Taking a hair-care "break"

[eri401]

So I just moved to Japan for a 6 month study abroad program. I brought my little wooden comb, my satin pillow case, and lots of hope. I found out my school is kind of in the middle of nowhere. I went to basically a super-market to buy shampoo and saw no deep conditioner, no coconut oil etc. I did see ACV and will pick that up the next time I "go to town." I saw some Tsubaki hair oil on sale (for lots of $$$) but didn't buy it because, I couldn't tell what the ingredients were.

So, this is my 2nd time studying abroad. Like last time, I still don't know Japanese well enough to pick and choose between what seems like hundreds of hair care products. The last time I was here, my hair behaved well until about week 6. I believe this is when all the silicones and whatever I was using just decided to protest once and for all. I ended up cutting off a lot of hair and then, only after I discovered LHC did my hair improve.

Well, now I'm back and worried about what to do for 6 months.

Any thoughts? I am a poor student after all and plus, I don't have access to like "salon-level" stores in my immediate area.

[Maktub]

I'd say not to worry to much about it. Benin neglect can be very beneficial... eat well, sleep well, don't stress too much, keep your hair up and comb it gently.

Wash with the best things you can find... maybe ask japanese about traditional hair care and see if that can be interesting :D

Enjoy your trip abroad !

[darklyndsea]

If you're there for 6 months, you have a mailing address...buy off the internet? Or take pictures of the labels so you can look them up in a dictionary later?

I'm so jealous, there aren't even words.

[teal]

The first thing I thought was to find someone with good reading comprehension and take them with you.

[longhairedwolf]

Could you order stuff off the Internet, or have your family/friends mail you the products you like?

Have fun in Japan!

[Mythica]

A Yahoo! Answers page mentions that you can find coconut oil at an aromatherapy shop in Japan. I don't know if they meant coconut-scented or not.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090515235155AA9oatP

And according to Amazon, tsubaki oil is made from the camellia flower.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0022NHBFK/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000OW9QCW&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=01FR4GY3W939KAQFXJ68

I second (well, third) just ordering things online and having them shipped to you, as well as possibly asking a fellow student to help you shop.

PS: Congratulations on your trip to Japan! :)

[KwaveT]

I can't imagine trying to learn to speak much less read Japanese. I looked it up and noticed you to learn three alphabets. That blew my mind right there. I be tempted like the others mentioned to order stuff off the internet if you have somewhere it can be shipped.

[PixxieStix]

Have you considered WO washing, or using baking soda as a shampoo while you are over there and trying to stretch between washes? That may help. And, don't forget, Christmas is coming up, and you may wish to ask for presents early (conditioner and oils being a good start!)

[luxepiggy]

I agree with the suggestions about ordering your favourite products online, or having them shipped (^(oo)^)v

[inertia]

If you're looking for non-silicone products, you're in luck because recently they've started to become popular here. I guess if you're in the middle of nowhere the selection is probably more limited than in Tokyo, but it's a popular enough trend that I think you should be able to find something.

I'm currently using a Japanese line of non-silicone shampoo and conditioner called Nudy Aura:
http://nudyaura.net/
The name is weird but the products are quite nice. I use the basic line (1,800 yen for a BIG bottle), not the premium one. Nudy Aura is widely available in the larger Tokyo drugstores so I would imagine that even in the country, a decently big drugstore would probably carry it. They make 3-day trial kits which are usually available along with the big bottles.

Pure Natural shampoo and conditioner are also silicon-free
http://www.purenatural.info/
but they're a little harder to find. Also I've found their line more drying than Nudy Aura.

Non-silicone products are easy to identify because the word is just...
ノンシリコン
So if you don't see either of these brands around, try skimming the shelves for that phrase.

Tsubaki oil (椿油) is camellia oil. It shouldn't be very expensive if it's the real thing. This brand is widely available (like, in every single drugstore and probably a lot of supermarkets too) and reasonably priced.
http://www.oshimatsubaki.co.jp/
They have some combination products but do sell plain camellia oil which is quite popular:
http://www.oshimatsubaki.co.jp/haircare/oshimatsubaki/index.html

If there's a Loft around, they tend to have a lot of imported and natural products.

However, I might as well tell you that the vast majority of products and recipes recommended on this forum are not easily doable for people in Japan. Even the recipes you make from natural raw ingredients are difficult because they often call for ingredients which are common and inexpensive in Western countries but are expensive imported gourmet things in Japan. So the more Japanese you can read, the better.

[naturegirl321]

As someone who also lives in Asia, I'd say you have a couple options
1. Look for foreign grocery stores. Here, they're often run by Indians and you can goodies like Vatika there
2. Go to Singapore and stock up there, I got nice oils there
3. Wait unti lyou go home and stock up. I literally go with empty suitcases and just the clothes on my back.
4. Go to the pharmacy for stuff like baking soda and castor oil and aloe vera
5. Go to the shops with the translation of what you want.

[eri401]

SHOP ONLINE! You guys are brilliant. I didn't even think about this at all.

Also, a special thanks to inertia for the product suggestions. That actually was the oil I saw in the grocery store but it was pricey - it would come out to be around $25 with the current exchange rate.

[getoffmyskittle]

I think it would be really cool to find out about Japanese products and haircare! I would use Google to find out which Japanese products are conefree, and then go get those. (Well, actually, I wouldn't, because my hair likes cones, but if I were you.) I would also try to find out if there are any traditional, cultural things that they do, and do those. Sad that camellia oil is so expensive...

As long as you know your hair's known no-nos, you should probably be fine and you won't do much damage, even if you end up sporting funky looking hair every now and then. :silly: Shampoos and conditioners are rarely that damaging, it's heat styling and ripping through your hair with a brush that gets you, at least IME. I see that you're listed as a C as well, so I suspect this holds true for you.

[inertia]

SHOP ONLINE! You guys are brilliant. I didn't even think about this at all.

Also, a special thanks to inertia for the product suggestions. That actually was the oil I saw in the grocery store but it was pricey - it would come out to be around $25 with the current exchange rate.

$25?! :bigeyes: Did the grocery store only have the HUGE bottle of camellia oil, or am I thinking about the wrong country's dollars? Oshima Tsubaki makes a 40 ml size bottle which has a list price of only 945 yen. (maybe $12 USD?) It's a little more expensive than typical leave-in treatments but not outrageously so.

I forgot to mention, Lush has a number of branches in Japan and also has a Japanese webshop to get domestic shipping rates. (free shipping for purchases above 3,150 yen)
http://www.lushjapan.com/