by
Black Girl With Long Hair
By Cassadie of Natural Selection
I’m a firm believe that in addition to knowing your curl pattern, you must know your strand thickness if you are to properly care for your curls. Here’s step one in figuring out where YOUR hair lies on the spectrum.
For the longest time, I thought that if you had thick hair, your hair was coarse and if you had thin hair then your hair was fine. Until about a year ago, I lived my entire life under the assumption that because my hair was extremely thick that it was coarse. However, after going natural I discovered that beneath my straightened hair, there were follicles waiting to release zillions of little slinkies from my scalp. One day my friend was inspecting my teeny weeny coils when she said “your coils are so dense, but your hairs themselves are so so fine.”
Up close and personal shot of my texture
“Fine hair?? On this head?? Not a chance”, I said laughing it off.
“No really,” she insisted. And with that, she plucked a hair from her scalp held it up to one of my own.
To my surprise her hair was double the thickness mine! After a few more comparisons with other heads, I discovered that without a doubt, I fall into category of having fine hair.
I shared with you my discovery of fine hair because many of us assume that because we have kinky coils or a thick head of hair that our hair is COARSE, when in reality you could be like me and have a thick head of fine hair.
Let’s break it down to see where you fall.
First, there are really two spectrums of hair that we’re talking about here:
If you’re like me, you could go around plucking hairs from other people’s heads and comparing them to your own, but there actually is an, erm, place below the waist where everyone grows coarse hair. That’s right- pubic hair is coarse hair! (You knew getting to know your hair was intimate, but betcha didn’t know HOW intimate). If your hair is as thick as this hair from your nether regions, it’s coarse and if its thinner, but only slightly so, it’s medium, and if its noticeably more faint, then you have fine hair.
Fine hair can be placed into two camps. First, there are those (like me) who have lots fine hair whose follicles are placed very close together (thick) and those whose fine hair follicles are placed further apart and the hair is thin.
Showing my densely packed fine strands
Here are a few pictures I took comparing my fine hair and a friend’s coarser hair (thanks La Shon!)
Fine on the left. Coarse on the Right.
A fine strand. A coarse strand. A piece of thread.
As you can see, fine hair is much thinner than coarse hair and as a result is much more fragile and special attention must be given to make sure you’re giving your fine strands the TLC it needs to thrive. This series, SO FINE, will discuss, explore, and explain all things that every fine natural must know to be at her FINEst.
Ladies, is your hair coarse or fine? Describe your texture!
60 Responses
My hair has mix of fine and course strands. But overall my hair medium. I have neither extra fine hair or extra coarse strands. My crown is the softest, my edges are more coarse. Here is view of my thickness:
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMAG1626.jpg[/img]
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMAG1627.jpg[/img]
So true I didn’t realize this until the hairstylist Ouidad told me that my hair was baby fine I just had lots and lots of it. She said most curly haired people do not have coarse hair at all, it’s actually very rare. Before this people would tell me I had coarse hair and I believed it even though when my hair would shed I would notice most of them were small in diameter and some of them were super small. I only have two friends with actual coarse hair. Smh I think a lot of the people who were describing my hair weren’t even talking about hair thickness they were just using coarse as a less insulting way to call my hair nappy.
I will definitely appreciate reading this series!
I’ve got fine hair, densely packed, and a big head. Haha a very temperamental combination 🙂 But hey, it’s mine.
My hair is fine to medium strands, medium density and very porous. Protein and henna are my friends!
Hello Ladies,
I’m so sorry about this comment troll! It is a woman or man using the same email address to post multiple comments under different names. I’ve deleted all the comments and will continue to watch this thread.
If the comments pop up again and I’m not getting to them fast enough please email me at bl***************@***il.com
Leila
To all the natural sister keep up the good work and ignore the jerk that is typing nasty stuff the best part of that person went in he mattress when they where conceived!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hopefully this will keep that person at bay lol…. But yeah my hair is thick and coarse and I love it, because it will hold up alot of styles for me. Right now I just put in another set of mini-twists in last night, and thank god because my arms hurt.
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Troll_B_GONE_stampe_by_StampBandWagon1.png[/img]
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/imagesCAHJ24JJ.jpg[/img]
My hair is weird. The strands themselves are fine, medium, AND coarse. As far as density, I suppose my hair is medium. People call it thick, but that’s because my hair has always (even when relaxed) held a lot of body.
My hair is medium thickness and coarse but my daughters is fine and thin (but she’s only 2). its so hard to do her hair because i have to be so careful with it!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!! I hate when people use “coarse” as a synonym for kinky or coily hair. And don’t get me started on white women’s mags that have hair articles — with four categories, (a) straight, (b) wavy, (c) curly, and (d) “coarse” aka the hair black people have, whether relaxed or natural. (And as if we don’t fall into the other categories! ::eye roll::)
Oh man, can somebody get this troll out of here “Beauty”, “Police”, “M”, “Goody too shoe”, “Kristy G” and whatever IT keeps changing its name too, leaving all those negative nasty comments, looking for attention (which incidentally i am now giving it!)
Can you imagine how miserable that persons life must be? They have nothing else to do but to stake out in some dark hole and cyber harass innocent people, who are all gorgeous as a matter of fact. That’s incredible.
+1000 🙂
Fine and thin (low density) hair. That is why length is my goal, because it gives a bit of an illusion of thickness.
I have thin hair that is medium density. Because of the density twist and braid outs look awesome. My afro is respectable but not head turning. My hair dries quickly. I use only one styler and oil. I do not need hold in my products. Because my hair is coily, if I set it wet it hold styles for up to one week.
all of the above…
I have very coarse hair, my strands are 2-3x thicker than all my natural friends and fam. Dont ask me why i get so many split ends.
I also have medium to thick hair (avg density at the very front, increased density everywhere else).
Pro’s to my coarse & thick hair= lots of it, so even when I abused my hair, I still had plenty on my head; most hairstyles will look full and good.
Cons= styling takes forever, drying takes FOREVER, more product is used
you must not have a life loser
Yaay we’re sharing pics 🙂
I have fine strands and low/medium density. And I’ve grown to love and accept it. I am a fan of updo’s like the one pictured because when all my hair is down there is a whole lot of space and fluff lol.
The thing about doing the big chop is that your hair grows in appearing totally uneven though technically it’s all even, so of course my hair in the back is past shoulder length while the hair in my crown is just reaching my nape. I was elated when I realized that once my hair gets longer, I’ll also gain more fullness as all my “layers” grow out, and venture into wearing it all out more.
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/mypoogMarch2011.jpg[/img]
My strands are fine, my follicles are of medium density. peace
I have fine and medium-thick strands. I’m not positive, but i think the finer strands are in my crown area, and my thicker strands are around the perimeter. My hair is also very dense(makes for a beautiful afro).
I too have fine and thin hair. I can do a twist out with 4 twists on my head. I need this series because my hair is so thin that most styles show my scalp all over. I lose a LOT of hair during the wash and detangling, no matter how careful I am. It simply breaks off in my hand and ends up in the drain, so I have a hard time maintaining length. I often think the best style for me is a TWA.
Pam, you & I have similar hair. I haven’t given my hair 100% of the care it probably needs (I’m in school f/t & work f/t…until May) so I think discovering a method to reduce shedding & breakage is around the corner. But I also have very fragile hair that doesn’t need a lot of twists & my hair look so thin when I do the twist out that I can’t wait til day 7 of my twist out when it gets more poofy! Protective styles are my best chance at retaining length, but my hair grows so slowly & is very fragile that I’ve daydreamed about chopping it all off. I’ve never had hair down my back and I can’t give up trying to get there just yet, but OMG IT’S SO FRUSTRATING!!!
HandsInHair, THANKS SO MUCH, for your response. Yes, my hair also grows slowly. After two years of growing, it finally reached my collar bone. I’m not sure how much fragile I can be, it is so soft. I’m also a runner, so keeping a twist out for a week is not always an option. I have had the same frustration. Hang in there with growing it out, I still may opt for a TWA! HA!
My hair is fine although it is densely packed on my head like natural selection’s hair (pictured in this post)/
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/finehair.JPG[/img]
stfu bitch!!! get a life ahole
**sidebar: uh oh, got some spammy comments coming through**
Questions to ‘laundrygirl’: Did you dye your hair? I like the color! If so 1) Did you do it yourself 2) What color did you use 3) If a stylist did it, and you’re in NYC, please pass me their info 😉
fine and thin here. My twists will not make anyone fall down their knees in hair porn envy stupor, but my braidouts are not too shabby. One positive thing about having fine and thin hair – I don’t need to spend an eternity doing my hair. I put mini twists in my dry hair. It only took 4 1/2 hours. Hardly the 3 day process others endure, like kinkycurlyqueen (love, love, love her hair – look her up on youtube. Also for my braidouts, I can get away with putting only 4-5 braids in my hair and bam! I’m done.
I think I have fine and thin hair too! I feel like this is a rare combo and I can’t seem to find anyone with my curl pattern/lack thereof.
Finally, I have found my group! lol When I was younger, my hair was fine, dense & long. Now it’s fine, thin and medium length. I miss my old hair, but I’ve found new ways to love & style my hair.
(SN: Don’t worry about those negative comments ladies. Clearly that person is an insecure coward with nothing constructive to do with their time. I pity them and hope they adjust their meds soon)
Yup Fine and Thin… And I really don’t like the combo. But I have to love it anyway eyy!
My hair is very fine on the top, around the edges it feels thick but I could be wrong. The top looks straighter.
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/headofcurls.jpg[/img]
You need to grow up.
you shouldn’t have replied to “M”, i think it’s the same person as “Beauty” and “Police” above, just a troll craving some attention he/she never got as a child!
Agreed, just ignore the trolls….clearly they have nothing better to do than go on natural hair websites and try to tear people down…get a life troll….and to the beautiful women who posted their pics, stay beautiful!!!
??????????????
Its a depressed, miserable, “low” troll. Ignore it.
My hair is definitely fine (even before I went natural!) and I find that it’s thicker in the back and then gets fine towards the front. I have to do a special wash an go to get my hair to fro out!
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/MJ.jpg[/img]
the fact that you said “no offense” makes your statement offensive…even if you felt that way, there’s no need to say that.
She’s gorgeous, her beautiful brown skin is wonderfully radiant…her personality shines through not only in this picture, but probably everyday.
and what does being “too black” have to do with fine hair? PLENTY of dark skinned women (including myself) have fine hair.
i think “Beauty” is just a troll. if you read the second comment on this page from “Police”, you might think like me: “same person”, looking to create some waves lol 🙂
If YOU’RE going to insult someone, at least be grammatically correct idiot.
wtf bro
Why is this comment still up? Some moderation would be nice.
Stunning picture; you’re making me smile just looking at it.
that was so rude. if you don’t have anything nice to say then why speak? it’s not like she was asking for and opinion on anything but her hair. jeez.
Found out very late in the game that my hair is a mixture of medium and fine strands, but I knew from very early that I had a thick head of hair. 🙂
Man, no wonder my relaxed hair used to look so limp! That strong relaxer was eating my poor fine strands to death! Oh well, you live and you learn.
Ditto. I always wanted to have volume with my relaxed hair but my strands were suffering from the relaxer (at last i knew better to switch to kiddy perm…lol ok, i know that doesn’t make a difference). i’d bump the heck outta my hair when all i really needed was to let my hair be great… no chemicals, no heat 🙂
*at least
Same here. I have a lot of fine hairs. My relaxed hair was light, wispy, and sometimes had difficulty holding a curl. Now as a natural, my twists do not come out as thick and luscious as people usually featured on blogs. Sometimes I am envious of women who have such thick heads of hair. The same styles look different on me.
+1000 and this was a MAJOR revelation to me after spending 18 years relaxing my hair…
My relaxed hair wouldn’t hold a curl unless I used industrial-strength products, and since I hated how they made my hair feel, I spent years wearing limp, sad-looking loose styles. (There’s a reason why I like updos so much.) Folks envied my hair’s “swang” but any kind of wind or movement would “swang” whatever curls I had right out of my head. And chemically straightened Afro-textured hair doesn’t look the same as naturally straight hair, so I couldn’t even play it off as so-called “good” hair, lol. If I’d ever been able to grow it past SL I MIGHT have been able to get away with it…but it had the NERVE to break off whenever somebody sneezed!
I had to go natural to really understand what had been going on with my relaxed hair. It’s relatively thick, it’s definitely nappy (4b), but it is in no way, shape or form coarse. The less I do to it, the more it thrives…and that goes completely against what most of us are taught about this hair type.
The belief that nappy = coarse is one major reason why black women don’t have more hair on their heads IMO. If you think your hair is a beast that needs taming — despite the actual number and diameter of strands on your head — then you’re not going to examine whether that relaxer cream might be OVERkill…you just want it to kill. Relaxers, heat, and rough handling can literally mean death to fine strands.
And to think…I didn’t even have to go to cosmetology school to figure this out.
I too have fine, thick hair! I never thought anyone else would understand or relate.
My hair is thick but fine.
“there actually is an, erm, place below the waist where everyone grows coarse hair.” Incidentally,not ALL pubic hair is coarse hair… pubic hair can be thin AND fine. Yep. o_o
I have coarse, thick hair.
When I was still getting relaxers, my beautician used to always flip out over how thick my strands are
and how dense my hair is, and she’d joke about how long I’d have to sit under the dryer.
I used to covet finer hair because they seemed to always have looser curls. But now I love how strong my hair is.
definitely fine hair. i like it because i can essentially style my hair with water and coconut oil and it will still hold a twist out for days. cuts down on a lot of styling products and gels and other stuff. yay simplicity
My hair is thick AND coarse. I love it! I feel like if my hairs were more fine, I wouldn’t be able to manipulate my hair as much as I do now. Since protective styling doesn’t really work for me, I have my hands in my hair at least once a day. My hair still grows wonderfully, and even though it is BSL, I don’t get a lot of split ends or breakage. I think this is all because of the coarseness of my hair.
My mom and I look like we have very similar hair (both 4a/4b curls), but her hair is thick and fine, and this makes a world of difference. Products, oils, and styling techniques work differently on her hair than they do on mine. I think if people paid a little more attention to the diameter of their hair strands, along with the porosity of their hair, instead of focusing on the types of curls that they have, they would have a much easier time finding products and a regimen that suits them.
Mainly medium-coarse with medium to thick density, and a few fine-medium strands here and there. Multiple textures, multiple curl patterns, uneven density (back-medium density, front- thick)- my hair is a bit of b***h to manage sometimes.
same here with the multiple textures(i have 4).it puzzles me how different they are. The left side and some of the crown is only slightly wavy(type 2 wavy category). The right side, front, and some of the crown is tightly coiled(4a), while the back is very loose curls(3b/c).i have a little less density in the back of my hair and the curls are looser with thicker strands. My hair is also a pain to style, but braid outs and major fluffing help to blend the textures for me. I cannot do any type of texture defining style like twist outs, because the textures are so conflicting. I have to fluff, fluff, fluff, and fluff some more lol
My hair is fine to medium strands with medium to dense hair density
Though my hair might be fine to thin, I honestly don’t know because there is no universal way to compare, unless you have handle strands of hair each day.
I have a head full of fine hair on my head…big head at that. LOL
[img]http://bglhonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/DSC_0125.jpg[/img]