Coarse, Fine or What?

[abcd09]

Would "coarse" be a misnomer for "thick" strands? When I think of coarse I think wiry to the touch. Fine hair can be wiry too. Fine through thick comes in all textures. I would think coarse would be at the opposite end of silky?

 

[Ogoma]

^^^^ Coarse refers to the size of the strand.

http://livecurlylivefree.blogspot.ca/2009/01/hair-texture.html

 

[SmilingElephant]

Would "coarse" be a misnomer for "thick" strands? When I think of coarse I think wiry to the touch. Fine hair can be wiry too. Fine through thick comes in all textures. I would think coarse would be at the opposite end of silky?

I used to think this...but coarseness refers to the thickness of each strand. When i straighten my hair it's silky smooth but at the same time it attacks my neck! Because they strands themselves are thick.

 

[FoxxyLocs]

I'm mostly coarse/thick with fine strands around the perimeter.

 

[Nix08]

Raises hand as a fine haired lady I've learned to minimize my use of combs/brushes and when I do I use seamless combs. I find my fingers allow me to keep most of my strands on my head.

 

[Kn0ttyByNatur3]

The majority of my hair is coarse and thick.....with some med strands here and there. It is very kinky, coily, afro-y.

i've always wanted to ask this but didn't know who to ask or where to ask it but since you're coarse too (and super hair knowledgeable) i'll ask it here: does your hair sometimes feel sharp? it's hard to explain, but like if you rub it the wrong way (rubbing up instead of down) you could get cut? like a paper cut? because i often feel this w/ my thickest strands and it's a little disturbing frankly. is it something i'm doing to my hair or is this a characteristic of thick/coarse hair?

/endthreadhijack

@nzeee I know what you mean on rubbing a strand the wrong way and it feels like sharpish. Like sometimes when finger detangle my hair (along with an afro pick) when my hair is damp/wet and I am doing it for a while. The pads of my fingers feel really tender, sore and hurt after I get done. I don't finger detangle much because of that.

 

[Jetblackhair]

I have fine hair.

 

[NikkiQ]

Sheesh idk. I think I have medium strands with a few fine around the edges.

Sent by me from my Android phone.Boom

 

[faithVA]

pre_medicalrulz[/USER];16005855]Sheesh I missed the message about putting your hair stats on your profile. Which thread was this in?

I don't know if anyone ever answered you. Here is the thread http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=621117

 

[SimJam]

medium with very fine hair at nape and general hairline.

my hair feels "flat" as opposed to cylindrical .... when I roll in between two fingers it feels like it has edges

 

[abcd09]

I used to think this...but coarseness refers to the thickness of each strand. When i straighten my hair it's silky smooth but at the same time it attacks my neck! Because they strands themselves are thick.

I see

I have fine hair. And yes, hair thickness does help you retain Embrya . My fine strands start to get thinner at APL no matter what.

 

[GreenEyedJen]

Super fine strands. Less plump than the fine strand posted in the second post of this thread. I've only known one person with strands as fine as mine, and that's the person I inherited it from.

 

[Shadiyah]

I know you were asking BMP but my hair is like this! When its straightened especially...it feels like it's sticking me in my neck and shoulders. I think Shadiyah told me her hair was like this too.

I've never been cut by it but i have nearly gotten blisters on my fingers trying to braid(cornrow) it

SmilingElephant I think I said something about my hair stick me. but no I never gotten cut by my hair either. I assume my hair is fine because it is thin but I read that it can be thin and not fine so now I don't know what I got but I know I don't need any protein.

 

[DarkJoy]

Another super fine one here. I found it to even be too fine for a relaxer besides that it damages and breaks so easy. When relaxed it shows it's true self--wispy and light so holding a style was impossible. For example, I could bump a curl, but the slightest breeze had my hair lifted and flying all over my head, ruining the style unless i sprayed on the hair spray or globbed on the gel, which made it break off worse. No amount of DC could save my fine relaxed strands.

At least being a natural, it kind of stays in the position I style it and retains better. lol. kinda.

 

[halee_J]

Thick coarse hair checking in, with fine patches at the temples and nape. It loves frequent DCs , thick moisturizers and leave-ins. It's also very porous, it loves things like ACV and tea rinses, henna, Roux PC and ceramide oils, rinses basically anything that will help smooth close the cuticle. It also loves small frequent doses of protein, especially collagen.

 

[Sugar]

Another super fine one here. I found it to even be too fine for a relaxer besides that it damages and breaks so easy. When relaxed it shows it's true self--wispy and light so holding a style was impossible. For example, I could bump a curl, but the slightest breeze had my hair lifted and flying all over my head, ruining the style unless i sprayed on the hair spray or globbed on the gel, which made it break off worse. No amount of DC could save my fine relaxed strands.

At least being a natural, it kind of stays in the position I style it and retains better. lol. kinda.

My hair is super fine also. I just have lots of it. A head full of super fine, light, wispy hair that doesn't really hold a style for longer than 30 minutes. Less if a breeze or strong wind attacks it. Rollersetting helps me hold a style a lil longer.

 

[KurlyNinja]

Ok so I dont know if I'm the only one but my hair is fine in the nape area and as you go up on my head the strands go to medium and in the very front/bang area my hair is VERY coarse. The hair in the front always retains the most. And my nape needs to be babied. My nape hair couldn't handle relaxers at all. But I bleached, relaxed and fried my bang area (before my HHJ) and my hair was below my chin without a problem. I also cut my bangs several times and they would always grow back quick!

About the whole retention and strand thickness thing. I believe it is true. For my nape to thrive the most my hair has to be in a blunt cut (or a bluntish cut). I think that's because my medium-coarse hair at my crown is helping protect my nape hair more.

I didn't vote because my head literally has all those textures on it. Anybody else like this?

 

[ReignLocks]

Sheesh I missed the message about putting your hair stats on your profile. Which thread was this in?

Did you find it? If not, here it is:
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=621117

My hair is coarse and finding out recently that protein is NOT my friend, I like the added confirmation that I need more moisture. If you have coarse hair, check out this thread that I created. The ladies are awesome with the advice:

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?p=16009623&posted=1#post16009623

 

[SmilingElephant]

^^Yep...my hair doesn't like too much protein either. However, i do use a protein DC when i'm going from straight to curly as well as every once in a while...like every 3-6 months. Protein makes my hair hard and if i don't follow up w/something super moisturizing it becomes desert dry.

 

[bajandoc86]

I have all three types on my head.....very fine at the nape. Medium at the back. Coarse from crown to the front of my head. The strands at the front at at least 2 times the diameter of those at my nape - and tend to feel very wiry.

Just like KurlyNinja, the front retains with no issues, even when I treat it roughly. The nape HAS to be babied....and the retention is not so hot.

 

[virtuenow]

No, my belief is not based on what people think, its based on my own encounters w/doing hair. I was that person on campus braiding hair and doing family hair for years. Most black hair I've encountered were medium to thick stranded. I can only remember one person w/super fine hair, and she was from Zambia. I don't think stereotype is the word you're looking for, perhaps "misconception" or "myth" (stereotype refers to overgneralized belief about a negative behavior/trait). On the contrary, it was white hair strands that appear so fine and whispy. Their hair strands were almost invisible compared to mine.

 

[Ogoma]

When I big chopped, I was so confused trying to figure out my hair's properties. I decided to do the test and it pretty much confirmed what I had suspected - coarse/medium-coarse, low porosity, normal elasticity. I want to do another one just to see if my hair has changed since then. I am curious if porosity of the older part of the strand changes over time.

I have not noticed any difference, but it seems it should be the case given what we know of hair and its regular wear and tear.

 

[TheNDofUO]

I have a mixture of very fine strands and very coarse ones. My fine strands are mid brown, my coarse black. Coarse very rarely break. But it does split at ends (but my just be old damaged hair.)

 

[Tiye]

No, my belief is not based on what people think, its based on my own encounters w/doing hair. I was that person on campus braiding hair and doing family hair for years. Most black hair I've encountered were medium to thick stranded. I can only remember one person w/super fine hair, and she was from Zambia. I don't think stereotype is the word you're looking for, perhaps "misconception" or "myth" (stereotype refers to overgneralized belief about a negative behavior/trait). On the contrary, it was white hair strands that appear so fine and whispy. Their hair strands were almost invisible compared to mine.

You directed a question at one person when there are other people chiming in with coarse hair, including myself. Some people mistakenly believe that rubbing up the strand is the way to do the porosity test. So that's originally what I did to test my porosity until someone corrected me. See this thread: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/low-porosity/128169-does-low-porosity-hair-sqeak-during-strand-test.html Hair can make a squeaky or grinding sound when rubbed up. Its pretty freaky. You are lifting your cuticle and I suppose its more evident and feels awful when you have coarse strands. I remember an lhcfer saying their hair is so fine they can't "feel" the strand at all. Such a contrast from coarse hair.

ETA: here's another thread. So many people are rubbing their hair up strand: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/2/120362-did-strand-test-porosity.html

As a person who's been looking at hair boards and websites for a long time, you see a lot of fine haired curlies on the internet. On the street, in real life you see a lot of medium and coarse textures and less of the fine. Maybe the people with the coarse textures are less likely to post pics and videos on the internet for various reasons.

My own hair is coarse.

 

[Vshanell]

My hair is fine. I know how to retain it now but I still and will always struggle with splits. I think fine hair is more prone to splits. I trim and dust often to retain length and S&D a lot to get rid of splits.

Sent from my iPhone using LHCF

 

[wavezncurlz]

My hair is fine but it's not thin. I have a lot of it - as a kid it seemed thick. Now it's probably medium.

My mom's is paper thin and fine (feels like feathers).

 

[Ogoma]

As a person who's been looking at hair boards and websites for a long time, you see a lot of fine haired curlies on the internet. On the street, in real life you see a lot of medium and coarse textures and less of the fine. Maybe the people with the coarse textures are less likely to post pics and videos on the internet for various reasons.

My own hair is coarse.

I read somewhere, most black people have fine hair. I think it was estimated that two-thirds of black people (or was it just black people in America?) have fine hair, but most think they have coarse hair and don't treat it as delicately so it seems internet land has the most accurate reflection. I also think density can make fine hair seem coarser so I am not sure if a person can tell just be looking at a distance what is the texture of a person's hair.

 

[virtuenow]

As a person who's been looking at hair boards and websites for a long time, you see a lot of fine haired curlies on the internet. On the street, in real life you see a lot of medium and coarse textures and less of the fine. Maybe the people with the coarse textures are less likely to post pics and videos on the internet for various reasons.

My own hair is coarse.

I think that may be the case. Just like we were taking note, there are way more naturals in internet world (lhcf, e.g.) than relaxed heads. You would think everyone is going natural. But a majority of black women are still relaxed. Natural women are more likely to reach out for help. Likewise, I have a feeling fine haired ladies are reaching out for help more. And the studies that you're talking about, we have debated that on here before. The big question was: the origin of the black person, whether they stretched the hair out, when/where study was conducted. That study does not account for all black people b/c we are so different depending on our backgrounds.

 

[nzeee]

I read somewhere, most black people have fine hair. I think it was estimated that two-thirds of black people (or was it just black people in America?) have fine hair, but most think they have coarse hair and don't treat it as delicately so it seems internet land has the most accurate reflection. I also think density can make fine hair seem coarser so I am not sure if a person can tell just be looking at a distance what is the texture of a person's hair.

ITA with everything over ya so

 

[nzeee]

No, my belief is not based on what people think, its based on my own encounters w/doing hair. I was that person on campus braiding hair and doing family hair for years. Most black hair I've encountered were medium to thick stranded. I can only remember one person w/super fine hair, and she was from Zambia. I don't think stereotype is the word you're looking for, perhaps "misconception" or "myth" (stereotype refers to overgneralized belief about a negative behavior/trait). On the contrary, it was white hair strands that appear so fine and whispy. Their hair strands were almost invisible compared to mine.

You directed a question at one person when there are other people chiming in with coarse hair, including myself. Some people mistakenly believe that rubbing up the strand is the way to do the porosity test. So that's originally what I did to test my porosity until someone corrected me. See this thread: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/low-porosity/128169-does-low-porosity-hair-sqeak-during-strand-test.html Hair can make a squeaky or grinding sound when rubbed up. Its pretty freaky. You are lifting your cuticle and I suppose its more evident and feels awful when you have coarse strands. I remember an lhcfer saying their hair is so fine they can't "feel" the strand at all. Such a contrast from coarse hair.

ETA: here's another thread. So many people are rubbing their hair up strand: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/2/120362-did-strand-test-porosity.html

virtuenow wow, look at you taking people to school up in here!
1- ok, no one can take your personal experience from you. i'm not certain if the hair you did in college is enough to confidently assert that black people tend to have medium to thick strands but i wasn't there so i automatically agree w/ your opinion

2. stereotypes are generalizations about large groups of people etc., positive or not. and actually, even if we used your meaning my usage would still fit since the 'misconception' that black hair is coarse is primarily borne of a negative perception; that in its natural state, our hair is rough, dry, unattractive, hard to manage and not flowy and feminine like other races. we're using coarse quite casually here but outside of hairboard talk, describing someone's hair as coarse is not generally intended or taken as a benign observation

3. didn't mean to offend. when i first joined BMP ran a lot of challenges and spoke up a lot on hair typing etc and is a known stylist so that's why i called her out. i'm not on here as much anymore so don't really know everybody else so well. i'll be more general in my mentions next time

4. my hair is low porosity. don't need no new-fangled sciencey thing to tell me that !! i know i'm low porosity cuz my hair doesn't wet when i wet it (teehee-TypeF reference here for those who remember). i was just trying to describe something that happens when i handle my hair. i think other people provided much better descriptions of the coarse hair phenomenon i was trying to discribe tho. it's very trippy. and so awesome to hear that others have experience it. i thought there was something wrong w/ me and my sharp hair