Japanese women hold a worldwide reputation for the beauty of their jet-black hair displaying an ultimate shine and for their fresh and flawless skin, provoking admiration and envy by all.
Some people will say that they only owe their beauty to the bounty of Mother Earth. Genetics has surely a lot to do with it… And yet, one only has to be around Japanese women on a daily basis to understand that behind the scenes of this perfect look hides a significant part of cautiousness and know-how.
In this article, we share with you Japanese beauty tips not only helping to protect the shine of hair, but also repairing their fibers damaged by external aggressions.
1. Alimentation
Alimentation is the number 1 beauty, health and well-being secret of Japanese people, and with good reason, as having a balanced diet is considered as a cultural tradition in Japan. It prevents ills, promotes longevity, has an influence on beauty and even on sleep.
Also, the answer of Japanese women when being asked about their shiny hair tips could almost look like a shopping list, if not a nutritional prescription ? Between vitamins A and C, proteins, iron and zinc we can find steamed baskets of green vegetables, fatty fish recipes, seafood platters and a few baskets of citrus fruits accompanied by dried fruits.
On the opposite, refined sugars and saturated fatty acid’s consumption is strongly discouraged (like for the skin!). And yes, for our Japanese friends with glossy hair, pastries and white bread’s guilty pleasure is twice a year during the Paris Fashion Week only !
2. To limit friction
In addition to their diet, Japanese women are keeping another secret for the maintain of their hair’s shine: to protect hair scales from frictions. Yes indeed ! Just like a smartphone screen that we would want to protect from scratches as long as possible, a hair shaft protection is necessary to keep the hair radiant:
- At night, preference should be given to silk or satin pillowcases in a bid to limit hair breakage cotton or linen ones could cause.
- After washing your hair, the wet fiber is very fragile and a strong friction exerted with a towel may damage the scales (just like a brushing on wet hair). Wring out your hair with utmost sensitivity, why not even with a silk scarf.
- To brush them, avoid heat and use a thermo-protector.
- To detangle them, stay away from / avoid synthetic brushes, plastic or metal combs which create micro-frictions and dull the hair’s shine. Start by detangling the hair tips before progressively moving up to the roots.
Anti-friction wide tooth combs from Love Chrome reduce static friction to lower hair damage due to combing by 70%. Daily use of a chrome comb improve significantly the hair’s quality, resistance and health while enhancing their radiance.
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Scalp Guasha Black 55€ |
Comb tsuki gold 98€ |
Comb Tetsuki Black 49€ |
3. The rinse to close hair scales
As we have seen above, the secret of Japanese women to preserve their hair’s shine consists mainly in a healthy diet and a reduction of frictions. However, if your hair scales are already open, there is still hope ! Like Japanese women, you can rinse your hair at the end of the shampoo to close them !
By smoothing the hair fiber, rinsing brings instant shine. It is almost magical and easily accessible !
There are several types of rinses:
- Rinsing with cold water is the easiest and the most common one. After rinsing out the shampoo and conditioner, turn your mixer to lower temperatures and rinse your hair with cold water
- For those who really feel the cold, prepare your rinsing water with cider vinegar. In a recipient of around 1L volume, add 3 tablespoons of cider and make up with water (warm one for people sensitive the cold). Pour the mixture on your hair and do not rinse. The vinegar’s smell will evaporate as it dries.
4. Japanese tips to repair the scales
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The amino acids cocktail
If you are not brave enough to take cold showers to close the scales or if your hair is too damaged, you can also rely on the amino acid cocktail to repair it. It’s the secret of the hurried Japanese !
Indeed, the 18 amino acids making up our hair fiber have a direct impact on hair growth, strength and shine !
Moreover, when the lack of brightness is linked to the external environment ( heat, frictions, pollution, dust), the most innovative Japanese brands recommend to use products formulated with amino acids.
Incorporated in the shampoos, the amino acids replace the sulphate and envelop the hair of a generous restorative foam for express care without changing its routine!
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Wake up! Shampoo Volume UKA33€ |
Nighty Night Shampoo Smoothing UKA33€ |
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The thermo-repairer ingredient
Heat, just like frictions, damages the hair fiber and open the scales. However, it is hard to be without styling accessories such as hair dryers, straighteners and curlers for most of the Japanese because they shape the hair the right way so easily.
As a result, many hair care brands have integrated y – docosalactone in their formulas, a high-tech ingredient of vegetal origins (rapeseed) which protects the hair on top of repairing it by the action of heat. The hair gains in brightness when it is in contact with the hair dryer. In short, a dream come true !
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Wake up! Treatment Volume UKA47 € |
Nighty Night Treatment Smoothing UKA47 € |
5. The oil working as a shield
Oil, as in the layering, is the final step of the Japanese shine ritual. It provides nutrients to the hair fiber while working as a barrier against external aggressions and the internal moisture’s evaporation. Its oily texture also contributes to adding shine and structure to the hair, provided it is not too greasy !
To avoid this oily effect, Japanese women traditionally choose noble oils full of finesse (like Camellia oil) which they apply on wet hair before combing the hair until complete absorption.
In a bid to gain time and efficiency, Japanese brands have created thin oil formulas highly popular in the country. They penetrate the hair quickly, smell like heaven and bring nutritional benefits (without the inconvenient of oil).
Uka has launched two noble oils and amino acids based hair oils which will save you a lot of time. Rainy Walk, the richer one, brings brightness and smoothes away humidity-related frizz. Windy Lady targets people prone to static charge. A few drops on wet or dried hair will bring the desired softness and shine until the next shampoo !
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Hair Oil Windy Lady UKA40€ |
Hair Oil Rainy Walk UKA40€ |
