If you think it’s tricky to determine your skin type, then wait until you’re trying to narrow down your hair type. There are tons of charts, diagrams, and quizzes out there, and even if you spend a lot of time reading them carefully, you might still be stumped. But there’s one argument that can be a real mystery: deciding whether your hair is fine or thinning (and how to care for your hair type accordingly).
What’s even more confusing is that these terms are sometimes used as the same term. In the field of dermatology, we can use the words fine hair and thinning interchangeably. Hair follicles of different ethnicities differ in size and shape, resulting in different hair types for different populations. So is there really a difference between the two?
What Is Thin Hair?
Fine hair means that the actual diameter of the hair is fine. So, what exactly does this mean for your strands? Fine or thinning hair is due to the small and narrow hair follicles that form fine hair shafts, causing hair to look and feel fine and often not have much bulk. The shape and size of hair follicles are genetically determined traits and, unfortunately, we can’t do much to change the thickness of the hair shaft.
What Is Thinning hair?
Thinning hair refers to the density of hair in a specific area of the scalp, i.e., the number of strands. So, that’s the amount of hair on your scalp. You can also understand this: you can have fine hair, but the hair density is higher, making it look thicker.
Thin Hair vs. Thinning Hair
Since hair thinning refers to the loss of hair density on the scalp, this means that the existing hair follicles are getting smaller, resulting in thinner, sometimes shorter, and less hair overall. Hair thinning is when hair falls out and the hair on the scalp becomes less dense.
How to Tell if Your Hair Is Thinning
A telltale sign of thinning hair is noticing that your hair is getting wider and growing in size, or if you can wrap the headband more times when you tie your hair in a ponytail.
People with thinning hair start noticing a change in their baseline hairstyle, for example, their ponytail has become thinner, or there is a lot less hair when washing their hair. As the hair thins, the scalp also becomes more noticeable, which is often the reason why patients start noticing thinning hair. Some people have also noticed an increase in shedding. Shedding 150 hairs a day is normal, but when it comes to shedding too much, it can be worrying to shed it for a long time.
The most common cause of hair thinning is androgenetic alopecia, i.e., female pattern baldness or male pattern baldness. This loss is mainly due to age and genetics, and it is difficult to reduce the risk. Hair loss may run in both families. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure, but with early and ongoing treatment, this condition can be reversed. Thinning can also be caused by chronic shedding, known in the medical community as ‘telogen effluvium’. Telogen effluvium has a variety of causes and is often understood as hair loss in response to a stressor.
For telogen effluvium, the actual hair loss itself is usually delayed three months after the stressor occurs, and then the hair falls out for another three to six months. Stressors can be emotional stress (breakup, death of a loved one, severe depression or anxiety) or physical stress (such as traumatic accidents or major surgeries), rapid weight loss, medications (tretinoin, β-blockers, calcium channel blockers, antidepressants, lithium), postpartum, iron deficiency, vitamin A overdose, severe thyroid disease, or general anesthesia. This type of hair loss is temporary and leaves no scarring, which means that once the stressor is resolved or eliminated, the hair loss stops and the hair grows back.
In Latinos and African Americans, excessively tight hairstyles can also lead to thinning hair. This type of hair loss can be permanent, so these people should seek hair loss treatment as soon as possible. But there are also hair loss due to inflammation and autoimmune diseases. If your hair is still thinning, make an appointment with a dermatologist or trichologist.
Styling of Thin Hair
To get the most out of fine hair, the key is to learn how to handle it and style it the right way. For fine hair, you can have very, very thick hair density, so you can still have layers. You can cut your hair neater – you don’t have to cut it straight like you would if you were thinning it. You want the bottom line of your hair to look as thick as possible, so when you have fine hair, you can also leave more if you have a lot of hair.
Use purifying products and exfoliate regularly to help stimulate hair follicles and hair growth, and opt for shorter, blunt hairstyles for a fuller appearance.
Styling of Thinning Hair
There isn’t any rule book that says you have to adopt a certain hairstyle because of thinning or thinning hair. Wear whatever style you feel suits you – but if you’re in the market for a style that creates a full-bodied look, you’re sure to have options. When it comes to adding more hair or using products that make your hair look fuller, there are a variety of options. Generally speaking, when it comes to haircuts, if you have thinning hair, the shorter the hair, the fuller it looks.
Many people with thinning hair use fibers or colored sprays to camouflage their scalps. These products are suitable for special occasions or to be used several times a week, but it is strongly discouraged not to use these products every day as there is evidence that they can clog hair follicles and aggravate androgenetic alopecia.
Make sure to avoid using heavy products on thinning hair, which can weigh down the hair and make it flatter. To add volume to your hair, it is recommended to thoroughly cleanse your hair and scalp and use a lightweight conditioner.
Using a formula that contains keratin-building ingredients can help promote the health of the hair shaft, and similar to thinning hair, be sure to exfoliate your scalp frequently, as product build-up can make your hair heavy, and the goal should be to make your hair look as full as possible.
At Last
When it comes to fine and thinning hair, it’s important to remember that there is a difference between the two and that they should be treated as such. Fine hair refers to the thickness or diameter of a single hair. At the same time, thinning hair refers to the actual number or amount of hair on your head.
All of our experts point out that there are certain hair care factors to consider when dealing with and styling fine or thinning hair. But our experts also agree that many people with average hair diameter and density consider their hair to be thinning because of unrealistic beauty standards.
