Review: Shiseido Tsubaki Head Spa Shampoo

Here's the story: My much neglected scalp was crying out for help. It was itching even after (daily) shampooing, and scratching produced whitish deposits on my fingernails. And hubby (horror of horrors) started seeing the dreaded white flakes falling all over his shoulders. Hence, we decided that enough was enough and as it goes, the rest is history.

Introducing the protagonist!

Shiseido Tsubaki Head Spa Shampoo

So how did it fare? Let's find out!

Pros:
-Heavenly scent (The camellia flower extract?) that is not too overpowering
-A little goes a long way-I use 2 pumps of shampoo with my normal Asience Shampoo, but with this baby, I only needed 1 pump each time to produce a rich lather
-Clean, clean scalp and hair that stays clean for a longer time (In the absence of hair products) in Singapore's humid weather.
-No itchiness-even when hair starts to feel dirty
-Does not weigh down my fine hair.
-Gorgeous, translucent bottle that allows you see exactly how much is left-we all have those days when we curse ourselves for not bringing in the new bottle of shampoo when one has already stripped down to his/her birthday suit to shower.

Cons:
-A little expensive-it retails at SGD19.90 for a 550ml bottle-mind you, this is not a salon brand shampoo-but no biggie since you use less shampoo than usual
-Hair becomes a little dry and tangles more easily-again, not a big deal since the problem is easily solved with a little of your usual conditioner.

Verdict:
The Belle loves the stuff! I would be likely to repurchase this, unless I find something better for a reasonable price.

The Belle will be back soon with more reads, so keep your fingers crossed. See you again soon, my beauties!

Review: Essential Purely Smooth Conditioner

I had run out of conditioner and was looking around at the nearby beauty supplies store, and this caught my eye.

Essential Purely Smooth Conditioner

Like its predecessors, it promises to nourish your hair, right up to the last 15cm, which is most damaged. Having been a little disappointed by the other versions of this conditioner (one was too light, one was too heavy for my fine hair and caused slight itching), I was hesitant to try this, but eventually caved in. After all, SGD 7.40 for 500 ml is a pretty good deal.(Hey, the Belle needs to watch the household budget...) But did it deliver? Let's move on!

Pros:
-Hair is left light and smooth after drying, and ends look shiny and smooth after drying (now, please note that my hair is almost touching my tailbone, so the ends can get pretty ragged if the conditioner doesn't work well.)
-Non irritating to scalp (Yeah, highly intelligent me got the conditioner on my scalp)
-Unobtrusive scent. (don't you just hate those scents that are too 'in your face'?)
-Pocket friendly.

Cons:
-Effects did not last throughout the next day (I wash my hair at night.)
-Detangling affect was not as thorough as I would have liked. I slept with my hair loose and woke up to tangles on the end-- which were kept to a minimum using my favourite Loreal conditioner

Verdict:
I would repurchase this as it is very pocket friendly, and does what it says it will do, without weighing my hair down. But I am still on the lookout for a good, silicone and sulphate free, as well as budget friendly conditioner for my long hair. Tall order, I know. But one can hope..

Other reviews coming up soon, so keep watching this space. See you again soon, my beauties!

Review: Ellips Hair Treatment Hair Vitamin

My hair ends have been feeling rather rough lately, with more split ends for me to snip than usual (yes, I trim them myself.) So, I was on the lookout for something to help with the damage and prevent more split ends, but at the same time, not break the bank. I was delighted to see this:

Ellips Hair Treatment Hair Vitamin

 Now, The Belle is a little leery of hair products that contain silicone (some of them tend to weigh down the hair, or in the long term, make it dull.) But I couldn't resist a good offer--it was only SGD 2.60. So, here it is!

Pros:
-Damaged hair feels smoother and moisturized
-Hair looks shinier and healthier

Cons:
-Requires long term use to see significant results.
-Felt heavy, especially on my fine hair. (Maybe because of the silicones?)

Verdict:
Hair did feel much less tangled and looked healthier after continued daily use for around a week.However, hair did look a little flat. Would I repurchase? Maybe, since it is rather pocket friendly. But, not for long term use due to the silicone content.

*I know I have been slow with my reviews. I am trying to work faster as I am feeling much better, so please stay tuned! Thank you!

See you back soon, my beauties!

Review: Ellips Hair Vitamin (Smooth & Shiny)

As I have mentioned before, I prefer to keep things simple for my hair. But, there are times when I do feel the need for a quick fix to give my hair a boost. (Bad hair days. You get the idea.)

I actually purchased this for use while travelling so that my hair would not turn into a blanket of frizz in the absence of my usual hair oil, which was to heavy to bring along. But alas, my over- excitement at the low price during the sale at Watson's led me to purchase more than I needed.

But did this product deliver? Let's see!

Ellips Hair Vitamin

Pros:
-Left hair smooth and shiny, as promised. Less tangles in hair.
-Hair was left subtly scented, smell went away after awhile (good for sensitive noses!)
-Convenient packaging, so you only open what you need.

Cons:
-Silicones in product left hair feeling weighed down. I could feel the slip from the silicones after I had applied the product to my hair.
-Effect only lasted till the next wash

Verdict:
Would I purchase it again? Probably not. It is not a bad product, but I am trying to cut down on silicones, which weigh down my fine hair. Those who do not mind silicones would probably like this product as it does leave the hair silky smooth and a breeze to handle.

Thank you for reading. See you soon!

Review:Kaminomoto Hair Growth Accelerator

I am not a person who likes to spend a lot of time on hair care. However, when I realized that instead of saying "twenty something", I would soon have to say "thirty" when someone asked for my age, I thought it would be a good idea to start taking better care of my hair. With genetics not on my side (Sigh. why didn't I inherit my mother's thick luxuriant head of hair in her youth?)

My scalp is extremely prone to the itchies. Singapore's erratic weather doesn't help either. (Don't get me wrong, I love my country, and I am proud to be a Singaporean. But not the itching.) This (the scratching) does not bode well for my hip length, super fine hair. Because of the length, hair fall seems to to be exaggerated. ( My husband gleefully told me one strand of hair falling from my head equals to 6 strands of his. You get the idea.)

Everyone knows that healthy hair begins at the scalp. In steps the hero: Kaminomoto Hair Growth Accelerator.

Kaminomoto Hair Growth Accelerator

(My apologies as I do not have a picture of the box, I threw it away by accident during the New Year spring cleaning. )

Now, I know the bottle practically screams 'old'. But let's not judge by appearances, shall we? Let's get down to business!

Pros:
-Relieves scalp itching immediately. The Belle likes this!
-Scalp feels cleaner--oily scalps will probably like this product
-After using it on and off for a month, I saw baby hairs sprouting near my parting. This product works! Need I say more?

Cons:
-Bottle is clumsy and difficult to handle. Dispensing hole needs to be improved.
-Strong smell of alchohol. But no biggie since it goes away really quickly.

Verdict:

Suprisingly, I really liked this product. Despite the packaging (I know, I know. Note to self: Do not judge a product by appearances.), and the 'old uncle' packaging, it is a product that really works (well, for me at least...) A change of packaging, and I may just be tempted enough to purchase it again for myself. (Right now, I shall just content my self with swiping it from The Husband's supply when need arises) A product worth trying, and at around 20SGD for 150ML, it doesn't burn a hole in your pocket, as compared to other similar products.

More reviews, on the way!

Review:Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk

I am a person who prefers to have hair care as simple as possible. Preferably, just wash,condition and go. However, as my hair gets longer, even this becomes a chore. Dealing with sopping wet hair past midnight when your child finally decides to go to bed is not appealing. (Who can I blame when I am a night owl myself.) And all that heat doesn't do hair any good. I needed something that would keep my fine hair from falling flat on days when the bed is too hard to resist.

In steps my hero:dry shampoo. I would like to say that I tried many dry shampoos, before finally settling on this one, but I didn't. I just grabbed whatever I could find at the pharmacy that looked like it would not irritate my sensitive scalp. (On one of my random trips to the pharmacy near my place, hair in messy ponytail, no makeup, in old t-shirt and shorts. Don't judge me. I tried to get what I needed ASAP before I became an eyesore.) Anyway, here is my take.

Pros

-Hair is left smelling and looking fresh and clean.
-Flat, oily hair is revived.
-Spray makes it easier to get at scalp, which is normally the oiliest.
-Oat Milk in product soothes itchiness
-Paraben and sulphate free.
-good for hairstyles requiring a little more texture to the hair--but not overly so. Just spray sparingly where it is needed, brush through, and voila!

Cons
-White residue which is very visible on dark hair like mine if not brushed out thoroughly.
-Hair felt a tad too dry, but problem easily resolved with a few drops of hair oil. (note: For cleansing purposes, the product is meant to be sprayed on the scalp and not the hair.)

Verdict:

A good, fuss free product, worthy of being on the favourite list of stars like Gwyneth Paltrow. It cannot, of course, replace your regular shampoo, but it does come pretty close. Only gripe is that it is not easy to find where I stay. On the repurchase list, unless I find something I like better.

Review: Oshima Tsubaki Camellia Hair Care Oil

I am not a person who likes a lot of hair product on my hair,but a few months ago, I decided my hair needed a little TLC.

Now,my hair is not exactly damaged at the time of this post, but as I was growing out the damaged parts of my hair, so that I could cut them away without looking odd,I needed something that would stop the frizz/tangling but at the same time, not weigh my super fine hair down. (Humidity is moisture. Oil seals out humidity, and retains moisture in hair.)

I was searching in the isles of one of my local Watson's for a solution to my fried hair ends (Thanks to previous bleaching) when I came across this retro looking bottle. Having heard good things about camellia oil, the vision of Japanese women with luscious, silky locks, with nary a split end came to mind. Convinced, I took the plunge.

A few haircuts and many inches of growth later, here is my two cents worth.

Pros
 -A little product goes a long way. I have used it for at least 3months, but I think I still have around half a bottle left.
-Very light, so it doesn't weigh down fine hair. The few times I over applied, it felt oily, but surprisingly, not heavy.
-Hair is well protected. with consistent everyday usage, I was no longer as scissor happy snipping off split ends.
-Tangles are greatly reduced. I can leave my hair loose when sleeping and not wake up with impossible tangles in my hair.
-Hair is silky smooth following usage as a weekly treatment.
-Multiple uses--this baby can be used as a hair and scalp treatment, as well as a styling product. Now that's a multi-tasker for you!

Cons
-Heavy glass bottle. I know the glass protects the integrity of the oil inside, but perhaps it would be a good idea to have a more ergonomic shape to help fingers slippery from the fantastic stuff inside to hold on to it.
-Dispenser. It can be tricky to get the correct amount since the dispensing hole at the top does make it rather difficult to measure the correct amount. An integrated dropper with the product could be helpful.

Verdict:

I do like this product. However, the packaging is rather unnerving. I am constantly afraid that I will drop it,or I will waste the product because of the dispenser. Repurchase is only a maybe for this product, because of the packaging. I would be most happy to repurchase if they came up with a better packaging for the product.

Review: Loreal Eversleek Intense Smoothing Conditioner

When it comes to hair, I am a little lazy, believing in the benefits of benign neglect on my hair. (I know, I know I am lazy.)However, lately my scalp has been a little sensitive, and the silicones in my regular conditioner have been weighing down my fine hair, so I decided to give this conditioner a try.

Previously, I have always been cautious of trying Loreal products, not because they do not work, but  mainly due to the fact that they test their products on animals. I was delighted to find a product offering from their haircare range that does not test on animals.

Enough has been said on the negative impact of silicones and sulphates on our body, so I shall not say more. Here is the lowdown.

Pros:

-Very smooth,shiny hair that falls in place nicely after conditioning
-silicone free formula does not weigh down fine hair
-Uses natural oils that nourish the hair-- silicones can dull the hair in the long term.
-Hair smells great, even on the second day.

Cons:
-Smell may be too strong for those with sensitive noses.
-Comes only in tube packaging. I would have preferred a pump. But that's really no big deal, probably just me.


The verdict? Definitely a keeper in my haircare routine. My scalp itchiness seems to have disappeared. Compared to many other sulphate free haircare product ranges on the market, this one is quite pocket friendly at about SGD14.90. (I bought it at a SGD11 at my local SASA.)I am (or rather my hair is) in love with the stuff. I may try the shampoo in the same range after I am done with my current one.

My hair is behaving again and I am so happy... haha... the little pleasures in life...other reviews coming up soon. Till next time!

Review:Watson's Honey Hair Treatment Wax

I'm not the sort who spends a lot of time on my hair save for the daily combing and brushing.(Which I insist on) So, for someone like me, who does not habitually do hair treatments, I need an efficient daily conditioner to keep my tresses smooth and tangle free. It looks like I've found a winner in this little beauty gem from the ever trusty Watson's. Here's my review.

Likes:
-Hair is left smooth and untangled. Flyaways are tamed.
-Great smell.
-Cheap enough to use daily.

Gripes:
-Weighs down fine hair if not rinsed properly
-Large amount needed for good results (But that's ok. A tub costs less than 10sgd and lasts quite awhile.)

Quite simply, beauty on the cheap.

Headlines

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair. Let me climb the golden stairs."

Hair. Long, short, permed, rebonded, bleached, coloured. Been there, done that. Thankfully, my hair has escaped relatively unscathed from the torture it was put through.

My daily routine now has been reduce to this: wash, condition, dry. And when the mood strikes me occasionally, hair serum.

(Horror of horrors. "You mean you don't do any hair masks? or treatments? Omg...")

Yes, my waist length hair probably does not get the TLC it deserves. But considering the fact that my hair has gone through a barrage of chemical treatments, I think it is time it went on a diet, and let Mother Nature take its course. So far, it seems to be working.

Call me lazy, but (for the present at least), I feel that less is more. Hair gel, hair spray, wax, mud, clay, etc...they're all evil inventions that we can do without. and yes, my hair is thanking me.