“Thick hair” can mean two very different things.
You might have thick individual strands, or you might simply have a lot of hair. And when so much haircut inspiration comes from TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest, that difference matters.
You see someone with full hair, love the way her layers fall and hear her say, “I have really thick hair.” Yours feels thick too, so you save the cut for your next appointment.
The problem is that thick might mean something completely different to each of you.
She might have a lot of thicker, coarser strands. You might have a lot of very fine ones. Both can look equally full in a photo, but the same haircut can behave very differently.
Thickness, Density & Texture
Hairdressers look at a few things before deciding how to cut your hair.
Strand thickness describes how fine, medium or coarse each individual hair is. Density is how much hair you have overall. Then there’s your natural texture, whether it’s straight, wavy, curly or somewhere in between.
Layers are a good example. Fine hair with lower density often benefits from keeping more weight through the ends. Someone with masses of fine hair may need some weight removed to help it move. Go too far and those fine strands can start looking wispy or fluffy instead.
The same goes for bobs, fringes and more textured cuts.
A fringe might fall perfectly into place on the person in your saved photo. With your growth pattern or texture, getting the same look could mean blow-drying it every morning. That’s useful to know before the scissors come out.
Your strand thickness, density and texture can also help explain why your hair tangles, how it reacts to humidity, which products weigh it down and how much styling it needs.
What Influences Your Hair Type
These characteristics aren’t necessarily a reflection of how healthy your hair is. Genetics plays a big part in the hair you naturally grow, and your hair can change throughout your life too.
Puberty, pregnancy and the months after having a baby, perimenopause, menopause and ageing can all affect the way hair grows or feels. Illness, significant weight loss and some medications can also affect shedding and density.
It’s why we ask clients, “Before we begin, please let us know of anything new in your hair history, allergies or sensitivities, so we can look after you properly.”
Hair history is more than your last colour appointment. If something has changed, it helps your hairdresser understand the hair they’re working with today.
Inspiration Photos
Keep saving the hair you love. A reference photo is one of the easiest ways to show your hairdresser the look you’re drawn to.
Just remember that the photo shows you the finished result. It doesn’t tell you the person’s strand thickness, density, natural texture, growth patterns or how much styling went into getting it there. They may not even be describing their own hair accurately.
What matters is showing your hairdresser what you like about the look. Maybe it’s the movement, the fullness around the face or the way a fringe sits. From there, they can work out how to create a similar effect with your hair, and what that will realistically mean for styling and maintenance at home.
Two people can both say they have “thick hair” and mean completely different things.
Bring the inspiration. Then let your hairdresser translate it for the hair you actually have.
