‘Bleach Will Make It Orange’: Debunking The Hair Dye Lies Asians Are Told

Growing up, I refrained from going through the same experimental hair colour phases as my fellow angsty teens. Not because I wasn’t an angsty teen desperate to tease some bubblegum-pink hair to the high heavens, but because I was always told that my hair texture didn’t play nice with bleach. 

That’s a lie that many women of Asian descent have been told. But though dyeing and bleaching are options for every hair type, the process can look a little different for those with darker, thicker strands typical of Asian hair — and it can go very, very wrong if not handled correctly. 

So to make sure you’re fully equipped with the information you need before booking in that post-lockdown colour change, we asked expert colourist Nic Shiun, Director of famed salon Éclat Atelier, a place known for its stunning colour transformations, to break down what we need to know.

Click through for his ultimate guide to bleaching and dyeing for Asian hair.