A question that comes up often is whether or not hair color plays a role in things like density, thickness, and eventually, hair loss.
While some people believe the lighter the hair color, the thinner the hair and less density coverage, this isn’t exactly the case.
Statistically, we see that those with a lighter hair color generally have thinner, finer hair. While those with darker hair typically have thicker hair strands. This has to do with the amount of melanin in the hair. The more melanin present in the hair strand the thicker it is.
One important thing to note regarding hair color and hair type, is that hair thickness or fineness and hair density or coverage is not the same thing. Hair thickness refers to the individual hair strands and how thick or thin they are. Hair density refers to the amount of hairs covering the scalp.
This is important because while we see those with lighter hair having finer hair strands, they tend to have a higher hair density.
Based on this information, there is no direct link between hair color and lack of density or eventual hair loss. While you can utilize trends regarding hair color and thickness and density to inform you about your possible hair type, there is no evidence suggesting that hair color is any indication of density or hair coverage.
More likely, your hair’s density is dependent upon your genetics. If your parents or grandparents have experienced progressive thinning, diffuse thinning, or have naturally low density, unfortunately, it’s likely you will as well, as hair traits are highly genetic.
While you can’t change your genetics, luckily, there are many options to help maintain your hair’s density and prevent it from thinning further. If you’d like to learn more about these options, give us a call for a consultation.
Tag Archives: hair thickness
Does hair color affect thickness?
Generally, the rule of thumb is the darker the hair the thicker it is. Individuals with black and brown hair typically have thicker hair strands but an overall lower density of hair. While blonde hair individuals usually have finer hair strands but a high density of those hairs.
This is believed to be due to the amount of melanin in the hair. The more melanin, the darker the hair, the thicker the strand. Less melanin means lighter hair and a finer strand.
While these generalizations can help us track hair trends, they unfortunately don’t do much in helping us identify our hair type. Although we can correlate color and thickness, there is no direct causation between the two.
It is not at all uncommon for individuals to have dark hair and fine strands, as well as light hair and thick strands. What’s more likely to play a role in hair thickness is your genetics.
If you’re trying to decipher which hair type you have, you first need to find out if your strands are fine or thick. This can be done by comparing a strand of your hair to sewing thread. If the hair strand is thinner than the thread you have fine hair. If the strand is thicker than the thread you have thick hair.
Next, you need to find out the density of your hair. This can be done by parting the scalp in different areas of the head and noting the amount of scalp visible along the part. The less scalp visible the denser your hair is. The more scalp visible the less density you have.
Over time, our hair can change. This most often occurs with age. As individuals get older they notice their hair density decreasing. If you are an individual that falls into this category, you may be a candidate for hair transplant surgery and/or alternative methods to restoring hair loss such as PRP therapy and laser therapy.
If you’d like to learn more, feel free to give us a call for a consultation.