Head-to-head comparisons of the Japanese shampoos you can actually buy on Amazon — Tsubaki, Ichikami, &Honey, BOTANIST, YOLU, Milbon, Shiseido — judged on weight, pH and who each one is for. Written by a licensed hairdresser, not a brand.
Panasonic adds moisture to the air and spreads the heat; ReFa caps how hot the air gets. A Tokyo hairdresser explains which Japanese dryer suits your hair — and which one you can actually plug in in the US.
YOLU and BOTANIST are made by the same Japanese company but clean hair in opposite ways. Here is which one suits your hair — and why the YOLU on Amazon US is not the YOLU sold in Japan.
KINUJO sells six flat irons, and three are Japan-only 100 V models. A straightening specialist sorts the line-up, explains the Silk Plate, and says who should buy the KINUJO W.
ReFa and Dyson both sell heat control, but Dyson watches the air while ReFa watches what the air lands on. A hairdresser explains which suits your hair, and which one you can actually buy in the US.
A Tokyo hairdresser compares BOTANIST and &honey: the cleansers, which hair type each one suits, and why only one of them is really in stock on Amazon US.
KINUJO, Panasonic and ReFa flat irons compared by a licensed hairdresser — all dual voltage, so the question is the plate, the temperature you set, and which ones Amazon US actually sells.
Panasonic nanocare, ReFa and KINUJO compared by a licensed hairdresser — and the voltage line that decides which Japanese hair dryers you can actually plug in at home in the US.
Tsubaki makes three shampoos and every label says Repair. Red Moist & Repair for dry hair, white Volume & Repair for fine hair, gold EX for damage — and a 10-second test to pick.
Tsubaki repairs damage. &Honey adds moisture. They are not the same problem — here is the strand test that tells you which one your hair actually needs.
Ichikami is light and clarifying. Tsubaki is medium-weight and repairing. One question decides which you need — and why buying both actually makes sense.