What Does Coarse Hair Mean? One Easy Trick To Know If You Have It + Care Tips From Pros

Hair comes with a lot of descriptors and variables: straight to curly, fine to thick, dense to thin, voluminous to flat, oh how the list goes on. One that is often misunderstood is coarse hair—people tend to think of coarse hair as anything that's brittle or rough. And while dryness can certainly be a signifier, it's not the definition of coarse hair.

What does it mean to have coarse hair, how can you tell, and what can you do to tend to the strand's needs? Our explainer. 

Simply: "Coarse hair is that with the widest diameter of hair strands," says celebrity hairstylist Marcus Francis, brand ambassador for new natural brand Better Natured. This means that coarse hair actually isn't a texture, even if it is related to texture. "Anyone from curly and coiled to straight and wavy could technically have coarse hair."

Coarse hair is also often dry (see: the misunderstanding above). "It has the tendency to need extra moisture and also loses moisture quickly, while the ends dry and split much easier than other hair types," he says. Logically, this makes sense. If your hair strand has a wider width, it will require more oils to keep it conditioned—perhaps more oils than your scalp can naturally produce. Whereas someone who does not have coarse hair will likely have no problem keeping their strands hydrated—in fact, they might even complain about having greasy hair. 

Of course, anyone can have dry hair. And dryness can be the result of a number of factors including climate, your scalp, products, and so on. So if you can't simply use moisture levels as a clue, how can you actually know if you have coarse hair?

You don't need to run to a hairstylist to help you identify whether your strands are coarse—it's very easy to do a self-test: "Pick up a strand of hair; if you can't feel it, you have fine hair. If you can feel the texture you have coarse hair," says celebrity hairstylist Chad Wood, who is a brand stylist partner for clean brand FEKKAI. If you're still having trouble, compare it to a standard thread of fabric. If it's thicker than that, you have coarse hair. 

Since one of the main pain points of coarse hair is dryness, you should focus on hydration. "I like to use thicker products on coarse hair because it tends to be more dry," says Wood. "You want to hydrate the hair because it will result in more shine. I use oils, creams, butters, and balms."

Look for hydrating shampoos and thick, emollient conditioners and masks in the shower ("Because it needs more moisture, it's a great idea to incorporate that from the first steps of styling, which is in the shower," says Francis), opt for hydrating leave-ins, and seal in moisture with natural oils. Now the specifics of these products will depend on your exact type—from straight to curly—as different strand patterns have different needs. (Figure out your curl pattern here.)

For example, someone with coarse straight hair should look for products that have softening properties that allow for a movement and breathability, while those with curls should look for products that have more hold to amplify their ringlets or coils. For more guidance, check out how to air-dry your hair. 

If you've got coarse hair, it just means the strand itself is thick. Once you confirm this you can go about tending to your lush, if sometimes dry, strands with moisture.