How To Tell If You Really Have Thick Or Thin Hair

There's no doubt that caring for your hair can be a confusing process, especially with all the diverse hair types and products out there. While all kinds of hair are beautiful, finding out whether you have fine, medium, or thick strands is highly important when it comes to finding the right hairstyle, products, and maintenance for you. However, many confuse the concept of a hair's density with its thickness, which often doesn't correlate. 

While density refers to the amount of hair on your head, thickness refers to the width or diameter of a single strand. StyleCraze reports that those with hair on the thinner (fine) side are about 0.04 to 0.06 millimeters, while those with thicker, curlier hair have strands that are 0.08 to 1 millimeter. "Fine hair is almost half the thickness of copy paper, and coarse hair has about twice the thickness of copy paper," Eric Spengler, former senior vice president at haircare brand Living Proof told Byrdie.

Unknown to many, finding the thickness of your hair requires specific techniques that may significantly help your hair journey in the future. Although it may seem obvious, you may be surprised to learn that you may have thin hair when you've considered yours thick your entire life, and vice versa. 

Keep scrolling to find how to tell if you really have thick or thin hair.

Haircare brand Schwarzkopf has a trick to figuring out your hair's thickness. Grab your nearest sewing thread, pluck a single strand of your hair (and make sure it comes from the middle of your head where the hair is more developed), and compare the two substances. If the strand of your hair is wider than the tread, your hair is thick. If it is more narrow, your hair is fine. If it is the same width, then your hair is somewhere in between, or medium.

However, if you're not the biggest fan of ripping out your follicles, you can still test your hair's thickness while keeping it attached to your head. Simply roll a single strand around your fingers. If you can't feel or see it, your hair is thin. If you can minimally feel it, your hair is somewhere in between. If you can definitely feel a rough, dry texture, then your hair is likely thick (via StyleCraze and Byrdie).

Another way to determine if you have thick or thin hair is to pay attention to its texture. Thin hair tends to be smooth to the touch, making it fall out of ponytails more easily. It may have a hard time holding a curl and is more prone to looking limp or greasy between washes. On the other hand, thicker hair tangles more easily and takes more effort to dry.