Beauty is all about being confident and embracing your uniqueness. As every individual is different, so is their hair type. The difference in the hair texture and type is due to several factors such as ethnicity, hair follicle shape, average hair diameter, etc. Our team at Oat Cosmetics recognises that every hair type requires its own personalised hair care regime.
Since the launch of our hair care range, we have been working on inclusion and diversity in the testing of our ingredients. Our latest data for our hair active Glucaveen reveals that it has proven efficacy over a wide range of hair types from participants belonging to different ethnic groups.
In this Oat guide, we cover the different hair types and suggest potential hair care products that can be made using our oat-based ingredients.
Introduction
Scientists have attempted to classify curliness by measuring different parameters of hair fibre. Measuring curl diameter and curl index and counting waves and twists from each participant’s hair, they produced a system assigning a number to hair type from 1-4. The higher the number, the curlier the hair and the tighter the coil.
The primary structure and function of the hair fibre are similar amongst all ethnicities. However, the unique morphologies and intrinsic characteristics allow for a range of differences in hair type and health. These textural differences are important to be considered while formulating products which cater to the different needs of each hair type.
Hair Types and Their Characteristics
The different hair types are differentiated as per their curl pattern. The tightness of the curls depends on the shape of the hair follicle. Listed below are the four different types of hair.
Type 1: Straight
Type 2: Wavy
Type 3: Curly
Type 4: Coily
Every hair type is beautiful, but different hair type requires different care habits and routines. Let’s dig a little deeper into these four categories of hair type.
Type 1: Straight
Type 1 hair is predominantly straight and does not form any waves. It is typically found in Asian and Caucasian ethnicities with a round hair follicle shape. This hair type is less prone to hair breakage but is more prone to a greasy scalp.
Our Hair Care Solutions for Type 1 Hair:
- Moisturising shampoo: Using our oat beta-glucan active, Glucaveen, you can target type 1 hair to create a natural formulation which will prevent the loss of moisture through the hair’s surface.
- Hair strengthening conditioner: Glucaveen can also be used to formulate a hair conditioner or a suitable rinse-off treatment which will protect the hair strands from damage and will promote stronger and healthier type 1 hair.
Type 2: Wavy
Type 2 hair shows a natural wave, which could range from loose undefined waves to a more defined ‘S’ shape wave. The follicle shape is oval, and commonly found in Caucasian and Hispanic ethnicities. This type of hair can be more prone to frizz in humid weather conditions.
Our Hair Care Solutions for Type 2 Hair:
- Frizz reduction leave-on cream: Type 2 hair can be targeted with our moisturising oat beta-glucan active, Glucaveen. Our studies on bleached Brazilian hair tresses have demonstrated that 1% Glucaveen resulted in an immediate significant reduction in hair frizz by 76%*, compared to placebo.
- Hair conditioning leave-on treatments: Glucaveen can be formulated in leave-on treatments as it showed significant results on various perceivable parameters such as improvement in split ends, ease of combing, hair smoothness and volume on wavy hair or type 2 hair.
Type 3: Curly
This hair type shows a pattern of curls which is more defined as compared to type 2 hair. The hair is bouncier with spring-like curls which are easy to style but are easily affected by environmental conditions. The follicle shape is semi-oval, and it is commonly seen in Hispanic, Asian and African ethnicities. Curly hair is generally considered to be fragile and requires more moisturisation as compared to other hair types.
Our Hair Care Solutions for Type 3 Hair:
- Strengthening conditioner: Glucaveen was assessed on damaged type 3 and 4 hair tresses of African ethnicity, and demonstrated a significant increase in hair strength by 175%*, compared to placebo.
- Nourishing leave-on treatments: Our expert’s evaluation of Glucaveen’s hair conditioning properties has shown efficacy on various perceivable parameters such as improved smoothness in wet and dry hair feel, better hair shine, and more volume on type 3 hair.
Type 4: Coily
Type 4 hair is characterised by tight, very well-defined curls. This hair type is the most fragile and could require extra effort while styling it. The hair follicle is flat-oval shaped and the hair shaft is less permeable to water, which makes it less porous. It is more likely to be seen in ethnicities of African origin. Due to the low porosity, the hair needs special hair care products which provide deep nourishment and damage protection.
Our Hair Care Solutions for Type 4 Hair:
- Protective hair conditioner for damaged hair: With Glucaveen, you can create formulations to target type 4 hair types to strengthen and protect. We performed tests on damaged African hair tresses and 1% Glucaveen performed significantly better than the placebo for strengthening damaged hair.
Conclusion
Haircare is an essential part of the beauty and personal care regime. The hair types are a guide to understanding the unique needs of each hair type as per the texture. There could also exist a combination of hair curl patterns in one individual. But knowing what works best for the consumer’s hair makes it easier to ensure that their hair looks and feels gorgeous.
We have meticulously tested our ingredients on various hair types, and added the following amazing recent studies:
- Maintaining scalp health – gene expression analysis
- Hair strength protection effect (On type 3 and 4 hair)
- Hair conditioning experts’ evaluation (On type 2 and 3 hair)
- Frizz reduction effect (On type 2 and 3 hair)
Here’s a glimpse of our amazing results for hair frizz reduction. For more information, please download our latest Glucaveen data pack.
* Details of significance and full sets of results are available in our Glucaveen Data Pack.
