Hello. Ive only been here in Japan for about 2.5 months. I live in Hiroshima City and since the move here, I noticed my scalp has been extremely dry. Ive always had dandruff thats just mild but now its just crazy as f. Also, even with my extremely short hair (Im a woman) i noticed the amount of hair fall on my apartment floor. This never happened to me back home.
Do you have any suggestions what should I do? Im scared for my hair tbh 😣 its a struggle to find products at Japanese stores because of my limited ability to read and understand the language.
13 comments
I’m just arm chairing this, of course. I’ve been to Hiroshima and I haven’t noticed more hair problems. While I know a change in shampoo can cause dandruff, I don’t think it’ll make you lose your hair. I think the fact that you’ve been living in a country where you don’t speak the language for a couple of months may have something to do with that.
There are a couple of things which can cause this (if you search /japanlife you’ll find several topics discussing the same issue)
Many people attribute it to the water quality, so it might be a good idea to switch your shower head to one of those which allow you to change the settings. The “mist” setting can be more gentle on your scalp.
Secondly, Japanese shampoos are designed for Japanese hair. It’s the same reason which took me years to find a barber who knew how to handle “foreign hair”. Try looking for more “natural” shampoos with herbal oils in them etc. Tea tree oil shampoo might do you wonders.
Some cities have higher chlorine levels in the water – get a [chlorine filtering shower head](https://www.amazon.co.jp/s?k=%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A3%E3%83%AF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%98%E3%83%83%E3%83%89+%E5%A1%A9%E7%B4%A0%E9%99%A4%E5%8E%BB+%E3%83%95%E3%82%A3%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC&crid=VL7YC2NFRKKD&sprefix=%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A3%E3%83%AF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%98%E3%83%83%E3%83%89+%E5%A1%A9%E7%B4%A0+%E3%83%95%E3%82%A3%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%2Caps%2C170&ref=nb_sb_ss_pltr-ranker-lnopsacceptance_1_16) (they just screw on, easy to switch) and it will likely make a difference.
Sometimes the pH or mineral content is different from what your used to. Try looking up your hometowns water type and compare it to Hiroshima. You should be able to find the details pretty easily.
i recommend using iHerb to get natural, “western” shampoo. I was able to continue getting what I always used the states, which is shampoo/conditioner by ArtNaturals. Worked really well for me. Shipping is fast too.
I also got a shower filter from Cleansui.
Your aren’t going to lose your hair. It’s an annoying issue. I’ve had the same issue for over 10 years and haven’t lost mine. The solution I’ve found is using mujii jojoba oil, just a squirt.
Thanks as well to other commenters, id never considered the ph level. I might buy a shower head and see if it helps it’s gets worse in the winter.
The hair fall could be due to the stress of moving. It will probably decrease but if you see a noticeable thinning of your hair go to a dermatologist. Most Japanese shampoos and conditioners are too heavy for my fine hair. I get seborrhoeic dermatitis a few times a year. This [shampoo and conditioner](https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B002TEZ8U2/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?crid=216UZRGGYOTW2&keywords=%E6%8C%81%E7%94%B0%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%97%E3%83%BC&qid=1663550202&sprefix=mochida%2Caps%2C449&sr=8-5) help a lot. It works for dandruff as well. It’s a little pricey but since you have short hair you won’t need much. Otherwise Iherb for shampoo.
do you blow dry your hair right after showering? Or you just let nature do it’s own thing and dry it?
I think people are over analysing this. Scalp dryness is probably just the use of air-conditioning – it often dries the air as well as cooling it.
For hair falling out, it could just be that you are *noticing* it more. For example, I notice my hair on the floor more here since I have wooden flooring, where it shows up more than on the carpets in my old place. Hair falling out is normal too, it’s constantly falling out and regrowing, it’s usually normal.
For me it’s the water. I come from a country where the weather quality is great and I noticed when I went home for a few weeks, my hair was so much better.
I had the same issue!!!!! I got a chlorine filtering shower head from amazon, and I use western shampoo/conditioner from iherb
The word for dandruff was one of the first words I learned in Japanese, because I needed to buy some shampoo. They have anti-dandruff products. In general they seemed less strong than US products, but they worked ok for me. Just buy something and see how it goes.
I recently spoke to my hairdresser after I noticed lots of my hair was falling out lately and she informed me that it has to do with the seasons, and most people are dealing with this atm.