Fine hair just means that the strand of hair itself is thin. It is possible to have a lot of fine hair or even thick fine hair. Thin hair, on the other hand, refers to the amount of hair you actually have per square inch on your scalp or simply how much hair you have on your head.
The difference between fine hair and thin hair is to do with the density of your hair and the thickness of the strands. With fine hair, you have lots of hairs with a small diameter. With thin hair, you can have thick hair strands but fewer of them.
It's a common misconception that fine hair is thinning hair. Fine hair merely has a small diameter, but thinning is when the quantity of hairs start to decrease as the hair follicles start to become inactive. Many people with fine hair can still have lots of it, and even people with thick hair can be thinning.
One way to discover your hair texture is to take a single strand of hair and rub it between your fingers. If you can barely feel the strand between your fingers, you have fine hair. If you can feel the strand of hair between your fingers and it feels thick like a string of thread, you're dealing with coarse hair.
Fine hair describes your hair's texture, which is classified in terms of the width, diameter or circumference of the actual hair strands. If you have fine hair, your individual strands are smaller in diameter, while coarse hair has a thicker diameter.
The opposite of fine hair is coarse hair. “Thin” hair refers to the overall density of the hair follicles across the scalp. The opposite of thin hair is thick hair.
Here's the truth: You can't change the size of your hair follicles. If you were born with fine hair, it's genetics, and no product will completely alter that. Of course, there are ways to maintain your hair health, add volume, and keep it from getting any thinner.
"Don't confuse the density of hair with diameter," Papanikolas emphasizes. "People with fine hair can have can have a ton of it but still be considered fine. It's looking at the individual hair strands."
Lifestyle factors could include using certain hair products, wearing your hair up too tightly, experiencing high stress levels, or not getting enough of certain vitamins and minerals in your diet. People who have immune system deficiencies could also have thinning hair.
If you have an oily scalp or fine strands, shampooing every other day is best. Washing more than that can strip your hair of its healthy natural oils.
Does thin hair look better short or long? Shorter styles are generally better for thin hair, as there's less weight pulling down, and it's easier to maintain and keep healthy. Plus, shorter styles allow you to add extra volume with cutting techniques and products.
Shorter hair is oftentimes stronger than longer strands, so even very fine hair can benefit from a super-short crop. Pixie cuts can actually make your thin hair appear thicker than it really is.
Go Light on Conditioner
For someone looking to add volume to fine hair, conditioner can seem like the enemy but don't swear off the moisturizing hair product altogether. Conditioner is very beneficial for replenishing and restoring hair strands and is a must for those with fine hair that's prone to breakage.
Although hair re-growth may be possible, you should also know when to seek professional help. If the reason for thinning hair is genetics, it will not grow back on its own. To grow back a healthy, full head of hair, you'll need to take action, and that involves reviewing different hair loss options.
You can start losing your hair as early as your late teens and early 20s. But you might have a full head of hair with almost no thinning or balding until well into your 50s and 60s. There's a lot of variation from person to person.
Use minoxidil
Minoxidil (brand name Rogaine) is an over-the-counter liquid or foam applied to the scalp twice a day. It encourages blood flow to the hair follicles to stimulate hair growth (Badri, 2021). Minoxidil seems to work best on younger men (under 40) who've been experiencing hair loss for less than five years.
The best hairstyle for thin hair is a tousled angled bob. The angle of the bob will help your thin strands instantly appear thicker when cut into tousled light layers and blunt ends.
Short hair has more natural volume, which makes hair appear thicker. Wash hair daily – The key to styling thin hair is to maximize volume at the roots.
If your hair is very fine or thin, it may not be such a good idea to shave even a small section of it for an undercut or sidecut. There may be days when you no longer like to look at your partially shaved head. On those days, simply part your hair in the middle to hide the bare section.
Nervous to cut thin, fine hair? Don't be! Longer tresses weigh down hair near the scalp, so you lose fullness and volume at the root. "Some women think by not cutting their hair it'll make it look thicker, but the reality is you have to cut it because if you don't it'll look stringy," Mele explained.