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.