Last year, after I stopped battering my hair with heat multiple times a week, I noticed something interesting – my hair that I had always described as “curly” was actually a cacophony of mostly spirals with some ringlets. I knew multiple textures were common in people with curly hair but it made me think that I needed to be caring for my specific type of curly hair – not just using general best practice. 

The more I learned, the better my curls looked and felt and now I want the same for you. Consider this your full guide to type 3a hair, including the nine best products to look after it.

“Type 3a hair describes loose spiral curls. It’s based on a curl typing system that separates wavy, curly, coily and kinky hair types into categories 2, 3 and 4 which are then further broken down into letters a, b and c, which represent different textures within each category,” explains Chloe Elliott, curl specialist and owner of the hair salon Curly Gal Chlo and Odyssey Box.

“While the curl typing system can be used to assess the appearance of the curls, there are factors that are more objective and informative when caring for and determining the characteristics of curly hair, such as porosity, strand thickness and density. 

“In this system, 3a curls are the loosest of the curly textures and can be lightweight and susceptible to frizz. The curls tend to form in spirals rather than ringlets.”

“Although 3a curls are larger than 3b and 3c curls, they can all look very similar, which is why one of the best ways to tell which hair type you have is by looking at the hair when it is wet and seeing whether it retains its ringlets or looks wavier,” advises Taylor Taylor London stylist Lynne Soares.

“3a hair is less voluminous than other curly hair types and is, therefore, less likely to become frizzy, dry and damaged compared to 3b to 4c hair. 

“However, it is still a curly hair type and can still be damaged by environmental stressors like humidity and UV rays. This is why it’s so important to take care of 3a hair using products that are specifically formulated for curls.”

Your hair porosity, meaning how able your hair is to absorb and retain moisture, will affect which products will work best for your hair. 

(Not sure what porosity your hair is? Try Soares’ simple trick: drop a few strands of hair into a bowl of water and let them sit for a few minutes – if it sinks it’s high porosity, if it floats it is low porosity.)

“If you have low porosity hair, you’ll need lightweight products, as they have a harder time penetrating the hair shaft and can build up on the surface which will then weigh it down,” she says.

“If you have high-porosity hair you’ll need thick, moisturising products because your hair shaft will absorb moisture easily but that moisture will also evaporate more quickly, leading to dryness.”

“As this curl type can be prone to frizz, using lightweight conditioners and styling gels can help to effectively hydrate and hold curl definition. Water-based products are key so as not to weigh curls down and to keep them bouncy and soft for longer,” says Elliott.

“All styling products should be used alongside a regular cleansing and conditioning routine as product build-up can leave 3a curls feeling limp and flat too,” she advises.

Main image: Getty