Different Types of Hair

A blonde, brunette, and a redhead walk into a bar.  Ouch.  There are many, many jokes that start like this.  It's strange, especially because hair seems to be such a perfect defining characteristic when you're describing someone.  When asked to describe someones face, people usually flounder (unless the person has a mole or an eye-patch or something), but they can immediately tell you the color of the person's hair.  Possibly this explains why there are so many classes and divisions of what hair is.  We're going to divide hair into a couple different categories:  by color, by type, and by shampoo classification.

By Color

All hair is determined by certain pigments that a person has, and this is determined genetically or, in a pinch, by a ton of dye and bleach.  There are only a handful of colors that hair can naturally be.

Blond - Most common in Northern European countries, Blond hair is the lightest color that still contains pigment.  It can be very light, as in nearly white, to a blend between yellow and brown. Many people are born blond but then turn darker as they age.  The hair color isn't exclusive to Northern Europe, but is significantly less normal once you leave that region.  Western cultural stereotypes portray blondes as somewhat lacking in brains, but there is no reason to believe this is true.

Brunette - Brunette covers a large range of hair, but the similar color is brown.  It could be right on the edge of blonde, or it may appear to be nearly black.  Brunettes are prevalent more or less throughout the world.  Brown hair tends to be more common in adults than in children.

Redhead - Red hair is not nearly as common as blond or brunette, but it is relatively regularly seen.  Red hair comes from a recessive gene, so it only shows up occasionally, even among families.  Red hair is most common in the British Isles, but can be found pretty much anywhere else.  It is, however, extremely rare among black-haired populations.  Redheads, like blonds, have a reputation, theirs being "fiery."  I've met redheads who are and aren't.

Black Hair - Black hair is found in every part of the world, for the most part, but is rarest in northern Europe.  It is immensely prevalent among Asian and Indian peoples. 

Grey/White Hair - Grey or white hair, unlike the others, comes from a lack of pigment.  It is usually found among the elderly, as pigment stops developing later in life.  White hair can also be found in albinos, but is otherwise extremely rare among younger people.

By Type

Hair can also be divided by texture.  The frequencies of these types of hair vary from race to race, but can be found in all of them.

Straight Hair - Pretty straightforward (ha!), straight hair grows out without natural waves or curls.  Straight hair tends to be found more often with people of lighter skin. Straight hair comes from a high Vitamin D count, which tends to be much higher in people of lighter skin, as this pigment was evolutionarily required in colder regions with less sunlight. 

Wavy Hair - Wavy hair is really just a form of straight hair that ended up between Straight and Kinky hair.  It is hair that is not curly, but tends to undulate rather than stay perfectly straight.

Curly Hair - Curly hair is closer to the kinky end of the spectrum in that it is kind of frizzy.  It doesn't tangle as easily as kinky hair, and it tends to straighten out as soon as you put it in water.

Kinky Hair - Kinky hair is what human beings first developed when we became a distinct species.  It is more tightly coiled than straight hair.  It likely evolved as UV protection in Africa and Equatorial regions, where there is a lot of sun.  As humans moved out of the sun, the necessity for this hair decreased, so the occurrence of it did as well.

By Shampoo Classification

What you're probably the MOST worried about is haircare, if you're reading this.  There are different steps to take if you have different types of hair, so the first thing to do is look in a mirror and see what you've got. Ready?  Okay.

Oily Hair - If your hair is oily or greasy, you're probably using way too much product.  You want to avoid shampooing every day and easy up on the conditioner.  When you do shower, make sure you rinse your hair out well so you have as few chemicals in there as possible.  Oil also tends to go up if you're on a bad diet with lots of heavy fats.  So eat some veggies.  Stress is also a factor that can oil up your hair, so really, just try to stay healthy in general.  Ironically, you ALSO get oily hair if you don't wash your hair enough, so work on striking that balance.  What product you use is a factor as well.  Tip:  Look for the shampoo that says "For Oily Hair."

Dry Hair - Dry hair is easy to spot because of all that dusty dandruff.  Strangely, the causes of dry hair are basically the same as oily hair:  you're shampooing too much.  Avoid getting chemicals in your hair like chlorine or product.  Conditioner is good for your hair, however.  Try to find one with a low alcohol content.  It also helps to ease up on the brushing.  In some cases, the problem with dandruff is a dry scalp, which is tough because you can't really put lotion on it, can you?  There are dandruff shampoos that treat the scalp as well as the hair, however, so next time you're buying shampoo, look at all the options and pick one that looks good for you.

Ideally, you'll be somewhere between these two types.  Additionally, different shampoos treat different types of hair, so, if you have nappy or wavy hair, you can buy shampoo that will take care of that.  Just look for the proper labels on the bottles.