DEAR READER,
This guide is made from a place of love and interest in curly hair. I aim to show the many facets of curly hair, from history, care, styling, and understanding it. I haven’t always known my hair as curly, and learning how to handle it has deepened my connection with my heritage and myself. Up until sixth grade, my hair was long, wavy, and frizzy. It wasn’t until I got a short haircut that year that I realized it was curly. My coming to terms with my hair has been five years in the making now, and it's from this perspective I am sharing what I know. My hair has a 2C/3A pattern, from my Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. I don’t have personal experience with hair that is more curly than my family’s, but I hope the wonderful resources of other curly people will aid in my and your understanding of it as well.
This guide is only a peek into the knowledge and experiences of curly hair from the beginning of time, and I encourage you to dive into research of your own if it interests you. Learning about your hair and the history it uniquely carries is a gift.
Enjoy!
Bee Jacobs ‘26
THE CURL CHART
There are nine types of hair that can be considered when looking at curls, ranging from 2A to 4C. The curl type, in number and letter, refers to the shape and structure of the natural curls or waves in your hair.
Within each type are subtypes a, b, and c which further characterize the degree of curl. For example, a 3a curl pattern has well-defined, springy curls in a loose ringlet, while 3c curls are dense, volume-packed coils. Both are considered curly, but the curls are very different.
AN EXAMPLE CURL ROUTINE
- Wash hair with a curl shampoo and conditioner, or one without parabens and sulfates.
- Leave the conditioner in for one minute before rinsing it out.
- Once done showering, leave hair dripping wet.
- Rake a leave-in product through hair. I recommend a cream or mousse.
- Detangle hair, then section it.
- Going through the sections, either use a styling brush or finger curl, then shake and scrunch.
- Once through all the sections, tilt head upside down and rake a gel through to reduce frizz.
- Micro-plop (scrunch with a microfiber towel), diffuse, and/or air-dry.
- Once hair is dry, scrunch curls with hands to release the product cast.
Done!
DID YOU KNOW?
People have a range of curl types because of the shape of the hair follicle- a genetic trait. People with symmetric follicles produce round and straight hair. People with asymmetric follicles produce oval-shaped hair that tends to curl.
PODCASTS + SOCIALS
faithchappelle
tiktok
Covers her hair care journey while trying out many different products and styles
curlyhairboo
My personal favorite creator for curly styles
micah.dixon
tiktok
Lots of in depth tutorials, tips, and hairstyles
jazvnessa
Variety of hairstyles for any curl type
imanialexia_
tiktok
Hairstyles and mini vlogs
bali_curls
Love their boards and their content- tips, styles, etc.
mailayazuri
tiktok & youtube
A variety of hairstyle ideas, curl routine, and ootds :)
Thank you J'nyla '26 for recommending creators that cover tighter curls!
A GENDER REMINDER Many images and resources for curls online center images and experiences of female-presenting people. This is for a number of reasons, whether it be who is creating the content, who it is geared towards, or that it’s easier to visually understand curls on long hair. (which more often applies to female presenting or identifying people) Despite this, anyone with hair can learn how to take care of it the same as anyone else. Certain products may be gendered but are often applicable to anyone, and resources that represent many types of people sporting curls can be found with a direct search. I made this page based on my experience with longer hair, styled more “femininely,” so that is where my knowledge lies.
Here are some other resources for a wider range of hair experiences:
On the experience of owning your Arab curls
A starter resource on coily hair
First-hand experience with having curls as an East Asian woman
DID YOU KNOW?
According to scientific research done at PennState, curly hair is more effective at keeping us cool, reducing the need to sweat. This is part of what enabled our brains to reach larger sizes, and part of why curl types differ based on where you’re from.
An example of a unique curl experience is "Jewish curls." (what I have!) Many Ashkenazi Jewish people come from a similar ethnic background. A genetic trait of this heritage is sometimes curly hair. Jewish people look many different ways, but a stereotype is thick, dark, curly hair. Many Jewish people, women especially, have to get over a period of misunderstanding or hate with their curls. (Like many other communities with curls, especially communities of color.) Anti-semitism in our society labels Jewish-ness as bad, demonic, or grotesque, including the features which may recognizably portray one's Jewish identity to the outside world. This pressure can tend to drive many Jewish folks to straighten, cut, or cover their hair, feeling unaccepted or confused. This is an experience that millions face when their physical features don't match society's Eurocentric ideas of beauty, and this is only one example.
For Jewish people and anyone forced to hide an aspect of themself or not given representation to understand themselves, showing or wearing your full self is an act of resistance. I'm able to feel connected to my ancestors and living family when I wear my curls or tichels. By wearing my curls out in pride, I show, if only to myself, the beauty of my heritage and culture. Ownership of your hair is ownership of yourself.
PRODUCT LOVE
Wonderful blogs and content as well as curated products
I highly recommend the bounce curl brushes!
Their Curl Talk series is my go-to, available at drug stores.
BOOKS IN THE CSW LIBRARY
GRA ROW
This graphic novel follows the lives and experiences of four best friends through the lens of each of their wash day routines, centering on the unique experiences and emotions of Black women and their hair.
792.76092 RO
A collection of essays on race, gender, and pop culture makes up the memoir of comedian Phoebe Robinson. Robinson weaves in the day to day experience of maintaining and understanding her hair with stories of her career and reality.
814 BE
This series of essays spans the body, featuring “Field Notes on Hair” by Vicki Weiqi Yang. Through Yang’s experience with hair loss she makes note of what hair means to her and the world, a beautiful reminder to appreciate what you have, or don’t.
306.461 ST
Hair: A Human History weaves the fiber of hair into the history of our society through stories and facts, from the science of hair to business to circus acts.
FIC MCL
This story switches between the life of a London teen witnessing gentrification and a fantasy world where hair has magic, witches are real, and there are no boys.
THANK YOU FOR EXPLORING!