In a world where every hair care product claims to be made for your individual hair type, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that there really are true scientific differences between hair types.
For example, a study recently published in the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (57, 327-338 July 2006) discovered that there are at least 5 basic differences between Asian and Caucasian hair.
1) Number of Cuticle Layers
Cuticles are the protective “shingles” that guard the inner protein structure of your hair. Typical human hair has 5 to 10 layers of cuticles. Asian hair has more (closer to 10) than Caucasian (which has closer to 5). Asian cuticles are also wider, thicker and more densely packed.
2) Flatness of Cuticles
On Asian hair, the cuticles are laid down with at a steeper angle. Caucasian hair has flatter cuticles.
3) Distance Between Cuticles
The interval, or distance, between cuticle cells is narrower in Asian hair than in Caucasian hair.
4) How Hair Breaks
As Asian hair is stretched or pulled, the cuticles tend to break off in large pieces that keep their original shape. On the other hand, the cuticles of Caucasian hair tend to break into smaller fragments and fall off. In this sense, Caucasian cuticles are more fragile.
5) Why Hair Breaks
The cuticles of Asian hair tends to fall off because the adhesive that holds the cuticle cells together fails. In Caucasian hair, the adhesive holds better but the cuticle cell itself starts to break first.
What does this all mean?
For the first time, scientists have proven that Asian hair has a more solid structure than Caucasian hair. This may account for the beautiful long, shiny look that so many Asian women are known for. The Beauty Brains think it also suggests that Asians may need different hair care products than Caucasians.
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What type of Asian?
Well, that begs the question, what sort of products does Asian hair need? Particular ingredients?
grrr. I’m so jealous!
don’t be too jealous… at least with my hair, it’s so thick that the only two real styling options i have are flat ironing or a haircut!
i would love to hear any ingredient recommendations!
The article didn’t mention a specific type of “Asian” hair.
What type of “asian” ??? Were any other hair type studies with evidence published?
In this particular study the types of hair listed were ‘Asian’ and ‘Caucasian’. Since the primary publishers of research in the JSCC are from Japan, I would guess that this population is who the authors were talking about.
There is no scientific evidence to back any of this. Where are the valid sources? And what type of Asian and what type of Caucasian? I don’t buy this “research” at all.
Hi Bob: Maybe you missed it, but our post does cite the journal reference for this research. Take another peek.
i am so glad i came across this article as i have always had a bit of a hair complex! as i am a white girl but i have asian hair? crazy i know but hairdressers always ask me if i have mixed ancestry, as far as i know i don’t, but my hair grows outwards, is jet black with a redish shine in the light, is very thick and dense and i have about 3 crowns? lol i often get comments about how different it looks for a white girl, i would love to know if you guys find or develop any products for “asian” hiar as i have a hard time managing it, it is very strong hair and won’t curl! xxx
haha i am asian and my hair is so much better than all of yours, cause my hair is dark brown STRAIGHT and SHINY!!!!!!!!!!!
hahahaha!!!!!
I will be formulating someting special for the asian community. Look out for TOC haircare line in the near future.
I’m mostly “Asian” but do NOT have this so-called fabulous straight shiny healthy dense Asian hair you speak of Where is the proof? Tell us! Actually, it pisses me off when I go to a salon, they have one look at me and tell me that my “Asian hair” is A, B, and C – that it is
A) thick and straight (it’s actually fine and naturally wavy)
B) “inferior” to Caucasian hair for dyeing (I am actually of mixed French and Spanish descent, combined with Chinese and Filippino, so this is total bull since I am part Caucasian)
C)Difficult to style because it’s “ethnic” – what happens is they give me a cut for “straight Asian hair” when in fact I have mixed white/Asian wavy fine hair, and what they do doesn’t work for me AT ALL. It’s really annoying that this is happening and I can only hope that with the plethora of mixed kids growing up in America today that this will change completely one day – that stylists will understand that not everybody fits into the ethnic box they fabricate.
shave your head and get a wig!
My daughter is from China and she is 11. She is having some dandruff problems and recently her hair is oily even the day after she washes it. Could the oily hair be connected to puberty. What should she wash her hair with, I have been using Head and Shoulder to treat the dandruff but only having her wash her hair every other day to help with the oilness.
okay so i am white
but i want asian hair, i like how its so straight and shiny
how do i get my hair like this?!
and they say black people have issues with our hair…LOL at all of you!
Hahah, oh man I wish I had typical caucasian hair. I have the typical Asian hair: black, straight, stubborn, flat, thick strands but no volume, HATE IT. Why? Because I want vintage hair from the 40s and 50s, think Marilyn Monroe or Julie London or Rita Hayworth. That means curls. No, not those lame Asian curls that girls do with a curling iron. No, I set my hair with ol’ fashioned rollers. I’m going to look into pin curls and setting lotions (including homemade setting lotion) but every day I wish I was a “white girl”, would make my life so much easier.
I loveee shiny asian hair!!! My hair used to be straight and sooo cute when I was a kid but…for some reason in around 5th grade my hair became super curly o__0 and thick o___0 and dark o_______0
now i am 20 and my hair is like…annoying me. although it is light brown now, i like wavy, thick hair…but i hate that my hair isnt shiny
i’ve been with asian girls, black girls and white girls before and from my experience white girls may not have the sleekest hair but its definently much softer than asian hair plus its much thicker, i can usually see through to the scalp in asian girls never with white girls tho
? ?
who cares ? there is something beautiful to be found in every hair type.
sorry those were meant to be up arrows. referring to the negative comments.
I love asian hair, my brother and sister have it (I was the adopted one). However, I do like mine myself. My is waist length like my sister’s, but while as hers begins to look rather thin at the ends and is very ‘tough’ in texture, I find mind much softer and ‘fuller’. But, her’s is pin straight and she has the world’s most amazing bangs. Her hair also rarely if ever gets messy DX
Castor oil is a great leave in conditioner for getting softer shinier hair and happier scalp (for all hair types.) A friend had been telling me about it forever, and I finally got some. It’s a bit sticky, so you just warm it between your hands, and work a bit of it through from scalp to tips–then leave it overnight and wash as usual in the morning. I’ve also been using a dab on dry hair to keep down frizz.
I had been having dry scalp issues, and those are gone now, plus my hair is a lot shinier. Yay castor oil!
there are different types of asian hair. Im southeast asian(khmer) and i have no idea how to describe my hair. i have never been told by any1 that i have asian hair but it does have trouble with taking in hair color and bleach because the strands are coarse. its not straight but its not curly. i wouldnt call it wavy. it does have waves here and there but it waves wherever it feels like so maybe i just have frizzy hair. it has always been like that but i had beautiful curls and waves when i was younger. now its just blah. i just wish i had hair that i can wash and go and it dried wonderfully on its own or curly hair cuz i love curly hair.
my aunt definitely does not have typical asian hair. her hair is super dense that you gotta try hard to separate her hair just to see her scalp. she has very wavy fine hair and so much of it. its very similar to puerto rican/dominican type of hair like shes mixed and im super jealous of her. when she straigtens it it looks so silky and flowy but very structure and she still has so much volume she never has to tease it. and when she scrunches or use curl enhancing hair products, her hair curls up beautifully. its not super curly like a spring but its not lifeless curls either. its perfectly curled. i am so jealous.
my half chinese cousin on the other hand has typical asian hair. she doesnt have a lot of it but her hair strand is so coarse so shiney so straight and heavy. its difficult to curl her hair cuz it has so much resilience.
so yea there are different types of asian hair. we dont all have the same hair
I’m what they call a quarter cast aboriginal, my mums dad was austrian and my dads mum was japanese. So I got this weird as hair. Its coarse, heaps curly if I cut it short, so dark a brown it almost looks black, not thick, but not at all thin. It always looks so unkempt its frustrating cause nothing works, the cheap stuff doesn’t work, and neither does the expensive stuff. I don’t like it short, I like it long, but I can’t show it off cause its always messy looking
Ok so I have a question what about girls who are Latina or Native-American?? I always been told I have Native-American(I am part Sioux & Cherokee) hair how it looks so pretty long & its dark..And well its not exactly super straight,it has some wave to it…but it is really thick,not thin.. And it does has volume..
Do we fall under Asian?
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Caucasian and asian people who have ordered the Kakakiki KombBrush keep emailing me about how great it is for their hair also (men and women). I never thought about marketing the comb/brush to you or any other ethnic group beside Black people because I know nothing about your hair. But because of your positive response in regards to the Kakakiki KombBrush I guess I would not be a good businessman if I did not offer it to you.
Give it a try I am told you will be amazed and pleasantly surprised.
If for any reason you do not care for it, I will refund your money.
Go to my website http://www.kakakiki.com and click on the ORDER page at the top to purchase your comb/brush.
My mom’s from Hong Kong and dad’s Japanese, so I’m a 100% East Asian dude. I have to say I’m very grateful for the genes that have been passed down to me.
I’m currently wearing my hair quite long, but I can also do quasi-anything I want with it. It’s thick but soft and silky to the touch, has a naturally healthy sheen, and responds extremely well to styling and dyeing. Why, I even bleached it a few times as a teenager! (then dyed electric blue, apple green, fuschia, you name it) It only got somewhat brittle, but nothing that a good shampoo and conditioner routine didn’t take care of.
So, those of you complaining about the so-called “Asian hair curse”, I’m afraid you haven’t been conceived from the most generous of gene pools. Certainly not true for the rest of us, though.
Im 17 and Asian, well very mixed! Bangladeshi, Pakstani, Mongolian, Indian, Arab, White :\
I have the typical asian hair. Long, black (so black is looks silver) thick hair. I’ve cut it 3 times to shoulder length (since year 9/ 13 years of age) and it grows back to bum length in matter of a few years!
Its very frustrating as its sooo flat, yet my 2nd sister has thinner but volumous hair, which looks amazing!
I hate my asian hair. I dont like how thick each strand is. Plus, as I’m getting older it sometimes comes out wirey. It’s not soft to the touch. I’m afraid when I get reach old age I will have wirey hair.
You asian girls who have problems with flat straight hair might want to try perming so you get lost lasting permanent curls (well permamtly for 6 months or so).
Works a treat.
Bluefairy00–I’m caucasian and my aging hairs (in my case, they are glowing white, not even gray) are EXTREMELY wiry and go in all directions! I feel your pain. I’m afraid of what I’m going to look like as they take over my head. Although I find (and I’m not sure if there’s a scientific basis for this) that the chemical process to color the grays (whites…) also seems to improve their texture.
i am 100% chinese and have learned to love my hair. actually i never really had problems with my hair but growing up around caucasians makes you want blonde and beautiful hair, right? but really… there are so many different types of asian hair. my hair is very soft and shiny, and I have layers so that gives it more volume. my hair is not thin, but it’s not thick either…I guess it’s medium thickness. I just shampoo and condition it daily and rarely hairspray or blow dry it; that way it retains its softness and shine! I find my hair really healthy and it grows really fast too! So I love having it long during winter and short during summer! Everyone should learn to love their own hair because you can’t change what kind of hair you have! you just have to find what hairstyle looks best on you and how to take good care of it!
There is also an array of Asian hairs.
(As far as I know, I’m 100% Chinese, as are my siblings and parents. We’re from HK and southern China (canto region)
My two sisters have very, very thick and frizzy(ish) hair that unless they style it (a lot more effort than I ever put in) or cut short it looks awful. It doesn’t have the sleek natural look that we’re well known for. My brother, younger sister and I on the other hand have the very silky, soft, and sleek hair that is the typical Asian hair. Mine is very thin (like when I put ALL of my hair into a ponytail my fingers overlap… a lot) but the individuals strands themselves are coarse.
I love my hair a lot. My only problem is how flat it is in ALL the wrong places. Near my shoulders it starts to bulk up but by my head it just sits flat. v.v I can’t tease it either so it always looks FLAT. This is a huge issue for me because I have a round face. >.> But my hair’s pros (never gets messy, I wake up and twenty minutes later my hair is perfect, never need to straighten or blowdry unless I need dry hair, all I need to do is brush it… not necessarily with a brush/comb, fingers work fine too) far outweigh the cons (flatness, can’t curl very well without 50lbs of hairspray) so I’m very satisfied with my hair.
But do we really need different products? I’ve been using Herbal Essence for the past two years (it smells AMAZING) and it has been fine for me.
well I’m half Chinese half-Vietnamese and I remember I used to be told my hair is soft and that Chinese hair is soft but that was when I was little and my hair was pitch black and my hair changed colors to golden brown when I got older. I miss my black hair though some people say they like my hair color and they want it, some people have asked if I dyed my hair though, never tried to.
I’m half Japanese and half Caucasian, and I have thick hair but fine hair strands that are straight and shiny, and don’t really break. The main problem I have with my hair is that it is very flat, just like a lot of the hair of you Asian girls on here. I try to tease it, but it takes a great deal of gel and hairspray in order to get it to stay puffed up the way I want it. Also, it was hard to bleach. I had to bleach my black hair 3 times in order to dye it copper like I want. However, it grows really fast, and I can wear a lot of different styles. The biggest problem with being Eurasian is the fact that my hair is black, but not a vivid black like full East Asians. It is some sort of off-black dark brown mix. haha
I don’t get it? I have no asian in me, and the asian hair sounds just like my hair?!? I don’t think classifiation by race is correct, or true people are individuals not that of a larger group.
why dont you give us information on caring about afro-carribean hair??????
We just haven’t written about it yet.
Is asian hairs are course?
I’m an Asian but I have fine dark brown hair. It’s straight naturally but is very easy to curl. I can do it with my fingers. I like my hair because it’s shiny. The only thing is that it’s on the thin side and has dandruff. Any advice on how to treat this kind of hair?
LOL so lucky….I’m Asian and I got straight hair reaching my hips
I guess hair varies greatly no matter what ethnicity you are – I’m Chinese and have fine, very soft, naturally blonde hair which is pretty vulnerable to split ends and is nice and shiny. Asian hair sometimes tends to be oily which probrably explains why I have to wash my hair every 2 days or so XD
I love my hair and it grows very quickly but the split ends can be a bitch making it look like it hairdly grows at all.
I guess this article is aimed at all Asian I think, as they mostly tend to have sleek shiny hair but the texture can be fine or thick and I guess Cherokee falls under the category since they are Indian and Korean descent.
Also At, Angie and the other Asians who wish to be white.. take pride in yourself! There’s no such thing as part white lol
Caricamento in corso…
Hi! We are college students engaged in a project for a new haircare product. Please participate in this research if you can.
I am white French and Dutch descent and I love “asian” hair its pretty.
So basically, Caucasians lose hair to shedding, and Asians tend to lose hair only at the end of their hair cycle?
Sounds probable and highly likely, but there are many different textures to Asian hair, too. For example, I have met Asians with extreme wave and frizz – and even who were of Eastern descent. Most assume it’s just southerners, but it’s not. I’ve seen Asians with long longs of fuzzy flurry-like hair. Don’t get me wrong, it was way better and way prettier than mine even so, lol!
I’d agree that Asians need different kind f hair care, but I also thinks it’s a preference. In the U.S., we prefer the dry hair look. In the East, we prefer to keep our hair as shiny as possible. Extremely healthy and soft. For this, we recommend using oils and creams and even real food. In the U.S. – for some WEIRD – reason, the recommend for soft and shiny hair is to strip the hair of all its oils. How many times I’ve bought something to give my hair shine and softness, and ended up with parched hair? Pantene being one of the brands, something which Caucasians will swear by!
Yes, the oil scalp has merit, but we understand that the oil needs to stay in the hair to keep it healthy. Like a leather jacket, you need to keep the moisture in to keep it shiny. Otherwise, you get nubuc or suede, which is nice, too, but it’s different, tough, dry, rough.
@ Lisamarie
It is not your place to tell people who they are. If they are half white or whatever, then they are half white. How can it not be when they are, in fact, part white?
The world is a complicated place. Nothing is black and white. A person should be allowed to be proud of who they are, be it white or asian or both.
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