Oshima Tsubaki Japanese Camellia Hair Care Oil

While I can rely on natural hair oil to lubricate my hair as I am too lazy to use conditioner (rinsing takes forever!) ...But since my hair is a tad bit on the dry side, I need some external assistance, all the way from Japan: Oshima Tsubaki oil.


I was quite interested in the oil after reading a review from Dalenna , I was even more intrigued after I found out that the oil has been rated the top hair care item at a Japanese beauty ranking system for several years in a roll. I mean, Shiseido even has this Tsubaki shampoo featuring this particular ingredient, why don't I get go ahead and get the real thing. (Sorry, but shiseido tsubaki bottle gives me an auntie vibe.)


Oshima Tsubaki oil comes with a sealed yellow paper box with a big camellia flower on it...It looks a bit old fashioned and I like it a lot (I don't like "women" looking bottle but I am OK with grandma looking ones...go figure.) Inside the box, there is an instruction how to use (towel dry and rub a few drops on the ends) and how many drops to use for each hair length ie. One drop if you it's guy length, two if it's around your neck...


And you really need to follow the instruction since the oil is quite potent and it will turn your head into an oil field if you use one drop too much. (I have learned my lesson...After three mishaps)
The somewhat big bottle contain 60ml of pure Japanese Carmelia oil unlike other hair serum which are mainly silicone.I hate how silicone give out that nasty texture and dull my hair over a couple of uses plus I usually love hair/skin care items with short ingredient list (not necessarily "organic") since it's harder to go wrong with those.

The champagne colored oil seems to have a lower viscosity than grape seed, olive and other cooking oil that it flows quite easily in the tube. On my skin, a few drop gets absorbed pretty quickly and leaves no residue on the skin (so it doesn't even blur my vision when I use it to remove gel liner or as a moisturizer), hair (provided the fact that you use the amount indicated) or the bottle itself.
A thing worth noticing: since the dispenser is an invert dropper bottle in which air goes in and put the liquid out (I am even confusing myself, maybe it will be better after taking Newtonian mechanic) , the more you use them, there will be more space for the air to enter and "push it" The more you have been using it, each "drop" will become bigger.

For example, if you need 3 shakes to get the 3 tiny drop you need at the beginning, after a few weeks, the same 3 shakes will give you three bigger drops and more likely to turn your hair into that of Severus Snape's. (Have I mentioned that this stuff is super potent at a tiny amount?) So it's better to rub some into your arm before hand or use less shake the more space the bottle has.

Anyway, after all Tusbaki oil it's just an oil, not a miracle hair saver. (Nothing should work that way unless you are getting an implant) Lightness wise, it's probably the same as jojoba oil which is widely available in many grocers but this particular oil is good also because of the dispenser. You could get jojoba oil and use a tad bit for your hair but it's no less expensive and it takes much more work figuring out how to pour out the right amount.

It won't do much if you
-tend to be heavy handed with product
-have an established hair/skin care routine
-like your hair to have a nice fragrance (I am anal that I feel violated when other people can smell me...)

You will love Oshima Tsubaki Oil if you
- read instruction
- like scent free products
- like natural hair care items
- prefer minimalist ingredient list
- are too lazy to use/rinse conditioner
- want some natural moisturizer for the skin
- want some weightless moisture for the ends
- want shiny ends but are afraid of silicone build-up

Conclusion
If you are too lazy to even use conditioner, you will be to lazy to use this.(I should have known better.) But it's still a nice hair care product though, at least I can officially say goodbye to conditioner!