In our lifetime we have all heard comments about hair being either thick or thin. Typically this "level of thickness" is misused to describe someone's hair density. So what exactly is the difference between hair density and thickness?
What is hair density?
Density is the term used to define how how tightly individual strands of hair are packed together. Our hair's density can be categorized as either dense or sparse. Hair that is more on the sparse side can be described as scalpy, where the scalp is more clearly visible than denser hair.
What is hair thickness?
While denser hair is typically called "thick," those with dense hair can actually have what we refer to as fine/thin or thick/coarse hair. This is because hair thickness actually refers to the width of individual strands.
All combinations of hair density and thickness are naturally possible. These levels of density and thickness can also be influenced by your hair regimen, diet, health, medication and the amount of tension placed on your hair for prolonged periods of time. It is important to note that density and thickness can be increased naturally as well, but it can be unlikely for hair to go from completely sparse to very dense or fine to thick.
How can you determine your hair's density?
Mini Twists Test
Two-strand twist your hair into many very small sections.
Determine how visible your scalp is from behind and with some of the twists lifted up.
If your scalp is easily visible and your twists have a noticeable amount of space between one another, your hair is on the sparser side. If your scalp does not show noticeably and there is not much visible space between your twists, your hair is on the denser end of the spectrum.
Quarter Test
Starting with stretched hair, place your hair into a ponytail
Compare the height of your ponytail to the height of a quarter
If your ponytail is smaller than the quarter, your hair is more sparse. Medium density hair will be about the same size of the quarter. Lastly, if your ponytail is bigger than the quarter, your hair is more dense.
How can you determine your hair's thickness?
Thread Test
Cut a piece of all-purpose, or polyester, thread
Split the piece of thread in half and discard the other half
Take one strand from the front, middle, and back of your hair
Compare each strand to the piece of thread
A strand that is visibly thinner than the thread is considered fine while a thick strand will closely resemble the thread's thickness.
What density/thickness combination does your hair fall under? Have you ever noticed any changes?
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