Give me a L...Give Me an O... Give Me an I...Give Me a S... What does that spell L.O.I.S Hair typing system

When I first decided to become natural in 07/08, there were only two kinds of hair typing systems that I knew about the Andre Walker hair typing system and the L.O.I.S hair typing system.

In this post, we will be discussing the L.O.I.S hair typing system created by Ms. Snips. 
Okay...Okay...Okay, I know I just talked Andre Walker hair typing system. Now your are like..... What the heck is the L.O.I.S hair typing system??? Who the heck is Ms. Snips???

 Unfortunately, their website Ourhair.net no longer exists and due to a lack of information online about Ms.Snips. Her identity remains a mystery. The L.O.I.S hair typing system was created as an  alternative to Andre Walker’s hair typing system. Many naturals felt like were clustered into limited categories with Andre Walker's hair typing system. These limited categories still created "good" and "bad" hair divisions. The L.O.I.S hair typing system addressed the dissatisfaction that many naturals felt with Andre Walker's hair typing system. The L.O.I.S hair typing system used all the aspects of Black hair. It also eliminated the need for a hierarchical system that created "good" and "bad" hair divisions.  The L.O.I.S hair typing system is made up of three variables hair pattern, strand size and hair texture.

HOW YOU WOULD FIND YOUR HAIR TYPE USING THE L.O.I.S HAIR TYPING SYSTEM……..

In order, to find out what is your L.O.I.S hair type. You will need to have freshly washed hair that has been rinsed in cold water. After you have washed your hair. You will need to pluck a hair strand or two  from your freshly washed hair . This strand needs to be virgin strand of hair.

NOTE: This means the virgin strand of hair needs healthy undamaged and unprocessed which means your hair needs to be free of hair dye, relaxers or any other type of chemical processing.

Once you have plucked a virgin strand(s) of hair from your freshly washed hair. You will place the strand of hair on a piece of paper towel and allow it to dry without manipulating it. Once your hair strand has dried, you will examine the strand of hair with touching it and reference the chart below to find out your LOIS hair pattern.

Below I have provided you with the breakdown on these 4 different L.O.I.S hair patterns.

L		If the hair has all bends, right angles and folds with little to no curve then you are daughter L.
O		If the strand is rolled up into the shape of one or several zeros like a spiral, then you are daughter O.
I		If the hair lies mostly flat with no distinctive curve or bend you are daughter I.
S		If the strand looks like a wavy line with hills and valleys then you are   daughter S.

NOTE: If you find that you are a combination of the L,O,I,S letters. Find the most dominant letter of the L,O,I,S letters and use it. If the combination of the L,O,I,S letters vary too greatly to  have a dominant letter, then combine the letters. Example: LO or IL or OS.

After you have found what letter(s) you are of the LOIS hair typing system. You will go on to the next variable in the LOIS hair typing system which is finding out your hair strand size.

In the LOIS hair typing system, a strand of frayed thread is used to determine the size of your hair strand.

If your hair is smaller than the size of a strand of frayed thread it means that you have fine/thin sized strands of hair on your head.

If your hair is the size of a strand of frayed thread it means that you have medium sized strands of hair on your head.

If your hair is larger than the size of a strand of frayed thread it means that you have thick sized strands of hair on your head. 

The final variable of the L.O.I.S hair typing system is finding out what is your hair texture.

Below I have provided you with the breakdown on these 5 different hair texture types.

HAIR TEXTURE	SHEEN & SHINE	HAIR TEXTURE PROPERTIES
THREADY	LOW SHEEN/ HIGH SHINE	Has low frizz and wets easily but water dries out quickly.
WIRY	SPARKLY SHEEN/ LOW SHINE	Has low frizz and water beads up or bounces off the hair strands. This hair type never seems to get fully wet.
COTTONY	LOW SHEEN/ HIGH SHINE	has high frizz. This hair type absorbs water quickly but does not get thoroughly wet very fast.
SPONGY	HIGH SHEEN/ LOW SHINE	Has compacted looking frizz. Absorbs water before it gets thoroughly wet.
SILKY	LOW SHEEN/ VERY HIGH SHINE	Has either a lot or a little frizz.  This hair type easily wets in water.

NOTE:  Shine is a sharp reflection of light and Sheen is a dull reflection of light.

You can still find the PDF of Ms SNIPS hair on Nappturality or Blackhairplanet (If you are a registered user)

Click Here to view the original PDF of What's My Hair Type? by Ms SNIPS

What's Our L.O.I.S hair type?..........

Red Velvet's L.O.I.S  Hair Type


I have braided hair extensions right now. So I will post my L.O.I.S hair type when I take them out.


Coco's L.O.I.S  Hair Type

She has braided hair extensions right now. So we will post her L.O.I.S hair type when she takes them out.

Many naturals have placed a great deal of importance on hair typing systems, which has its pros and cons. Some naturals use hair typing systems to help take better care of their hair which is  A PRO.  Some naturals use their hair type as a superiority thing which is A CON.

I (Red Velvet), personally do not Believe in “Good” or “Bad”  Hair.  I think it is very ignorant of people to refer to other people’s hair as “Good Hair” or “Bad Hair. It’s just “HAIR” and “HEALTHY HAIR IS "GOOD" HAIR AND THE BEST TYPE OF HAIR TO HAVE...PERIOD".  What I like about the L.O.I.S hair typing system is that it eliminates a person from being labeled with "good" or "bad" hair which is a PRO. Another PRO about the L.O.I.S hair typing system is that it allows a person to proudly embrace all aspects of your hair. One CON about the L.O.I.S hair typing system is that it doesn't tell you how to care for your hair. Another CON is that since their website no longer exists, it leaves you relying solely on experimentation to figure out what works for your hair. Although, I love this hair typing it still incomplete because of the CONS.




So Readers..........

So are you a L, an O, an I or a S? Or are you a combination of this hair typing system? Do you find hair typing system to be helpful in your natural hair journey? If yes, Why? If no, why not?