Asian hair let’s first do away with the stereotype view that all Asian women have the same type of hair that is thick straight and black. They don’t.
Just as in other ethnic races there are a variety of textures and the type of hair can range from poker straight to wavy and even to very curly.
Generally speaking the individual strand of Asian hair is a lot thicker and stronger. This is due to the aspect that it can have up to ten layers of cuticle whilst the average Western hair strand would have only five or six layers.
Although having thicker hair may be a plus. In many ways it can cause problems when looking to color your hair.
Asian Hair Coloring The Difficulties.
1. The depth of color in Asian hair.
In the majority of cases Asian hair does tend to be very dark brown or black. This deep coloring does mean that the hair contains a lot of natural red (pheomelonin) pigment.
Therefore when lifting the natural hair color a few shades to achieve your desired color. There can be a tendency for the hair to have a slight orange reflect when in the light.
2. More cuticles on Asian hair.
The cuticle is the hairs protective outer layer and as Asian hair tends to have more layers. This can sometimes lead to difficulty when coloring the hair for the first time or when trying to achieve full coverage of a grey re-growth.
These layers of cuticles have to hinge open.
So as to allow the color pigments to penetrate into the cortex area. This is where your natural hair pigment is found. With this in mind you may find that to achieve your desired result.
It may be best to break the base or allow the color to process for a longer period on the hair.
Full Head Color Think Dark Chocolate or Mocha.
If you are looking at covering any grey hair with a full color. Think carefully before using just black or dark brown shade.
As we get older our complexions become duller and paler. These dark colors of black and dark brown will in fact age a person.
Due to the aspect that they will tend to be very harsh to the complexion.
Sleek black or very dark hair can look very striking yet at the same time it quite often lacks a look of depth. Being due to the aspect that there is very little color variation in the strands on the head.
So for a full head color to hide the grey or to add a look of depth to your dark hair.
Why not think about going for a softer or more dimensional feel like adding a rich deep chocolate or mocha color to the hair. A perfect example is the rich coffee color hair of actress Ming Na Wen shown in the main picture.
Ways To Add A Look Of Depth To Dark Hair.
There are a great many coloring techniques around today and maybe gone tomorrow. But these five techniques are here to stay for a long while.
Layered Coloring.
This entails coloring the underside of the hair a slightly darker shade than the top.
Or reversing this by coloring the top of your hair a shade or two lighter than the natural dark area under underneath.
This then gives a look of contrast to the hair and a shimmering effect when the hair is down or swings whilst also an interesting effect when the hair is tied up.
Hi – Lights.
Fine highlights of an eggplant or mahogany color are great for a natural effect. To improve the depth and texture on very dark hair and they will tend to give an illusion of fullness. Make sure though that these are not chunky as this will give you a definite fake colored look unless that’s what you intended.
Balayage.
If you have long hair think of going for a balayage effect by using a chocolate, coffee or mocha color to create a soft gradual shade variation from mid lengths to ends.
To keep a natural look to your colored hair do not go for more than two to three shades of lift.
