Hair-washing regimens and the ‘epitome of the Asian American girly experience’

Many of us have heard that we shouldn’t wash our hair every day, right? While there’s truth to that statement, hair care regimens that work for some don’t necessarily work for others. According to one TikToker, that’s especially true for some Asian American girls.

On Oct. 14, Ashley Kim (@ashleykimchi), a Korean American TikTok creator, posted about what she believes to be the “epitome of the Asian American girly experience,” which is realizing that not everything recommended by girlies on TikTok works for you.

“The No. 1 thing I can think of is the amount of times you’re supposed to wash your hair,” she begins. “Because on TikTok, they love to say that you should [wash your hair] one to two times a week, max. It’s really damaging for your hair. Just do a Sofia Richie, slick-back hairstyle in the meantime.”

It’s also worth mentioning that the sleek hairstyle beloved by “it” girls like Sofia Richie and Hailey Bieber is synonymous with the controversially named “clean girl aesthetic” that has gained popularity on TikTok. The hashtag has more than 6.6 million views on the app, and the aesthetic has been accused of promoting colorism, appropriating beauty elements that have long been popular among Black and brown women and catering predominantly to white women.

In an effort to emulate women on TikTok who advocate for minimal hair washes a week, Kim actively tried to “train” her hair to produce less oil. Ultimately, she says, it just never happened for her.

“I feel like it is just generally … a genetic, hereditary thing for our scalps to produce more oil on our head,” Kim says of being Asian American. “And ever since I started washing my hair daily instead and not feeling guilty about all the things that the TikTok girlies try to teach me, I feel like my hair has looked so much better, and it feels so much nicer and healthier.”

Kelley Tang, a hairstylist of Vietnamese and Chinese descent at Nova Arts Salon in Los Angeles, told In The Know by Yahoo that Asian hair does, in fact, require specific care.

“Asian hair is typically heavy and straight so when styling, you will need good products to add texture and hold but you will also need a good haircut which will tie the whole look together,” she wrote via email. “I do agree that as an Asian girl growing up it took me a while to realize that my hair was different.”

According to Tang, the ’90s blowout look — the iconic, bouncy do seen on supermodels like Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer back in the day — is super trendy right now. In order for Asian girls to effectively achieve this look, she said, certain steps should be modified.

“Typically, Asian hair is straight and thick so this hairstyle does not hold the same way that finer, textured hair may hold. A good way to get this look on Asian hair would be by using a curling iron or hair straightener to mimic the look and also ensuring that the style stays all day,” she continued. “Another thing that has helped me get volume in my hair is using mousse before blowdrying and blowdrying my hair upside down!”

Kim isn’t the only creator on TikTok who’s spoken out about hair-washing regimens and how they differ for Asian women. Jacquelyn Son (@imjacquelynson) says that not washing your hair every day does not apply to “Asian girlies with thick ass hair.” Priscilla Kwon (@priscillakwon), on the other hand, explains how “hair wash day” isn’t practiced in Korea. Koreans, Kwon says, tend to wash their hair more often.

Kim felt compelled to make a video about the “Asian American girly experience” in relation to having oily hair after chatting with one of her friends who is also of Asian descent.

“It made me reflect on how most of my friendships with other Asian women were formulated on this bond of shared experiences,” she told In The Know by Yahoo via email. She added that she looks to her mother for Asian hair care tips as she doesn’t come across much Asian hair care content online. “I wanted to make a video because I was frustrated with how oily my hair is, and then I thought of how other Asian women who have straight hair like me might be going through the same thing.”

Despite feeling underrepresented on platforms like TikTok, Kim sees it as an opportunity for fellow Asian creators to “fill the gap.”

“I create content because I rarely saw people like me in the mainstream media, and if I did, never was it a complex full person, but often a stereotype,” she continued. “So I do it for my other AAPI girlies, as well as little Ashley who has always loved talking to the camera!”

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