Study your hair using the LOIS system. The LOIS system compares a strand of your hair to the letters L, O, I and S. Take a single strand and hold it up with one hand. Compare your hair to the shapes of the letters L, O, I and S.
L
Your strand looks like the letter L, with right angles, bends and folds
O
Your strand resembles the letter O or spirals into several Os
I
Your strand is straight with little to no curves or waves, resembling the letter I
S
Your strand is wavy and curves back and forth like the letter S
Your strand might have a combination of two or more of these letters. If this is the case, check a few more strands of hair from all over your head to see if one of the letters is more dominant
My hair is curly! My hair is straight! I don’t know, mine goes straight and then gets into a twist down there! Here’s how Andre Walker, a hairstylist for Oprah Winfrey created a grouping to determine hair types. This will let you know the shape of your hair.
1
straight
Hair has no curve in it at all
2
wavy
Hair is wavy but does not curl much
3
curly
Hair is curly with an S shape and holds a distinct curl pattern even when non styled
4
coily
Hair is closely coiled often with a definite Z pattern. When stretched out and released, it returns to its curled shape. Type 4 hair might shrink up to 75% of its actual length
Your strand might have a combination of two or more of these letters. If this is the case, check a few more strands of hair from all over your head to see if one of the letters is more dominant
Choose the numbers 1,2, 3, or 4 from above and now you can discover your hair subcategory. Take a look at a chunk of your hair and observe the thickness and structure of the curl (if you have curls). This is also based on the Andre Walker system that categorizes hair into four types( 1,2,3 and 4) and three subcategories (a,b, and c) per type
1A: Hair is soft and cannot hold a curl.
1B: Hair does not curl but has more volume.
1C: Hair does not curl and is rather coarse.
2A: Hair is wavy, resembling the letter S, and is coarse.
2B: Hair is often frizzy with a definite wave.
2C: Hair is very frizzy with thick waves, and is the coarsest of this category.
3A: Curls are about the same diameter as sidewalk chalk, or pretty loose curls.
3B: Curls are about the same diameter as a sharpie, or medium-sized curls.
3C: Curls are about the same diameter as a pencil, or corkscrew curls.
4A: Curls are very tight, about the same diameter as a needle.
4B: Curls resemble a zigzag pattern, looking like the letter Z.
4C: There might not be a curl pattern to this hair type.