A Girl's Shampoo
Aside from dandruff, I've never really had a major problem with my scalp, but that changed last year. Since mid-December, certain parts of my scalp becomes itchy and red if they are not taken care of properly. That is why I use Antebate lotion 0.05% and take 10 mg of Talion twice a day; however, medication itself isn't enough to get rid of the problem. This is where shampoo comes in. Obviously it's more difficult to find a shampoo since I am living in Japan and I am not familiar with all the brands in this country, so I researched and experimented.
First, I tried ICHIKAMI which is sold in supermarkets and drugstores for a reasonable price in Japan. This was not my first time using this shampoo brand, so I was very hopeful that switching from Herbal Essences, which was the shampoo I was using at the time, would solve my scalp problem, except instead of the smoothing formula I used in the past, I tried the moisturizing formula since I had dandruff. The shampoo has a gentle floral scent, and even though it was a moisturizing formula, I noticed that my normally rough, untamable hair became smoother. Although my hair loved it, the shampoo did not clear my scalp problem.
Next, I tried Curel: Intensive Moisture Care shampoo which is sold in supermarkets and drugstores for an expensive price in Japan. I saw this openly displayed in almost all the drugstores I've been to here in Hokkaido, and it was the only brand name I recognized. The product literally smells like a medicated shampoo, so I felt like I was putting ointment on my scalp every single time. Because it was a dandruff shampoo and more expensive compared to other products, I thought it would be successful in solving my scalp problem; however, I was entirely wrong with this shampoo. This shampoo worsened my scalp condition from the first day I used it. I thought it was a first time reaction only, but the more I used the shampoo, the more my scalp burned with an itching sensation. Therefore, I only used this product for a week and the rest remains in my bathroom unused.
Finally, I tried Merit which is sold in supermarkets and drugstores for a low price in Japan. Since the first Japanese dandruff shampoo I tried was a fail, I decided to look for another shampoo. When I was researching, I saw many good reviews of this shampoo, so I tried this and it worked. It didn't solve my scalp problem, but it did control it. This shampoo has a gentle floral scent and I feel that the formula is especially gentle on the scalp (which makes sense since the product description did state that the shampoo was also suitable for small children).
So my quest to find the perfect shampoo in Japan is complete, and it only took three tries.
First, I tried ICHIKAMI which is sold in supermarkets and drugstores for a reasonable price in Japan. This was not my first time using this shampoo brand, so I was very hopeful that switching from Herbal Essences, which was the shampoo I was using at the time, would solve my scalp problem, except instead of the smoothing formula I used in the past, I tried the moisturizing formula since I had dandruff. The shampoo has a gentle floral scent, and even though it was a moisturizing formula, I noticed that my normally rough, untamable hair became smoother. Although my hair loved it, the shampoo did not clear my scalp problem.
Next, I tried Curel: Intensive Moisture Care shampoo which is sold in supermarkets and drugstores for an expensive price in Japan. I saw this openly displayed in almost all the drugstores I've been to here in Hokkaido, and it was the only brand name I recognized. The product literally smells like a medicated shampoo, so I felt like I was putting ointment on my scalp every single time. Because it was a dandruff shampoo and more expensive compared to other products, I thought it would be successful in solving my scalp problem; however, I was entirely wrong with this shampoo. This shampoo worsened my scalp condition from the first day I used it. I thought it was a first time reaction only, but the more I used the shampoo, the more my scalp burned with an itching sensation. Therefore, I only used this product for a week and the rest remains in my bathroom unused.
Finally, I tried Merit which is sold in supermarkets and drugstores for a low price in Japan. Since the first Japanese dandruff shampoo I tried was a fail, I decided to look for another shampoo. When I was researching, I saw many good reviews of this shampoo, so I tried this and it worked. It didn't solve my scalp problem, but it did control it. This shampoo has a gentle floral scent and I feel that the formula is especially gentle on the scalp (which makes sense since the product description did state that the shampoo was also suitable for small children).
So my quest to find the perfect shampoo in Japan is complete, and it only took three tries.