Now, here is the moment I have been waiting for since I stopped dyeing my hair in 2006.
My (thicker) virgin hair has grown out, for a while there have been no sheds and my ponytail breakage is also growing out past my nape which resulted into a very noticeable thickening of my ponytail circumference.
But somehow I feel a little uncomfortable and not so happy, I imagined by the time I reach that point my hair would be thicker all over...my virgin hair which just reaches my shoulder is thicker but the rest is still very tapered.
So now I am really wondering about how to classify myself. Where does ii/iii start and where does it end? Is it ok to have taper? :shrug:
I hope this thread is not completely self centered and also helps other members facing that decision.:o

I remember the classification best in cm and that above 5cm/ 2” is ii and that iii starts at 10cm/ 4” (someone correct me if I’m wrong)
But where would the ii/iii be? Just a tad before 4” or past 4”..something else? :confused:

I hope this poll can shed light.

Emi :flower:

I remember reading that to figure the circumferance if you have bangs is to estimate. Say someone that has bangs is at 3.9 at the nape, they would more likely be 4.1 or so if they didn't have bangs. So I would say thickness is figured by the hair at the nape of the neck with any shorter hair figured in to that equation the same it would be if your thickness drops to an i an inch after the nape.

Oh I think I may have misunderstood the question :smile: I call 4.01 iii thickness since I think ii ends at 4.0.

Well, I said 3.9" ish, but it could go 3.8 as well, based on assuming some variation in measuring. As it happens, I am now solidly in the middle of ii - measuring in at 3.1""

8) Jim

First, this is how Fia describes her classifiers:
i - thin (less than 2 inches/5 centimeters)
ii - normal (between 2-4 inches or 5-10 centimeters)
iii - thick (more than 4 inches/10 centimeters)

I never quite understood why one would need the i/ii or ii/iii classifier, as your hair can only be one distinct thickness, doesn't it? It either is below or exactly 4" and therefore an ii, or it is more than 4", which makes it an iii.
I think people who use i/ii or ii/iii want to show that they are on the higher end of one classifier and on the lower end of the other - say, a ii/iii would be on the higher end of ii but not quite an iii, so maybe something between 3,8" and 4,2".
Taper is not taken into account as far as I know.

I think the ii/iii category is important. Someone with 2.1" of hair is NOT near someone with 3.9" of hair, even if they are both ii's technically. I like to do the i/ii if you're within 1/4 inch of the mark (So 3.75" to 4.25" would be ii/iii) but it does depend on your hair, sometimes it's best to call the 3.8 just ii depending on how it looks, how much short hair you have growing out, etc...

And taper most certainly does not matter. Thickness has to deal with your nape; taper can be effected by so many things. Granted, it may be one of the factors that determines whether a 3.8" is a ii or ii/iii, but it is by no means significant enough to change the type more than a teensy bit. Like if you have 4.3 hair even with a ton of taper, I think it's fair to be a complete iii.

I think you're an ii/iii when you're almost at 4 inches, so I chose 9.7 centimetres or 3.8 inches.

I chose "depends on taper" because my hair is approaching iii at my shoulders (it's about 3.6") but it tapers a lot and the bottom third does not look thick at all. I won't consider mine thick until the entire length is close to iii.

I call myself a solid iii. My ponytail measures about 4.1 on top of my head (with all fringe included) and 3.8-3.9 at the nape of my neck. I have steady taper from nape of neck down to about 1 inch circumference near the ends. I call myself iii because I have too much hair to count myself among the ii group; it would be unfair to the folks at the lower end of that range.

I could consider myself ii/iii very easily, but why complicate matters. I find the whole hair classification thing unnecessarily picky, truth be told, although I enjoyed it at first.

I consider ii/iii to be anywhere from 3.8" to 4.2". Basically, when it's close enough to the line that you feel like designating your hair as either ii or iii would give a markedly incorrect perception of what your hair is actually like (important for when you're seeking advice, I think).

The classifiers don't have anything to do with whether you consider your hair thin or thick - iii hair is generally perceived as "thick" hair and i hair might be perceived as "thin" - but it's not the same. It's just an approximate because 1a / iii hair might react differently to certain routines than 1a / i hair, or a certain style might not work with iii hair of a certain length but i hair of a certain length will work. That's what that classifier is for. There might be the same difference between 2" to 4" and 1" to 3" - but you need to draw the line somewhere.

I deleted that part in my previous post because it is somewhat OT - but you need to consider that classifying the thickness is a sensitive topic to some. I vividly remember a thread a few years ago where some of our i members felt a bit depressed because members had started to just state i or i/ii in their profiles without actually measuring - just because they thought their hair was thin although the circumference did actually measure more than 2". The i members looked at pictures of their alleged hair twins with i hair just to see that their hair was much, much thicker than theirs, which caused some sad feelings.
So please, do measure your circumference - don't just believe i means thin, ii means average and iii means thick, because these words can mean different things depending on where you live, so we at LHC use actual figures to determine that.

I'm somewhere between 9.5 and 10 cm, and I call myself a ii/iii. I'd say anything over 4" would be a iii, so ii/iii should be almost iii but not quite there right? Anyways, I voted "Already at 9.7 cm/ 3.8"", and I don't think that taper matters.

I think ii/iii begins just below 4". If one use the metric system, 10 cm is actually a little less than 4". Therefore, I think 4" is more iii - recalculated to metric this would be solid iii being over 10 cm.

I don't think taper counts, after all the ponytail should be measured at the thickest point. And if taper really counted - then everyone with fairytale ends would be i... :p

I use the ii/iii clasifyer because depending on weather conditions, hair treatments, wavyness, etc. My hair can be anywhere from 3.8 to 4.2 at tightest compaction, though it is on average exactly at 4" at the nape, more at the crown.

I think of the split thickness measurments i/ii and ii/iii are for cases where the hair, when measured repeatedly, is sometimes just above and sometimes just below the cut-off. Any measurment (thickness or length) should probably be done several times, to correct for errors in measuring.

I also consider the nape measurement to be the one that counts, no matter what the taper might be.

I use the ii/iii classifier, since at the nape I'm on the higher end of ii (around 3.7"), but on top of my head with my bangs included (or as much as I could get to stay in there) I'm exactly 4". So without bangs I may be a solid iii or I may still be borderline, won't know for sure until I grow them out.

i think ii/iii is about 3.8 inches.. i classify my hair as ii because my back of the head pony is 3.5 inches..
if i pony my hair on top i have 3.8 but since everyone measures by the nape or in the back of the head i cant classify myself as ii/iii

I would consider anyone between say 3.75-4.25" ii/iii. Just out of personal observations, I know my nape measurement varies about 1/4", from just under 3" to just over 3". But since I'm smack dab in the middle of ii territory it doesn't keep me up at nights :grin:. But I did notice a member here at some point mention she had a 3.5" circ and I noticed she had herself listed as a ii/iii. That seems to be a little too far off IMO.

For me the point of classifying is either to solicit advice based on type or see what folks with similar hair do with it. Stuff like-- at my length a i is going to be able to do certain updos that I can't and it's useful to know that. (Otherwise, I might just be left wondering what is wrong with me!) Mine is ii/iii because it is slightly different every time I measure. If I am really a ii, then I am at the top of the ii range, and if I am a iii, then I am near the bottom. So someone who is just barely into the ii range or is busting out of the iii range actually has a significantly different thickness of hair. So, I guess I would tend to reclassify whenever my hair starts to behave differently, which might depend on taper or might not.

But I did notice a member here at some point mention she had a 3.5" circ and I noticed she had herself listed as a ii/iii. That seems to be a little too far off IMO.

It wasn't me, was it? I went from 3.5" to a little below/a little above 4" (thanks, satin pillowcase!) and changed my stats accordingly.

It wasn't me, was it? I went from 3.5" to a little below/a little above 4" (thanks, satin pillowcase!) and changed my stats accordingly.

I honestly don't remember who it was! I just saw that, thought 'hmm, I'd probably say just ii' and went on reading the thread. But in your case it's of course fine to reclassify if circumstances change (new growth or old damage grown out).

I think it's just that since there seems to be the general idea that thicker is 'better', some people may over (or under, like Juliet's Silk mentioned) classify themselves rather than just sticking with the typing guidelines.

I vividly remember a thread a few years ago where some of our i members felt a bit depressed because members had started to just state i or i/ii in their profiles without actually measuring - just because they thought their hair was thin although the circumference did actually measure more than 2". The i members looked at pictures of their alleged hair twins with i hair just to see that their hair was much, much thicker than theirs, which caused some sad feelings.
So please, do measure your circumference - don't just believe i means thin, ii means average and iii means thick, because these words can mean different things depending on where you live, so we at LHC use actual figures to determine that.

Good point, I remember when I joined I thought my hair was fine but lots of it and I would probably still fall into the i to i/ii range. When I later got out the measureing tape I was so surprised to be in the upper range of ii. And the micrometer showed its nowhere close to F either..
Still feels weird to me because people tell me all the time how thin my hair is..:confused:
I felt uncomfortable classifying myself as more than thin to medium..:shrug:
But then at the same time I am glad to have gained some thickness, since my hair is so stick straight and sleek that a little more can make it at least 'look' somewhat medium...even though it might be a little more.
Also my hair tapers a lot..its ii to midback but below it goes into the i range. Any additional hairs will hopefully decrease the taper.
Its probably stupid to worry so much about it..cant help it sometimes sorry.

I think that the ii/iii classifier can be used anywhere within a quarter inch on either side of the 4 inch circumference, due to variation in measuring. I don't consider taper to be a factor in the circumference measurement.

I also think that ii/iii ranges from 3.8-4.2(ish). However, I think that that is a flexible measurement--if you have a lot of hair, if it feels like a lot, your hair might be thick proportional to the thickness of the strands, for example.

This is a thread I made a couple months ago, but it might help answer your question. :flower:
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=1266

I vote 4" of cheese! :cheese: 'Cos I really don't know. :p

My own measurement is a whisker over 4", so I guess I could (should?) classify as ii/iii. But, for all intents and purposes, I consider my hair to be thick.

I consider the 4-inch mark as the dividing line, so ii/iii would have to be something less than 4 inches. I don't see how people can possibly measure hair accurately to the tenths, so I would be even more liberal, considering 3.5 inches to 4 inches as ii/iii. That being said, the whole split classifier system is overrated. I'd rather someone just make a decision about it one way or another instead of having a description full of split classifiers. I think we agonize way too much about the exactness, when generalities work just as well.

I voted "Other."

I think ii/iii would be for people whose hair sometimes measures in the ii range, and sometimes in the iii range. For example, someone might seem to have thicker hair when it's just been washed and dried, or in the summer, when humidity is higher.

So if it's sometimes 3.75" and sometimes 4.25", I'd call that ii/iii.

Maybe we need an official ruling on this.

-Angellen

I even answered on that thread. My sisters hair measures a little less than mine (8cm) but I consider it thick because she has so many F hairs..
I really have solid M hairs though..:confused:

After having this poll open for a while I think I should put myself as an ii/iii. My hair currently measures 4.1" in a regular ponytail, bangs and face framing layers not included.

I know some suggested iii is above 4" but I dont really feel like putting myself as iii. And in case I have one of my famous sheds I will be back to ii in no time anyway ;)

Edit: Since some mentioned it -> I think a quarter before or past 4" sounds like a good solid guideline for ii/iii actually.

Well, technically speaking, EVERYONE has taper. :lol:

I think taper is fine, and usually I measure the ponytail either at the base of my neck or a little higher up on my head. I have always heard of people measuring very near the head, no matter just where they do it on their head. Also, the measurement is supposed to measure the thickest part of your hair, so I would definitely discount the older, damaged hair when measuring your thickness.

I said 3.9"ish for ii/iii, not sure if I really feel that way, but I do right this second. :P
I've wondered about this myself, but isn't iii supposed to start at just after 4" ?
My hair is smack dab in the middle of everything, though. :(

I always thought ii/iii meant on the thicker side of average, like freznow said, someone with 2.3" is very different from someone with 3.6, 3.8 etc. Same goes for i/ii, 1.9 and 2.1 are different from 2.5 or 3.0, so it's on the thinner side of average. Taper has nothing to do with how much hair grows out of your scalp ;)

I really ought to be i/ii, since I'm an i due to hairloss, but as it's slowly growing back in I should be within the ii range, but until then I will remain i.