My hair is fine, straight, and naturally blonde (but I color it with henna monthly). It’s not thick by any means, and of course I would like it to be thicker. I’ve tried some popular Western products like Nioxin (which burned and gave me a very red scalp) and even Rogaine (no results at all, but that might be because I do not have actual baldness), Biotin vitamins and various shampoos with no success.
Then I came across a praising review of a Japanese product Kaminomoto Hair Accelerator. I bought it with little hope. It’s available on eBay, Amazon, and YesStyle in two scents - Lemon and Floral. I picked lemon.
Kaminomoto Hair Accelerator promises the following:
Prevent split ends and breakage
Help achieve and maintain a healthy scalp
Improve and prevent dandruff and hair loss
Promote hair growth
The clear liquid comes in a 150ml bottle with a small nozzle-type dispenser. The manufacturer says that one should go through 1-1.5 bottles a month. That seems a little excessive to me,and my bottle lasted me longer than that. Closer to two months, I think.
Active ingredients:
Kamigen K - improves circulation
CS-Base - activates hair’s natural growth and protective processes
Hinokitiol - encourages hair growth by stimulating the roots
Vitamin B6 - normalizes sebum (oil) production
β-Glycyrrhetinic Acid - reduces itchiness and inflammation
Propylene Glycol - moisturizes
Salicylic Acid - reduces dandruff and gently exfoliates
How to use:
Apply generously to scalp (dry or wet) twice a day
Massage to promote absorption and blood circulation
Wash your hair at least every 2-3 days
My impressions:
I used the Kaminomoto Hair Accelerator after every shampoo (so every 2-3 days) on wet scalp and every night before bed on dry scalp. The nozzle makes it easy and convenient to drip the product directly onto the skin. The texture is watery and the product dries quickly once applied. If you are like me and don’t wash your hair daily, no worries - Kaminomoto will not make your roots greasy or oily. In fact, it balances out the sebum production and even kept my hair looking fresh longer. Using it once to twice a day, the bottle lasted me several months. There were some days when I forgot or got lazy, but I still saw results.
The biggest noticeable change was in the amount of shedding/losing hair (which is a normal process for everyone, but I still wanted to limit mine). I’m careful with my hair and use special combs and brushes to gently detangle it, yet after every shower I used to get quite a few strands left in the brush or in my hands. After the hair accelerator, that number has decreased to maybe 1-2 hairs after a wash (from maybe 10-12 hairs before). I also noticed quicker growth. Since I color my hair every 4 weeks, and have for years, I know what my roots look like between color treatments. While using Kaminomoto, I’ve had to switch to coloring hair every 3 weeks because the blonde roots were long and noticeable. I do not have dandruff or an itchy scalp, so I cannot speak about those claims. Be patient with the results - the product works by healing and stimulating the roots, so it takes some time to see positive changes.
Overall, I am very pleased with the product and would purchase it again. The only reason I haven’t yet is because I am testing other things at the moment. To read more hair care reviews, click here.
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