01 of 29
Fei Fei Sun
Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini - Backstage: Milan Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2019/20/Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images
More and more Asian models, vloggers and “It Girls” are hitting the fashion runways, the most popular Instagram feeds and the pages of fashion magazines. In this gallery, review their fabulous hairstyles as well as how to best care for Asian hair.
Known for their fashion and beloved for their arty Instagram photos and blogs, these women are ones to watch and to follow in the next few years.
But first, let’s talk styling Asian hair. Rule No. 1: Find a hairdresser who knows how to cut Asian hair. That’s pretty much a given. But once you have a great cut, you need to know how to style it.
Asian Hair: Silky & Slippery
Not all Asian hair is silky and slippery, but most is. Some Asian women report their hair can be silky and straight – like flat-ironed straight – one day and wavy the next. But most Asian hair tends to be thick and silky. This means it’s hard for hair to stay in a curl, a wave or an updo. The heaviness of hair causes it to fall out quickly.
The secret to keeping a style is to create texture. You can do this in a number of ways:
Texturizing spray. Spray this on hair to create that coveted piecey-ness. Use Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray. Prive Finishing Texture Spray is also nice..Dry shampoo. Usually used to soak up oils from second-day hair, dry shampoo also works to create texture in freshly-washed hair. Just make sure you buy one that works with dark hair. Matte shape paste. Thick in consistency, these pastes work as volumizers and texturizers, allowing you to create volume at the roots and crown that will last all day. Try Alfaparf S4U F’nK Matte Molding Paste or Shu Uemura Art of Hair Shape Paste, also.
To create volume, you need different products. Try:
Mousse. Mousse fell out of favor years ago, but now is back. The new formulations are great for adding body at the crown and root. Apply to towel-dried hair before blow-drying. Try Kenra Professional Extra Volume Mousse. Volumizing spray. Spray this on the towel-dried hair before shampooing to add volume at the roots and crown. My pick: Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hair Spray.
How to Get Beachy Waves
Because Asian hair tends to be silky and slippery, it may seem impossible to keep a wave or curl. Curls and waves fall out almost immediately.
To keep the kink, you need product. Texturizing spray and dry shampoo (see above for recommendations) help. But there are other methods that work, too.
One blogger swears by twisting her medium-length hair into Princess Leia buns on the side of her hair. She starts by spritzing her dry hair with texturizing spray and a little bit of water. She then twists her hair into buns, securing with a ponytail holder. About half an hour later, she unwinds her buns to reveal perfect waves.
Vivian Vo-Farmer is a well-known vlogger who is famous for taking the twisted hair even further. She has a famous YouTube video that describes how she gets perfect beachy waves overnight without using hot tools or even very much product. Her method involves what she dubs, “twist braids.” She twist braids each side of her hair very tightly, winding her hair into (again) two Princess Leia side buns. She then sleeps on it. Her YouTube video, “My Everyday Hair: Heatless Wavy Hair,” has gotten millions of views.
You can also get beachy waves with a Korean Digital Perm. This specialized perm leaves you with waves, not curls. Your hair is soaked in perming solution then rolled into rollers subjected to a heating machine. Great things have been said about the digital perms done at Kim Sun Young Salon, which is based in LA, New York and Seoul.
The Best Dry Shampoos
Dry shampoos are an oily hair girl’s best friend. These work to soak up oils from your scalp, which can flatten hair, but they also add texture, which is needed when you want your hair to stay in a loose bun, a ponytail or an updo.
The secret to Asian hair and dry shampoos are to find ones that work with dark hair and won’t leave a white cast on your hair.
How to Go Blonde
More and more Asian women are stepping out as blondes, while others are embracing the ombre look (dark on top, light on the bottom). You’ll see many of these examples in this gallery.
But going blonde can be utterly time intensive. The double processing required can take all day and in many cases several days as your colorist takes your hair from dark to blonde. They will first bleach your hair, stripping it of its existing color and then they will tone your hair to achieve your desired shade.
The most important consideration when going blonde is a great colorist who is genius at matching your skin tone to the right shade of blonde. Anyone can go blonde, what counts is the tone of blonde. You may read all sorts of salon-speak about skin tone and blondes, like cool, icy blondes work best on yellow-toned Asian skin, while warmer, caramel hues flatter darker complexions, but leave that stuff up to the colorist. Hair color, after all, is a science.
If you are in the New York area and looking for a great colorist that specializes in Asian hair, visit Williamsburg’s Shizen salon.
Product Recommendations
Keep your dry ends or processed hair in good shape with a decent leave-in conditioner like Mixed Chicks, which was formulated for ethnic hair.Nano Amino Mist from Japan is revered for conditioning hair damaged by processing.Shiseido Tsubaki Shining Shampoo is wonderful for Asian hair.
02 of 29
Jihye Park
Jihye Park. Melodie Jeng for Getty
03 of 29
Models Jing Wen and Sunghee Kim
Models Jing Wen and Sunghee Kim. Getty: Melodie Jeng
04 of 29
SungHee Kim
Model SungHee Kim. Photo by Melodie Jeng/Getty Images
05 of 29
Ellen V Lora
Ellen V. Lora, Jenn Im and Eugenie Grey attend the JustFab Launch of Ready-To-Wear at Sunset Tower on April 1, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for JustFab)
Known for her amazing hair color, blogger Ellen V. Lora uses her blog to share her favorite hair and beauty tips. Here, she is pictured with fellow beauty bloggers.
06 of 29
Liu Wen
Liu Wen. Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for Burberry
One of China’s biggest supermodels
07 of 29
So-ra Choi
So-ra Choi. Melodie Jeng for Getty
08 of 29
Bai Ling’s Topknot
Actress Bai Ling arrives at The 2nd Annual The Peace Fund Celebrity Poker Tournament on September 26, 2015 in Playa Vista, California. Photo by Michael Bezjian/Getty Images for The Peace Fund
09 of 29
Luping Wang
Luping Wang. Melodie Jeng
10 of 29
Michelle Phan
YouTube Channel Personality Michelle Phan attends the 2015 Endemol Beyond NewFronts at Chelsea Piers, Studio 59 on May 7, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mark Sagliocco/FilmMagic)
Michelle Phan, who is Vietnamese-American, was the first Asian vlogger to hit the YouTube scene back in 2008. She became famous with her Lady Gaga makeup tutorials and went on to become a famous woman entrepreneur. She’s now focused on growing her business, which means less vlogging, but she’s always one to watch.
Don’t miss her YouTube channel.
11 of 29
A Model in a Bob
A model in a perfect bob hairstyle at Paris Fashion Week. Pascal Le Segretain // Getty Images
12 of 29
Ming Xi
Ming Xi. Dimitrios Kambouris for Getty
13 of 29
Trang Pham
Trang Pham. Trang Pham Instagram screenshot of Elle advertisement for TRESemme
Vietnamese model, follow her on Instagram
14 of 29
Sayo Akasaka
Model Sayo Akasaka attends the Tory Burch fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 at 583 Park Avenue on February 17, 2015 in New York City. Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tory Burch
15 of 29
A Side Ponytail on a Model
Brian Ach for Getty Images
16 of 29
Aya Sato and Bambi
Aya Sato and Bambi. Instagram AyaBambi
Follow them on Instagram
17 of 29
HyunJeong Ji
HyunJeong Ji. Getty
18 of 29
Maryam Maquillage
Maryam Maquillage. hoto by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for NYX Cosmetics
Maryam Maquillage is a New York-based blogger who is Eurasian, with Russian and Bashkort lineage (read more about what Bashkort means on Maryam’s blog).
19 of 29
Sui He
Sui He. Photo by Marc Grimwade/WireImage
Chinese supermodel
20 of 29
Soo Joo Park
Model Soo Joo Park attends amfAR’s 22nd Cinema Against AIDS Gala, Presented By Bold Films And Harry Winston at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 21, 2015 in Cap d’Antibes, France. Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images
21 of 29
Ping Hue Cheung
Model Ping Hue Cheung. Photo by Marc Stamas/Getty Images
22 of 29
Margaret Zhang
Margaret Zhang. Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage
23 of 29
Bloggers Dani Song and Aimee Song
Bloggers Dani Song and Aimee Song attend Beverly Center ‘Show Us Your Style’ Challenge 2015 at Beverly Center on September 2, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images The Beverly Center
24 of 29
A Cool Street Shot
A guest, detail, is seen wearing a thrift-store jacket during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2015 A/W at Shibuya Hikarie on March 20, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Alfie Goodrich/Getty Images
25 of 29
Jessie Setiono
Jessie Setiono. Jessie Setiono’s Instagram
Follow her on Instagram
26 of 29
Nicole Warne
27 of 29
Tokyo Street Style
Alfie Goodrich for Getty Images
28 of 29
More Tokyo Street Style
A guest is seen wearing two-piece suit by Garrison during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2015 A/W at Shibuya Hikarie on March 19, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Alfie Goodrich/Getty Images
29 of 29
Girl’s Day
Girl’s Day arrive for the 4th Gaon Chart K-POP Awards at the Olympic Park on January 28, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
01 of 29
Fei Fei Sun
Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini - Backstage: Milan Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2019/20/Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images
More and more Asian models, vloggers and “It Girls” are hitting the fashion runways, the most popular Instagram feeds and the pages of fashion magazines. In this gallery, review their fabulous hairstyles as well as how to best care for Asian hair.
Known for their fashion and beloved for their arty Instagram photos and blogs, these women are ones to watch and to follow in the next few years.
But first, let’s talk styling Asian hair. Rule No. 1: Find a hairdresser who knows how to cut Asian hair. That’s pretty much a given. But once you have a great cut, you need to know how to style it.
Asian Hair: Silky & Slippery
Not all Asian hair is silky and slippery, but most is. Some Asian women report their hair can be silky and straight – like flat-ironed straight – one day and wavy the next. But most Asian hair tends to be thick and silky. This means it’s hard for hair to stay in a curl, a wave or an updo. The heaviness of hair causes it to fall out quickly.
The secret to keeping a style is to create texture. You can do this in a number of ways:
Texturizing spray. Spray this on hair to create that coveted piecey-ness. Use Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray. Prive Finishing Texture Spray is also nice..Dry shampoo. Usually used to soak up oils from second-day hair, dry shampoo also works to create texture in freshly-washed hair. Just make sure you buy one that works with dark hair. Matte shape paste. Thick in consistency, these pastes work as volumizers and texturizers, allowing you to create volume at the roots and crown that will last all day. Try Alfaparf S4U F’nK Matte Molding Paste or Shu Uemura Art of Hair Shape Paste, also.
To create volume, you need different products. Try:
Mousse. Mousse fell out of favor years ago, but now is back. The new formulations are great for adding body at the crown and root. Apply to towel-dried hair before blow-drying. Try Kenra Professional Extra Volume Mousse. Volumizing spray. Spray this on the towel-dried hair before shampooing to add volume at the roots and crown. My pick: Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hair Spray.
How to Get Beachy Waves
Because Asian hair tends to be silky and slippery, it may seem impossible to keep a wave or curl. Curls and waves fall out almost immediately.
To keep the kink, you need product. Texturizing spray and dry shampoo (see above for recommendations) help. But there are other methods that work, too.
One blogger swears by twisting her medium-length hair into Princess Leia buns on the side of her hair. She starts by spritzing her dry hair with texturizing spray and a little bit of water. She then twists her hair into buns, securing with a ponytail holder. About half an hour later, she unwinds her buns to reveal perfect waves.
Vivian Vo-Farmer is a well-known vlogger who is famous for taking the twisted hair even further. She has a famous YouTube video that describes how she gets perfect beachy waves overnight without using hot tools or even very much product. Her method involves what she dubs, “twist braids.” She twist braids each side of her hair very tightly, winding her hair into (again) two Princess Leia side buns. She then sleeps on it. Her YouTube video, “My Everyday Hair: Heatless Wavy Hair,” has gotten millions of views.
You can also get beachy waves with a Korean Digital Perm. This specialized perm leaves you with waves, not curls. Your hair is soaked in perming solution then rolled into rollers subjected to a heating machine. Great things have been said about the digital perms done at Kim Sun Young Salon, which is based in LA, New York and Seoul.
The Best Dry Shampoos
Dry shampoos are an oily hair girl’s best friend. These work to soak up oils from your scalp, which can flatten hair, but they also add texture, which is needed when you want your hair to stay in a loose bun, a ponytail or an updo.
The secret to Asian hair and dry shampoos are to find ones that work with dark hair and won’t leave a white cast on your hair.
How to Go Blonde
More and more Asian women are stepping out as blondes, while others are embracing the ombre look (dark on top, light on the bottom). You’ll see many of these examples in this gallery.
But going blonde can be utterly time intensive. The double processing required can take all day and in many cases several days as your colorist takes your hair from dark to blonde. They will first bleach your hair, stripping it of its existing color and then they will tone your hair to achieve your desired shade.
The most important consideration when going blonde is a great colorist who is genius at matching your skin tone to the right shade of blonde. Anyone can go blonde, what counts is the tone of blonde. You may read all sorts of salon-speak about skin tone and blondes, like cool, icy blondes work best on yellow-toned Asian skin, while warmer, caramel hues flatter darker complexions, but leave that stuff up to the colorist. Hair color, after all, is a science.
If you are in the New York area and looking for a great colorist that specializes in Asian hair, visit Williamsburg’s Shizen salon.
Product Recommendations
Keep your dry ends or processed hair in good shape with a decent leave-in conditioner like Mixed Chicks, which was formulated for ethnic hair.Nano Amino Mist from Japan is revered for conditioning hair damaged by processing.Shiseido Tsubaki Shining Shampoo is wonderful for Asian hair.
02 of 29
Jihye Park
Jihye Park. Melodie Jeng for Getty
03 of 29
Models Jing Wen and Sunghee Kim
Models Jing Wen and Sunghee Kim. Getty: Melodie Jeng
04 of 29
SungHee Kim
Model SungHee Kim. Photo by Melodie Jeng/Getty Images
05 of 29
Ellen V Lora
Ellen V. Lora, Jenn Im and Eugenie Grey attend the JustFab Launch of Ready-To-Wear at Sunset Tower on April 1, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for JustFab)
Known for her amazing hair color, blogger Ellen V. Lora uses her blog to share her favorite hair and beauty tips. Here, she is pictured with fellow beauty bloggers.
06 of 29
Liu Wen
Liu Wen. Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for Burberry
One of China’s biggest supermodels
07 of 29
So-ra Choi
So-ra Choi. Melodie Jeng for Getty
08 of 29
Bai Ling’s Topknot
Actress Bai Ling arrives at The 2nd Annual The Peace Fund Celebrity Poker Tournament on September 26, 2015 in Playa Vista, California. Photo by Michael Bezjian/Getty Images for The Peace Fund
09 of 29
Luping Wang
Luping Wang. Melodie Jeng
10 of 29
Michelle Phan
YouTube Channel Personality Michelle Phan attends the 2015 Endemol Beyond NewFronts at Chelsea Piers, Studio 59 on May 7, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mark Sagliocco/FilmMagic)
Michelle Phan, who is Vietnamese-American, was the first Asian vlogger to hit the YouTube scene back in 2008. She became famous with her Lady Gaga makeup tutorials and went on to become a famous woman entrepreneur. She’s now focused on growing her business, which means less vlogging, but she’s always one to watch.
Don’t miss her YouTube channel.
11 of 29
A Model in a Bob
A model in a perfect bob hairstyle at Paris Fashion Week. Pascal Le Segretain // Getty Images
12 of 29
Ming Xi
Ming Xi. Dimitrios Kambouris for Getty
13 of 29
Trang Pham
Trang Pham. Trang Pham Instagram screenshot of Elle advertisement for TRESemme
Vietnamese model, follow her on Instagram
14 of 29
Sayo Akasaka
Model Sayo Akasaka attends the Tory Burch fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 at 583 Park Avenue on February 17, 2015 in New York City. Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tory Burch
15 of 29
A Side Ponytail on a Model
Brian Ach for Getty Images
16 of 29
Aya Sato and Bambi
Aya Sato and Bambi. Instagram AyaBambi
Follow them on Instagram
17 of 29
HyunJeong Ji
HyunJeong Ji. Getty
18 of 29
Maryam Maquillage
Maryam Maquillage. hoto by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for NYX Cosmetics
Maryam Maquillage is a New York-based blogger who is Eurasian, with Russian and Bashkort lineage (read more about what Bashkort means on Maryam’s blog).
19 of 29
Sui He
Sui He. Photo by Marc Grimwade/WireImage
Chinese supermodel
20 of 29
Soo Joo Park
Model Soo Joo Park attends amfAR’s 22nd Cinema Against AIDS Gala, Presented By Bold Films And Harry Winston at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 21, 2015 in Cap d’Antibes, France. Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images
21 of 29
Ping Hue Cheung
Model Ping Hue Cheung. Photo by Marc Stamas/Getty Images
22 of 29
Margaret Zhang
Margaret Zhang. Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage
23 of 29
Bloggers Dani Song and Aimee Song
Bloggers Dani Song and Aimee Song attend Beverly Center ‘Show Us Your Style’ Challenge 2015 at Beverly Center on September 2, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images The Beverly Center
24 of 29
A Cool Street Shot
A guest, detail, is seen wearing a thrift-store jacket during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2015 A/W at Shibuya Hikarie on March 20, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Alfie Goodrich/Getty Images
25 of 29
Jessie Setiono
Jessie Setiono. Jessie Setiono’s Instagram
Follow her on Instagram
26 of 29
Nicole Warne
27 of 29
Tokyo Street Style
Alfie Goodrich for Getty Images
28 of 29
More Tokyo Street Style
A guest is seen wearing two-piece suit by Garrison during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2015 A/W at Shibuya Hikarie on March 19, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Alfie Goodrich/Getty Images
29 of 29
Girl’s Day
Girl’s Day arrive for the 4th Gaon Chart K-POP Awards at the Olympic Park on January 28, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
01 of 29
Fei Fei Sun
Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini - Backstage: Milan Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2019/20/Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images
More and more Asian models, vloggers and “It Girls” are hitting the fashion runways, the most popular Instagram feeds and the pages of fashion magazines. In this gallery, review their fabulous hairstyles as well as how to best care for Asian hair.
Known for their fashion and beloved for their arty Instagram photos and blogs, these women are ones to watch and to follow in the next few years.
But first, let’s talk styling Asian hair. Rule No. 1: Find a hairdresser who knows how to cut Asian hair. That’s pretty much a given. But once you have a great cut, you need to know how to style it.
Asian Hair: Silky & Slippery
Not all Asian hair is silky and slippery, but most is. Some Asian women report their hair can be silky and straight – like flat-ironed straight – one day and wavy the next. But most Asian hair tends to be thick and silky. This means it’s hard for hair to stay in a curl, a wave or an updo. The heaviness of hair causes it to fall out quickly.
The secret to keeping a style is to create texture. You can do this in a number of ways:
Texturizing spray. Spray this on hair to create that coveted piecey-ness. Use Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray. Prive Finishing Texture Spray is also nice..Dry shampoo. Usually used to soak up oils from second-day hair, dry shampoo also works to create texture in freshly-washed hair. Just make sure you buy one that works with dark hair. Matte shape paste. Thick in consistency, these pastes work as volumizers and texturizers, allowing you to create volume at the roots and crown that will last all day. Try Alfaparf S4U F’nK Matte Molding Paste or Shu Uemura Art of Hair Shape Paste, also.
To create volume, you need different products. Try:
Mousse. Mousse fell out of favor years ago, but now is back. The new formulations are great for adding body at the crown and root. Apply to towel-dried hair before blow-drying. Try Kenra Professional Extra Volume Mousse. Volumizing spray. Spray this on the towel-dried hair before shampooing to add volume at the roots and crown. My pick: Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hair Spray.
How to Get Beachy Waves
Because Asian hair tends to be silky and slippery, it may seem impossible to keep a wave or curl. Curls and waves fall out almost immediately.
To keep the kink, you need product. Texturizing spray and dry shampoo (see above for recommendations) help. But there are other methods that work, too.
One blogger swears by twisting her medium-length hair into Princess Leia buns on the side of her hair. She starts by spritzing her dry hair with texturizing spray and a little bit of water. She then twists her hair into buns, securing with a ponytail holder. About half an hour later, she unwinds her buns to reveal perfect waves.
Vivian Vo-Farmer is a well-known vlogger who is famous for taking the twisted hair even further. She has a famous YouTube video that describes how she gets perfect beachy waves overnight without using hot tools or even very much product. Her method involves what she dubs, “twist braids.” She twist braids each side of her hair very tightly, winding her hair into (again) two Princess Leia side buns. She then sleeps on it. Her YouTube video, “My Everyday Hair: Heatless Wavy Hair,” has gotten millions of views.
You can also get beachy waves with a Korean Digital Perm. This specialized perm leaves you with waves, not curls. Your hair is soaked in perming solution then rolled into rollers subjected to a heating machine. Great things have been said about the digital perms done at Kim Sun Young Salon, which is based in LA, New York and Seoul.
The Best Dry Shampoos
Dry shampoos are an oily hair girl’s best friend. These work to soak up oils from your scalp, which can flatten hair, but they also add texture, which is needed when you want your hair to stay in a loose bun, a ponytail or an updo.
The secret to Asian hair and dry shampoos are to find ones that work with dark hair and won’t leave a white cast on your hair.
How to Go Blonde
More and more Asian women are stepping out as blondes, while others are embracing the ombre look (dark on top, light on the bottom). You’ll see many of these examples in this gallery.
But going blonde can be utterly time intensive. The double processing required can take all day and in many cases several days as your colorist takes your hair from dark to blonde. They will first bleach your hair, stripping it of its existing color and then they will tone your hair to achieve your desired shade.
The most important consideration when going blonde is a great colorist who is genius at matching your skin tone to the right shade of blonde. Anyone can go blonde, what counts is the tone of blonde. You may read all sorts of salon-speak about skin tone and blondes, like cool, icy blondes work best on yellow-toned Asian skin, while warmer, caramel hues flatter darker complexions, but leave that stuff up to the colorist. Hair color, after all, is a science.
If you are in the New York area and looking for a great colorist that specializes in Asian hair, visit Williamsburg’s Shizen salon.
Product Recommendations
Keep your dry ends or processed hair in good shape with a decent leave-in conditioner like Mixed Chicks, which was formulated for ethnic hair.Nano Amino Mist from Japan is revered for conditioning hair damaged by processing.Shiseido Tsubaki Shining Shampoo is wonderful for Asian hair.
02 of 29
Jihye Park
Jihye Park. Melodie Jeng for Getty
03 of 29
Models Jing Wen and Sunghee Kim
Models Jing Wen and Sunghee Kim. Getty: Melodie Jeng
04 of 29
SungHee Kim
Model SungHee Kim. Photo by Melodie Jeng/Getty Images
05 of 29
Ellen V Lora
Ellen V. Lora, Jenn Im and Eugenie Grey attend the JustFab Launch of Ready-To-Wear at Sunset Tower on April 1, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for JustFab)
Known for her amazing hair color, blogger Ellen V. Lora uses her blog to share her favorite hair and beauty tips. Here, she is pictured with fellow beauty bloggers.
06 of 29
Liu Wen
Liu Wen. Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for Burberry
One of China’s biggest supermodels
07 of 29
So-ra Choi
So-ra Choi. Melodie Jeng for Getty
08 of 29
Bai Ling’s Topknot
Actress Bai Ling arrives at The 2nd Annual The Peace Fund Celebrity Poker Tournament on September 26, 2015 in Playa Vista, California. Photo by Michael Bezjian/Getty Images for The Peace Fund
09 of 29
Luping Wang
Luping Wang. Melodie Jeng
10 of 29
Michelle Phan
YouTube Channel Personality Michelle Phan attends the 2015 Endemol Beyond NewFronts at Chelsea Piers, Studio 59 on May 7, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mark Sagliocco/FilmMagic)
Michelle Phan, who is Vietnamese-American, was the first Asian vlogger to hit the YouTube scene back in 2008. She became famous with her Lady Gaga makeup tutorials and went on to become a famous woman entrepreneur. She’s now focused on growing her business, which means less vlogging, but she’s always one to watch.
Don’t miss her YouTube channel.
11 of 29
A Model in a Bob
A model in a perfect bob hairstyle at Paris Fashion Week. Pascal Le Segretain // Getty Images
12 of 29
Ming Xi
Ming Xi. Dimitrios Kambouris for Getty
13 of 29
Trang Pham
Trang Pham. Trang Pham Instagram screenshot of Elle advertisement for TRESemme
Vietnamese model, follow her on Instagram
14 of 29
Sayo Akasaka
Model Sayo Akasaka attends the Tory Burch fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 at 583 Park Avenue on February 17, 2015 in New York City. Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tory Burch
15 of 29
A Side Ponytail on a Model
Brian Ach for Getty Images
16 of 29
Aya Sato and Bambi
Aya Sato and Bambi. Instagram AyaBambi
Follow them on Instagram
17 of 29
HyunJeong Ji
HyunJeong Ji. Getty
18 of 29
Maryam Maquillage
Maryam Maquillage. hoto by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for NYX Cosmetics
Maryam Maquillage is a New York-based blogger who is Eurasian, with Russian and Bashkort lineage (read more about what Bashkort means on Maryam’s blog).
19 of 29
Sui He
Sui He. Photo by Marc Grimwade/WireImage
Chinese supermodel
20 of 29
Soo Joo Park
Model Soo Joo Park attends amfAR’s 22nd Cinema Against AIDS Gala, Presented By Bold Films And Harry Winston at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 21, 2015 in Cap d’Antibes, France. Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images
21 of 29
Ping Hue Cheung
Model Ping Hue Cheung. Photo by Marc Stamas/Getty Images
22 of 29
Margaret Zhang
Margaret Zhang. Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage
23 of 29
Bloggers Dani Song and Aimee Song
Bloggers Dani Song and Aimee Song attend Beverly Center ‘Show Us Your Style’ Challenge 2015 at Beverly Center on September 2, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images The Beverly Center
24 of 29
A Cool Street Shot
A guest, detail, is seen wearing a thrift-store jacket during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2015 A/W at Shibuya Hikarie on March 20, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Alfie Goodrich/Getty Images
25 of 29
Jessie Setiono
Jessie Setiono. Jessie Setiono’s Instagram
Follow her on Instagram
26 of 29
Nicole Warne
27 of 29
Tokyo Street Style
Alfie Goodrich for Getty Images
28 of 29
More Tokyo Street Style
A guest is seen wearing two-piece suit by Garrison during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2015 A/W at Shibuya Hikarie on March 19, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Alfie Goodrich/Getty Images
29 of 29
Girl’s Day
Girl’s Day arrive for the 4th Gaon Chart K-POP Awards at the Olympic Park on January 28, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
01 of 29
Fei Fei Sun
Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini - Backstage: Milan Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2019/20/Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images
More and more Asian models, vloggers and “It Girls” are hitting the fashion runways, the most popular Instagram feeds and the pages of fashion magazines. In this gallery, review their fabulous hairstyles as well as how to best care for Asian hair.
Known for their fashion and beloved for their arty Instagram photos and blogs, these women are ones to watch and to follow in the next few years.
But first, let’s talk styling Asian hair. Rule No. 1: Find a hairdresser who knows how to cut Asian hair. That’s pretty much a given. But once you have a great cut, you need to know how to style it.
Asian Hair: Silky & Slippery
Not all Asian hair is silky and slippery, but most is. Some Asian women report their hair can be silky and straight – like flat-ironed straight – one day and wavy the next. But most Asian hair tends to be thick and silky. This means it’s hard for hair to stay in a curl, a wave or an updo. The heaviness of hair causes it to fall out quickly.
The secret to keeping a style is to create texture. You can do this in a number of ways:
Texturizing spray. Spray this on hair to create that coveted piecey-ness. Use Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray. Prive Finishing Texture Spray is also nice..Dry shampoo. Usually used to soak up oils from second-day hair, dry shampoo also works to create texture in freshly-washed hair. Just make sure you buy one that works with dark hair. Matte shape paste. Thick in consistency, these pastes work as volumizers and texturizers, allowing you to create volume at the roots and crown that will last all day. Try Alfaparf S4U F’nK Matte Molding Paste or Shu Uemura Art of Hair Shape Paste, also.
To create volume, you need different products. Try:
Mousse. Mousse fell out of favor years ago, but now is back. The new formulations are great for adding body at the crown and root. Apply to towel-dried hair before blow-drying. Try Kenra Professional Extra Volume Mousse. Volumizing spray. Spray this on the towel-dried hair before shampooing to add volume at the roots and crown. My pick: Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hair Spray.
How to Get Beachy Waves
Because Asian hair tends to be silky and slippery, it may seem impossible to keep a wave or curl. Curls and waves fall out almost immediately.
To keep the kink, you need product. Texturizing spray and dry shampoo (see above for recommendations) help. But there are other methods that work, too.
One blogger swears by twisting her medium-length hair into Princess Leia buns on the side of her hair. She starts by spritzing her dry hair with texturizing spray and a little bit of water. She then twists her hair into buns, securing with a ponytail holder. About half an hour later, she unwinds her buns to reveal perfect waves.
Vivian Vo-Farmer is a well-known vlogger who is famous for taking the twisted hair even further. She has a famous YouTube video that describes how she gets perfect beachy waves overnight without using hot tools or even very much product. Her method involves what she dubs, “twist braids.” She twist braids each side of her hair very tightly, winding her hair into (again) two Princess Leia side buns. She then sleeps on it. Her YouTube video, “My Everyday Hair: Heatless Wavy Hair,” has gotten millions of views.
You can also get beachy waves with a Korean Digital Perm. This specialized perm leaves you with waves, not curls. Your hair is soaked in perming solution then rolled into rollers subjected to a heating machine. Great things have been said about the digital perms done at Kim Sun Young Salon, which is based in LA, New York and Seoul.
The Best Dry Shampoos
Dry shampoos are an oily hair girl’s best friend. These work to soak up oils from your scalp, which can flatten hair, but they also add texture, which is needed when you want your hair to stay in a loose bun, a ponytail or an updo.
The secret to Asian hair and dry shampoos are to find ones that work with dark hair and won’t leave a white cast on your hair.
How to Go Blonde
More and more Asian women are stepping out as blondes, while others are embracing the ombre look (dark on top, light on the bottom). You’ll see many of these examples in this gallery.
But going blonde can be utterly time intensive. The double processing required can take all day and in many cases several days as your colorist takes your hair from dark to blonde. They will first bleach your hair, stripping it of its existing color and then they will tone your hair to achieve your desired shade.
The most important consideration when going blonde is a great colorist who is genius at matching your skin tone to the right shade of blonde. Anyone can go blonde, what counts is the tone of blonde. You may read all sorts of salon-speak about skin tone and blondes, like cool, icy blondes work best on yellow-toned Asian skin, while warmer, caramel hues flatter darker complexions, but leave that stuff up to the colorist. Hair color, after all, is a science.
If you are in the New York area and looking for a great colorist that specializes in Asian hair, visit Williamsburg’s Shizen salon.
Product Recommendations
Keep your dry ends or processed hair in good shape with a decent leave-in conditioner like Mixed Chicks, which was formulated for ethnic hair.Nano Amino Mist from Japan is revered for conditioning hair damaged by processing.Shiseido Tsubaki Shining Shampoo is wonderful for Asian hair.
02 of 29
Jihye Park
Jihye Park. Melodie Jeng for Getty
03 of 29
Models Jing Wen and Sunghee Kim
Models Jing Wen and Sunghee Kim. Getty: Melodie Jeng
04 of 29
SungHee Kim
Model SungHee Kim. Photo by Melodie Jeng/Getty Images
05 of 29
Ellen V Lora
Ellen V. Lora, Jenn Im and Eugenie Grey attend the JustFab Launch of Ready-To-Wear at Sunset Tower on April 1, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for JustFab)
Known for her amazing hair color, blogger Ellen V. Lora uses her blog to share her favorite hair and beauty tips. Here, she is pictured with fellow beauty bloggers.
06 of 29
Liu Wen
Liu Wen. Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for Burberry
One of China’s biggest supermodels
07 of 29
So-ra Choi
So-ra Choi. Melodie Jeng for Getty
08 of 29
Bai Ling’s Topknot
Actress Bai Ling arrives at The 2nd Annual The Peace Fund Celebrity Poker Tournament on September 26, 2015 in Playa Vista, California. Photo by Michael Bezjian/Getty Images for The Peace Fund
09 of 29
Luping Wang
Luping Wang. Melodie Jeng
10 of 29
Michelle Phan
YouTube Channel Personality Michelle Phan attends the 2015 Endemol Beyond NewFronts at Chelsea Piers, Studio 59 on May 7, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mark Sagliocco/FilmMagic)
Michelle Phan, who is Vietnamese-American, was the first Asian vlogger to hit the YouTube scene back in 2008. She became famous with her Lady Gaga makeup tutorials and went on to become a famous woman entrepreneur. She’s now focused on growing her business, which means less vlogging, but she’s always one to watch.
Don’t miss her YouTube channel.
11 of 29
A Model in a Bob
A model in a perfect bob hairstyle at Paris Fashion Week. Pascal Le Segretain // Getty Images
12 of 29
Ming Xi
Ming Xi. Dimitrios Kambouris for Getty
13 of 29
Trang Pham
Trang Pham. Trang Pham Instagram screenshot of Elle advertisement for TRESemme
Vietnamese model, follow her on Instagram
14 of 29
Sayo Akasaka
Model Sayo Akasaka attends the Tory Burch fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 at 583 Park Avenue on February 17, 2015 in New York City. Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tory Burch
15 of 29
A Side Ponytail on a Model
Brian Ach for Getty Images
16 of 29
Aya Sato and Bambi
Aya Sato and Bambi. Instagram AyaBambi
Follow them on Instagram
17 of 29
HyunJeong Ji
HyunJeong Ji. Getty
18 of 29
Maryam Maquillage
Maryam Maquillage. hoto by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for NYX Cosmetics
Maryam Maquillage is a New York-based blogger who is Eurasian, with Russian and Bashkort lineage (read more about what Bashkort means on Maryam’s blog).
19 of 29
Sui He
Sui He. Photo by Marc Grimwade/WireImage
Chinese supermodel
20 of 29
Soo Joo Park
Model Soo Joo Park attends amfAR’s 22nd Cinema Against AIDS Gala, Presented By Bold Films And Harry Winston at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 21, 2015 in Cap d’Antibes, France. Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images
21 of 29
Ping Hue Cheung
Model Ping Hue Cheung. Photo by Marc Stamas/Getty Images
22 of 29
Margaret Zhang
Margaret Zhang. Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage
23 of 29
Bloggers Dani Song and Aimee Song
Bloggers Dani Song and Aimee Song attend Beverly Center ‘Show Us Your Style’ Challenge 2015 at Beverly Center on September 2, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images The Beverly Center
24 of 29
A Cool Street Shot
A guest, detail, is seen wearing a thrift-store jacket during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2015 A/W at Shibuya Hikarie on March 20, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Alfie Goodrich/Getty Images
25 of 29
Jessie Setiono
Jessie Setiono. Jessie Setiono’s Instagram
Follow her on Instagram
26 of 29
Nicole Warne
27 of 29
Tokyo Street Style
Alfie Goodrich for Getty Images
28 of 29
More Tokyo Street Style
A guest is seen wearing two-piece suit by Garrison during the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2015 A/W at Shibuya Hikarie on March 19, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo by Alfie Goodrich/Getty Images
29 of 29
Girl’s Day
Girl’s Day arrive for the 4th Gaon Chart K-POP Awards at the Olympic Park on January 28, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
01 of 29
Fei Fei Sun
More and more Asian models, vloggers and “It Girls” are hitting the fashion runways, the most popular Instagram feeds and the pages of fashion magazines. In this gallery, review their fabulous hairstyles as well as how to best care for Asian hair.
01 of 29
01
of 29
Known for their fashion and beloved for their arty Instagram photos and blogs, these women are ones to watch and to follow in the next few years.
But first, let’s talk styling Asian hair. Rule No. 1: Find a hairdresser who knows how to cut Asian hair. That’s pretty much a given. But once you have a great cut, you need to know how to style it.
Asian Hair: Silky & Slippery
Not all Asian hair is silky and slippery, but most is. Some Asian women report their hair can be silky and straight – like flat-ironed straight – one day and wavy the next. But most Asian hair tends to be thick and silky. This means it’s hard for hair to stay in a curl, a wave or an updo. The heaviness of hair causes it to fall out quickly.
The secret to keeping a style is to create texture. You can do this in a number of ways:
- Texturizing spray. Spray this on hair to create that coveted piecey-ness. Use Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray. Prive Finishing Texture Spray is also nice..Dry shampoo. Usually used to soak up oils from second-day hair, dry shampoo also works to create texture in freshly-washed hair. Just make sure you buy one that works with dark hair. Matte shape paste. Thick in consistency, these pastes work as volumizers and texturizers, allowing you to create volume at the roots and crown that will last all day. Try Alfaparf S4U F’nK Matte Molding Paste or Shu Uemura Art of Hair Shape Paste, also.
To create volume, you need different products. Try:
- Mousse. Mousse fell out of favor years ago, but now is back. The new formulations are great for adding body at the crown and root. Apply to towel-dried hair before blow-drying. Try Kenra Professional Extra Volume Mousse.
- Volumizing spray. Spray this on the towel-dried hair before shampooing to add volume at the roots and crown. My pick: Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hair Spray.
How to Get Beachy Waves
Because Asian hair tends to be silky and slippery, it may seem impossible to keep a wave or curl. Curls and waves fall out almost immediately.
To keep the kink, you need product. Texturizing spray and dry shampoo (see above for recommendations) help. But there are other methods that work, too.
One blogger swears by twisting her medium-length hair into Princess Leia buns on the side of her hair. She starts by spritzing her dry hair with texturizing spray and a little bit of water. She then twists her hair into buns, securing with a ponytail holder. About half an hour later, she unwinds her buns to reveal perfect waves.
Vivian Vo-Farmer is a well-known vlogger who is famous for taking the twisted hair even further. She has a famous YouTube video that describes how she gets perfect beachy waves overnight without using hot tools or even very much product. Her method involves what she dubs, “twist braids.” She twist braids each side of her hair very tightly, winding her hair into (again) two Princess Leia side buns. She then sleeps on it. Her YouTube video, “My Everyday Hair: Heatless Wavy Hair,” has gotten millions of views.
You can also get beachy waves with a Korean Digital Perm. This specialized perm leaves you with waves, not curls. Your hair is soaked in perming solution then rolled into rollers subjected to a heating machine. Great things have been said about the digital perms done at Kim Sun Young Salon, which is based in LA, New York and Seoul.
The Best Dry Shampoos
Dry shampoos are an oily hair girl’s best friend. These work to soak up oils from your scalp, which can flatten hair, but they also add texture, which is needed when you want your hair to stay in a loose bun, a ponytail or an updo.
The secret to Asian hair and dry shampoos are to find ones that work with dark hair and won’t leave a white cast on your hair.
How to Go Blonde
More and more Asian women are stepping out as blondes, while others are embracing the ombre look (dark on top, light on the bottom). You’ll see many of these examples in this gallery.
But going blonde can be utterly time intensive. The double processing required can take all day and in many cases several days as your colorist takes your hair from dark to blonde. They will first bleach your hair, stripping it of its existing color and then they will tone your hair to achieve your desired shade.
The most important consideration when going blonde is a great colorist who is genius at matching your skin tone to the right shade of blonde. Anyone can go blonde, what counts is the tone of blonde. You may read all sorts of salon-speak about skin tone and blondes, like cool, icy blondes work best on yellow-toned Asian skin, while warmer, caramel hues flatter darker complexions, but leave that stuff up to the colorist. Hair color, after all, is a science.
If you are in the New York area and looking for a great colorist that specializes in Asian hair, visit Williamsburg’s Shizen salon.
Product Recommendations
- Keep your dry ends or processed hair in good shape with a decent leave-in conditioner like Mixed Chicks, which was formulated for ethnic hair.Nano Amino Mist from Japan is revered for conditioning hair damaged by processing.Shiseido Tsubaki Shining Shampoo is wonderful for Asian hair.
02 of 29
Jihye Park
02 of 29
02
03 of 29
Models Jing Wen and Sunghee Kim
03 of 29
03
04 of 29
SungHee Kim
04 of 29
04
05 of 29
Ellen V Lora
Known for her amazing hair color, blogger Ellen V. Lora uses her blog to share her favorite hair and beauty tips. Here, she is pictured with fellow beauty bloggers.
05 of 29
05
06 of 29
Liu Wen
One of China’s biggest supermodels
06 of 29
06
07 of 29
So-ra Choi
07 of 29
07
08 of 29
Bai Ling’s Topknot
08 of 29
08
09 of 29
Luping Wang
09 of 29
09
10 of 29
Michelle Phan
Michelle Phan, who is Vietnamese-American, was the first Asian vlogger to hit the YouTube scene back in 2008. She became famous with her Lady Gaga makeup tutorials and went on to become a famous woman entrepreneur. She’s now focused on growing her business, which means less vlogging, but she’s always one to watch.
10 of 29
10
Don’t miss her YouTube channel.
11 of 29
A Model in a Bob
11 of 29
11
12 of 29
Ming Xi
12 of 29
12
13 of 29
Trang Pham
Vietnamese model, follow her on Instagram
13 of 29
13
14 of 29
Sayo Akasaka
14 of 29
14
15 of 29
A Side Ponytail on a Model
15 of 29
15
16 of 29
Aya Sato and Bambi
Follow them on Instagram
16 of 29
16
17 of 29
HyunJeong Ji
17 of 29
17
18 of 29
Maryam Maquillage
Maryam Maquillage is a New York-based blogger who is Eurasian, with Russian and Bashkort lineage (read more about what Bashkort means on Maryam’s blog).
18 of 29
18
19 of 29
Sui He
Chinese supermodel
19 of 29
19
20 of 29
Soo Joo Park
20 of 29
20
21 of 29
Ping Hue Cheung
21 of 29
21
22 of 29
Margaret Zhang
22 of 29
22
23 of 29
Bloggers Dani Song and Aimee Song
23 of 29
23
24 of 29
A Cool Street Shot
24 of 29
24
25 of 29
Jessie Setiono
Follow her on Instagram
25 of 29
25
26 of 29
Nicole Warne
26 of 29
26
27 of 29
Tokyo Street Style
27 of 29
27
28 of 29
More Tokyo Street Style
28 of 29
28
29 of 29
Girl’s Day
29 of 29
29