Hair texture: What Is It and How To Work With It

Your hair texture determines a lot about the way you can style your hair. There are three ways to define your hair texture, these include; fine hair, medium hair + thick and coarse hair. Knowing your hair type is the first step to achieving that silky salon style at home.

So how do you determine your hair texture? It’s simple.

In this blog post, we will explore how to understand your hair texture and get the most out of your hair. We will also go into what hairstyles work best for specific hair textures. Understanding your hair means you can choose styles that enhance its natural beauty and health, instead of fighting against it!

The first thing to note is that hair texture is not really about whether your hair is curly, kinky or straight (professionals refer to that as hair ‘type’) or whether you have thin or thick hair as that refers to the amount of hair you have.

Texture is really to do with the width of your hair, whether it’s fine, medium or coarse and the way it behaves (or doesn’t!) because of its width and structure. 

Fine Hair VS Course Hair: Textures Explained

Your hair's texture type is determined by the shape of your hair follicles. Understanding your hair texture is the first step in achieving your ultimate hair goals. 

It dictates how well your hair holds styles, how it reacts to products, and even what kind of haircuts will look best on you. The characteristics of the three types of hair textures include fine, medium, and coarse hair. Each texture has its own unique needs and benefits from specific care routines to make the most of its natural beauty.

1. Fine Hair

Fine hair is characterised by the diameter of each individual hair strand being thin, therefore giving off the appearance of having not a lot of hair. However, the good news is that contrary to popular belief, people with fine hair tend to have MORE hair than people with thick hair. Thin hair can have the appearance of looking softer and more feminine than other textures. 

The problem with fine hair is that it’s fragile and can be easily damaged. People with fine hair mainly complain about three things; lack of volume, oiliness and the difficulty they experience in holding a style. They are often guilty of using two much hairspray and other product -  hands up if this is you! Structurally fine hair only has two hair layers – a cortex and a cuticle.

2. Medium Hair

Medium hair texture is thicker than fine hair, it‘s the most common hair type and usually covers the scalp very well. The positive of this hair texture is that it’s not as fragile as fine hair and can be styled easily, straight hair, waves or curls are perfect for this style and will hold well. Medium hair has more body and bounce compared to other hair types. Structurally, medium textures usually have two layers – the cortex and cuticle – and may contain the medulla which is the inner layer of hair which builds thickness in the hair. 

3. Thick or Coarse Hair

This hair texture is strong because structurally it contains all three hair layers – the cortex, cuticle and medulla. The medulla, which is the innermost layer of the hair shaft is actually a series of empty spaces, filled with air and protein. This hair texture’s main drawback is that it usually takes longer to dry than others and can be very resistant to various chemical treatments. It can however tolerate heat well and resist breakage better than fine or medium hair.

Can You Change Hair Texture?

Hair texture is determined by your genes in the same way as eye colour is and there’s not a lot you can do about it, although your hair can change after puberty and during pregnancy. 

However, there is one thing that will make your hair thicker – and that’s colour or more accurately, bleach! But before you fine haired ladies all rush out to get your hair bleached, remember it can be a double edged sword. 

Bleaching also makes your hair more prone to breakage and those pesky split ends so think about the trade off before doing it and always put your hair in the hands of a professional.

So what can you do to make coarse hair silkier and softer and fine hair thicker without risking it? Product and styling tools would be the answer.

How to Make Hair Silky