Hair Type: All
Hair Porosity: All
Hair Sensitivities: All
Hair Goal: All
Welcome back to the blog and newcomers, welcome! This article is all about the volume of hair on your head. Did you know that the amount of hair on your head determines what products work best for you? Depending on how much hair is on your head, there are products that you can and cannot use. Understanding your hair density can help make better decisions on your hair regimen and help you grow your hair beautifully.
Low-Density Hair
What does low density hair look like? Low-density hair is on the thinner side. Not everyone has a thick head of hair and that is just fine. If you can naturally see your scalp or see through your hair onto the back of your shirt, you have low-density hair. Do not confuse naturally thin hair with thinning hair from hair damage or medical issues.
Low-Density Hair Characteristics
Low-density hair means that you have low volume. The amount of hair follicles throughout your hair is low, thus your hair volume is low. It is so important to handle your hair with extra care. Low manipulation styles and low-tensions styles are best for this hair type. Any small changes in your hair are noticeable. Breaking, pulled hair, any type of damage is hardest on this hair density.
The biggest focus for low-density hair is the principle of low manipulation. Make sure to handle your hair with the utmost care. Keep your hair handling to a minimum, protect your ends to assure length retention, and stay away from intensive protective styles that pull on the hair and hurt your ends. The best hair styles for low-density hair are wash and go's or low-tension buns/updo's. This volume does best when there are no extra hair or extensions added to it.
The next step is to use the right products for low-volume hair. Heavy products are an absolute no for this hair volume. You cannot use butters (ex. shea butter) or thick, solid oils (ex. coconut oil). Product build up is too easy for this hair type. Sticking to very light products is key to assuring that your hair strands can breathe and you do not lose any hair. You can use pomades (ex. Blue Magic Hair Grease) but these are on the thicker side. Be extremely light-handed with your product usage. Warm up the product in your hands and build up until you achieve softness and all product is completely absorbed into the hair. Absorbed product means there is no cast or build-up on your hair.
Examples of ideal products/styling product for low density hair:
Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Crème (Light)
The Doux Mousse
Crème of Nature Argan Oil Strength and Shine Leave-In Conditioner
Uncle Funky's Daughter Good Hair Conditioning Styling Crème
Luster's Pink Oil Moisturizer
Normal-Density Hair
Normal-density hair is not thick and it is not thin. Sounds self explanatory but at the same time, some people are not sure if they have normal or high-density hair. One can live in a family where having thick hair is so normal so you think your density is on the normal side. On the other end, one can think that their hair is high-density when it is truly a more normal density. The hair diagram below is the best way to clarify if you have normal density or not.
Normal Density Hair Characteristics
Normal density has more follicles than low-density hair. You don't see scalp as easily and the hair is not as see through but it is not extremely dense. This hair type can handle heavier products like butters and pomades. Being light-handed is still key. You can use heavy products but use them minimally as to not overwhelm your hair and scalp.
Again, with normal volume, you must work on balancing your product usage and mastering how much product you put in your hair. Too little will dry your hair out and too much can lead to breakage and eventually, hair fall. Use heavier products with a lighter hand. Use lighter products with a heavier hand. Be very intentional about the amount of product you are putting in your hair. If you like to use a lot of product, make sure you are not making this a daily occurrence. The best and easiest way to make sure you are using the right amount of product is to build up. Start with way less product than you need and then increase until your hair is soft and moisturized. Give time for product to penetrate before putting more into your hair.
Examples of ideal products/styling products for normal density hair:
Hollywood Beauty Carrot Crème
Blue Magic Indian Hemp
BB Oil Moisturizer Hair Lotion
Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Strengthening Leave-In Conditioner
High-Density Hair
High volume hair has the highest amount of hair follicles. Thick hair is full and can handle heavier amounts of products. Thicker hair can also handle more styling and manipulation.
High-Density Hair Characteristics
Thick hair can be a lot to handle. Sometimes it is hard to part. The follicles are so many and so close together. If you have a hard time putting your hair in a ponytail, if you break scrunchies, if putting your hair up is an extreme sport, and if hair braiders see your hair and sigh--you probably have high-density hair.
High-volume hair can handle heavy products and can handle a lot more weight. One needs to be a bit more heavy handed so that product can penetrate and absorb into all the hair strands. It is easy to neglect parts of your hair because of how thick it is.
When handling thick hair, you must section. Sectioning prevents one from being too rough and impatient with your hair. Sectioning my hair and buying hair clips was a huge game-changer for me. You are also able to reach and saturate all your hair with the product that it needs.
Lastly, thicker hair can handle a lot but that does not mean that it should. Still be mindful and intentional about how you manipulate your hair and what products you use. Hair damage is hard to catch in the beginning with this hair type. A few broken hairs is not a big deal but if there is a prolonged issue, the damage may be really extensive by the time one notices.
Do not confuse high-density hair with low porosity hair. One of the characteristics of low porosity hair is that it takes a long time to dry. Thick hair also takes longer to dry due to its density. The thickness traps water in your hair and makes water hard to evaporate.
Examples of ideal products/styling products for high density hair:
African Pride Shea Miracle Bouncy Curls Pudding
Miss Jessie's Pillow Soft Curls
As I AM DoubleButter Cream
Shea Butter
Hair Diagram
Below is an example of volume and density. It is possible to have various densities throughout your hair.
Important Information
Please note, though volume plays a key role in the types of products you use, it is important to understand your porosity FIRST. You can have high volume hair and still need to use light products because you have low porosity. Make sure you determine your porosity as well. A general rule of thumb, the lower in porosity and/or density, the lighter your products. The higher in porosity/density, the heavier or thicker your products.
Type in "porosity" in the search bar to look for relevant blog articles that explain the types of products one can use and how heavy-handed one can be.
🌸Make Sure To Subscribe
What a wonderful article. It is important to embrace your hair in whatever density it is in. Our hair comes in different shapes, textures, and volumes. Are there ways to get slightly thicker hair? Yes! Will the blog talk about this, eventually? Yes! But more importantly, loving the hair you have on your hair is key to true health. If you love your hair, you will take care of it. Thin, normal, or thick, the volume you have on your hair still unique. Make sure to follow the social media pages on Instagram and Tik Tok: @africanhaircarescience. Share this article with someone and make sure to join the blog next week. See ya :)
Comments