This is a hinoki scented shampoo and I'm obsessed!! Hinoki is a type of cypress tree that grows in Japan. I belive it's also grown and much loved in Taiwan as well. The scent is like walking through a cypress forest after a heavy storm; some trees have fallen, and their aromatics have been released into the air. It smells woody, fresh, with a hint of something sharper like citrus. I grew up around old houses made of hinoki and it blew my mind how accurate the scent was to the real thing.
The shampoo itself is gentle and did not leave my hair feeling stripped or dry. I shampoo every day because of my line of work (healthcare), and most shampoos do end up irritating my scalp a little. This one didn't. When I use it in the shower, the steam causes the aromatics to fill the entire bathroom. Legit smells like the sauna in a high end spa.
I've been using this shampoo daily since April of this year and have about a week's worth left. Trying to find something similar to replace it has been difficult. Went to Le Labo, a boutique French beauty brand that supposedly specializes in perfumes. They had a hinoki shampoo, but the scent was so underwhelming I was really disappointed.
Did a bit of research on the company that makes the Taiwanese hinoki shampoo and they seem to be a family run business that processes hinoki into essential oil. No wonder it really smells like the real thing. Anyways, if you like natrual, woody scented shampoo that works well on oily, thick asian hair, I highly recommend this one. The brand is called Kuai Shan Fang and I believe they have one distributor on ebay, which is where I'll likely be reordering.
by shortstacksnaccpack