I really have no clue if my hair is F,M, or C

[xoxophelia]

I have been on LHC for a little bit now, and I still really have no clue about the thickness of my hair strands. My guess is that isn't C (but maybe M/C?).

In the front, my hairs are a bit finer and then in the back they are thicker. This might help maybe:

-my hair hardly tangles
-when I trim any ends that seem suspicious, I have very few splits even though I rarely get my hair trimmed. In the past just once a year with a major chop.
-also, when I cut a hair I hear a... pop? sound with many of the hairs
-when my ends get dry they turn into gross lighter wires that just don't split (so should I trim them?)
-I have plenty of fly aways
-I have thin baby hairs around my face that are quite short

Um those are the only details I can think of that might help. This is the best picture I have to help (with braid waves):

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4575&pictureid=60465

here is a clearer picture (shorter hair)
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4575&pictureid=60953
Thanks! :D

[invisiblebabe]

I would guess M to C, like what you have in your profile (and yep, I thought that before I looked ;) ).

[xoxophelia]

Actually, errr.. yeah, I just took my "guess" hair width off my profile (just in case it skews results! ^_^' ... )

[Quixii]

Yeah, I really have no idea either. I put F/M because some seem thin and some seem not so thin but none seem thick, so...?
I wish there were a slightly more scientific way to check, like with circumference measurement.

[xoxophelia]

Yeah, I really have no idea either. I put F/M because some seem thin and some seem not so thin but none seem thick, so...?
I wish there were a slightly more scientific way to check, like with circumference measurement.

I'm sure pictures don't really make it easy either. You probably have to see hair in person.. I do have some thinner hairs around my face. But those hairs don't really grow (baby hairs?)...

Part of the confusion for me comes from the fact that I used to heat style my hair every single day and would only get it cut once a year.. never with any significant amount of split ends. I was also using a flat iron decently often Oo.... my hair just gets "dry" like.. crunchy. And sort of turns into these stiff hairs that won't bend of split. Ehhhhh.......

And, the fine hair people talk a lot about tangles. I literally will go three days without brushing my hair without a single.. tangle. I pretty much have never been one to use many cones either. :shrug:

[Sammich]

Yeah, I found trouble doing this too, because my results were really confused because my dad saying when I was younger that I had fine hair... Soo, It's really weird how it's completely the opposite. Maybe I'm not feeling the strands right... o_O

However, back onto you... :) I agree, it looks like what an M/C would look like. Very shiny and lovely by the way. :D I love the braid waves! ^_^

Edit: Now I'm even more confused, I found a ponytail of my baby hair and I felt the strand and compared the look to mine now... and.. it's the same. o_O;

[Arctic]

I also am glueless about mine. I know I used to have very fine hair and that it has gotten more coarse and I also have lot of wiry hairs that tend to be quite thick. But are they medium or coarse, I have no idea. I chose M on my profile because I have some fine hairs there too and I think it's mostly M but I can't be sure untill I have had a change to take closer look at other peoples hair shafts :laugh:

I can see your individual hairs in your photo so that makes them either M or C, somehow the general appeararnce looks more M to me.
ETA: I remember reading some coarsies saying they can actually hear they hair when they handle it.

[xoxophelia]

Yeah, I found trouble doing this too, because my results were really confused because my dad saying when I was younger that I had fine hair... Soo, It's really weird how it's completely the opposite. Maybe I'm not feeling the strands right... o_O

However, back onto you... :) I agree, it looks like what an M/C would look like. Very shiny and lovely by the way. :D I love the braid waves! ^_^

Sammy (for some reason this is a nickname I think when I see your sn lol)-When I was looking at your hair type I actually thought it was more C. I see each of your strands pretty clearly or something? It also has a "heavy" look to it. Like your hair isn't going to float around like a spider web in the wind. But then what do I know -_- .. my hair was also fine as a kiddo and platinum blonde but I think it is normal for kids to have thinner, silky hairs :)

Thanks about the shine.. I did blow dry it there (just a little and my hair goes pin straight!)... But, I'm avoiding the heat now. Dunno why.. just doing it...... gr.

[Sammich]

Sammy (for some reason this is a nickname I think when I see your sn lol)-When I was looking at your hair type I actually thought it was more C. I see each of your strands pretty clearly or something? It also has a "heavy" look to it. Like your hair isn't going to float around like a spider web in the wind. But then what do I know -_- .. my hair was also fine as a kiddo and platinum blonde but I think it is normal for kids to have thinner, silky hairs :)

Thanks about the shine.. I did blow dry it there (just a little and my hair goes pin straight!)... But, I'm avoiding the heat now. Dunno why.. just doing it...... gr.

Yup, Sammy is my nickname in real life too. :) Nice how you noticed. Lol :D
That's strange because I did just compare my baby ponytail (I was 8) with my real hair strand. :confused: Felt the same, but my baby ponytail was WAY softer than my hair ever is! Lol! It's not even well preserved, I leave it laying around. :p My individual strands don't make noises when I twiddle them between my thumb and forefinger... soo... o_o I ALSO have tons of tangles every single day. o_O

However, that is true... :o It doesn't seem to be the type of hair to be floating around.. Oh how I wish I had fine hair for it's silky baby softness! :cool:

On another note, I can actually see your individual strands, it doesn't seem the floaty type... It might just be a solid M as others have suggested, because it doesn't have that sort of... C look. The asian like hair it says in FIA's hair typing. Hmm. :)

[xoxophelia]

I can definitely hear my hair between my fingers. But .. I can only do the ends (it is in french braids). The ends are just dry pointy .. wire things right now. So that is why.

I compared my hair to another F/M on here, and it is definitely not the same... and my hair isn't the same as when I was young and it was fine. So I am still a little confused.

Also, I am very familiar with asian hair haha (lived in japan for years). I am pretty confident my hair is not C. Pretty darn confident.

So I guess I have narrowed it down to F/M-C/M. I might just be quite a mix. My natural hair color goes all the way from a deep honey blonde to a few nearly black hair strands. And my texture on the bottom is different than the top.

Hopefully some hair guru comes on here and enlightens all of us as to what our hair types are. lol...

[Arctic]

You know about your ends. It might be some kind of buildup that is making them stiff and hard. I get buildup easily and clarifying always makes my hair softer. Too much protein makes my hair extra coarse and rough feeling. I experimented with ascorbic acid (vit C) rinses couple of months ago and oh boy! they gave me my soft hair back! I think the ascorbic acid (AA) rinses removed some kind of metal/mineral buildup I had accumulated in my hair from our tap water. I also had those ends and protein free products and AA rinses have changed (and saved!) my hair!

[xoxophelia]

You know about your ends. It might be some kind of buildup that is making them stiff and hard. I get buildup easily and clarifying always makes my hair softer. Too much protein makes my hair extra coarse and rough feeling. I experimented with ascorbic acid (vit C) rinses couple of months ago and oh boy! they gave me my soft hair back! I think the ascorbic acid (AA) rinses removed some kind of metal/mineral buildup I had accumulated in my hair from our tap water. I also had those ends and protein free products and AA rinses have changed (and saved!) my hair!

I am pretty sure it isn't build up for a few reasons:
-we have soft well water (multiple purification processes)
-I don't use silicone products
-I just did an ACV, and shampooed twice today leaving it in for a bit (had a problem getting the olive oil out from last night)
-I usually don't use oil or any hair products

:/....

I think it is just my hair's way of being damaged or something. I was using heating tools on it quite a lot and then a few years ago was lifeguarding and letting my hair really bleach out. It sort of just doesn't get split ends... but maybe the damage makes the cuticle stand up and not retain moisture as well?

The ends literally hurt a tiny bit when I jab myself with one lol!

But, I will try another clarifying type dealy to just make sure.

[Kaijah]

I remember reading another test (I think it was originally from NaturallyCurly.com...) where you take a piece of 2 ply cotton sewing thread, and peel it apart (so you'd have two thin strands instead of one large piece twisted together), then compare your hair to it. Fine hair is smaller than one strand of the thread, medium is equivalent to it, and coarse is anything larger.

Maybe that could help you figure it out?

My hair is kind of a mixture of everything, though, and I think a lot of peoples hair is like that. Mine's just mostly medium, with finer or coarser bits scattered around.

[xoxophelia]

^Thanks for the idea! That actually sounds pretty good to me to try out :).. I will look in my thread stash to compare. I currently have limited time though because I am on break XD

I think it is funny that I have 4 votes for F and 8 for M/C haha

I am pretty confident my hair is not F though. It just doesn't seem to have any of the problems F hair does and looks different to me. My hair is pretty darn durable. I do have a bit of a mixture though. My hairs on the bottom are much shinier and much thicker.

[Stormcast]

Yeah, I really have no idea either. I put F/M because some seem thin and some seem not so thin but none seem thick, so...?
I wish there were a slightly more scientific way to check, like with circumference measurement.

Same here, my hair dosn't seem really medium, but not very fine either...

[xoxophelia]

Same here, my hair dosn't seem really medium, but not very fine either...

From your pictures on your profile your hair looks pretty medium to me. I think there are some misconceptions here about it because well.. just look at my poll results haha. There is a lot of variation.

This to me, is an example of F hair. The strands are light and get blown around a lot.
http://styletips101.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/fine-hair.jpg

Also, here is an example of your typical asian hair (which tends to be C):

http://www.hairstyles-collection.com/images/asian-hairstyles.jpg

I think my hair leans more to that, but isn't that, than F now but I can't say for sure which it is.

[rags]

It's really hard to tell from a pic, but if pressed I'd say you are either M or M/C. Your hair doesn't look fine at all to me. (says the superfiney whose hair floats all around my head if I don't weigh it down with oils or cones :rolleyes:)

[melikai]

I would definitely say you are either M or M/C, the second being what I'm leaning more towards. The hairs around everyones face tend to be more fine and thin (and also have a much shorter terminal length), so I think it's better to judge by your longer strands than those.

[melikai]

Also, Sammy-Sammich, judging from your pics you look like you're M, maybe even F/M.

[Ursula]

Generally speaking, I consider F/M/C to be the least useful classifier, because there is no way of measuring it accurately. If you have a microscope and can measure, that's one thing.

If you aren't sure, put M. People who are extreme on the F or C generally know, it is people in the middle range who aren't sure. If you ever get to a LHC meet, then you can compare with other LHC members, and get a better idea.

[xoxophelia]

I would definitely say you are either M or M/C, the second being what I'm leaning more towards. The hairs around everyones face tend to be more fine and thin (and also have a much shorter terminal length), so I think it's better to judge by your longer strands than those.

Oh okay. I thought those were supposed to be included or something in like.. an "average" of your hair width. I think I will see how this poll plays out though.. I have mostly M/C with F in second. So.. <<

I'm prrrreeeety sure I am not F though because I have none of the hair problems the F's seem to have. And I don't do anything special to avoid them.

[xoxophelia]

So I wanted to just update on my conclusion:

It is a good suggestion to just leave it as M, and change once I know for sure. But I opened this poll to let you all decide :)

After seeing the responses, comparing to other members here, and comparing to the string, I am certain my hair is not F or F/M. I am not certain between M or C/M though. Nearly 50% of the votes were for C/M and this was also my initial "thought"...

It may very well be M. However, because my hair "behaves" more like hair that is slightly thicker in diameter (that I can go a year without a trim and only a few splits), I will post it as between M and C for the time being in agreement with the poll. If or when I do get to go to a meet, I will definitely change it to M if that makes more sense.

And.. my mom has some tools I could possibly use to officially measure it :D.. I'm just the type of person who is curious and needs definitive answers haha

Thank you for the help everybody! ^^

[Sammich]

Oh hey, thank you Mel! :) I didn't really think of myself as having f/m (Well I did at first... But I felt the strands it seemed as though they had the 'rough' feel.)
And Xo, I actually have the same idea of asian and fine hair as you judging by the pictures... fine hair seems super silky and soft to me. Whereas Asian hair seems more like shiny and smooth...
It seems like this thread has become a 'Help me with my hair type' thread! Lol! Woopsie, I think I sorta hijacked it. *Pats Xoxo*
I guess I'll change my hairtype to F/M then... :D

[SlightlySoprano]

my hair is extremely fine and tangles like nothing else, not so fun

[xoxophelia]

my hair is extremely fine and tangles like nothing else, not so fun

I don't really understand why some hair tangles and others doesn't. My hair has its damage for sure.. hence why I am here.. yeah no idea. I am not using silicone either.

BTW- I have votes now in all 5 categories and they are becoming more evened out. Still with M/C in the lead. I guess this means nobody has an easy time telling and definitely not from pictures XD

[Sammich]

Perhaps fine hair being called flyaways has something to do with it? :D Flying away... and tangling...? Err.
Lol!

[xoxophelia]

Perhaps fine hair being called flyaways has something to do with it? :D Flying away... and tangling...? Err.
Lol!

No idea. I sleep on my hair and often don't brush it for days. LOL.

(lazy lazy xoxo)

[Sammich]

Perhaps it's because of the product/routine. They dont' have enough slip or haven't found the right products to deal with their hair type?

Lazy xoxo! I actually mistook that for the shortened version of 'kisskiss' that people use on facebook or piczo, lolz.