Curly Hair Society

Curl Types · Curly · 3C

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

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

A woman facing the camera with dark brown hair in tight corkscrew curls with lots of volume
Tight corkscrews, densely packed, with as much volume outward as downward.Medium length · Front view
A woman in profile with dark brown hair in tight, pencil-width corkscrew curls
From the side, each curl is a tight corkscrew about the width of a pencil.Medium length · Side view
Dark brown hair seen from behind, in densely packed corkscrew curls past the shoulders
From behind: a dense mass of tight corkscrews, growing out as much as down.Medium length · Back view

What to look for

  • Tight corkscrews about the width of a pencil
  • Dense hair that grows out as much as down
  • Shrinkage of around half its length

Do I have 3C hair?

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

  1. Are the curls about the width of a pencil?

    Wrap a curl around a pencil. 3C corkscrews fit closely around it. Looser ringlets the width of a marker are 3B; smaller coils the width of a crochet needle are 4A.

  2. Does your hair grow out as much as down?

    3C hair is dense, with many strands per inch, so it builds volume outward rather than hanging.

  3. Does it shrink to about half its length?

    Stretch a dry curl straight and let go. If it springs back to half its stretched length or less, that is typical of 3C.

  4. Does it feel dry or coarse?

    With so many bends per strand, 3C hair loses moisture quickly and often feels rough to the touch, even when it is healthy.

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
3B guide
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

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 3C curls