Product Review: Arimino Botanical Garden Refining Shampoo for Oily Scalp & Conditioning Mask Moisture Rich

Remember the Shunji Matsuo event we went last month? They gave us quite a fair bit of goodies, and so I'll be reviewing the shampoo and conditioning mask from the Arimino's Botanical Garden series today.

Arimino is a japanese salon brand, so unfortunately you probably can't find it at your normal beauty retail stores. However, you can get it at any Shunji Matsuo salons near you.

Firstly, the Refining Shampoo for Oily Scalp:

Comes in a matte translucent bottle so it's easy to see the contents. It's 250ml, and the product itself is a clear, viscous liquid. The smell itself is a little too 'botanic' for me -- it smells like grassy plants and mint and a little bit like chemicals. But I was surprised when I actually used it. The scent turned more floral and minty when it formed, and there wasn't much of the chemical smell afterwards. The smell is especially invigorating in the morning, as if you had awoken in a garden of wild flowers. Honestly though, the smell is actually quite subtle (for a shampoo), so even if botanical scents aren't your thing, you could probably still give it a try.

As this is intended for oily scalps, if you have a drier scalp, this may be a little too drying for your hair. For me, it worked great in controlling the amount of sebum and oil that my scalp secretes throughout the day. Normally, even if I were to use oil-controlling shampoos such as Clear, my scalp would still be oily at the end of the day. I'm always tempted to wash my hair by then, and only the fact that I'm mostly too tired to wait for my hair to dry afterwards prevent me from doing so.

With Arimino's Refining Shampoo, my scalp only starts to get oily the next day (I wash my hair in the morning, around 8.30am or so). And unlike most shampoos intended for oily scalps, this isn't harsh at all. In fact, it's so light that it hardly foams much. The suds are tiny but it really cleans out all the dirt in your hair. The light minty sensation is a plus for me as well. My head always feels so clean afterwards! The only drawback is that, because it foams quite little, you may be tempted to use more of it. My advice is to slowly work the shampoo into your hair and scalp first, because this product is more potent than it seems. A little goes a long way -- it's why the dispenser for this product only lets you squeeze out a little at a time, I think.

For those who would like to see the ingredients list, it's unfortunately only in Japanese.

I've attempted to capture a bit of how foamy (or unfoamy) the shampoo was, but I'm rather bad at taking photos (*laughs*) so here's a bad blurry photo instead. By the time I've figured out how to take a photo without ruining the camera with my soapy hands, the foam was already gone. It's that fast!

Overall, it's an excellent shampoo if you have oily, sensitive scalps. It is a little on the pricier side though, with a price tag of $58.00. On its own, it may be a little drying for drier, coarser hair, but that's where the Conditioning Mask comes in!

Like its above counterpart, the Conditioning Mask smells like plants and mint, except perhaps stronger. Similarly, the smell actually gets more floral when applied, and to my sense of smell, more pleasant. It's 150g, and the product itself is a rich velvety cream that isn't greasy like most hair masks are.

Somehow this mask makes me a little hungry, and I suspect it's the combination of its creamy texture and somewhat delicious smell. As for the effects, my hair feels smoother and softer after usage, without the greasiness associated with certain hair masks. When combined with the refining shampoo, hair actually feels less coarse for much longer. You know how sometimes when we are in air-conditioned rooms for the entire day, our hair becomes harder and drier quite quickly? With this series my hair actually feels soft for most of the day!

And the best thing about conditioning masks? They're rich like conventional hair masks, but as convenient as hair conditioners. You can actually use this like you do your normal conditioners, or leave it on for a while longer like you do with a mask. Because it's not overly harsh, it won't damage your hair if you use it daily.

Like above, the ingredients list is only in Japanese. ; A ;

But I got a semi-decent shot of the product at least! As you can see the cream is really quite thick in texture, and can retain its conical shape even after some time (I take quite a while to shoot). And the price tag for this one? $50.00. If you are only getting either one of these products, I recommend getting the conditioning mask.


Ratings

Refining Shampoo for Oily Scalp

Application : ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (As mentioned, takes a little getting used to because of the lack of foam.)

Effectiveness : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Does what it says it does, and then some. A little drying.)

Scent : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Smells better than expected. A light, grassy-floral scent with a minty sensation.)

Overall : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Would consider getting this if not for its price!)

Conditioning Mask Moisture Rich

Application : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Love the texture. )

Effectiveness : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Hair feels smoother but not greasier.)

Scent : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Smells better than expected. A light, grassy-floral scent with a minty sensation.)

Overall : ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Would consider getting this if not for its price as well!)

Signing off,

Ringo

Disclaimer: Products were given as part of the Shunji Matsuo event. However, it does not affect the reviews in any way.