With the discussion about adding waves and curls I thought it might be interesting to show what my hair looks in various states.  

Here is my hair in twin french braids (excuse the messy flyaways - my hair had been in braids all day - including riding to and from work).
www.tarsk.com/Robin/2004_08_braids.JPG

Here is what my hair looks like after taking the braids out. Besides having the braids in for about 3 days, each time I braided, I had damp hands to keep the braids neater all day.

www.tarsk.com/Robin/2004_08_unbraided.JPG

Finally time to wash the hair!  Here it is wet.

www.tarsk.com/Robin/2004_08_wet.JPG

I seldom allow my hair to dry loose.  It is usually in a bun or braids... but tonight I let it just dry without doing anything to it.  The waves are natural - I never had them when I was younger.

www.tarsk.com/Robin/2004_08_dry.jpg

Your hair is beautiful, bikerbraid! I can't believe the amount of waves those French braids gave you, I get *much* less of an effect! You'll soon be at classic length. :-)

/Kate

wow your hair is so purdy Bikerbraid!! i looooooooooove those french braid waves!  ;D

Your hair is so loooong!! very pretty!  The curl from the
french braids look so cool!  My hair has gotten a bit
wavier this summer, too.  Don't know why.   I think I'm
a 1cFi  some wave but it used to be straighter.  Maybe
it's been more humid.  It straightens out a lot when I
get in a desert climate.

Your hair is truly gorgeous! You're an inspiration to me Bikerbraid 8) ...long and healthy!

Anais

::blushes:: Thanks everyone!

Wowwwwwww... purrrty  ;D

Bikerbraid,

Nice, nice waves, so different than mine looks when I take down a French braid.

What do you consider to be your Fia hair type?

I have no idea.  I guess I should go check it out.  ::)

OK, ::puff puff:: just ran over to check out the "rating system".  My best guess is 1cFii - does that sound right?

oooo we're almost the same! im 1bFii  :)

How do I get to the rating system?

Here's Fia's hair rating system:

Fia's Hairtyping System

First classifier - Your curliness (or lack thereof)
The straight ones
1a - stick straight
1b - straight but with a slight body wave, just enough to add some volume, doesn't look wavy
1c - straight with body wave and one or two visible S-waves (e.g. nape of neck or temples)

The wavy ones
2a - loose, stretched out S-waves throughout the hair
2b - shorter, more distinct S-waves (similar to waves from braiding damp hair)
2c - distinct S-waves and the odd spiral curl forming here and there

The curly ones
3a - big, loose spiral curls
3b - bouncy ringlets
3c - tight corkscrews

The really curly ones
4a - tightly coiled S-curls
4b - tightly coiled hair bending in sharp angles (Z-pattern)


Second classifier - What (most of) your individual strands look like

F - Fine
Thin strands that sometimes are almost translucent when held up to the light. Shed strands can be hard to see even against a contrasting background. Similar to hair found on many people of Scandinavian descent.

N - Normal
Strands are neither fine nor coarse. Similar to hair found on many Caucasians.

C - Coarse
Thick strands that where shed strands usually are easily identified against most backgrounds. Similar to hair found on many people of Asian, Hispanic or native American descent.


Third classifier - Your overall volume of hair
Put your hair in a ponytail with as much hair as possible in it. Don't bother with the way it looks - the goal is to have most/all of your hair in there. If it means it sits smack dab on top of your head, put it there.
Measure the circumference of the ponytail. If you have bangs and/or you can't get all of your hair in there adjust according to how much of your hair you have measured.

i - thin (less than 2 inches/5 centimeters)

ii - normal (between 2-4 inches or 5-10 centimeters)

iii - thick (more than 4 inches/10 centimeters)


If you are having difficulty determining the thickness of individual hairs, this might help:

Take a strand of hair from the back of your head. Roll the strand between your thumb and index finger.

Fine Hair -- Your hair is difficult to feel or it feels like an ultra-fine strand of silk

Coarse Hair -- Your hair feels hard and wiry. As you roll it back and forth, you may actually hear it!

Medium Hair -- Your hair feels like a cotton thread. You can feel it, but it isn't stiff or rough. It is neither fine or coarse

So that's how you do it...ah-ha!  So I would classify as a 1bFi, I was wondering where everyone was coming up with their ratings!  Thanks for clarifying that BB!  :D

Maggie- I'm a 1c-2afi.  How long is your hair?  My hair has a few S waves to it -more in the humidity- otherwise
it has no "body" at all.  Mine is about an inch below
my shoulders.

Mine is 1a-N ... my hair is stick straight without a wave or curve and the only way to give it any body is to wet it,  braid it and let it dry.

wrote on Nov 17^th, 2004 at 8:20pm:

Maggie- I'm a 1c-2afi.  How long is your hair?  My hair has a few S waves to it -more in the humidity- otherwise it has no "body" at all.  Mine is about an inch below my shoulders.

My hair reaches about in inch below my bra strap, I think this is long as it's capable of getting.  I have a little bit of wave to my hair, it's not silky straight or flat, unless I blow dry it with a vented round brush to be that way.  I actually have pretty good body in my hair, to compare it to someone you might recognize, like sheryl crow or shania twain, that kind of hair.  I wear it in long layers, first layer starting at about the shoulders, and that *really* helps with giving my hair more body.  When I have it all one length I get that "bell" effect happening, where it's wider at the bottom than the top - not very becoming on me!  My bangs are also layered, starting from my chin and blending into the sides of my hair.  I am very happy with the hair cut I have now, man, that's a change!  It's hard to find a good hairdresser!

@ maggie: it's strange you consider your hair to have reached it's terminal length since at the same length it forms the "bell" when cut into one length! actually it's the reason i initially cut my hair into layers cuze i had that bell at waist length and i hated it too. i think though, that hair close to it's terminal length should be severely thinned out at the ends (cuze well, statistically most hairs on your head are shorter than their terminal length!).
so ... i'd say wait and see if it really doesn't grow longer or that you break it off yourself by nasty brushing or whatever ... i dunno, doesn't seem to make any sense to me.

i am aiming for longer length myself to avoid the bell thingie

... and hairdressers  :-X

Styg, I say this because my entire life my hair has never gotten any longer than it is now, in fact, this is probably the longest it's ever been.  But this will not discourage me from trying, I'm not a giver-upper!  I just need to stop washin' the darn stuff so much.......will power......will power......!