Before leaving Tokyo in the fall of 2016, I hoarded four sets of Tsubaki Oil Nouveau 2015 Winter Limited Shampoo and Conditioner while showing my brother around Asakusa. Yes, I like them that much, though it doesn't mean I don't get bored of them. I do, and I did. Ha.
So after a few detours with old favorites like Super Mild and Ichikami Moisture Shampoo, I found the new Tsubaki Oil Extra 2017 Winter Limited Shampoo and Conditioner sets reasonably priced on Amazon and picked one up for science. The set contains two pump bottles, 450mL each of Moisture Balance Care Shampoo & Conditioner.
So after a few detours with old favorites like Super Mild and Ichikami Moisture Shampoo, I found the new Tsubaki Oil Extra 2017 Winter Limited Shampoo and Conditioner sets reasonably priced on Amazon and picked one up for science. The set contains two pump bottles, 450mL each of Moisture Balance Care Shampoo & Conditioner.
I actually started out using the conditioner before the shampoo. Let's just say I was a bit deflated to find the conditioner smells just like the 2015 version. It still works pretty well for my hair and I still like it, but I was hoping it'd be a little different, at least with the fragrance.
Interestingly enough, it was the shampoo that smells a tad different. It's milder, grassier, and a little less feminine. So in the end, the 2017 version is only tangentially different than the 2015, just enough to keep me from getting bored. I will have to find a different shampoo and conditioner to try next, preferably Japanese. Any recommendations?
Oh, this makes me regret not getting it! Apparently they changed the whole line-up yet again, and the new bottles aren't really my cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteLately, I've been liking the Himawari series, and Bluria is still one of my favorites for my fine hair, but I guess you won't like it.
Hey Julia,
ReplyDeleteAwesome!! Thank you for the recommendation! I just added Bluria and Himawari shampoo sets to my Rakuten cart. I don't have fine hair but hubby does, so at least he'll like it, may be ^.^
I actually like the 2015 version a little better but this 2017 is good too.
Cheers,
D.
Please don't hate me if you don't like them, though!
ReplyDeleteBluria has a more "Western" scent, kind citrus-y, whereas Himawari smells a little fruity. I had samples of the Volume series (the teal bottles) and liked it a lot, but ended up being the new Gloss series (pink) because my hair was a little dull over the colder months. They smell pretty identical and work almost the same, I guess.
Hey Julia,
ReplyDeleteHate you? Quite the contrary! I'm always, always open to try new things, even if I end up not liking them. So please keep the recommendations coming!
And plus my husband and I prefer Japanese shampoos over the ones here in the USA. It's actually quite rare that I find a "Western" shampoo I like and to date there's only one that I've used consistently over the years. Which reminds me I've never reviewed it after all these years!!!! Will post on it soon-ish!
Cheers,
D.
I'm glad to hear that!
ReplyDeleteIt's weird, I have super "white" hair - brown, fine, wavy - I shouldn't like Japanese shampoos so much, but I do. The only Western shampoo I've used over the past few years was Avon Naturals, I think the avocado one? It doesn't have a matching conditioner, though (I think?) so that's really inconvenient. Which one do you like?
Hey Julia,
ReplyDeleteMy hubby's hair is the same, fine and wavy if he grows it out long enough. But he really likes Japanese shampoos too, and surprisingly they make his hair really soft and shiny, much so his colleagues teased him about secretly having a side gig doing hair commercials LOL! xD
The only "Western" shampoo that both hubby and I like so far is Nioxin Cleanser System 1, which is supposedly for "hair-loss prevention" but we use it 1-2 times a week as a clarifying shampoo, though never more than that or it'll be too harsh. But yeah, we've been using this stuff for years and it's fantastic!
Cheers,
D.
He should be proud of his nice hair! I envy my husband with his head full of thick, glossy hair, but I also guess it gets pretty hot in summer.
ReplyDeleteI just googled that and it looks interesting, but a little pricey. Since my hair isn't that high maintenance (I usually just wash and airdry), I prefer to spend my beauty budget on skincare because my skin is much more problematic ^^;
Hey Julia,
ReplyDeleteLOL yeah. I can't claim a head full of thick, glossy hair like your husband but I can vouch for the hot factor in the summer. Which is why I chop it all of every summer haha!
You can get Nioxin for cheaper from Amazon Japan ^.^ I bought our very first 500mL bottle ($27) before we even moved to Yokohama in 2010! During all that time I needed to repurchase just once, because back then I was the only one using it, and only 1-2 times a week.
Since coming home from Tokyo in the fall of 2016, we bought a gallon jug ($41!) and had refilled the last emptied 500mL bottle only twice, which amounted to a bottle a year for two people, using 1-2 times a week. Not bad.
Cheers,
D.
Well, his hair won't stay this nice forever judging by a look at his gene pool - oops.
ReplyDeleteEven my hair gets hot in the summer, but I try to put it up instead of cutting it because I look ridiculous with short hair lol. A hat kind of helps, too, but then I get sweaty under-hat hair...
I think while we're still in Japan, I want to use all the great stuff here (and use it UP), but if I ever need a good shampoo in Germany, I'll consider ordering Nioxin!
Hey Julia,
ReplyDeleteHaha I get hat hair too, all the time, and pony-tail hair, pillow-hair (because I shower at night and blow-dry before bed...) ^.^"
Oh totally! I would (and did) go nuts when I was in Japan trying to use every interesting Japanese skincare product and shampoo I see at the drugstore too! Enjoy it while you're there, and hang in there with your thesis! You can and will get it done! Woot!!!
Cheers,
D.
I found out that sleeping with a silk cap helps a lot with bed head and hair breakage - obviously my husband laughed at first, but he's gotten used to me wearing it. It also means no hair products on my pillow.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! <3
Hi Julia,
ReplyDeleteThen I'd feel bad to destroy a silk cap LOL!
Cheers,
D.
They're pretty inexpensive and mine's been holding up well.
ReplyDeleteHey Julia,
ReplyDeleteI mean I might destroy it in my sleep LOL I hate having anything on my head while I sleep ^.^
Oh. Then I guess this isn't the solution for you. :/
ReplyDeleteIt's okay, Julia. I've long resigned to whatever hair I end up with for the day ^.^"
ReplyDeleteD.
Ha, yeah, I don't worry about my hair too much unless I have like a job interview or a big event.
ReplyDeleteDo those neguse sprays work for you?
Other than tsubaki water I then to avoid other hair products. And plus the neguse spray would get on my pillow and will probably break me out--I'm one of those people who sleep with their face smashed into their pillow and blanket LOL!
ReplyDeleteTake care,
D.
I don't use them either because they tend to weight my hair down. I'm definitely also a face-in-pillow sleeper, no matter what I try - I guess if I want to sleep at all, I'll have to live with the wrinkly face.
ReplyDelete