Pattern and texture
Tell the shape you see apart from the cut, styling or install behind it.
What to notice
Follow the path a strand takes. Width and amount are separate details, and one head can have more than one pattern. Coily and kinky are broad words that overlap.
These drawings explain a term. They are not anyone’s work or results.
Compare the details
- Coily
Small, spring-like coils with clearly visible rounded turns.
- Kinky
Very tight, closely packed curves and coils; individual turns may be difficult to distinguish.
- Curly
A defined springy curl pattern.
- Straight
No visible curl or wave pattern.
- Wavy
A loose S-shaped pattern.
More in this guide
- Afro-textured hair
- A broad search family covering coily and kinky patterns.
On a provider’s profile
Each pattern is its own claim. Patterns next to each other blend, and one head often shows more than one, so a photo on the border carries both tags and counts toward both.
Has shown straight hair
Chart 1a–1c
Has shown wavy hair
Chart 2a–2c
Has shown curly hair
Chart 3a–3c
Has shown coily hair
Chart 4a–4c
Has shown kinky hair
Chart 4a–4c
Has shown means the provider’s own published photos show this work. It says nothing about the provider or their clients. The provider confirms it before it appears, and we only suggest it after checking it is as accurate for every skin tone and texture.
Chart numbers
Search with the number you know and it finds the matching pattern. The number describes your own hair. One head can have more than one pattern, and styling changes how it looks.
Not a pattern
Afro is a style. Afro-textured is a search word for coily and kinky hair.
Density, strand thickness and porosity describe your own hair. They go in your hair profile, not on a provider’s profile. See the hair profile guide.