Determining Thickness of Your Hair

Determine your hair type to
determine the best styling
techniques for your hair!

To be most successful when styling your hair, first determine your hair type. Techniques can vary greatly whether you have thick, medium, or thin hair. If you know what type of hair you have, then you can use certain products and styling techniques to work with your hair to create the style that works best for you. There are two areas used to determine hair type: hair strand thickness and density of hair.

Determining Hair Strand Thickness

Hair strand thickness, refers to how thick each individual hair strand is. To determine this, take one strand of clean hair and pull it in front of your face. Fine hair is barely visible and can barely be felt when you roll one strand in between two fingers. Coarse hair is very easy to see and may feel wiry when you roll it. Medium thickness hair falls in between these as it is easily visible and can be felt easily between fingers when rolled.

Determining Hair Density

Hair density is thinness or thickness of your entire head of hair. The higher the hair count, the thicker the density. To determine your hair density, pull all of your hair back into a ponytail. Next, put your thumb and forefinger around your ponytail to make a circle. If your circle is dime-sized or less, you have low density hair. If your circle is quarter sized or more, you have a high density. Anything in between is medium density or average.

Combining your hair strand thickness with your hair density will help you determine whether you have thick, medium, or thin hair. If you have fine strand thickness and fine density, for instance, your overall hair type is fine. If you have a combination of fine strands and high density, you have fine, thick hair. This information will allow you to discuss and compare with others who have the same hair type as you. You will be able to discover styling techniques and hair products to better style your hair to its full beauty potential!