Deliciously Beautiful: Asia’s Newest Hair Craze

Oct 19, 2019 | Asia, BEAUTY, Japan, Philippines, Singapore

milk tea hair
by Kari Amarnani

​Hair in milk tea colors has taken Asia by storm with its fusion of cream-colored and soft hues making it one of the prettiest and fast-growing hair trends in the world

If you have been to Asia or keep yourself informed about Asia’s pop culture trends, then you know milk tea is not only a widely beloved beverage, it is basically also Asia’s holy grail. Locals line up for long periods of time just to get a taste of that milky sweet goodness. Milk tea makes people happy in their mouths, tummies and hearts. And now it is venturing into a completely different realm, but don’t worry, it’s equally as gratifying. 

Hair colors named after food and beverages are not unheard of. Chocolate brown, mocha beige, strawberry blonde— hell, there’s even La Croix-inspired hair. The list goes on and on. The newest addition, however, is rocking the beauty world and, you guessed it, it’s milk tea-colored hair. The trend is gaining much popularity in Japan and Singapore after many Instagram posts with the hashtag #MilkTeaHair. It is currently getting traction in the Philippines, home to copious milk tea lovers.

Milk Tea can mean something entirely different in other cultures, but essentially it is a mixture of tea and milk blended with other constituents to create a variety of flavors. The classic milk tea color is a light brown, almost beige hue. But we have other kinds like brown sugar milk tea which displays a soft brown, and winter melon milk tea which is a light pinkish-brown shade. These are only some of a wide collection of colors. And spoiler alert: they’re all gorgeous.

To achieve the perfect milk tea hair color, stylists and colorists describe it as a hue that falls in between light brown and dark blonde. When the two shades melt together, the distinct resemblance to milk tea emerges and this can always be modified for an extra oomph by adding some ombré effects. The process begins with lighting the hair until it is a light or platinum blonde then adding some violet tones to even out the color which eventually brings out the cool and soft colors of milk tea.

What a delicious shade! Ready to start brewing?