When it comes to hair care, there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Why? Because how you style and wear your hair will depend not only on your curl pattern or natural hair type, but on your hair texture.
But what is hair texture – and how can you find out yours?
Below, we’ll explain what hair texture is, explore the different types of hair texture (fine, medium, and coarse), and explain how to determine your hair texture. Then, we’ll look at some of the reasons behind why hair texture varies (such as genetics, hormonal changes, and your environment) to help you achieve your desired style.
What is hair texture?
Your hair texture describes the thickness of your hair and how it feels. When you run your fingers through your hair, ask yourself: what does it really feel like? Does it feel fine, does it feel coarse – or is it somewhere in the middle?
It’s important to note that hair texture is different to natural hair types, or curl patterns. Your hair type refers to how your hair looks – for example straight, wavy, curly or coily – while hair texture is the actual thickness of your hair. Often, people associate having curly hair with having thick hair: when, in reality, curly hair can actually be very fine. This is just one reason why exploring your hair texture can be so rewarding – because it can help you identify and style your hair type.
How to determine your hair texture and hair type
The simplest way to discover the texture of your hair is by touch and sight. To find out your hair texture, take a single strand of hair and rub it between your fingers:
- If the strand is hardly noticeable by sight or touch, then you have fine hair.
- If you can feel the hair and see it, then you have medium hair.
- If the strand is easily noticeable and feels thick, then you have coarse hair.
Your hair type is about how your hair naturally looks. There are four main types of hair type categories that are numbered, with subcategories a, b and c. The greater the number, and further along the subcategory, the curlier your hair type is, i.e. 1a being the straightest and 4c being the curliest (or the most coily), see below:
- Straight hair (1a, 1b and 1c)
- Wavy hair (2a, 2b and 2c)
- Curly hair (3a, 3b and 3c)
- Coily hair (4a, 4b and 4c)
What are the different types of hair texture?
There are three different types of hair texture, and a range of variations within each texture. Before we get into them, though, it’s important to remember that hair texture isn’t fixed – and you may find that, as you age, your hair texture will change. This can appear as a decrease in density or volume – but it’s nothing to worry about!
Wherever you’re at, embrace the beauty of your hair texture, so you can learn how to care for your own unique style.
Below, explore the three types of hair texture, fine, medium and coarse.
Fine hair texture
Fine hair is very thin and may feel silky to touch; it can also be difficult to see single strands. Fine hair is more vulnerable to heat damage from stylers and can slip out of hair ties when gathered in small amounts.
To keep fine textured hair safe when styling, use the Shark FlexStyle. This no-heat styler maintains your fine hair while promoting volume and bounce. Better still, the Shark FlexStyle relies on Coanda Technology to wrap, curl, and set automatically – smoothing and adding shine to your hair for a bouncy, buoyant look.
Medium hair texture
Medium-textured hair is the most common. It will usually hold hairstyles for a longer time and has less natural breakage.
Coarse hair texture
Coarse-textured hair is the thickest hair type. Thick to the touch - so much so, it’s often described as feeling ‘wiry’, coarse hair will hold styles the best and have more natural resistance against heat styling. However, its abundance can also make it prone to frizzing – especially if it hasn’t had enough time to dry naturally.
What causes different hair textures?
Now that you understand what textured hair is, you might be wondering what causes yours. Understanding what can change your hair texture is important, as you may need to adjust your haircare routine to maintain healthy and luscious locks. This will keep your hair nourished and strong and will benefit the appearance of your natural hair type.
The texture of your hair can be dependent on a few factors: including genetics, hormonal changes, and your environment. We’ll explore each below.
Genetics
The texture of your hair is partially determined by your genetics. Your genes will dictate the consistency of your hair strands and how they will naturally develop throughout your life. The beauty of this is knowing that your hair texture is particular to you – the downside is that, if you’re genetically predisposed to thicker hair, it can make styling and smoothing an uphill battle.
To help with your hair styling and drying, use the Shark SmoothStyle. Designed with heated comb technology to straighten and smooth your hair, the Shark SmoothStyle sidesteps the heat damage to give you a healthy, voluminous finish.
Hormonal changes
Healthy and balanced hormone production can help keep your hair texture strong and full of lustre. When our hormones are unbalanced, our hair may be more likely to break, and may feel more brittle to touch. It’s common for people’s hair texture to change during big life events: whether that’s moving house, relationship changes, or during natural processes such as pregnancy.
To balance your hormones and encourage a healthy hair texture, do your best to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and reduce emotional stress in your life.
Environment
The environment you’re normally in can affect the texture of your hair – and even change the appearance of your natural hair type. Too much sun exposure, air pollution, and high or low levels of humidity can impact your hair texture.
To maintain a healthy hair texture in all environments, it’s important to develop a quality haircare routine full of nutrient-rich products and a quality hair styler. To that end, the Shark SpeedStyle is gentle, and has adjustable heat and airflow settings for every hair texture.
Use this styler after your hair wash to tame frizz, impart shine, and leave your hair looking lustrous. With five stylers and intelligent heat and airflow setting adjustment, the Shark SpeedStyle is the smart, speedy (and small – but don’t underestimate it!) solution to smooth, salon-perfect hair. To read more, explore Shark’s top styling tips with the SpeedStyle for the look that fits your hair texture and type.
We hope you enjoyed embracing the texture of your hair. Next, learn how to style curly hair – or how to give your coily hair a bouncy blowout.
