Maintaining My Type 4 Hair in Japan

In this article I'll talk about how I maintain my type 4c hair while living in Japan.

The OTHER Overhaul

As I stated in my first article, I did an overhaul of EVERYTHING I thought I would need for Japan. Of course I know they don't have the same hair products as in the US, so I wanted to save myself some trouble, and stock up on some essentials.

My Wash Days BEFORE Living in Japan

Before I came to Japan, I would have a pamper day, dedicated only to my hair. AKA, wash day. I would look online for products and different tricks I could use to have healthy, long hair, and they were working GREAT! I would use black tea when washing my hair. I would use Carol's Daughter on my hair, and natural Shea butter…that belonged to my sister, castor oil, the works. I also use to have a hair massager that I would use after putting conditioner in my hair. I would also French braid my hair for protective styling. It took me HOURS!!!!! It would take me about 30-40 minutes to take it down, then I would deep condition my hair for an hour. I then French braided my hair, which took about 3 hours (I'm not good at it). So, my hair was doing great.

Busy, Busy, Busy?

When I got to Japan, I became so busy. I wanted to meet my old friend, hangout with new friends. I wanted to see Tokyo, see the nightlife, go shopping, go sightseeing, I was stressed out about work, I wanted to drink.... So, I began to spend less and less time on my hair. Since I had in French braids, I didn't want to redo them. Therefore, I would simply wash my hair while STILL in French braids. It was a HUGE mistake.

MY HAIR NIGHTMARE!!

When I FINALLY did want to take down my hair, it would not, and I mean WOULD NOT come down. It was matted, and I didn't know what to do. I looked online and at YouTube for tips and advice, but with everything I tried, nothing worked. I was so so so sad because my hair had grown beautifully, and I threw it all away by being negligent. I knew EXACTLY what I had to do. So, I took a trip to the Philippines with my then boyfriend, now husband, and I decided then that I was ready to cut off my hair. I couldn't take it any longer, so I did my second big chop. It was sad, but I was ready to begin anew.

Going Organic is ALWAYS the Best Option

I was still using Carol's Daughter, and I ordered it from Amazon while living in Japan. HOWEVER, I saw an article that stated that some of Carol's Daughter products can cause cancer. I am not paying someone to kill me, so therefore I wanted to find an organic shampoo and conditioner. I did find some options on Amazon, but they were expensive options. So, I wanted to check the Japanese pharmacy to see if I could find anything. I found a shampoo and conditioner called &Honey. It has become my FAVORITE set. My hair actually loves the product. It says that it has Manuka honey in it, and it says that it is organic. The conditioner is pretty thick considering. However, my husband did tell me that it does contain silicone though, just in case you are a person who tries to stay away from that. But I looked online and it said not ALL silicone is bad, so I'm not sure what kind it has in it LOL. Since it's also easy to get rice, I tried the rice water method for my hair, and it really did work wonders! I bought coconut oil from an import store called Jupiter, I use virgin olive oil from the grocery store, and I got castor oil on my visit to the US. But can buy it online. There is of course Amazon, and another online store called iHerb. It's not impossible to maintain your natural hair. You just have to remember not to become too lazy, that's the hard part for me.