This Is What Asian Hair Really Looks Like

As someone who identifies as both Asian and Latina, I’m proof that hair is a living, breathing fabric that represents culture in myriad ways. “Having worked with many types of Asian hair throughout the years, I have learned that there is a lot of diversity that exists here,” Anh Co Tran, celebrity stylist and Milbon global creative director, tells Refinery29. “As a society, we need to have a better understanding of this diversity, such as differences in color and texture: For example, many Asians have hair textures that vary from wavy to slightly curly.” And as Anh further points out, not all straight hair is identical, either. “Asian hair varies with coarse, medium, and fine textures — for example, my hair is straight with medium texture and medium density.” If we want a more diverse beauty landscape — including the ads that grace our social feeds and the products on shelves — that starts with understanding that Asian beauty isn’t a monolith, and that one hair type does not, in fact, fit all.