It's one of the questions we hear most often, in community calls, DMs, and comments alike: What's my hair type, and how should I care for it? Here's what we want you to know.
Hair type isn't just a number and a letter. It's the reason your friend's favorite product leaves your hair flat. It's why your scalp feels oily by day two or dry no matter what you do. It's the starting point for understanding what your hair actually needs and how to support it from the inside out.
Dr. Dan Yadegar, our Harvard-educated, triple board-certified physician, built Wellbel around one core principle: everyone deserves effective, science-backed hair support, regardless of hair type or texture. That's why Wellbel was formulated for all hair types, from 1A through 4C, with ingredients selected to support healthy hair growth across the full spectrum of textures and curl patterns. From straight to coily hair, Wellbel was designed to meet people where they are and help them achieve stronger, healthier hair. The Hair Typing System
Hair falls into four main categories: straight, wavy, curly, and coily. Each is subdivided into A, B, and C based on thickness and pattern intensity.
It's also completely normal to have more than one hair pattern. Many people have a mix of textures throughout their scalp, especially around the crown, hairline, or underneath layers.
Type 1: Straight
1A is ultra-fine and pin straight. 1B has a little more body. 1C carries natural volume and slight texture.
With straight hair, your scalp's natural oils travel straight down the shaft with nothing in the way, which is why Type 1 tends to feel oily or flat faster than other types. That's not a flaw, it's just how your hair is built.
Internal support: Fine straight strands are more breakage-prone than they look. If shedding or slower growth is something you're navigating, internal balance, nutrient availability, scalp health, and hormonal support are important places to start. While a thoughtful haircare routine matters, addressing these factors can provide support that begins at the source.
External routine: Washing 2 to 3 times a week keeps things balanced for many people with Type 1 hair. A gentle, pH-balanced cleanser is your best friend here, one that clears buildup without triggering rebound oiliness. For moisture, think ends only, and lighter is usually better.
Type 2: Wavy
2A is a loose, easy S-wave. 2B brings more definition and frizz potential. 2C borders on curly and is often the most humidity-reactive.
Wavy hair sits in a beautiful middle ground and responds particularly well to the inside-out approach.
Internal support: Wavy hair's frizz and texture changes are often among the first places internal imbalances show up, whether that's nutrient gaps, hormonal shifts, or stress. Supporting the body from within can help maintain the structure and quality of each strand before it even leaves the follicle.
External routine: Many people with Type 2 hair do well washing every few days to once or twice weekly, depending on scalp oil production, activity level, and product use. Buildup can quietly weigh the wave pattern down before you've even styled it. Avoid brushing it dry. Instead, use a wide-tooth comb or your fingers while hair is wet and conditioned, and scrunch rather than pull. For 2C especially, a light leave-in conditioner after washing can help protect against humidity.
Type 3: Curly
3A has big, loose ringlets. 3B is springy and spiraled. 3C is dense corkscrew coils with significant shrinkage and the highest moisture need of the three.
If your hair tends to feel dry, it makes complete sense. When your strands spiral the way they do, your scalp's natural oils simply can't travel as easily to the ends. That's physics, not something you caused.
Internal support: Curly hair faces more mechanical stress than straighter textures, and every bend in a spiral is a natural stress point. Internal support for strand strength and elasticity can be especially important for this hair type. Nutrients that support keratin production, collagen formation, and scalp health can complement a healthy haircare routine by supporting hair growth from within.
External routine: Many curly hair types find that washing every 5 to 10 days helps maintain moisture while keeping the scalp comfortable. Detangle only while wet and in sections, and condition generously from ear level down. For 3C hair, following with a leave-in conditioner or curl cream can help lock in moisture.
Type 4: Coily
4A has tight S-patterned coils and 40 to 75% shrinkage. 4B follows a Z-pattern with even greater density. 4C is the most tightly coiled, with shrinkage up to 80% and strands that are often finer than their fullness suggests.
The dryness is structural, not a sign that anything is wrong. With so many bends in each coil, natural oils almost never reach the ends. That's simply the architecture of the hair.
Internal support: Because the scalp's natural oils have such difficulty traveling the length of Type 4 strands, what happens internally matters even more. Scalp circulation, keratin availability, and nutrient support all play important roles in follicle health and strand integrity. These internal factors work alongside your external routine to help support healthy-looking hair.
External routine: Many people with Type 4 hair do well washing about once a week, often in sections with a gentle scalp massage. Follow with generous conditioning from root to tip, allowing enough time for the hair to absorb moisture. A leave-in conditioner or nourishing oil can help seal that moisture in. And one thing we want every Type 4 person to hear: shrinkage is not damage. When your hair pulls up to 80% of its actual length, that's healthy elasticity doing exactly what it should.
While each hair type has unique needs, there's one factor they all share: scalp health.
Your Scalp Is Part of the Conversation Too
Every hair type creates a different scalp environment, and an unbalanced scalp can affect how every follicle functions, regardless of texture. Straight hair allows sebum to move easily across the scalp, which is why Type 1 often experiences more buildup. Coily hair distributes those oils less easily, so Type 4 scalps may feel drier. Denser textures can also limit airflow, allowing product residue to accumulate more quickly.
Whatever your texture, a clean and balanced scalp is the foundation everything else is built on. Scalp care isn't separate from haircare. It's where haircare begins.
Healthy Hair Starts Within
Hair isn't a vital organ. When nutrients are low, stress is high, or hormones shift, the body prioritizes other functions first. That's why hair is often one of the first places internal imbalance shows up, and why the inside-out approach is at the center of everything Dr. Dan formulated at Wellbel.
A great external routine matters. But what happens beneath the surface, nutrient availability, hormonal balance, and scalp circulation, helps shape how your hair grows, sheds, and maintains its strength over time. That's true for 1A. That's true for 4C. It's true for every texture in between.
A few of the nutrients that matter most, regardless of hair type:
MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane)
MSM supplies the organic sulfur your body uses to build keratin, collagen, and elastin, structural proteins that support hair strength, flexibility, and resilience. It may also support healthy circulation to the scalp, helping follicles receive the nutrients they need to function optimally. For anyone researching collagen supplements for hair, MSM is worth understanding because it helps support the body's natural production of these important structural proteins.
Biotin
Biotin plays a role in keratin production, which is why it appears in so many hair supplements. What many people don't realize is that very high doses, often 3,000 to 10,000 mcg, may interfere with certain thyroid and cardiac lab tests and can contribute to breakouts in some individuals. The right dose is the one the body can effectively use. Wellbel uses 500 mcg, a calibrated amount that supports hair, skin, and nail health without the excess found in many formulas.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D plays a direct role in the hair follicle cycle, and deficiency is surprisingly common, especially among people who spend much of their time indoors. It's one of the many reasons internal support can be an important part of a comprehensive hair wellness routine.
Every Wellbel supplement was formulated around these principles, for every hair type, every texture, and every stage of life.
