Curly Hair Society

Curl Types · Curly · 3B

3B Hair Examples: What Does 3B Hair Look Like?

See 3B curls from the front, side and back, compare them with 3A and 3C, and find out if this is your type.

A woman facing the camera with medium-length, dark brown hair in springy ringlets from the root, with plenty of volume
Springy ringlets from the root, full of volume around the face.Medium length · Front view
A woman in profile with dark brown hair in springy spiral ringlets about the width of a marker pen
In profile, each ringlet is about the width of a marker pen.Medium length · Side view
Medium-length, dark brown hair seen from behind, in springy ringlets from the crown down
From behind: springy ringlets from the crown to the ends, with a little frizz on top.Medium length · Back view

What to look for

  • Springy ringlets that loop from the root
  • Curls about the width of a marker pen
  • Lots of volume, and shrinkage as it dries

Do I have 3B hair?

Check on clean hair that has air-dried with no product

  1. Do the spirals start at the root?

    3B ringlets form complete loops all the way from the scalp. If the top few inches are wavy and the curls only form lower down, look at 2C or 3A.

  2. Are the curls about the width of a marker pen?

    Wrap a curl around a marker or your index finger. Larger, looser loops are 3A; tight corkscrews the width of a pencil are 3C.

  3. Does your hair shrink as it dries?

    3B hair looks several inches shorter dry than wet. Pull a dry curl straight and let go: if it springs well above where it reached, that is 3B shrinkage.

  4. Are the ends dry, and the hair full of volume?

    The spirals make it hard for the scalp's oil to travel down the strand, so 3B hair feels driest at the ends, and it gains volume as it dries.

More than one pattern? That is normal. Many people have a mix, often looser at the crown and tighter underneath or around the face. Go by the pattern over most of your head, and treat the rest as part of the same routine.

3A vs 3B vs 3C: See the difference

3A hair in large, loose spiral curls about the width of a piece of chalk

3ALoose curls

  • Large, loose loops the width of chalk
  • Shiny, with frizz at the surface
  • Loosens easily when long
3A guide
3B hair in springy ringlets about the width of a marker pen

3BSpringy ringlets

  • Springy ringlets the width of a marker
  • Lots of volume and shrinkage
  • Dry at the ends
3C hair in tight, densely packed corkscrews about the width of a pencil

3CTight corkscrews

  • Tight corkscrews the width of a pencil
  • Dense, growing out as much as down
  • Shrinks by around half
3C guide

A visual guide to the patterns, not a clinical chart. Hair type is a description, and plenty of heads sit between two.

What to do next

A routine and products for 3B curls