioral markers are more reliable than visual assessment alone because they reveal the underlying structure of the hair shaft. After analyzing thousands of hair transformations in our gallery, we have refined this quiz to match professional assessment accuracy. Your result includes not just your type, but a personalized care routine and styling tips designed for your specific pattern.
When your hair is wet and you let it air dry, what happens?
How does a single strand feel between your fingers?
What does your hair do overnight?
How much volume does your hair have naturally?
How does your hair react to humidity?
What happens when you brush dry hair?
The Andre Walker Hair Typing System Explained
The Andre Walker Hair Typing System was created in the 1990s by Andre Walker, best known as Oprah Winfrey's hairstylist for over 25 years. The system divides all human hair into four main types based on the natural curl pattern of the hair shaft.
Type 1: Straight. Hair grows directly down from the follicle with no curl or wave pattern. It tends to be the oiliest type because sebum travels easily down the smooth shaft. Type 1 hair reflects the most light, giving it a natural shine that other types have to work harder to achieve.
Type 2: Wavy. Hair has a natural S-shaped wave pattern that sits somewhere between straight and curly. It can be fine and easy to straighten (2A), medium-textured with a more defined wave (2B), or thick with waves that border on curls (2C). Wavy hair is the most versatile type because it can be styled to look either straighter or curlier.
Type 3: Curly. Hair forms definite spiral curls or ringlets. The curl pattern is visible even when the hair is wet. Type 3A has large, loose curls the size of sidewalk chalk. Type 3B has springy ringlets the size of a marker. Type 3C has tight corkscrew curls the size of a pencil. Curly hair tends to be drier because the bends in the shaft prevent sebum from reaching the ends.
Type 4: Coily. Hair has a very tight curl or coil pattern, often forming a Z-shape rather than an S-shape. Type 4A has defined coils about the size of a crochet needle. Type 4B has Z-shaped bends with less defined curl. Type 4C has the tightest pattern with almost no visible curl definition when dry. Type 4 hair experiences the most shrinkage and is the most fragile, requiring the gentlest handling.
The Limitations of Hair Typing
While the Andre Walker system is the most popular hair typing method, it has real limitations that are worth understanding.
First, it only describes curl pattern. It tells you nothing about porosity (how well your hair absorbs moisture), elasticity (how much your hair can stretch before breaking), density (how many strands per square inch), or strand thickness (fine, medium, or coarse). Two people with the same type can have wildly different hair care needs if one has fine, high-porosity 3B hair and the other has coarse, low-porosity 3B hair.
Second, most people have multiple patterns on their head. The crown might be 3A while the nape is 3C. Categorizing yourself as a single type can lead to using the wrong products on different sections of your hair.
Third, the system was originally created to sell products, not as a scientific classification. It is a useful shorthand for communication, but it should not be treated as a definitive label. Your hair is unique. Use your type as a starting point for product selection, then adjust based on how your specific hair responds.
Despite these limitations, hair typing remains useful because it gives you a common language to describe your hair, helps you filter product recommendations, and connects you with a community of people who share similar care challenges.
Texture vs. Type vs. Density — What is the Difference?
People often use "hair type," "texture," and "density" interchangeably, but they describe three completely different things.
Hair type refers to curl pattern: straight, wavy, curly, or coily. This is what the Andre Walker system measures. It describes the shape of the hair shaft, which is determined by the shape of the hair follicle. Round follicles produce straight hair. Oval follicles produce wavy or curly hair. Asymmetrical follicles produce coily hair.
Hair texture (or strand thickness) describes the width of an individual hair strand: fine, medium, or coarse. Fine hair strands are thinner than a piece of sewing thread. Medium hair is similar in width to a piece of thread. Coarse hair is thicker and often feels wiry. Texture affects how products sit on your hair, how much volume you get, and how resistant your hair is to styling.
Hair density describes how many individual strands grow per square inch on your scalp. You can have fine hair (thin strands) with high density (lots of them), which creates the illusion of thick hair. Or you can have coarse hair (thick strands) with low density, which can look thinner than expected. Density affects product amount, sectioning needs, and drying time.
For a complete picture of your hair, you need to know all three. Our quiz determines your type. Texture can be checked by rolling a single strand between your fingers. Density can be estimated by how much scalp you can see when your hair is in its natural state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you know your hair type, see how different styles look on you.
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