“According to my hair stylist, Korean women use a hair essence or oil every single day, which is why they have such silky, soft, and shiny strands.” A personal favorite for Cho is British M's Organics Annatto Hair Oil, while Lee is a fan of the Mise en Scene Pearl Shining Hair Essence.
The reason Asian hair tends to be thicker is that it has around 10 layers of cuticles. Cuticles are the small areas around the inner protein structure of your hair–they are there to protect those proteins.
In Korea, people like to wash their hair every day because of environmental pollution (fine dust, gas emissions, etc). Whereas people in America generally tend to wash hair every 2-3 days due to the common perception that it's much healthier for your hair.
Korean haircare promotes the use of carbonated water to wash your scalp. This helps remove dirt, balance the pH levels of the scalp and unclog pores effectively. It is a great way to keep your hair health in check.
The Korean hair care routine involves using a hair toner that clears the scalp, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and strengthens the hair. It also forms a protective layer that keeps all pollutants out of your hair and protects it from damage. A toner is meant to be applied on your scalp.
“Men and women in South Korea are meticulous when it comes to maintaining healthy hair with a three-step process. After washing the hair with shampoo and conditioner, they often apply a hair essence or hair oil to achieve a shiny head of hair. Hair masks, serums, milks and hair mists are all must-haves,” explains Cho.
The cuticle is the outer layer that protects the individual hair. The many layers on an Asian hair are also more dense and wider and thicker than on Caucasian hair. That gives the hair an illusion of being really shiny and silky.
Since ancient times, Koreans have only used natural, harsh-free ingredients for their skincare routines: green tea, “snail slime”, bamboo extracts, propolis, and honey are just some examples of the elements they used and have passed through generations.
Double cleansing is important. For Koreans, it's considered so necessary that no one ever washes their face just once. You must remove your make-up first and then wash your face again with a second product to get your skin deeply cleansed.
A general observation across experiments was that straight hair was perceived as younger, healthier, and more attractive than wavy hair and darker shades (medium copper and brown) were perceived more positively than blonde hair.
A side-swept pixie haircut is the most popular Korean haircut.
Hot waxing
The most accessible and popular method of hair removal. This treatment uses hot wax to trap the hair in the treatment area and using strips, the hair is pulled out. This treatment pulls the whole hair out from the root completely so no dark spots are formed under the skin the way it is with shaving.
Similar to any other hair care routines, Koreans also use conditioners after shampooing their hair. However, it is recommended to dry your hair a bit before applying the conditioner to your hair shaft. “You can choose a herbal conditioner for natural hydration and to avoid unwanted build-up on your hair,” says Dr.
Caucasian hair usually appears thicker since it is more difficult to see through the scalp than other ethnic hair types. However, Asian hair is the thickest and coarsest hair of any ethnic group.
“According to my hair stylist, Korean women use a hair essence or oil every single day, which is why they have such silky, soft, and shiny strands.” A personal favorite for Cho is British M's Organics Annatto Hair Oil, while Lee is a fan of the Mise en Scene Pearl Shining Hair Essence.
A gene variation of EDAR that arose about 30,000 years ago seems to give some people thicker strands of hair. More than 90% of Han Chinese, 70% of Japanese and Thai people, and 60% to 90% of Native Americans carry the “thick hair" version of the gene.
Many idols have confessed they use an ACV rinse every time they wash their hair as a way to keep their hair healthy, shiny, and smooth.
Hair often has a special meaning ― the site of a person's strength, for example, as in the tale of Samson and Delilah, or the location of the soul. In Korea, during the Joseon Dynasty, men and women were forbidden to cut their hair, since it was viewed as a legacy from parents and thus something to be preserved.
The cuticle layer in Asians is thicker with more compact cuticle cells than that in Caucasians. Asian hair generally exhibits the strongest mechanical properties, and its cross-sectional area is determined greatly by genetic variations, particularly from the ectodysplasin A receptor gene.