Fine=Thin?

[choconillaprincess]

I always notice threads that mention fine/thin hair & have wondered do all people with fine hair have thin hair? or do all thin haired ladies have fine hair? I'm really confused about fine hair... is fine the opposite of coarse? How do you know that you have fine hair? or medium? or coarse? or wutever? I have been told that i have fine hair but it far from thin... I'm so confused! can some of you tell me the differences & maybe include pictures?

 

[silverlotus]

No, they're not the same thing. You can have fine hair, but still be thick. Here's a good explanation from another site.

SECOND CLASSIFIER - What (most of) your individual strands look like

F - Fine
Thin strands that sometimes are almost translucent when held up to the light. Shed strands can be hard to see even against a contrasting background. Similar to hair found on many people of Scandinavian descent.

You can also try rolling a strand between your thumb and index finger. Fine hair is difficult to feel or it feels like an ultra-fine strand of silk

M - Medium
Strands are neither fine nor coarse. Similar to hair found on many Caucasians.

You can also try rolling a strand between your thumb and index finger. Medium hair feels like a cotton thread. You can feel it, but it isn't stiff or rough. It is neither fine or coarse.

C - Coarse
Thick strands that where shed strands usually are easily identified against most backgrounds. Similar to hair found on many people of Asian or native American descent.

You can also try rolling a strand between your thumb and index finger. Coarse hair feels hard and wiry. As you roll it back and forth, you may actually hear it.

THIRD CLASSIFIER - Your overall volume of hair

Put your hair in a ponytail with as much hair as possible in it. Don't bother with the way it looks - the goal is to have most/all of your hair in there. If it means it sits smack dab on top of your head, put it there.

Measure the circumference of the ponytail. If you have bangs and/or you can't get all of your hair in there adjust according to how much of your hair you have measured.

i - thin (less than 2 inches/5 centimeters)
ii - normal (between 2-4 inches or 5-10 centimeters)
iii - thick (more than 4 inches/10 centimeters)

Hair can be any combination of the two categories. HTH!

 

[Moroni]

"Hair texture is the measure of the circumference of the hair strand itself. Professionals classify the texture of hair as being "coarse", "fine", or "medium". Coarse hair has the largest circumference, and fine hair has the smallest." http://www.hairfinder.com/hairquestions/hairtexture.htm

My daughter and I both have fine hair, but if I put all of her hair in a pony tail, the base of the ponytail would be about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter, because she has thick, natural hair. My ponytail, however, is only about 1 inch in diameter, because I have thin, relaxed hair. HTH

 

[choconillaprincess]

so can u not tell by just looking @ a person's hair? do u have to look @ the individual strand? y do so many sites say that all AAs have coarse hair because i think my hair is sumwhere between fine & medium? i've always heard that fine hair has that silky look is this just a myth? sorry so many questions!

 

[myco]

so can u not tell by just looking @ a person's hair? do u have to look @ the individual strand? y do so many sites say that all AAs have coarse hair because i think my hair is sumwhere between fine & medium? i've always heard that fine hair has that silky look is this just a myth? sorry so many questions!

It can be a semantic difference or colloquialism. Sometimes when people are saying "coarse" they are referring to texture or level of kinkiness. Like comparing silk to cotton or wool. Cotton and wool have a more textural feel than silk, so the fabric is considered coarser.

When you examine strand diameter only, Asian people actually have the coarsest hair. The strands of hair sometimes look like pieces of thread.

4a/4b hair might have the most texture, but our individual strands tend to be on the fine side (on average). I think that has a lot to do with the mishandling of our hair. We assume that because of the way it feels or stands up unaided, it can take more abuse and handling.

 

[velvet]

Most hairdressers have called my hair fine, but I think it's actually medium. I think that most of them are just used to dealing with coarse AA hair.

My classmate (Scandinavian redhead) and I both put our hair under a microscope one day for fun. Her hair was basically translucent- so fine that if you held it up to the light you could barely see it.

So maybe my hair is fine for black people and medium in general?

 

[velvet]

double post

 

[crizzbee]

velvet u look gorgeous pregnant!!! on the topic i think thin strands are the same as fine - with my hair it appears thick but if u pull out a strand you can barley see it unless u gather 3 or more strands together it sucks to have thin strands because u must be gentle i'm still learning

 

[Softresses]

Silverlotus has explained it the way I have always been taught.
I have fine strands but a thick/dense head of hair. My natural (before I started texturizing) pony tail was MAD thick, but when pressed my hair would be like fine silk.


Softresses

 

[Empress Yahudah]

I have fine hair but alot of strands that make it look fuller

 

[mzhotniz86]

usually people with 3 and 2 and 1 type hair have thick strands. certain 3s and 4 have fine (especially if you are relaxed) i used to get confused about this too. but they are referring to the actual strand of hair. asian and caucasian people have "coarse " hair. the actual strand of hair itself is thick . so yes, fine means the thinness of the single strand of hair itself. i have a thick head of 4b hair and my hair strands are fine. and its weird because i was so used to using products and directions for coarse hair, when relaly my hair is fine. mind boggling isnt it?

 

[blackbarbie]

Silverlotus has explained it the way I have always been taught.
I have fine strands but a thick/dense head of hair. My natural (before I started texturizing) pony tail was MAD thick, but when pressed my hair would be like fine silk.


Softresses

My thoughts exactly!
My individual hairs are fine and when I used to get it relaxed it was feel "thin" because of all the hairs were so fine, however, my natural hair is really thick. I realized just how thick when I let it air dry once and it all when "POOF". There are a lot of strands, but their just fine.

 

[choconillaprincess]

bump...........

 

[glamazon386]

so can u not tell by just looking @ a person's hair? do u have to look @ the individual strand? y do so many sites say that all AAs have coarse hair because i think my hair is sumwhere between fine & medium? i've always heard that fine hair has that silky look is this just a myth? sorry so many questions!

I think that's just a misconception. Just like a lot of people think natural hair is dry and rough. My hair would be considered fine. It doesn't feel coarse when you touch it. And the strands are very fine. There's a lot of them, but they're still fine.

 

[VelvetRain]

My hair is very fine. In no way is it thin though.