Now, let’s contrast that with how your hair would look and feel if it’s thin.

• You can’t feel a single strand of hair between your fingers
• The texture of your hair strand is smooth and soft even though you can barely feel it
• You can hardly see a strand of hair when you look at one directly
• The diameter of your hair strand equals 50 microns
• The median thickness of your hair strands is between 0.04 and 0.06 millimeters

Are Your Follicles Close Together or Far Apart?

Think of your hair follicles as tiny little pockets that are all over your scalp, and they house the roots of your hair, and your stands sprout from underneath your scalp. The density and texture of your hair are dependent upon the size of your hair follicles.

Thick hair:

• Hair follicles are large
• More hair follicles for every square inch of your scalp

Thin hair:

• Hair follicles are small
• Fewer hair follicles for every square inch of your scalp

How Density Factors Into Hair Type

If you want to know whether you have dense hair, you can use a hair tie to make a ponytail near the crown of your head. From there, you can measure the circumference.

Thick hair: The ponytail circumference is over two inches.   

Thin hair: The ponytail circumference is less than two inches.

Hair Strands & Width

The term hair width refers to how thick a strand of your hair is, also known as the circumference.

Thick hair:

• Large circumference
• Easy to see an individual strand

Thin Hair:

• Small circumference
• You can hardly see an individual strand

How Can I Measure Hair Thickness?

Perform these simple tests to see if you have thick hair:

Try the Strand Test

You might be able to determine if your hair is thick in the comfort of your own home by simply plucking (or grabbing one from the comb), a strand of your hair.