You see it called out on hair products, written in articles, discussed among friends or even experienced it yourself when a Professional as in my case looks at your hair a tells you with pity you have fine hair or if lucky something else. Yes, hair comes in a variety of different sizes as well as shapes and in this blog, I look at hair size and what that might mean for you when it comes to products and Professional hair services. If you want to read more about different shapes check out my blog on hair texture here. I am using the term ‘size’ to distinguish it from the word texture which can also be used to describe many different hair features including size.
What is meant by the size of the hair? It is the diameter of a single strand of hair, yes, the hair can be measured in a lab. Our genes once again are responsible for the size of our hair and you know once our genes are involved there is little we can do to change or alter our hair. However, there are considerations for working with different hair sizes and habits & practices that could help improve the ability to have our hair looking and feeling closer to the way we want it.
The current scale used by our hair industry consists of a range from fine hair types to coarse hair types. Having a scale is important, it allows manufacturers to design products across a variety of hair sizes, it assists Professionals to identify which services and products are a good match for a particular client’s hair and it helps to narrow the vast array of products available to the consumer.
Contrary to belief there is a real difference in products designed for different hair sizes. If like me you have fine hair and use a product designed for coarse and thick hair the result is even flatter, limp and even dull looking hair that feels like it needs a wash. In contrast my sister-in-law who has very coarse hair with a similar shoulder length, who once tried my beloved fine hair products, came out looking like a Banshee (An Irish wild witch).
Generally, care products are formulated with not only lighter or heavier caring ingredients in different concentrations they also tend to have ingredients associated with the challenges of that hair size. Coming back to my own and my sister-in-law hairs’ example; my fine hair care products not only have lower concentrations of light-weight conditioning they also contain volumizers to add body to my fine hair. Consequently, the care products I buy for my sister-in-law contain heavier and more conditioning, with additional smoothing ingredients to ease control and add shine with some even having a lower pH to squeeze the hair shaft together. If you want to read more about pH click here.
Where it becomes a little trickier and this is the magic of the Professional is when we work with standardised products and guidelines that are based on normal size hair such as hair colours, bleaches, perms and relaxers. Adjustments need to be made to fit the size of the hair from changing the amount of product needed, the correct mixing to the development time and more. Just for the fun of it I am going to add an additional layer of complexity; the size of our hair is different throughout our heads. Look at your hairlines in comparison to rest of the hair on your head, yes, it is a lot finer and that is normal, which means our hairlines will behave differently than the rest of our hair. Let’s look at some of the considerations and habits and practices.
Product choice; when choosing a product select one that is closet to your hair size, if on coarse hair you use a greater quantity of a fine hair product it will still not give the hair enough of what it needs. It is not only quantity but also quality of the product that delivers the results.
Amount of product; I generally use 50% more product on my sister-in-law’s hair than the average product recommendation or supplied. On one occasion my eco-conscious sister-in-law purchased a ‘natural’ box colour product and asked for my advice. I gave her my big sister smile, not for falling victim to the ‘natural’ marketing or for the fact I could have bought a Professional product more in keeping with her values but is was that she bought a single box which is just about enough to colour her fringe. In a Professional environment the service charge normally allows for the amount of product used, typically the industry averages out the cost and offers a single price per service, but some businesses I have noticed calling out quantity as part of their pricing structure, another sign that things in the industry are changing. If you want to read more about how the industry as a whole is changing check out the first of my blogs on the subject here.
Development time; if a product comes with a development time it will be based on averages. Example; my sister-in-law’s coarse hair needs more time, 10-15minutes longer than the recommended development time for a colouring product to work through her thicker cuticle layer and to effectively influence the higher volume of melanin in her larger cortex. More blogs on the hair’s layers here and the hair’s melanin here. Product development times are a guideline although there will be a safety upper limit. When a product is a potential irritant or the chemistry is active in addition to the timing guidelines there will be a maximum time statement such as do not exceed 1 hour or the maximum development time is 50 minutes. These limits I would recommend you try to work within especially when working directly on the scalp.
Application of product; I added the complexity of our heads having different sizes of hair throughout. Fortunately for most this has a pattern with the finest hairs on our heads situated around the hairline and the thickest closest to the crown. I will add a caveat here that there are two thinning patterns one for women and one for men that can result in finer hair appearing on the top of the head, around the hat line and at the crown. If you want to read more about thinning hair patterns click here. When it comes to applying a product think about what the product is delivering for you and which area of the hair needs more time, more product and if the product is active which area needs the product at its strongest.
Colour choices; your colour choice and the technique will affect the appearance of the hair. Solid colours make the hair look thicker, darker colours make the hair look fuller and shinier, lighter colours create the illusion of volume and highlights/lowlights make the hair look less bulky. If you have fine hair like mine and want to make it look thicker and fuller, think darker and more solid in your colouring directions, you can always add interest through featured sections like panels in areas you want to draw attention to, that way you can personalise your look and still keep your fine hair looking thicker and fuller. In contrast with my sister-in-law’s coarse hair we have gone for a rich colour broken up with highlights to give more shine and make the hair look less bulky.
Style choices; anyone who has ever tried multiple hairstyles in a effort to work out what is best for them will tell you that a haircut will greatly affect how your hair behaves. Longer hair lengths will be affected by gravity and drag the hair down which can be very beneficial if you want a sleeker look, great if your hair has a tendency to bulk outward. Shorter hair lengths allow more volume to be created as the shorter length hair is less affected by gravity. Also think about layers or no layers. Layers are great for removing weight and bulk from the hair but can also on finer hair leave it looking thinner. Texturizing is an alternative way to add a layered effect without taking away too much weight. While solid lines keep all of the hair in one place and a great option for when more body is needed. The beauty of trying out different styles is that hair grows and working out what’s best for your hair or that of a client can be a fun journey of experimentation.
Aging hair; as we age our hair will continue to change. Most of us will experience the shortening of the hair’s life cycle which will result in finer hair and less density. For some this can be a great news and for others no so good. Do continually adapt your products, your styles, colours and even routine, because what worked for you 10 years ago may not work for your evolving hair size today. If you want to read more about hair growth click here.
So yes, when it comes to your hair, size does matter, it will influence the products you choose, how you use them and the colour and style you want to carry off, have fun experimenting.
Stay safe
Caroline
