Does Asian black hair sun-bleach?

[iforgotmylogin]

A poll born from a discussion on the LHC discord. Trying to figure out if the black hair of Asians naturally sun-bleaches (so no lemon juice or anything like that)

[GrowlingCupcake]

Asian here (of Indian descent). Never seen sun-bleached Asian hair, and mine definitely does not sun-bleach.

[nondescript]

Asian here as well (Sri Lankan). As far as I know, we don’t. And we go out in the blazing sun a lot as well.

[Aredhel]

I'm half Chinese and my hair has definitely bleached in the sun. My roots are black but transitions into dark brown at the ends.

[GrowlingCupcake]

I'm half Chinese and my hair has definitely bleached in the sun. My roots are black but transitions into dark brown at the ends.

Is the other half non-Asian? Because I don't think that qualifies since your genetics would include genes that code for non-Asian black hair, you know?

[Ylva]

Is the other half non-Asian? Because I don't think that qualifies since your genetics would include genes that code for non-Asian black hair, you know?

Not every Asian is as Asian as could be, either. It's a bit hard to determine who is "Asian enough" to have Asian hair. Even phenotypes can betray us from time to time. In order to have the poll results be as accurate as possible, we'd need to DNA test everyone claiming to be Asian to see if they're indeed Asian enough to qualify to answer. I think we'll just need to resort to looking at the overview of the results once there are enough answers, then maybe take into consideration the replies of those that at least know they aren't fully Asian.

[GrowlingCupcake]

Not every Asian is as Asian as could be, either. It's a bit hard to determine who is "Asian enough" to have Asian hair. Even phenotypes can betray us from time to time. In order to have the poll results be as accurate as possible, we'd need to DNA test everyone claiming to be Asian to see if they're indeed Asian enough to qualify to answer. I think we'll just need to resort to looking at the overview of the results once there are enough answers, then maybe take into consideration the replies of those that at least know they aren't fully Asian.

Honestly, half-Asian is pretty clear cut if the other half is not Asian.

If you can go back several generations, and there are no non-Asian ancestors, that seems plenty reasonable. For instance, I know I have no non-Asian ancestors for like 8 generations prior. Beyond that? It's unlikely but I cannot tell you for certain. I'm not saying that's the cut off, but it's not really that hard either if you know your ancestors somewhat.

It might be because it's Asia but there's quite a lack of mixed offspring (in the past; mixed marriages are a lot more common now), even marriages like Sri Lankan with Indian. Mostly marriages tended to stay with caste/dialect-group/etc. as well.

ETA: Even North Indian with South Indian isn't common much less something like Tamil with Telugu, both of which are South Indian.

ETA #2: I'm not just talking about India or Sri Lanka either. I just used them as examples. But I also know that Malays didn't have a lot of mixed marriages, Chinese tended to stick within dialect groups, etc. And while these trends are changing, there's still a strong tendency towards non-mixed marriages, staying within your groups, etc. to (even if you don't like it) please your parents/family/relatives.

[Ylva]

Honestly, half-Asian is pretty clear cut if the other half is not Asian.

If you can go back several generations, and there are no non-Asian ancestors, that seems plenty reasonable. For instance, I know I have no non-Asian ancestors for like 8 generations prior. Beyond that? It's unlikely but I cannot tell you for certain. I'm not saying that's the cut off, but it's not really that hard either if you know your ancestors somewhat.

It might be because it's Asia but there's quite a lack of mixed offspring (in the past; mixed marriages are a lot more common now), even marriages like Sri Lankan with Indian. Mostly marriages tended to stay with caste/dialect-group/etc. as well.

ETA: Even North Indian with South Indian isn't common much less something like Tamil with Telugu, both of which are South Indian.

Yes, but even so, there are always areas that are naturally a bit on the border. Would a Chinese person hailing from near the Russian border be considered Asian enough? He/she likely has black hair and identifies as some type of Asian (and would look relatively Asian to a lot of the world's population), but genetically, there's a lot more going on in that area and has been for generations.

[GrowlingCupcake]

Yes, but even so, there are always areas that are naturally a bit on the border. Would a Chinese person hailing from near the Russian border be considered Asian enough? He/she likely has black hair and identifies as some type of Asian (and would look relatively Asian to a lot of the world's population), but genetically, there's a lot more going on in that area and has been for generations.

Given Russia is partially in Asia... I see no issue? Especially given it's on the Chinese border, where it's definitely part of Asia. Sure, there's more genetically going on but they're still full-Asian. It would be great if they commented on here telling us where they were from since the comments allow us to expand things more, and ask questions, but I'd still see that as full-Asian if their ancestors have been Chinese, and from the Asian-part of Russia for several generations.

ETA: If someone like that were to post, I'd also love to know the hair colours that they know of in their family/ancestry, as that would help us to see if there may be other colours 'hiding' (yes, I know they're not hiding xD).

[Ylva]

Given Russia is partially in Asia... I see no issue? Especially given it's on the Chinese border, where it's definitely part of Asia. Sure, there's more genetically going on but they're still full-Asian. It would be great if they commented on here telling us where they were from since the comments allow us to expand things more, and ask questions, but I'd still see that as full-Asian if their ancestors have been Chinese, and from the Asian-part of Russia for several generations.

ETA: If someone like that were to post, I'd also love to know the hair colours that they know of in their family/ancestry, as that would help us to see if there may be other colours 'hiding' (yes, I know they're not hiding xD).

A Russian Asian and a Japanese Asian have a rather different kind of genetic makeup, no? Even though they are both "Asian". They're not going to have the same hair genes. Considering how broad the "accepted" group is here, the results are going to be skewed no matter what. A half Asian or whatever isn't going to "ruin" the results as they're not going to be accurate anyway.

[GrowlingCupcake]

A Russian Asian and a Japanese Asian have a rather different kind of genetic makeup, no? Even though they are both "Asian". They're not going to have the same hair genes. Considering how broad the "accepted" group is here, the results are going to be skewed no matter what. A half Asian or whatever isn't going to "ruin" the results as they're not going to be accurate anyway.

Honestly, I'd count any full-Asian in this. Yeah, the genetics vary but that's why the comments would help. There's already plenty of genetic variance between the Asian groups that people generally consider Asian.

With someone who is half-Asian, we know, for sure, that the other half is not Asian. So counting that does not make any sense to me even when taking into account that I consider the Asian part of Russia to be 'Asian enough'. Why add more genetic ambiguity when we know flat out that they have genes that are not solely from Asia?

[Ylva]

Honestly, I'd count any full-Asian in this. Yeah, the genetics vary but that's why the comments would help. There's already plenty of genetic variance between the Asian groups that people generally consider Asian.

With someone who is half-Asian, we know, for sure, that the other half is not Asian. So counting that does not make any sense to me even when taking into account that I consider the Asian part of Russia to be 'Asian enough'. Why add more genetic ambiguity when we know flat out that they have genes that are not solely from Asia?

It's a plus-minus zero situation in my opinion. The accepted "test group" already includes pretty much a third of the planet with a wild variety of clearly distinguishable phenotypes whose genetic makeup differs remarkably from that of a different Asian phenotype, for example, Tungid vs. Veddid. There's even remarkable Nordid influence in certain indigenous Asian populations.

I think the question in itself is fascinating and I would love to know an accurate answer to it, but unfortunately the path to that answer is much more winding than a poll for self-proclaimed Asians.

[iforgotmylogin]

When we came up with this poll on discord, my hypothesis was that black eumelanin was more resistant to sun fading due to the fact that it is brown eumelanin + pigment from the blue end of the spectrum, possibly inhibiting sun fade due to reflection of more energetic light

Black eumelanin is found elsewhere but I thought it a bit wordy

[Kat]

Not every Asian is as Asian as could be, either. It's a bit hard to determine who is "Asian enough" to have Asian hair. Even phenotypes can betray us from time to time. In order to have the poll results be as accurate as possible, we'd need to DNA test everyone claiming to be Asian to see if they're indeed Asian enough to qualify to answer. I think we'll just need to resort to looking at the overview of the results once there are enough answers, then maybe take into consideration the replies of those that at least know they aren't fully Asian.

And it probably depends on the variety of "Asian." I've seen people argue that Thai people have dark-brown hair while Chinese people have black. I can't swear that's the truth, but once when learning color vocabulary, my Thai teacher asked me, "And what color of hair do Thai people have?" "Black," I answered immediately. "Or... dark brown?" she suggested. I looked at her closely-- dark brown. I thought about it. I looked at my Thai friends. Yeah, maybe! I just made a knee-jerk assumption: Asian people have black hair. Not necessarily! (Now I'm trying to think back and compare the Chinese-Thais to the Thai-Thais, of the ones where I knew who was which. Chinese and Hong Kong-born coworkers had black hair. The guy I was seeing was mostly ethnically Chinese and his hair was black. Thinking to our Korean friend and our Vietnamese friend, and our Chinese-Thai friend, and I can't remember now what color their hair was. Another friend actually has brown hair with highlights; I never asked if they were natural or done on purpose, but she also had quite curly hair and while I never asked, I'm not certain she's 100% Thai/Asian. One half-Thai coworker had black hair, another had dark brown.)



Honestly, half-Asian is pretty clear cut if the other half is not Asian.

If you can go back several generations, and there are no non-Asian ancestors, that seems plenty reasonable. For instance, I know I have no non-Asian ancestors for like 8 generations prior. Beyond that? It's unlikely but I cannot tell you for certain. I'm not saying that's the cut off, but it's not really that hard either if you know your ancestors somewhat.

It might be because it's Asia but there's quite a lack of mixed offspring (in the past; mixed marriages are a lot more common now), even marriages like Sri Lankan with Indian. Mostly marriages tended to stay with caste/dialect-group/etc. as well.

ETA: Even North Indian with South Indian isn't common much less something like Tamil with Telugu, both of which are South Indian.

ETA #2: I'm not just talking about India or Sri Lanka either. I just used them as examples. But I also know that Malays didn't have a lot of mixed marriages, Chinese tended to stick within dialect groups, etc. And while these trends are changing, there's still a strong tendency towards non-mixed marriages, staying within your groups, etc. to (even if you don't like it) please your parents/family/relatives.

But if Asian goes back several generations, how could you be only half Asian? If both of your parents are Asian... and all of their parents are... and all of their parents are... the non-Asian bit, however many generations back, is going to be rather diluted, right?

Half-Asian, to me, would imply that one parent was Asian and one wasn't, which would mean that no, you cannot go back several generations and find no non-Asian ancestors... you wouldn't even be able to go back one generation (otherwise, if one parent was Asian and one was half-Asian {one grandparent was not Asian}, then you'd be three-quarters Asian. Keep splitting the math down the line if one great-grandparent was only not Asian, or one great--great grandparent. Etc.)


I guess we could also wonder which nationalities of Caucasian or Latinx or Black hair do or do not bleach, also. I'm pretty sure my hair doesn't bleach in sun (unfortunately).

[ladycaladium]

There is no one type of Asian hair. Some bleaches and some doesn't. Texture is also different person to person. In Japan I have students who have super straight hair and those who have type 4 hair. Same goes for color. Some people's hair bleaches naturally here and some doesn't.

[GrowlingCupcake]

And it probably depends on the variety of "Asian." I've seen people argue that Thai people have dark-brown hair while Chinese people have black. I can't swear that's the truth, but once when learning color vocabulary, my Thai teacher asked me, "And what color of hair do Thai people have?" "Black," I answered immediately. "Or... dark brown?" she suggested. I looked at her closely-- dark brown. I thought about it. I looked at my Thai friends. Yeah, maybe! I just made a knee-jerk assumption: Asian people have black hair. Not necessarily! (Now I'm trying to think back and compare the Chinese-Thais to the Thai-Thais, of the ones where I knew who was which. Chinese and Hong Kong-born coworkers had black hair. The guy I was seeing was mostly ethnically Chinese and his hair was black. Thinking to our Korean friend and our Vietnamese friend, and our Chinese-Thai friend, and I can't remember now what color their hair was. Another friend actually has brown hair with highlights; I never asked if they were natural or done on purpose, but she also had quite curly hair and while I never asked, I'm not certain she's 100% Thai/Asian. One half-Thai coworker had black hair, another had dark brown.)


But if Asian goes back several generations, how could you be only half Asian? If both of your parents are Asian... and all of their parents are... and all of their parents are... the non-Asian bit, however many generations back, is going to be rather diluted, right?

Half-Asian, to me, would imply that one parent was Asian and one wasn't, which would mean that no, you cannot go back several generations and find no non-Asian ancestors... you wouldn't even be able to go back one generation (otherwise, if one parent was Asian and one was half-Asian {one grandparent was not Asian}, then you'd be three-quarters Asian. Keep splitting the math down the line if one great-grandparent was only not Asian, or one great--great grandparent. Etc.)


I guess we could also wonder which nationalities of Caucasian or Latinx or Black hair do or do not bleach, also. I'm pretty sure my hair doesn't bleach in sun (unfortunately).

This is why this is specifically geared towards black hair. In particular, the black hair that Asian people have. It is not about dark brown hair that Asian people have.

Also, I am not half-Asian. I was referring to a previous poster.

I am certainly curious about other ethnic groups, and sun-bleaching. I always assumed black hair does not sun-bleach having never seen it in any Asian population I've been in contact with (and having lived, and travelled in Asia, that's a lot). However, people on here with black hair have reported it so I wondered if there was something different about the black hair Asians have.

And, again, comments are great to tell us your specific ethnic group :) It'll help us figure more things out.


There is no one type of Asian hair. Some bleaches and some doesn't. Texture is also different person to person. In Japan I have students who have super straight hair and those who have type 4 hair. Same goes for color. Some people's hair bleaches naturally here and some doesn't.

Not sure why you think this assumes there is one type of Asian hair? Asia is a big place with a variety of textures, and colours. This is only focusing on one colour of Asian hair, not texture or other colours.

Would you happen to know if those whose hair naturally sun-bleaches have non-Asian ancestry?

Just to clarify, since this seems unclear:
This is about the colour only. Nothing to do with texture. Nothing to do with which part of Asia your ancestry is from, though if you'd comment where it's from, that would be helpful.

This is just to find out if the black hair specific to Asian genetics (regardless of where in Asia) sun-bleaches.

Also, I'm not saying people who are part-Asian shouldn't post or share. Please share! But tell us if your other ancestry is non-Asian or even what ancestry you have. The more information, the better :)

[ladycaladium]

Not sure why you think this assumes there is one type of Asian hair? Asia is a big place with a variety of textures, and colours. This is only focusing on one colour of Asian hair, not texture or other colours.

Would you happen to know if those whose hair naturally sun-bleaches have non-Asian ancestry?

Just to clarify, since this seems unclear:
This is about the colour only. Nothing to do with texture. Nothing to do with which part of Asia your ancestry is from, though if you'd comment where it's from, that would be helpful.

This is just to find out if the black hair specific to Asian genetics (regardless of where in Asia) sun-bleaches.

Also, I'm not saying people who are part-Asian shouldn't post or share. Please share! But tell us if your other ancestry is non-Asian or even what ancestry you have. The more information, the better :)

I didn’t think it assumed that there was only one type of Asian hair. While I understand it is about color and not texture, I have noticed that in Japan, most of the natural sun bleaching I see happens on non-straight hair. Why, I’m not sure, just an observation. Sun bleaching isn’t common, but it does occur here. I don’t have Asian ancestry, but I’ve been in Japan for the past 6 years, so I’ve seen a lot of hair.

[GrowlingCupcake]

I didn’t think it assumed that there was only one type of Asian hair. While I understand it is about color and not texture, I have noticed that in Japan, most of the natural sun bleaching I see happens on non-straight hair. Why, I’m not sure, just an observation. Sun bleaching isn’t common, but it does occur here. I don’t have Asian ancestry, but I’ve been in Japan for the past 6 years, so I’ve seen a lot of hair.

Thanks for the additional information! Perhaps since it tends to happen on non-straight hair there is something in their genetic code that causes that; it would be nice to know if they had any non-Asian ancestry but asking random people on the street is a bit hard =P

[Natalina]

I'm fully Asian, and my hair sun-bleaches. My hair are different streaks of dark brown, like soft highlights. I don't even spend that much time in the sun because I'm pale and I get sunburn within minutes.

I've seen my cousin's hair became sun-bleached as well, except hers' was so much lighter specifically at the ends. We're both fully Asian (South East to be exact).

[AutobotsAttack]

Hair will get bleached by the sun if it’s left long enough and frequent enough. Number one reason most Asians don’t acquire sun bleached hair Would be due to beauty standards. Most everything targeted at the masses, is to block the sun, block harmful UV rays, correct sun spots, SPF this, SPF that, etc.

Imagine if Asian Culture adopted the the regular SoCal culture in America. You know, tanning, laying out on the beach, being in the sun all day, etc. Their hair will eventually lighten.

Also to add, it depends on the environment. If it’s always raining, or in monsoon/hurricane season, and the sun isn’t really out that much in your state/country, obviously the sun won’t impact your hair/skin that much. But if you’re living in areas where it doesn’t rain that much, and it’s scorching hot all the time, AND your lifestyle calls for being out and about in your environment, then that too is another factor in how your hair will be affected.

Not being in the sun so much is one of the best ways to make sure you don’t acquire sun damage. It just depends on what society finds trendy/attractive. But genetically speaking, Asian folks are not immune to acquiring sun damage, much like any other ethnicity on this planet.

The rate at which is happens might be different, and that’s where you can argue genetics, but the sun doesn’t care what your nationality or genetic makeup is, stay out in the sun long enough and it will lighten your hair.

[guska]

My hair (stereotypically Asian; black, stick-straight, coarse) doesn’t sun-bleach.

A friend of mine (also Asian) has hair that is mostly black, with some really dark red/brown parts. I don’t know if those parts are sun-bleached though.

[AutobotsAttack]

Also I’d like to add/ask.

You guys do realize there’s also no such thing as purely black hair right? Hair that appears black naturally, is just an extremely dark shade of brown. So it’s more or less just arguing semantics here, since something truely black doesn’t even exist in nature itself.

[Kat]

This is why this is specifically geared towards black hair. In particular, the black hair that Asian people have. It is not about dark brown hair that Asian people have.

Also, I am not half-Asian. I was referring to a previous poster.

I am certainly curious about other ethnic groups, and sun-bleaching. I always assumed black hair does not sun-bleach having never seen it in any Asian population I've been in contact with (and having lived, and travelled in Asia, that's a lot). However, people on here with black hair have reported it so I wondered if there was something different about the black hair Asians have.

And, again, comments are great to tell us your specific ethnic group :) It'll help us figure more things out.


I never said YOU were half-Asian. It was a general "you."

As far as black hair, if we're talking about sun-bleaching, it's possible that some Asian people who seem to have dark-brown hair actually have sun-bleached black hair, right? If their hair is still black, it's obviously not sun-bleached. Black is black... you might say someone's brown hair sun-bleached to a lighter brown, or their blond hair became a lighter blond, but I've never seen any such thing as "light black."

[The-Young-Maid]

But why wouldn't hair sun bleach? I'm not asian so my opinion probably doesn't matter here. Asian hair usually needs a stronger volume bleach so I'm assuming that normal sun exposure doesn't damage it much. But any hair can sun bleach.

Also, south asia has plenty of hair darkening products/infused oils to create that true black hair. Obviously not everyone is born with the same shade of hair, but more often I bet people notice their hair is lightening/browning and are trying to fix it.

Edit: I agree with Kat about the black vs brown thing

[iforgotmylogin]

Also I’d like to add/ask.

You guys do realize there’s also no such thing as purely black hair right? Hair that appears black naturally, is just an extremely dark shade of brown. So it’s more or less just arguing semantics here, since something truely black doesn’t even exist in nature itself.

There actually is 2 types of eumelanin - brown and black. The black eumelanin has additional pigments of blue. Brown eumelanin reflects a lot of red and green, but absorbs blue. Black eulmelanin reflects blue as well

[ladycaladium]

Thanks for the additional information! Perhaps since it tends to happen on non-straight hair there is something in their genetic code that causes that; it would be nice to know if they had any non-Asian ancestry but asking random people on the street is a bit hard =P

Sorry about not being clear in my first post...I find it hard to express myself fully online at times!

The people that I know personally are, as far as they know, fully Japanese multiple generations back. Although that’s a whole other discussion!

As far as the science of black and brown people have mentioned, I’m not a scientist. I have heard people say that in Japan people mostly have blue-black hair.

[GrowlingCupcake]

Also I’d like to add/ask.

You guys do realize there’s also no such thing as purely black hair right? Hair that appears black naturally, is just an extremely dark shade of brown. So it’s more or less just arguing semantics here, since something truely black doesn’t even exist in nature itself.

Actually, black hair is a specific hair colour. Yes, some people with dark, dark brown hair call their hair black but that isn't black hair.

Quick pigmentation knowledge for anyone who does not know/is interested:
Hair is pigmented with two types of melanin: eumelanin, and phenomelanin. Phenomelanin is present in all humans to varying degree; it's the pigment which gives the orange/red colour. Eumelanin has two variants - black, and brown. They are chemically different.

Black hair has mainly the black variant of eumelanin. Brown hair has mainly brown eumelanin.


But why wouldn't hair sun bleach? I'm not asian so my opinion probably doesn't matter here. Asian hair usually needs a stronger volume bleach so I'm assuming that normal sun exposure doesn't damage it much. But any hair can sun bleach.

Also, south asia has plenty of hair darkening products/infused oils to create that true black hair. Obviously not everyone is born with the same shade of hair, but more often I bet people notice their hair is lightening/browning and are trying to fix it.

Edit: I agree with Kat about the black vs brown thing

I don't know why it wouldn't sun bleach. I have no idea the science behind that. All I know is that every Asian I know in real life (myself included) has never experienced it, heard of someone experiencing it, or seen it in the Asians they know. I've also asked non-Asians who live in Asia, and they haven't seen it either. That's why I took to the forum to find out from people here.

Also, I've never seen/heard of anyone using products to darken their hair unless it's like dye. There's more of a trend towards bleaching it or leaving it as it is. I'll definitely have to look it up once I'm actually awake xD Thanks for letting me know :)


I never said YOU were half-Asian. It was a general "you."

As far as black hair, if we're talking about sun-bleaching, it's possible that some Asian people who seem to have dark-brown hair actually have sun-bleached black hair, right? If their hair is still black, it's obviously not sun-bleached. Black is black... you might say someone's brown hair sun-bleached to a lighter brown, or their blond hair became a lighter blond, but I've never seen any such thing as "light black."

Ah, thanks for clearing that up!

Actually, very dark brown hair can be seen in certain parts of Asia so that could just be their natural hair colour. There is also a colour we usually refer to as "Eurasian brown"; it's a very specific brown that I've never seen in non-Eurasians. It's not super dark but maybe that could be what you're referring to? I have no idea if that colour sun bleaches either, but I might ask a friend of mine whose kids have that hair colour.*

*Not saying all Eurasians have this hair colour; it's just common, and I've never seen that shade on someone who wasn't Eurasian.

Edit: Naturally, that is.


I'm fully Asian, and my hair sun-bleaches. My hair are different streaks of dark brown, like soft highlights. I don't even spend that much time in the sun because I'm pale and I get sunburn within minutes.

I've seen my cousin's hair became sun-bleached as well, except hers' was so much lighter specifically at the ends. We're both fully Asian (South East to be exact).

Thank you for the comment! The sunburn must really suck; my skin is on the pale side as well, and I get red like a lobster pretty quick xD Sunblock helps but I'm still not a fan of the sun.


Hair will get bleached by the sun if it’s left long enough and frequent enough. Number one reason most Asians don’t acquire sun bleached hair Would be due to beauty standards. Most everything targeted at the masses, is to block the sun, block harmful UV rays, correct sun spots, SPF this, SPF that, etc.

Imagine if Asian Culture adopted the the regular SoCal culture in America. You know, tanning, laying out on the beach, being in the sun all day, etc. Their hair will eventually lighten.

Also to add, it depends on the environment. If it’s always raining, or in monsoon/hurricane season, and the sun isn’t really out that much in your state/country, obviously the sun won’t impact your hair/skin that much. But if you’re living in areas where it doesn’t rain that much, and it’s scorching hot all the time, AND your lifestyle calls for being out and about in your environment, then that too is another factor in how your hair will be affected.

Not being in the sun so much is one of the best ways to make sure you don’t acquire sun damage. It just depends on what society finds trendy/attractive. But genetically speaking, Asian folks are not immune to acquiring sun damage, much like any other ethnicity on this planet.

The rate at which is happens might be different, and that’s where you can argue genetics, but the sun doesn’t care what your nationality or genetic makeup is, stay out in the sun long enough and it will lighten your hair.

Sorry, but I gotta disagree on the beauty standards thing; that's about skin so people tend to protect their skin, use whitening creams, agents, etc. but not their hair. Most of the Asians I know (not including myself this time xD) spend a large amount of their time outdoors. Beaches are very popular, and, in some places, many tan. Mostly the younger generation but it's not that uncommon anymore.

Even if there is a monsoon, it's not going to stop the sun from being on your hair a good portion of the year. If that was the case, we wouldn't see sun bleaching in hair in other areas where there are monsoons/hurricane seasons. Plus, the sun is still out; I've gotten sunburnt during monsoons.

I don't think it's about being immune to it; it might just be rare or only in populations with more brown variant eumelanin. Maybe it takes like 15 years to sun bleach black hair so you'd only see it on the ends of super long hair so no one ever sees it. Numbers pulled from nowhere, of course.

[AutobotsAttack]

Actually, black hair is a specific hair colour. Yes, some people with dark, dark brown hair call their hair black but that isn't black hair.

Quick pigmentation knowledge for anyone who does not know/is interested:
Hair is pigmented with two types of melanin: eumelanin, and phenomelanin. Phenomelanin is present in all humans to varying degree; it's the pigment which gives the orange/red colour. Eumelanin has two variants - black, and brown. They are chemically different.

Black hair has mainly the black variant of eumelanin. Brown hair has mainly brown eumelanin.



I don't know why it wouldn't sun bleach. I have no idea the science behind that. All I know is that every Asian I know in real life (myself included) has never experienced it, heard of someone experiencing it, or seen it in the Asians they know. I've also asked non-Asians who live in Asia, and they haven't seen it either. That's why I took to the forum to find out from people here.

Also, I've never seen/heard of anyone using products to darken their hair unless it's like dye. There's more of a trend towards bleaching it or leaving it as it is. I'll definitely have to look it up once I'm actually awake xD Thanks for letting me know :)



Ah, thanks for clearing that up!

Actually, very dark brown hair can be seen in certain parts of Asia so that could just be their natural hair colour. There is also a colour we usually refer to as "Eurasian brown"; it's a very specific brown that I've never seen in non-Eurasians. It's not super dark but maybe that could be what you're referring to? I have no idea if that colour sun bleaches either, but I might ask a friend of mine whose kids have that hair colour.*

*Not saying all Eurasians have this hair colour; it's just common, and I've never seen that shade on someone who wasn't Eurasian.

Edit: Naturally, that is.



Thank you for the comment! The sunburn must really suck; my skin is on the pale side as well, and I get red like a lobster pretty quick xD Sunblock helps but I'm still not a fan of the sun.



Sorry, but I gotta disagree on the beauty standards thing; that's about skin so people tend to protect their skin, use whitening creams, agents, etc. but not their hair. Most of the Asians I know (not including myself this time xD) spend a large amount of their time outdoors. Beaches are very popular, and, in some places, many tan. Mostly the younger generation but it's not that uncommon anymore.

Even if there is a monsoon, it's not going to stop the sun from being on your hair a good portion of the year. If that was the case, we wouldn't see sun bleaching in hair in other areas where there are monsoons/hurricane seasons. Plus, the sun is still out; I've gotten sunburnt during monsoons.

I don't think it's about being immune to it; it might just be rare or only in populations with more brown variant eumelanin. Maybe it takes like 15 years to sun bleach black hair so you'd only see it on the ends of super long hair so no one ever sees it. Numbers pulled from nowhere, of course.


Where did I say immunity? That’s not even what I said. Obviously it’s not one solid beauty standard across all of Asia, but there are large masses of society that go for that lighter skin look, and in general staying away from hotter environments. If we’re really going to count every last person on the census in Asia, I’m pretty sure there’s thousands of people who fit that societal trend.

Also many people dye their hair. Who knows how many people have dark hair that’s actually dyed. You can’t really know for sure anyways. Even if many people like to be out in the sun, you’d never know what color their hair is naturally, if they dye it a dark color every off number of months.

And I stand by my statement of beauty standards, because most women don’t just pay attention to their skin, they also pay attention to hair health. If darker hair is something you’d like to keep, you’d probably make sure to keep it dark.

And no I honestly don’t believe you’ve managed to get sunburned during a monsoon. Those are pretty much full on hurricanes, which in general bring about clouds and rain, that more or less blot out the sun.

[AutobotsAttack]

There actually is 2 types of eumelanin - brown and black. The black eumelanin has additional pigments of blue. Brown eumelanin reflects a lot of red and green, but absorbs blue. Black eulmelanin reflects blue as well


Yea no. Black does not exit in nature. Black is the absence of color in general. Only reason eumelanin is characterized as black in that category is because black is formed mechanically/biologically by a mixing of colors. But black itself is not produced purely in black form. Anything scientific will tell you that, and as far as terms go, I think it’s just crappy schematics in assigning colors names, but the whole notion of “black” anything does not exist outside of space itself. Hair in general is not purely black, because black isn’t even a color. It’s the absence of color. And even the darkest heads of hair have hints of underlying red, and brown tones, meaning it isn’t purely black.

If hair were to actually be a true color of black, the sunlight would not reflect off of it. And that goes for literally anything that is truly black. No light will escape it or reflect off of it. I’m really not trying to be mean, but the whole premise of this thread is coming off weird.

[-Fern]

Yea no. Black does not exit in nature. Black is the absence of color in general. Only reason eumelanin is characterized as black in that category is because black is formed mechanically by a mixing of colors. Anything scientific will tell you that, and as far as terms go, I think it’s just crappy schematics in assigning colors names, but the whole notion of “black” anything does not exist outside of space itself. Hair in general is not purely black, because black isn’t even a color. It’s the absence of color. And even the darkest heads of hair have hints of underlying red, and brown tones, meaning it isn’t purely black.

I learned it as white is a pigment that reflects all light wavelengths, black is a pigment that absorbs all light wavelengths. So using that definition, black pigments definitely exist on Earth. Nothing absorbs 100% of light, true, but I think insisting on 100% light absorption to consider something black might be a little extreme.

Here's a neat article about shades of black, and "super-black" in nature. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/549869/

[AutobotsAttack]

And on that note I’m just gonna agree to disagree. The whole premise of this thread is making it seem like one type of hair is better than the others.

I could be wrong, but that’s the vibe I’m getting from all this.

[Crystawni]

And no I honestly don’t believe you’ve managed to get sunburned during a monsoon. Those are pretty much full on hurricanes, which in general bring about clouds and rain, that more or less blot out the sun.

In our monsoon season here in the tropical end of Australia (we have two seasons in the year--wet and dry), the sun only needs to peek out for 3-4 minutes for the burn to happen (for me personally, at least). The UV index is always extreme, as well, even when you can't see the sun. And no, monsoons don't act like hurricanes (northern hemisphere) or cyclones (southern hemisphere). They sit and pour buckets of rain along a trough, whereas cyclones have wide-sweeping tornadic winds centred around a low.

As for black hair sun bleaching, in Australasia (south of SE Asia) indigenous Australian (previously referred to as aborigines) black hair bleaches in the sun to shades of orange. But yeah, that's probably not Asian enough. :lol:

[AutobotsAttack]

I learned it as white is a pigment that reflects all light wavelengths, black is a pigment that absorbs all light wavelengths. So using that definition, black pigments definitely exist on Earth. Nothing absorbs 100% of light, true, but I think insisting on 100% light absorption to consider something black might be a little extreme.

Here's a neat article about shades of black, and "super-black" in nature. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/549869/

I’m not going off of my own opinion. Yeah it might be extreme, I’m just stating scientifically, what physics tells us. If we’re talking about accuracy and all that. In that case, white, as well as pink aren’t really true physical colors either. And just our eyes mixing wavelengths together.

[AutobotsAttack]

In our monsoon season here in the tropical end of Australia (we have two seasons in the year--wet and dry), the sun only needs to peek out for 3-4 minutes for the burn to happen (for me personally, at least). The UV index is always extreme, as well, even when you can't see the sun. And no, monsoons don't act like hurricanes (northern hemisphere) or cyclones (southern hemisphere). They sit and pour buckets of rain along a trough, whereas cyclones have wide-sweeping tornadic winds centred around a low.

As for black hair sun bleaching, in Australasia (south of SE Asia) indigenous Australian (previously referred to as aborigines) black hair bleaches in the sun to shades of orange. But yeah, that's probably not Asian enough. :lol:

Okay I’ll restate the differences, cyclones and hurricanes are similar, monsoons are pretty much regional winds. Both differ, but it still brings about rain. So maybe I should’ve specially stated the monsoon season which brings about rain pour. Since that what I was referring to.

[Crystawni]

Okay I’ll restate the differences, cyclones and hurricanes are similar, monsoons are pretty much regional winds. Both differ, but it still brings about rain. So maybe I should’ve specially stated the monsoon season which brings about rain pour.

Which doesn't negate the fact you still burn during monsoon season, as it's the UV that gets through. Google search for more info. here (https://www.google.com/search?q=can+you+get+sunburnt+in+a+monsoon&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU825AU825&oq=can+you+get+sunburnt+in+a+monsoon&aqs=chrome..69i57.6070j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8).

[AutobotsAttack]

Which doesn't negate the fact you still burn during monsoon season, as it's the UV that gets through. Google search for more info. here (https://www.google.com/search?q=can+you+get+sunburnt+in+a+monsoon&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU825AU825&oq=can+you+get+sunburnt+in+a+monsoon&aqs=chrome..69i57.6070j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8).

Okay sorry Jesus. I was under the assumption we were talking about typical rainy conditions. Should I have said a tropical storm, with typical hurricane weather or something? Because my entire point was just stating areas that don’t get a lot of sunshine, as factors in why darker hair colors don’t have an issue with UV or sun damage.

[Crystawni]

We burn in the shade, here (and that's no joke). :p At the moment, it's winter and the UV index is only high, but we have the biggest incidences of skin cancer in the world, unfortunately, so are heavily schooled in how to avoid that.

[AutobotsAttack]

We burn in the shade, here (and that's no joke). :p At the moment, it's winter and the UV index is only high, but we have the biggest incidences of skin cancer in the world, unfortunately, so are heavily schooled in how to avoid that.

Yeah, you’re still missing the point. So on that note I’ll be seeing myself out.

[Crystawni]

Okay sorry Jesus. I was under the assumption we were talking about typical rainy conditions. Should I have said a tropical storm, with typical hurricane weather or something? Because my entire point was just stating areas that don’t get a lot of sunshine, as factors in why darker hair colors don’t have an issue with UV or sun damage.

This was edited as I was responding, so in an attempt to address your point, what I'm saying is even in cloud/sunblocking conditions, the UV index can still be extreme and does cause damage (even to dark hair), especially in monsoonal areas like where I live (I also get cyclones, too). It's cloudy here today, but still burn weather (as it is all year round, regardless of cloud cover). :shrug:

ETA: And all this was to do with not believing Cupcake's ability to burn during a monsoon, of which I'm backing up her statement. Sorry for the thread derail.

[iforgotmylogin]

Yea no. Black does not exit in nature. Black is the absence of color in general. Only reason eumelanin is characterized as black in that category is because black is formed mechanically/biologically by a mixing of colors. But black itself is not produced purely in black form. Anything scientific will tell you that, and as far as terms go, I think it’s just crappy schematics in assigning colors names, but the whole notion of “black” anything does not exist outside of space itself. Hair in general is not purely black, because black isn’t even a color. It’s the absence of color. And even the darkest heads of hair have hints of underlying red, and brown tones, meaning it isn’t purely black.

If hair were to actually be a true color of black, the sunlight would not reflect off of it. And that goes for literally anything that is truly black. No light will escape it or reflect off of it. I’m really not trying to be mean, but the whole premise of this thread is coming off weird.

Yeah nah, nah nah yeah. Nah yeah

In additive colour, black is the absence of light within the range you are measuring. In subtractive colour, it is the absorption of light within the range you are measuring. Absorption curves vary. Black depends entirely on what range of light you are trying to detect. Something black in the visible spectrum for instance isn't likely to be black in infrared for instance. Even black holes emit photons. Even empty space emits light, it is called the Cosmic Microwave Background. It is entirely relative what black is, not absoluteT

There are 2 distinct types of eumelanin - black and brown. Black absorbs light at higher frequencies that brown does not, in addition to the frequencies that brown already absortbs. It can aptly be called black - it is absorbing all the frequencies that it can absorb in the range of frequencies it can absorb

But none of this has anything to do with the topic at hand - does black hair resist sun bleaching

[Kat]

But why wouldn't hair sun bleach? I'm not asian so my opinion probably doesn't matter here. Asian hair usually needs a stronger volume bleach so I'm assuming that normal sun exposure doesn't damage it much. But any hair can sun bleach.


No idea... I just know mine seems not to. I ran around Thailand in full sun during the day, sometimes all day, with no more cover for my hair than a baseball cap, and didn't notice any lightening (more's the pity; I would like my hair to lighten so my henna goes brighter red). I can't personally speak to Asian hair, but it would appear some Caucasian hair does not sun-bleach if I'm any indication.




Actually, very dark brown hair can be seen in certain parts of Asia so that could just be their natural hair colour. .

Yes, exactly. I don't know how true it is that Thai = brown and Chinese = black, but when I started really looking, yes, a lot of Thais seem to have dark-brown. I don't know if I would attribute it to sun-bleaching, though. Thai people like to avoid the sun many times and will cover up to do so, which can include hats/head-coverings that would at least somewhat cover the hair.




Sorry, but I gotta disagree on the beauty standards thing; that's about skin so people tend to protect their skin, use whitening creams, agents, etc. but not their hair. Most of the Asians I know (not including myself this time xD) spend a large amount of their time outdoors. Beaches are very popular, and, in some places, many tan. Mostly the younger generation but it's not that uncommon anymore.
.
I always laughed because there was such a dichotomy... the Westerners (including many Russians) out on the beach in next-to-nothing (sometimes red as lobsters) trying to get as much sun as possible, and the Thais huddled under trees and umbrellas in long sleeves and hats trying to avoid it! I'm sure each camp thought the other was nuts. There are just so many cultural differences to explain it-- the Thais can't understand those of us from cold environments being excited about seeing some sun and warmth (since it's all they know and they're sick of it), and the Westerners can't imagine why the Thais want to cover up in that heat! Add into it the cultural differences where in Asia pale skin is good and in the west it's tan skin (both for the same reasons, just differences in lifestyle make it opposite), and the mutual culture shock is complete!

I straddled both... there were many times you'd find me wearing sun sleeves and a scarf, and other times I went bare-armed (I never did get around to carrying an umbrella in the sun except once or twice, but I do know that it makes a difference to carry your shade with you!). It was hot wearing extra stuff but I knew I needed to protect my pale eastern-European skin... I actually burned very rarely there, perhaps precisely because I took more care.

[gin]

Asian here (well, Asian-American, born in the US but of Chinese descent) and new to hair care in general. What exactly does "sun bleach" mean here? Does it mean just discolored, or does it mean bleached super blonde/light?

So I have never colored or dyed my hair or added anything to my hair my whole life. But I do spend a lot of time outside (climbing, running, hiking, etc.). My hair is naturally black but most of my hair is really dark brown and there are parts that are lighter/browner, my guess from being in the sun. But nothing dramatic. Is that sun bleach?

[guska]

This is really interesting.

I can't speak for all Asian cultures, but in China, it's regarded that the color of your hair tells a lot about your health. Black hair is a sign of good health while any shade lighter than that (*brown, whether dark or light) is a sign of poor health/nutrition. Thus black hair is regarded as "better" than brown. For example, when we're out in a park or something, my dad points out to me when he sees a child whose hair is brown and not black and says "look, that child isn't eating well/doesn't get the right nutrients".

Coarse and/or thick hair is also a sign of good health.




*Or as Chinese people call it, "yellow".

[Hexen]

Indian black hair seems resilient to solar bleaching as well. :sun:











:demon:

[Anshul585]

My hair always becomes brownish, it always had a warm reddish hue to it. I go out a lot in the sun (42-45°C) but the bleaching is very light compared to that or it might be that reddish hue makes it look brown in sunlight. I always get a good tan but my cheeks burn very slightly if I'd been out there for hours.

[trikafilia]

Hi everyone, I'm Indonesian. And my hair is dark, really black :D

Usually when women of our descent often go out and their hair are exposed to sunlight and its heat, the hair will become brownish. But usually it won't be nice because the brown color is quite dull and make the hair looks damaged.

Also when our people wear hijab everyday and wear their hair in ponytail for 8 hours per day or longer, it could make their hair look dull as well. All of those sweats just seep into the hair and often it smells quite stinky

[sapphire-o]

My hair gets bleached by the sun for sure, but it's not too noticeable. It's a weird shade, undamaged part is dark brown, bleached hair turn a burgundy shade. Many people commented that my hair looks "plum" colored. I'm Chinese and have fair skin.

[Begemot]

My hair gets bleached by the sun for sure, but it's not too noticeable. It's a weird shade, undamaged part is dark brown, bleached hair turn a burgundy shade. Many people commented that my hair looks "plum" colored. I'm Chinese and have fair skin.

That sounds gorgeous :crush:

[manticore]

I’m half Japanese, half Jewish, and I think I have some hair traits from both sides.

my hair does lighten from sun, but rather slowly. It’s a very dark dark brown starting out, and currently past waist. The tips are a bit lighter brown than the roots.

my sister has more Japanese traits to her hair - it’s more truly black and a bit thicker than mine. she keeps it short though, so hard to say if she experiences sun bleaching. She also chemically bleached hers last year to color it blue - it took a full day at the salon to manage it.

[MadelineMomo]

I'm not Asian, but I went to a high school where about half of the students were. I clearly remember waiting in line behind the Chinese girls and admiring their hair (...and occasionally eyeing split ends, as this was the time when I was starting to care about such things). Some of them did have lighter ends, but not many. Also worth considering that this was at a time when dyed ombre ends were a thing, and I don't know who did that.

[Elodea]

I'm Chinese-American and my hair sun-bleaches to some extent (depending on how much I've been in the sun, obviously, and probably on whether I wore a bun or not, but I've only been wearing my hair in buns frequently over the last year, so all the years before that it was down during the summer, when I'd be getting the most sun). I'm not sure if certain people's hair sun-bleaches faster than others if the amount of sun exposure is the same, but it's definitely possible it could vary from person to person.

My sister's hair is a bit sun-bleached; I noticed it recently when she was wearing the top layer/half of her hair in a ponytail, and the ends of that part were lighter than the under-layer that didn't get exposed to the sun as much.

[Spikey]

:hmm: What an interesting question. I happen to have a Chinese friend whose jet black hair was sun lightened dramatically, to a nice dark brown after a vacation to the equator just this summer. She said it was all sun damage, but it happened very fast, in about 1-2 months.

[Glitch]

All of my hair looks black, but the bottom half of my hair is definitely lighter than the top, especially noticeable in the sunlight. It's like a soft brown black versus black. I have a few other Asian friends who experience this more noticeably (though on some of them, there's no visible difference, so there's that too!), and one of them dyes her hair jet black because she hates that.

I actually dislike it too, but it's not that big of a deal for me so I just let it be.

[bitter]

My ends are slightly lighter than my roots. My hair is naturally lighter for asian (japanese)s

[mochichichi]

I'm Asian, my hair isn't true black but it definitely sunbleaches. My cousins have black black hair and their hair also definitely sunbleaches. Especially noticeable in natural light their ends are definitely dark brown where the roots are black.

[lapushka]

Any hair (hair is hair) can sun bleach.

[Fornarina]

@Lapushka
I also think so. It is just, that Asian hair doesn't get blond when wheathering, so it is not so noticeable in brown shades. Also not all Asians have jet black hair but also dark or middle brown shades. When these do wheather it is also more hilights than strong contrasts. I guess Asians will notice it stronger than light-haired outsiders.

[Für immer]

Not asian, but I think that it does.