Review: Asience Inner Rich Shampoo

I haven’t used conventional shampoo in quite a long time- a few years- but I got my hands on a number of Japanese hair products and wanted to give them a try.  My favorite of the bunch is Kao Asience Inner Rich Shampoo.  It’s also the one I expected to like the least, since it’s formulated for thick, coarse Asian hair and contains sulfates (ALS rather than SLS).  I was sure this shampoo would cause breakage while leaving my hair limp and greasy.  To my surprise, not only did it leave my hair shiny and full of body, I finished the bottle and am contemplating ordering more.

My hair is baby fine, and has lots of follicles (thick) but since each individual hair is fine, it typically looks thin and flat.  My scalp is oily and my ends tend to dry out quickly.  SLS causes my hair to break and split, and also irritates my scalp and causes flakes.  Switching to sulfate-free shampoo bars solved these issues.  I approached this shampoo carefully, as ALS is also a sulfate and I was unsure how my hair and scalp would react to it.

The first thing I noticed was the fragrance.  It’s a rather generic fruity floral, reminiscent of Aussie products.  I don’t hate it, but it’s not a stand out for me either.  The texture of the shampoo is a bit more liquidy than most American shampoos.  It’s not runny by any means, but it’s not so thick.  I like this texture better, since I was able to easily pour only what I needed without squeezing and having a huge glop come out.  The shampoo itself is a pearlescent color, so nothing out of the ordinary there.  It created lots of suds and washed away cleanly.

Asience Inner Rich contains lots of ingredients that are great for hair.  The press reads:

• Contains natural essences of soy and pearl protein, which revitalize hair that has lost protein
• Camellia oil and ginseng extract help the hair retain moisture, and restore suppleness within the hair follicle. Camellia oil in particular has long been used in Asia to nourish the hair and skin, as it is an extremely well absorbed and natural oil extract from the camellia flower.
• Eucalyptus extract protects hair and restores lost shine, while rice germ oil strengthens and moisturizes

It also contains Royal Jelly extract from bees, so vegans would want to give this a pass.

After drying, my hair does feel healthy and looks shiny.  It doesn’t feel dry or brittle, and my scalp doesn’t feel overly stripped or oily, as some moisturizing shampoos  leave it.  My hair has body and bounce, and my bangs- the first place to start looking oily- are fantastic until my next shower.  It doesn’t cause any issues with my scalp either.

I am surprised at how well this shampoo works for my non-Asian, non-coarse hair.  Kao Asience makes two other lines besides Inner Rich, Shine Therapy and Nature Smooth.  Nature Smooth is designed specifically to work with an oily scalp, so I might try that one before purchasing another bottle of Inner Rich.  I love how this shampoo works for me and will repurchase if Nature Smooth does not work well.  I purchased my bottle from Sasa.com, but it’s also easily found on EBay and Amazon.  Information about the Kao Asience line in English can be found at Kao Malaysia here.