HAO Hair Days March 2, 2026 0 Comments

Asian Hair vs. Western Products: Why Your Sephora Fav is Itching Your Scalp.

When you live in Europe and America, shopping at Sephora is a great pleasure. Look at Ouai, Briogeo, or Living Proof on the hot list, beautifully packaged and scented, with thousands of five-star reviews in the comments section. But why do you buy them and wash them twice, only to be rewarded withIs your scalp inexplicably dry and itchy, your hair roots are crumbling, and you're even starting to get fine dandruff?

Don't doubt it, it's not your scalp that's becoming sensitive, it's yourAsian geneThey are not compatible with these products.

1. Gene code: Asian hair vs. Western hair

Westerners tend to have hair that is Fine HairThe cross-section is oval and the hair core is thin. We Asians tend to be Coarse/Thick HairThe cross-section is rounded and the hair is strong but prone to moisture loss.

  • European and American product logic: Volumizing" is what most people are looking for because fine hair is afraid of collapsing.

  • Your pain: When Asian coarse hair is treated with a product that seeks to maximize volume, the scales are over-opened, causing the hair to blow up like a broomstick after washing and drying out all the moisture.

2. Why are you "itchy"? Three Ingredient Minefields

in the capacity of HAO Hair Days Editor, I've broken down a few of Sephora's best-selling brands and found out the truth about what Asians are stepping on:

A. Adding too much "sea salt" or "strong degreasing ingredients" for fluffiness

  • Representing the brand: C*ristophe Robin Sea Salt Shampoo (even though it's red).

  • Truth: This product is designed for oily limp hair in Europe and America. While Asian scalps are oily, Asian hair is extremely dehydrated. The high penetration pressure of sea salt directly drains moisture from Asian hair, resulting in "dry itchy" scalp due to excessive dryness.

B. Replaced with a drier alternative for "silicone-free"

  • Truth: It's all the rage in Europe and America right now. Silicone-FreeFor fine hair, silicone compresses the roots. For fine hair, silicone compresses the roots, but for coarse Asian hair, the right amount of good quality silicone (or vegetable oil) is an essential component to protect the scales and minimize friction. Without them, your coarse, hard hair will experience twice the friction during shampooing, directly damaging the hair follicles.

C. Plant essential oil allergens

  • Representing the brand: There are many "Clean Beauty" brands that feature all-natural ingredients.

  • Truth: European and American products use rosemary, peppermint or lavender essential oils. Although they may smell good, these oils can cause redness and itchiness in the scalp of overseas Asians who are going through a "stressful time of environmental change".

3. HAO Hair Days' "Avoiding the Hole" Picks

When shopping at Sephora, look beyond the "Top Sellers" to find products labeled with the following keywords:

  1. Look for “Smoothing” or “Moisturizing”: Ignore all the products that flaunt “Volumizing”, Asian hair doesn't usually need extra volume, what we need is "drape".

  2. Look for "Keratin" or "Amino acids": The Asian hair core is thick and needs these macromolecules to fill in the holes.

  3. Weak acidic balance: Hard water is alkaline, and if you choose a shampoo that is also highly alkaline with strong oil removal, the scalp barrier will be broken. Please name pH Balanced。

📖 Edit Notes for Testing

I bought a bottle of a brand called "The Savior of Oily Hair" and on the third day after washing it, dandruff fell like snowflakes on my black clothes. Then I switched to a brand that targets “Thick/Coarse Hair” Designed as a professional collection, the dry itch only disappeared.

Someone else's miracle drug may be your poison. Your hair is expensive, don't use it as an experiment for the European and American hit lists.

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