Identifying Your Hair Type, Part 5 - Texture

Hair texture refers to the measurement of the circumference (or the width) of a strand of hair. Texture is generally classified in three categories: Coarse, Fine, and Medium. Like the other defining characteristics of hair, knowing the texture of your hair can help you to select hair styles and products that are a perfect fit.

What texture is my hair?

For this one we are going to again start with clean, product-free, dry hair (please, please let it air dry). Avoid this test during any time when you might be sweating a lot, as this can alter your results.

Find yourself some sewing thread. Just regular weight, nothing too thick. This thread will serve as a reference point for you to compare your hair to. Tape the ends of the thread to a sheet of white paper.

Get a strand of hair. Pull from the root, so as to get the entire strand. Straighten the strand out and tape the ends so that the strand is next to the thread.

Compare the size of the two examples before you. Your hair vs. the thread will give you a basic understanding of the texture of your hair.

• Hair is thinner than the thread - Fine hair
• Hair is the same as the thread - Medium hair
• Hair is thicker than the thread - Coarse hair