[My Hair Care]

Hair changes with age. Repeated coloring and perming may have an impact, but other telltale signs of aging hair include increased hair loss, noticeable gray hairs, and hair that floats and wavy hair. When I was a child, my hair had a shine that surrounded the top of my head without my having to do anything to it, which is a sign that the cuticles are in good condition. I would like to share some “little things” that I have recently adopted to take care of my changing hair.

First, before washing your hair. Brush it dry and thoroughly. Boldly brush your hair from right to left, back to front, in a direction you don't brush through when you style your hair. Brushing without regard to parting helps to lift dirt from the scalp and hair, and also helps to prevent tangling and friction when washing hair. Brushing well and pre-washing thoroughly will also help shampoo to lather.

After washing, wet hair should not be scrubbed, as the cuticle tends to peel off easily. Use a towel only to absorb water by patting it dry, and then wipe with a tenugui. Since moisture tends to accumulate at the root of the hair, apply the wet tenugui as if massaging the scalp, allowing air to flow through the skin and between the hair and the hair. Wrapping the tenugui around the head will absorb excess moisture very quickly and reduce hair dryer time.

Start drying when the skin and ends of the hair are still moist and wet. Always hold the hair dryer above your head and direct the wind from above to loosen the roots both sideways and backward. When the roots are dry, pull with light pressure as if hand-combing from the surface of the hair and dry the hair from the middle to the ends as well. By directing the wind from above so that it is parallel to the hair, the cuticles of the hair will be aligned. Once the cuticles are in place, the hair will be more manageable with just a hand comb. The final touch is to brush the hair again. After roughly combing while stimulating the roots and determining the flow of hair, carefully brush the hair in the following order: surface, inside by lifting one strand of hair, and surface to create shine.

Okai Mafu Shoten's Linen Tenugui and Kanaya Brush's Hairbrush are being used with great success in this daily hair care routine. The Linen Tenugui is made of linen and dries quickly. It has a firmness that makes it easy to wrap around the head without tying it tightly, yet it is lightweight and non-steaming, making it very comfortable after a bath. It absorbs and evaporates moisture rapidly, so there is no need to scrub your hair and it does not damage the cuticles.

Kanaya Brush's Hairbrush is a mixture of boar and pig bristles. The bristles are dense enough to provide a good surface contact with the scalp, and the moderate firmness and uneven tips provide moderate stimulation for a very pleasant scalp massage. The natural bristles have just the right amount of oil, so the more you brush, the smoother your hair becomes and the shinier it becomes.

I have never felt such soft and moderate stimulation, smoothness, and shine with a brush made of natural hair. It is also nice to know that static electricity, which can cause cuticles to peel off in the coming season, is less likely to occur. My hair situation changes with age, but the shine that surrounds the top of my head seems to be coming back.

Kanaya Brush's Hairbrush (*The price will increase soon, so please consider it as soon as possible.)
https://www.shokunin.com/en/kanaya/hair.html
Okai Mafu Shoten's Linen Tenugui
https://www.shokunin.com/en/okai/tenugui.html