Depending on your ethnicity, your hair structure differs from other people’s. The main differences in hair types revolve around hair texture, hair thickness, and hair density.
If you are wondering which ethnicity has the thickest hair and which ethnicity has the thinnest hair, and we’re here to give you the answers.
What Are Hair Ethnicity Types?
Hair ethnicity originates from three main types: Asian, Caucasian, and African. Based on your ethnicity, your hair looks and grows a certain way. In addition, each hair type contains characteristics, including color, texture, and structure.
All hair is made up of layers. You can have straight, wavy, curly, or frizzy hair, and your ethnicity doesn’t matter. All hair strands are made of the same layers.
Here are the three layers of hair strands:
- The cuticle
- The cortex
- The medulla
The hair ethnicity types vary based on geographic origin and gender. Therefore, people of different geographic regions have different hair types, which creates the three main hair ethnicity types.
Which Ethnicity Has the Thickest Hair?
Genetics plays a huge role in determining which ethnicity has the thickest hair. Of the three main ethnic hair types, Caucasians have the thickest hair because their scalps have the highest hair density.
Caucasian hair is in a league of its own because the colors can range from light blonde to dark brown or black hair. The hair follicles grow in an oval shape and are known for growing diagonally and at a faster rate.
When you think of hair thickness, there are four categories:
- Type 1: Straight
- Type 2: Wavy
- Type 3: Curly
- Type 4: Coils
Each category has three subcategories to identify certain hair types: A, B, and C.
Hair type 1C is the thickest hair type with the most coarse feeling. Usually, this hair type is common for Caucasians, and it’s flat on the head with a slight wave.
On the other hand, Asian hair has a lower density and is commonly straight. The lower density is because Asians have fewer follicles on their scalp, which means it doesn’t cover their scalp like Caucasian hair.
However, Asian hair grows the fastest of the three types. The growth speed compensates for the lower density giving the illusion that Asian hair is thicker than most.
Also, Asian hair is thicker in diameter compared to Caucasian and African. A thick hair strand is the width of each strand and determines the thickness of your hair shaft.
Which Ethnicity Has the Thinnest Hair?
Now that you know which ethnicity has the thickest hair, let’s talk about which ethnicity has the thinnest hair type.
African hair has the least density, meaning there are fewer hair follicles on the scalp. In terms of hair structure, African hair is the thinnest of the three. However, African hair color is black. The hair is coily and kinky, which means their hair will likely stick together.
Based on the low density and kinky hair, African hair appears thicker than it is. This ethnicity hair has an oval follicle, meaning that it’s in a spiral shape. That spiral shape illuminates that African hair is thicker than it is.
In addition, African hair looks different on the outside because they have darker scalps. That darker scalp hides the lower hair density.
Caucasians can also have thin hair based on the follicle shape. Unlike African and Asian hair, Caucasian hair varies depending on genetics and what part of the world you are from.
Caucasians can have straight, wavy, or curly hair. People with fine, straight hair are known for having thin hair.
Hair is dead material, and it grows based on its original shape. Asian hair is known for being fine and straight because the follicle grows circularly. It’s similar to some Caucasian hair types but different from African.
So, Which Ethnicity Has the Thickest & Thinnest Hair?
This guide explains the three main ethnic hair types and which ethnicity has the thickest and thinnest hair.
Your hair structure correlates to your ethnicity, which involves the factors: thickness, density, and texture. While Caucasian hair is the thickest, the thinest hair is African hair.