Hair removal at Azabu Clinic

I tried out Azabu clinic in Tokyo because they have a wide range of cosmetic dermatology services and an English speaking staff. I started out with the laser hair removal for two reasons: 1) I was due for a treatment and couldn't use my American spa (which is still my favorite), and 2) I wanted to try a service I was familiar with before jumping into new territory (Thermage!)

So, staff speaks English well and there are a lot of foreign clients. Staff prefer to speak Japanese, so we did. There is a doctor who checks your skin and hair before treatment to recommend intensity of the laser. She spoke perfect English and was having none of my still-learning Japanese.

I selected two areas (face and hygiene) and did the trial price (came to a total of 4 man) for one treatment (due to my travel schedule). I found out later a groupon would have been MUCH cheaper, so you should do that.

I bared the areas to be worked on. The staff drew lines and confirmed hair patterns. Then she applied a cool gel and started with the laser. The laser was MUCH stronger than the one used at Datsumo Labo but I don't think it was as strong as the one I get in the US. There was some stinging, but I bore out the high intensity laser the entire time with discomfort only in the sensitive nether regions.

All in all, I would go back, especially if I just needed a dermatologist (she can write prescriptions for acne medication and anything else you need). The prices are a bit high, so the groupon is perfect. However, for the price you are also getting doctor supervision, so it's not so bad.

Drybar hairdryer

So, I'm doing a quick tour of the US and stocking up on beauty supplies. First up was a new super duper hair dryer.

I went top of the line since this is an item that I use daily and only buy once a decade.

This thing is major. It has POWER. It is heavy.

Does it make my hair shiny? No. Does it dry in half the time? No. Do I feel like a rock star when I use it, yes.

So, worth the money? No. Do I recommend it? Yes.

Gold salon: Tokyo

I moved to Tokyo for a bit before I head back to the US and I took the opportunity to get my hair cut at Gold Salon, probably the most famous salon for foreigners in Japan.

I booked, in English, on the web. Everyone spoke fluent English to me. My stylist, Hiro, gave me an extensive consultation and cut my hair to my specifications. He wanted layers, I said no. He cut my bangs millimeter by millimeter to get them just right.

My only complaint is that there was no head spa or massage included, and it was a bit pricey at 1 man.

But, I'm getting compliments on my hair and it looks and feels healthy. This is my new salon when I'm in Tokyo!

LUX Super Rich Shine Damage Repair

I'm still on the hunt for a good conditioning mask to fix my fried hair. I chose this Lux damage repair due to great ratings on Cosme, and the fact that it cost about 500 yen at my local drugstore. You leave it on for about 20 minutes after shampooing. It is a weekly treatment, but I've been using it after each shampoo (just on the ends), and haven't noticed any terrible build-up.

It's better than the Laggie conditioner (which comes in cute little individual packets- perfect for traveling). But, it hasn't solved the problem. My Japanese friend swears by using Nivea cream lotion in her hair - I'm trying that next!

Laggie Rich Repair treatment

The double process straight perm Watanabe gave me totally fried my hair, so I'm desperate for treatments to disguise the damage. Since Aki san didn't reply to my email request for products he recommends, I picked up the highly rated Laggie Rich Repair mask (4 treatments for about 500 yen).

It definitely helped - I can get a comb through the ends, gave it a silky texture, and it doesn't look horrible, but you can still tell the ends are frayed and dry. I'd recommend this for a normal weekly treatment, not a salon-gone-wrong-fix.

Daiso's hair drying glove

At the moment, Daiso's hair drying glove is all the rage here in Japan. For 100 yen you get this (ugly) glove that you use when drying your hair. Since it's basically just a towel, it works.

Adventures in hair: Nabige (GO HERE!)

I finally found it. A Kyoto hair salon that did what I wanted. No mistakes. No thinning shears. No too-short bangs. Nabige. And my new favorite man on earth, Akihiko IMAMURA

 

I made my appointment on hot pepper, since I prefer online booking. Straight perm and a cut. First thing in the morning. I noted that I prefer a quiet experience and that I speak Japanese.

Be forewarned, the experience was in Japanese only. But, Imamura-san spoke to me like a child, so it was easy enough to understand. He was quiet and understated with me, but laughing and joking up a storm with another client - so he can give you either experience.

He sat me down for a consultation. He confirmed the date of my last straight perm, and that I had no negative reactions. He then asked about the cut - I told him I wanted to keep the length and my bangs were still too short. He said he would just take off the damaged ends and shape up the bangs, allowing me to grow out my cut. Perfect.

Then, he gave me the best shampoo I've ever had. Really. I wanted some privacy. : )

He confirmed that I understood this would be a 3 hour extravaganza. Then, he directed my attention to the wall of fashion magazines (Japanese). When I told him I had no clue, he described them in terms of age-appropriateness and suggested I take at least two. Then, he and his assistants got down to work.

Everyone was gracious and lovely.

When he gave me my final touch-ups he also gave me some tips on how to lessen the heat damage to my hair when I blow dry and flat iron.

All around win.

My new salon! I'm so happy!

UPDATE: The straight perm didn't take. I thought it had fewer steps than the one I got at Watanabe, and obviously, it did. I won't get the perm at Nabige again.

I went back for a bang trim, but asked for tons of extra stuff if he had the time, and he did, so I also got the dead ends cut off and my neck shaved into a lovely line. All went smoothly and without disaster!

Adventures in Hair cuts: Nary

My bangs were looking haggard and my ends needed a shape up, so I made an appointment for a head spa and cut at Nary. Cutting to chase: go for the head spa, leave before the hair cut.

The salon is gorgeous. Breathtakingly beautiful.

The head spa was great. You could choose from different aromas. The heated head and neck massage was awesome and was nice and strong.

The haircut went well at first. We had a consultation. We confirmed only trimming the damaged ends, and used our fingers to confirm how much would be cut off. I described the bangs I wanted. She found a picture in a magazine to confirm she understood (she did). She cut the ends, perfect.

Then we got to the bangs. She suggested I change my part. I said no. She did something weird with my part, making it rather "S" like, and started cutting. I stopped her, corrected the part with my hands, and reconfirmed the type of bang we were going for, and that the length should be at my eyebrow (she repeated, "eyebrow").

How I got the world's shortest, bluntest bangs is beyond me. I stopped her. I fiddled with what was left of my hair. She made a suggestion. I said no, they were too short, they were an inch above my eyebrow, and "shall we finish"? She kept saying sorry. I paid and left.

I have a feeling the bangs will be great in a month...

Shampoo and Conditioner: Ahalo Butter

I'm rethinking my addiction to the Beauty Pride's APPS+E(TPNa) shampoo and conditioner. First, as I mentioned before, the cost. Oh my, the cost. Second, my hair doesn't seem to be reacting as well to the product as it did in the past. Perhaps it is time to rotate out?

So I purchased this Ahalo Butter Repair Shampoo and Conditioner set for about 1900 yen on Cosme. It did a great job! Love it! And much cheaper than the Beauty Pride!

2014 Year end awards: Buy these now!

These are the things I can whole-heartedly recommend:

Heroine make mascara

Heroine make mascara remover

Evangelist BB cream

Muji lipstick

SK-II stempower

Bifesta facial cleansing wipes

Tiare body oil

Beauty Pride's APPS+E(TPNa) shampoo and conditioner

Drybar dry shampoo

Panasonic Hair Removal Machine with Light Este with Light (for Body)

I'm in a constant battle with my body hair. I usually use NAD'S wax on my bikini line, and a strip wax on other places (upper lip, big toe, etc.). While strip wax is easy to find in any Japanese drug store, any type of wax for a bikini line is difficult, if not impossible, to locate. Therefore, I decided to take the plunge into the world of laser hair removal.

I was seriously considering the Tria (about $450 USD), but, because of the price, I decided to look elsewhere. Cosme rates the Panasonic incredibly highly, and, at 14500 yen, it was much more reasonable for my first foray into the arena of at-home laser hair removal.

I just completed my first session on my big toes, legs, and bikini line. The instructions say this is for body use only, no facial use. There was no pain whatsoever. There was a bit of a burning hair smell, but it was not overpowering.

I plan to continue the treatment twice a week for the next several months, so I will update this post as I progress.

Wish me luck! My goal is to have a bikini line free of shaving bumps and no need to grow out hair in order to wax!

MONTH ONE UPDATE: no real noticeable difference.  I've been using the machine about every 3-4 days.

Month two: still no noticeable difference. I've been using the machine about once a week, to week and a half.

Traveling with Japanese luxuries: prepping to conclude an 18 hour flight looking fabulous

I always leave my flight looking oily and gross. So, I put together a little carry-on love to attempt to remedy that situation.

First up are the Bifesta facial cleansing sheets (550 yen). These oil and fragrance free sheets are supposed to give you a deep clean. I use these facial cleansing whenever I start feeling oily during a flight, and also in the bathroom of the airport when I arrive at my destination. Result: absolutely fabulous. Love these. They take off all my makeup and leave me feeling squeaky clean, and they give me a clean canvas for a fresh make-up application at my destination airport bathroom without having to get water all over the place and risk messing up my bangs.

I've been using the SK-II stempower as my morning and evening moisturizer, and am loving the mochi-like feeling it gives my skin. Japanese flight attendants use this instead of a facial mask on planes and swear that it helps them remain looking so positively fantastic throughout a long-haul flight. I can attest that it lives up to this claim!

Before settling in for a sleep, I slip on my Dr. Scholl compression leggings. My hope is to stave off bloating and uncomfortableness! I use these around my house, and love how they massage my legs. I've also found that they really do reduce leg and ankle bloating.

Then, before I pop on my noise-reduction headphones hooked up to my ambient noise app, I put on my Kao Megurythm heated eye mask, in lavender. These always put me right to sleep here at home, and really help when I'm wedged in an economy airplane seat! Note: I've been trying out the different aromas (rose, yuzu, and unscented), and so far I much prefer the lavender.

Other items in my beauty carry-on: travel toothpaste and brush, hand sanitizer, pepto bismol (um, airplane food?!?), a sleeping pill, deodorant, perfume, and make-up.

And, make my hair look great upon final exit of the airplane, I use this fantastic dry shampoo from drybar.

I have to say, I looked really marvelous for coming off an 18 hour flight. Paparazzi ready!

World's most expensive shampoo? Beauty Pride's APPS+E(TPNa)

I feel like my hair is aging fast, so I went in search of something I might be able to do about it. Cosme just put out new rankings for shampoo, and Beauty Pride's APPS+E(TPNa) took top prize. The comments are positively glowing. Apparently, this stuff is the real deal and can actually reverse damage. Also, as the real deal, it is ridiculously expensive. A bottle of shampoo costs 8600 yen. Conditioner: 8600 yen. You can get samples online for about 2100 yen. This is a review of the sample sized product.

I have to admit, this is nice stuff. It feels good in your hands when you pump it out. It lathers nicely in your hair. The conditioner is thick, but doesn't weigh hair down. I used all the product in the individual use packets, but I think I could get away with using only half on my mid-length hair. In the end, I got soft, silky, bouncy hair. I got "just-stepped-out-of-the-salon" hair.

I usually wash my hair every 2-3 days, depending on my running schedule. On day 2, my hair continued to be soft and manageable. No noticeable traces of oil/grease. After pulling my hair into a low ponytail for an 80 minute yoga class, there are no traces of the "band."

Some of the comments on cosme say that after an initial great impression, the product fails to "wow" the second time. So, I washed my hair with Beauty Pride's APPS+E(TPNa) shampoo and conditioner a second time, using only half the product in the individual packets, on day 3 (no other product used in between). I also did not style my hair after washing, so this was all the work of the product. I have to say, it was lovely. It still had that light-bouncy-soft feeling.

I am torn. I LOVE these products, but the cost is SO high!

So, I tried a little experiment. First, I shampooed with my normal MUJI seven herb. I followed up with the APPS+E(TPNa) conditioner. Result: Nice hair. Not quite as bouncy as when I used both products together, but it had the same look on day one, day two, not so much. Also, it felt like there was product in my hair, but nothing like the after-product feel of the Mogans conditioner.

Then, I shampooed and conditioned with the MUJI and Mogans. Same results that I normally get. Ok, but not great.

Finally, I shampooed with the APPS+E(TPNa) and followed up with the Mogan's conditioner. Result: almost the same results as with the regular MUJI and Mogans.

So, if I can stomach the price, I will first buy the conditioner. When my MUJI shampoo runs out, then I'll spring for the conditioner. I'm trying to remind myself that I spring for facial beauty products, why not some for my hair?

It's the little things: hair ties

You know those days when it's just been kinda rotten and you need a little retail therapy pick-me-up, but need to emphasize the "little" because the next payday is quite a way away? Well, I had one of those days and my treat to myself was this little pack of three metallic colored hair bands from MUJI.

Well, bah humbug, they look pretty and work for only about a day! They get all stretched out super quick!

On the other hand, these adorable little hair ties I bought two for 100 yen at the 100 yen store: fabulous! Take a licking and keep on ticking!

On (yet another) less than fantastic day, I picked up this hair tie/ metal ring duo from H&M (currently selling for about 200 yen). I really like this piece and might pick up another one. I don't wear it as often as I like (it is great for a fall "low pony") since the hair tie is connected to the ring, and once it wears out, well, the thing is worthless. But at 200 yen, perhaps I shouldn't care as much?

Mogans Conditioner

My super expensive (2800 yen) highly rated (number 1 on cosme) conditioner arrived today, so I just had to wash my hair and try it out!

It is much better than the Shiseido Tsubaki. It doesn't have a discernible smell, but it smells very clean. It is a lighter formula and doesn't weigh my hair down at all. It gave me a bit of a shine, but not much silky softness. Despite not weighing down my hair, there seems to be a residual feeling of "product."

Overall, I'm much happier with this conditioner than my previous one and will use it until it runs out. However, for the price, I was hoping for more, so I'll keep up the search!

UPDATE: I've started putting this conditioner on post-shampoo, leaving it on for about a half hour, then rinsing. Now, I love it! It still has a "product-y" residue, but I think that is what is giving me the shine, so I'll deal with it! Also, hair is MUCH softer.

Japanese Straight Perm: Watanabe Hair in Tokyo

When I lived in Yokohama, I would trek into Tokyo to have my hair done by the famous Aki Watanabe! It was always a pleasure (and a relief to know that my stylist really understood me and western hair)!

Aki-san repeatedly begged me to take the plunge and get the Japanese straight perm for a few reasons: 1) I like long straight hair and was damaging mine with all the blow drying and straight ironing, and 2) I otherwise had unprocessed healthy hair, which made me a good candidate.

I had heard horror stories of westerners having their hair fall out or break off due to the treatment, and the perm is not cheap, so I was wary. However, rainy season was approaching, so I decided to take the plunge!

I'm so glad I did! I received a million compliments immediately after the process, and other westerners soon flocked to have the straight perm as well! I've never had such a positive reaction to a beauty treatment. And I loved the sleek look, and the wash and go routine!

The process itself was super time consuming: a wash, setting, another wash, straightening, and a final wash and styling (if I recall correctly). It took more than 5 hours.

It's now been more than 3 months since I had the process done, and not only do I have the curl/frizz in the new growth hair, but some curl and frizz has returned to the processed hair. I'm not sure why this happened, since I thought the straightening was permanent, and not temporary like the "Brazilian blowout". So far I've not found a stylist in Kyoto that I trust to touch up the straight perm, but I'm on the hunt! (Otherwise, I'm booking Aki-san on my next trip to Tokyo!)

UPDATE: I recently went to Tokyo and booked an appointment with Aki san. I got another straight perm, which worked perfectly, but it fried the ends of my hair (which had straight perm from last year). I'm now searching for a good repair treatment, otherwise I'll have to chop off some inches!

Shiseido Tsubaki shining shampoo and conditioner, MUJI seven herb shampoo

I have lots and lots of fine hair, which is just a different beast than Japanese hair. Therefore, I've been having a hard time finding shampoo and conditioner that work for me.

First up was the infamous Shiseido Tsubaki shampoo and conditioner. These are available EVERYWHERE for cheap. I found that they really weighed down my hair and left a lot of build-up.

So, I ran out of shampoo first, and moved onto MUJI's Seven herb shampoo, available at MUJI stores for about 1400 yen. The shampoo has a nice smell and left my hair squeaky clean without feeling stripped or dry. It has a cosme score of 5. I would buy it again.

Monday, my delivery of Mogan's conditioner arrives and I am so excited to try it since it cost a fortune (about 2800 yen) and is currently ranked at number 2 on cosme.net. Wish me luck!

San Ai Hair

I needed a bang trim and some dead ends cut off, so I made an appointment at San Ai hair, mostly because it seemed like they always had clients and took reservations over the internet.

While it didn't go horribly awry, it wasn't my favorite experience and I will be trying another salon for my next touch-up.

From the outside the salon looked chic, all white and glass. Inside, it was dirty. There was SO MUCH HAIR all over the floor. It looked like no one had cleaned all day. The chairs and robes were cheap - barber style.

My (male) stylist only spoke Japanese (which was fine for me, but I'm not sure if he had any English at all) and was my hair washer, head massager, hair cutter, and stylist. He was nice as could be, but definitely had his own ideas about how to cut hair and wasn't too into following my instructions. For example, I lost the "layer" battle (unbeknownst to me, until it was too late). Despite stating that I did not want to keep the current layers in my hair, and ONLY wanted the dead ends cut off, I ended up with more layers thanks to a little misunderstanding of the term "gizagiza" (ギザギザ, jagged). While I thought this meant that he would chop the ends a little so they wouldn't be so blunt, well, I was wrong. This meant taking thinning shears to the bottom half of my head. And he started in the back, so I couldn't see what he was doing until it was already done. At that point, I wouldn't let him touch my bangs again, although he wanted to ギザギザ them too... (and I thought the ends should be jagged a bit, but one fail was enough).

He blew out my hair and flat ironed it to look all nice and pretty.

The entire experience set me back about 5500 yen. They have a loyalty card if you want to make them your constant.