Review: Shiseido Tsubaki shining shampoo

Ok this is the first time I’m blogging on my iPod while waiting for my sis to be done with her Gelish manicure. So here I am, at Old Town White Coffee, enjoying the free wifi and blogging. By the way, blogging on my tiny iPod touch screen is a chore cos my fingers are just too fat! Lol

Today I’m going to review Shiseido’s Tsubaki shining shampoo (the one in the red bottle, for those who are more visually inclined.) I have to say I don’t really like this shampoo much because it makes my hair oilier than usual and I get these annoying scalp pimples when I use the shampoo for a period longer than 3 days. Too rich and moisturizing for my hair type, me thinks.

The shampoo is a creamy shampoo that lathers up well with sufficient foam. I like a good shampoo that lathers up with tons of foam cos I have moderate thick hair and it’s just easier to wash my hair with foamy shampoo. It smells floral and sweet, like a girly scent but I don’t think it lasts long on me because the scent either dissipates when I blow dry my hair or it gets covered up by my conditioner, or hair serum.

Despite the name “shining shampoo”, I don’t think my hair is any healthier nor shinier after using it. In fact, I think it makes my hair limp and oily by late afternoon, and my curls are less defined after using the shampoo. I’m usually a love it or hate it person, so sadly, I think this shampoo goes into the meh pile. If you have dry scalp, and dry hair, I think this will work for you. But for me, I’m sticking to my Loreal Professional coloured hair shampoo because my scalp is normal-oily while my ends are dry due to the perm and colouring.

Review: Ichikami shampoo

Item Reviewed: Ichikami shampoo

Price/pack size: S$7.90 for 200ml bottle, $16.90 for 550ml pump bottle

Available at: exclusively at Watsons

Description: Ichikami hair care series is formulated with Rice Premium EX (Yusuru essence, oil and protein originated from rice bran), plus six kinds of pure Japanese Herbal Essences (Belanmcanda, Camellia, Soapberry, Walnut, Sasanqua, Sakura) to nourish, repair and moisturize your hair.

Ichikami shampoo does not contain Silicon, a chemical ingredient that gives an instant result of silky smooth hair, which may also result in hair fall in the long run. Instead, Ichikami makes use of herbal essences to achieve smooth, beautiful and most importantly, healthy hair. Enjoy the refreshing and fruity fragrance of Sakura!

Usage: Wet your hair well and apply proper quantity on your hair. Lather up and massage scalp well. Rinse thoroughly. Apply Ichikami conditioner and/or treatment for better results.

Review: I was excited to use the Ichikami haircare range as I really liked the scent and finally got down to using the shampoo, 1 out of many products I received in the product hamper. However, I was a little disappointed with the packaging. Now, I don’t know if I got a reject bottle but the hinge of the bottle cap broke the first time I opened the bottle. It says a lot to me, and definitely affects my decision to repurchase. Product packaging is important to me as I like my products to be functional and not just look pretty. Having the hinges broken made me wonder if it’s a design fault, or I just happened to get a defect bottle. As mentioned previously, the shampoo lathered up really well despite not having silicons in its formulation. I did, however, notice that I drop a lot more hair than usual while using Ichikami. My hair also felt a little straw-like if I skimped or skipped conditioner. But I persevered and continued using it and slightly 2 weeks later, it was all good. I guess it was the natural process of purging out the silicones in my hair.

It is a must to use the hair conditioner or hair treatment while using the shampoo, as the conditioner & treatment definitely smoothed out the tangles and straw-like feeling. A little lasts a long way with Ichikami as well, I only require one pump of conditioner (whereas I’d usually require 2 pumps for my shoulder length hair). My hair was a lot smoother and softer when I allowed it to dry naturally.

Rating: 3.5/5

Would I buy again: Not sure.. while I like the way it makes my hair feel, I’m divided on the silicon-free stand ( I really don’t care if my hair products are loaded with silicones). Having said that, Ichikami is a good and affordable way to start caring for your hair. If I had to choose, I’d probably repurchase the conditioner & hair treatment pack, but not the shampoo.

Review: Ichikami shampoo & conditioner

Item Reviewed: Ichikami shampoo & conditioner

Price/pack size: S$7.90 – $16.90 (200ml & 550ml)

Available at: exclusively at Watsons

Description: Ichikami hair care series is formulated with Rice Premium EX (Yusuru essence, oil and protein originated from rice bran), plus six kinds of pure Japanese Herbal Essences (Belanmcanda, Camellia, Soapberry, Walnut, Sasanqua, Sakura) to nourish, repair and moisturize your hair.

Ichikami shampoo does not contain Silicon, a chemical ingredient that gives an instant result of silky smooth hair, which may also result in hair fall in the long run. Instead, Ichikami makes use of herbal essences to achieve smooth, beautiful and most importantly, healthy hair. Enjoy the refreshing and fruity fragrance of Sakura!

Usage: Wet your hair well and apply proper quantity on your hair. Lather up and massage scalp well. Rinse thoroughly. Apply Ichikami conditioner and/or treatment for better results.

Review: I actually received samples of the shampoo & conditioner from thesamplestore from a long time ago, and so I was saving the samples for short trips. Just happened that I also won an Ichikami hamper a few days before my KL trip, so now I have tons of Ichikami! Yay!

The samples were of a generous size – more than enough for twice a day washing for my entire 3D2N trip. And that includes my parents using the samples as well! I was initially a little unhappy with the shampoo as it didn’t contain silicon and my hair was knotty after using the shampoo. Even the conditioner didn’t help much (the treatment did though! More on that later). But I only needed a small amount (think S$0.20 coin) and the shampoo lathered up well, and rinsed out clean. It smells wonderful, very lady-like, light floral scent. But oh, when my hair dried, it was the worst feeling ever. Perhaps my hair needed a detox from all the silicons and I need to give the shampoo another chance.

The conditioner provided good slip to the hair and had the same wonderful scent as the shampoo. However, my hair has been a little dry lately and the conditioner wasn’t sufficient to moisturize my hair the way I want it to be. Nevertheless, this review is just a preliminary review since I have only used the set for 3 days. Once I deplete the myraid of existing shampoos & conditioners in my bathroom, I’ll get started on the retail-sized products I got from the hamper and give an indepth review again!

Rating: NA

Would I buy again: I need to re-evaluate!

Haircessive

My work laptop has just gone kaput so lucky for you readers, I’ve got some time on my hands to keep blogging today.

My skin is kinda a wreck (thank you hormones… how I love you so… NOT!) and I’ve been growing sideways, but the only thing left that I really like about myself is my hair and my eyelashes! Hehehe… how not very humble of me. LOL

Anyway, I’ve seen some ladies with really bad hair, some of my colleagues too. So here’s how to treat your hair right, and with care!

Washing:

1. If you use styling products during the day, it is important to wash your hair with a clarifying shampoo at least once a week, more so if you have an oily scalp. Imagine all that gunk build up over the week. You’re going to end up with limp roots by the 3rd day.
2. Use your fingertips to gently massage the scalp while shampooing. It helps blood circulation and promote healthy hair growth.
3. If you live in a tropical, humid climate, wash your hair daily. No one appreciates the smell of an oily scalp. I like to use The Original Source’s mint shampoo. Feels really cool and clean on the scalp.

Conditioning:

1. Even if you have normal hair, use a light conditioner after rinsing out the shampoo. It helps soften your hair and protect it from the harsh UV rays during the day. It also helps prevent split ends.
2. For dry hair, you can use intensive treatment masks as a daily conditioner. Your hair will absorb the goodness and thank you for it.

Styling:

1. Do not ever use hair curling tongs or straighteners on damp hair. Your hair will be fried! Always use such devices on dry hair. You may wish to apply a leave-in conditioner or heat protectant to protect your hair as well.
2. Let your hair rest in between chemical processes. I have a colleague who did a re-perm few days after her first perm because she wasn’t satisfied with the initial result. Now her hair is super dry, wiry and damaged, even though it has been more than 6 months.

My top picks for:

Shampoo: Klorane (for prevention of hairloss), L’Oreal Professional Vitamino Colour (for fresh coloured hair)

Conditioner: Dove Shine Therapy conditioner

Intensive treatment: Shiseido Aquair Hair Pack

Leave-in: Kerastase Oleo Relax Serum

Charles Worthington Build-Up Remover Shampoo

Neutrogena Anti Residue Formula Shampoo

phyto missing in action?

has anyone seen phytocedrat, sebo-regulating shampoo anywhere? I know phyto is sold in selected Guardians, John Little and Sasa, but it seems to be out of stock everywhere! I have an oily scalp and I want to try this desperately. Let me know if anyone of you has seen it ok?

Many thanks in advance!