What is Hair Density?

Did you know that having coarse hair doesn’t actually mean you have a lot of hair? If you did then you’re probably familiar with hair density and hair texture. If you didn’t, then don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many people often confuse hair density and hair texture and although they are related, they describe very different aspects of your hair. Learning about your hair can seem overwhelming but fear not, you’ve come to the right place. At The Good Hair Co, we aim to help you uncover the mysteries of the hair world to bring you closer to understanding your hair and establishing the perfect routine for your hair’s profile.

Let’s talk about hair density!

WHAT IS HAIR DENSITY?

Hair density is the number of individual hair strands that are present on your hair. The average person has approximately 2,200 strands of hair per square inch on their head and typically loses about 50 to 100 strands of hair per day. Hair texture on the other hand describes the width (diameter) of each individual hair strand that grows out of your head.

You could have very fine hair that is also very dense (meaning you have a lot of fine hairs per square inch), or you could have coarse hair but have hair that is low in density (meaning you have thick hair strands but not so many of them per square inch). For curly hair, it can often seem that visually you have dense thick hair but closer inspection will often reveal otherwise.

• High Density - Your scalp contains many active hair follicles which are packed close together with each follicle producing1-3 hair strands at the same time.

• Medium Density - Your scalp contains a slightly lesser amount of active follicles compared to high density hair which are packed near each other with each follicle sprouting 1-2 hair strands at once.

• Low Density - Your scalp contains very few active hair follicles which are spaced out from each other with each follicle sprouting 0-1 hair strands at any one time.

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT MY HAIR CARE? 

A change in hair density could be a sign of a hair issue that needs to be addressed before it’s too late. One of the hair issues you could face is hair loss which is the biggest contributor to hair density reduction. Some people experience hair loss due to genetics, hormonal imbalance, trauma, poor diet and high levels of stress while in some cases medical conditions can come into play. However, more often than not, we tend to lose hair strands because of the products, hair care routines and styling practices we use.

Knowing your hair’s density enables you to make better product selections, know your styling do’s and don’ts and how best to maintain it. Low-density hair benefits from light volumizing products as heavy creams and gels can often make the hair look and feel weight down. Medium-density hair can withstand most hairstyles and requires little to no volumizing products to give the hair body and fullness. High-density hair is really full making it very versatile however it can be difficult to manage so it’s best to work in small sections when styling and avoid volumizing products and styles at the roots.

HOW DO I FIND MY HAIR’S DENSITY?

Knowing your hair density will help you understand the best hair care regimen for your hair and enable you to keep track of how a change in your lifestyle might be affecting your hair. Below are a few practiclal ways you could use to determine whether you have high, medium or low-density hair. 

THE SCALP TEST

Part your hair in the middle whilst dry and take a look at the hair on your scalp where your part is. If you can see a lot of your scalp then you have low-density hair. If you can see some of your scalp then you have medium density hair. If you see little to none of your scalp then you have high-density hair. You may have different density levels all over your scalp which is normal, however, if you are seeing a significant difference in certain areas, you should seek professional help.

THE PHOTOTRICHOGRAM TEST

Phototrichogram is a clinical tool used to assess the quantity and quality of the hair growing from your scalp.  Its a non-invasive technique where two small 1 cm x 1 cm areas on your scalp are are trimmed 1 mm from the skin surface and compared at an interval of three to five days. On day 0, the selected areas are photographed under specific conditions using a digital camera. On day 2 another photograph of the marked area of your scalp is taken under the same conditions. This process is repeated on day 3, 4 and 5 and the images that were taken on day 0 and 5 are compared. If you have fine textured hair that is light in colour then black-coloured dye may be used before starting the procedure as it helps to give a better contrast against your scalp. 

THE TRICHOSCAN

TrichoScan is a software-based clinical tool used to analyse the hair density, the hair diameter (i.e. texture), the hair growth rate and the hair growth cycle of your hair. The TrichoScan software asses the digital images of your scalp which are taken using a specially developed non-invasive imaging technique. These images are then used to instantly calculate the quantity and quality of your hair.

Unfortunately, although the Phototrichogram and TrichoScan are more scientific methods of finding out your hairs density, they are difficult to do for people with dark hair and dark skin due to poor contrast between skin and hair. 

WHAT DO I DO NOW?

Now that you have an idea of what hair density is, read our post on how to find your hair texture. Better yet, book your consultation with one of our certified hair experts. Get a personalised regimen consisting of highly effective product recommendations to solve your hair and scalp concerns. Let us help you discover the expert hair care advice you need to get the healthy hair you want.