As we all know, a good hair and scalp scrub product really goes a long way to getting all that gunk off your scalp and hair and ensuring your hair looks healthy, glossy and with less hair loss. Personally, I have really flaky scalp for as long as I remembered, it should have been roughly 10+ years around the time when I was working in a cafe. Oh! The days when I was so tired to even wash my hair to the point I went 3 to 4 days without even washing my hair.

It didn't help that my hair was so long back then, the ends of my hair actually reached my butt crack and that was the only time my hair was the longest. Add in the fact that working in a cafe is essentially a solid F&B job. And this translates to sweat, sweat and more sweat. And grime, gunk, whatever thingamabob was accumulating on my mostly ignored scalp.

And I was so young back then, clueless about hair products other than just shampoo. (You can just go ahead and call me a bimbo, since I was such a klutzy bimbo back then. But with brown hair.) It didn't help that I didn't know I should massage the shampoo into my hair and scalp back then. So, you can only imagine how flaky my scalp was at that point. And silly me thought it was only dandruff, only to use so many different types of dandruff shampoo and realizing none of them works. All that accumulated gunk and grime on my scalp throughout the years only encouraged my scalp to get so flaky as time passes.

And did I mentioned that I wasn't that Internet savvy as well? The Internet 10 years ago to me was simply checking friendster, MySpace and similar websites. But fast forward 10 years to now, beauty products are literally the biggest thing amongst female bloggers, YouTubers and consumers everywhere. Plus another factor. Smart phones! It is really easy now to check out a product's customer feedback and reviews prior to spending cold hard cash on a product that may or may not work.

Anyway, when I first read, saw and heard about this product, I know I need to give this a try due to my scalp condition. But first, I requested for a small sample pot to give this a try as I personally have read reviews about how coarse the salt itself is but yet at the same time seemingly gentle on the scalp as the product itself gradually starts to dissolve as soon as you add water to it.

In short, I have tried the sample pot and the actual retail product that I bought myself for a couple of weeks, almost close to a month now. I started out using this product at least 2 times a week since my hair looks massively oily when I sweat a lot, hence more flaky "results" to test this product on. By the 2nd or 3rd week from using this product, I lessened it to once a week usage and I can say the results are good for me and my scalp especially.

9 Facts about Green Tea & Hair Scrub

• Hair Loss: Green tea contains a high amount of anti-oxidants that actually helps to promote hair growth. The catechins in it have 5-alpha-reductase inhibiting properties that help block DHT (Dihydrotestosterone), one of the key causes of hair loss. It can also help to promote the growth of new hair and prevent common problems like dry scalp and dandruff.


• Vitamin B2, C, E & Polyphenols: A natural remedy that is essential and helpful for hair problems such as dryness, split ends etc, and most hair conditioners contain this essential vitamin. It also helps to soften hair, leaving hair less brittle.


• Anti-inflammatory Properties: Which proved to be very helpful in stopping hair loss gradually overtime.


• EGCG or Epigallocatechin Gallate: This can be found in green tea, which is a very good component for stimulating hair growth.


• Treating excessive scalp flaking & dandruff: Green tea has good antiseptic properties, making it helpfully essential in reducing inflammation, which helps prevent and even cure dandruff and psoriasis. In fact, green tea is thought to aid in exfoliating dry flakes that are usually formed due to the dandruff presence in one’s hair.
  
• Clean & Balanced Scalp: It encourages strong hair follicles, so you get lustre locks and a full head of thick hair, instead of lacklustre locks and a head of thinning hair


• Scalp Buildup: Our scalp is very similar to our skin, albeit with more oil glands and hair follicles. This means thar sebum and dead skin cells can build up, causing oiliness and flaking, particularly if you’re prone to dermatitis or psoriasis. A build-up of sebum and dead skin cells blocks the pores, and leads to increased shedding.


• Massaging: At least 10 minutes in the shower as it leaves your hair super clean, removing flakes while maintaining the pH value and moisturising the scalp. If you use shampoo or hair scrub with salt in it's list of ingredients, be sure to follow it up with conditioner.


• Using Hair Growth Tonic: If you suffer from hair loss throuhout the years, using a hair scrub prior to applying hair growth tonic is beneficial as a hair scrub essentially cleanse your scalp of grime, gunk and buildup which ensures your hair follicle is now clean and more ready to receive the nutrients easily.

The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Refreshingly Purifying Cleansing Hair Scrub is a new, nature-inspired approach to haircare. This invigorating scrub shampoo blends Japanese green tea, mint menthol, salt crystals and Community Trade honey from Ethiopia.

Massage onto the scalp to help stimulate blood flow and whisk away impurities like dust, smoke, sweat and styling residue. This purifying hair scrub will make your scalp feel instantly refreshed, help reduce build-up on hair and scalp and leaves you and your crowning glory feeling revitalised with a healthy-looking shine.

The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Refreshingly Purifying Cleansing Hair Scrub is enriched with Japanese green tea and Community Trade honey from Ethiopia. Definitely 100% vegetarian and formulated without silicones, and mostly importantly, not tested on animals.

The Store Manager told me that it is best to give the pot a thorough stir prior to using it for the very first time as it contains not just salt but also liqiud. Stirring the pot first ensures the entire pot of product is well-mixed evenly. But for the benefit of this blog post, I decided against stirring it to give readers a first look at how the product looks like inside the pot.

Personally, I found that the so-called coarse salt that everyone talks about isn't really that visible although it did really feel coarse , it doesn't scratch or hurt my scalp at all. The product actually looks a little like coarse white glue but literally melts as soon as you add in a little water and start massaging it up.

The scent is simply heavenly, a large whiff of Japanese Green Tea that instantly calms your mind and nerves. Scent do play an important part just prior to a shower session, such as this product. The scent of green tea instantly relaxes me in mind and body, and as such, showering time can become a spa-like experience without having to break the bank for a session at an actual spa. And not forgetting the mint, it actually cools the scalp after usage, further letting your scalp and hair feel more relaxed.

In the giphy video above, you can see the The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Refreshingly Purifying Cleansing Hair Scrub is easily spreadable and massagable as soon water is incorporated in. Just a little small amount, roughly the size of a 5-cent or 10-cent coin amount is enough to work up a rich lather, depending on how much buildup you have on your hair and scalp prior to using this product.

4W's & Reliability

• Who should use this: For people whose hair type range from normal to oily hair and scalp to moderate scalp buildup. If your scalp have a lot of buildup, you might need to use it more regularly to eventually see and feel the results and benefits.


• What does the product promise(s): Hair feels clean and purified with a healthy-looking shine, and I can attest to it. Previously, I washed my hair at least 2 times in a row simply because my scalp still feel like there's something leftover stuck on it. But after using this, my hair and scalp seemed to feel as if I had dropped off and kick away a heavy burden on my head. And my hair definitely looked so much nicer, healthier-looking and it smelled so Zen.


• Where can you get this: You can buy The Body Shop Fuji Green Tea Refreshingly Purifying Cleansing Hair Scrub from any The Body Shop outlet throughout Singapore at S$29.00 for a 240ml (352g) pot. Alternatively, You can request for a small sample pot to try-test at home to gauge if you have any allergies to it or if the product might be a little too coarse on your scalp.


• Why you should try this: If you have spent time, effort and money trying to find that perfect hair scrub to give your hair and scalp a thorough and refreshing cleanse, this is definitely the one product you cannot afford to miss.


• How good is this product: On a personal note, I find that this product really cleanses my hair and scalp from accumulated buildup.And as of now, I haven't been scratching at my scalp unnecessarily for almost month already. Although the downside to this product is that it leaves my hair really dry. But I think it's worth it as my scalp has never felt so clean before.
• Long-lasting fragrance on my hair, no further need for perfumed hair spray

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Really cleanses my hair and scalp
• The scent is really nice, it is relaxing and soothing for me
• My scalp actually feel less itchy since 90% of buildup has been scrubbed away
• Extremely gentle on the scalp despite the product looking coarse

Cons:

• As much as it effectively remove buildup from my hair and scalp, the ends of my hair ended up being dry, hence, a good hair moisturiser is needed due to the oil-removing contents

Ratings:

Convenience: 10/10 - Due to the fact that I can have my own spa experience in the comforts of my home. Plus the fact that a little goes a long way means this product can last almost a full year for me

Effectiveness: 10/10 - For the first time in my life, for the past 10-ish years at least, I didn't scratch my scalp endlessly as soon as I sweat a little. So yeah, this product is really effective for me

Packaging: 8.5/10 - Well, I was expecting a slightly sturdier container. But then it's The Body Shop, so plastic containers are pretty much the norm

Price: 8.5/10 - Seems a tad expensive but if you are using this at least once a week only, it can last for quite some time. But if you have lots of buildup on your scalp that you need to continuously use it at least 2 to 3 times a week, or if your entire family is using it, it won't last long. But since I am using this alone, I find the price reasonable for an effective product

Overall Rating: 9.5/10 - I'm glad The Body Shop came up with such a innovative product and I sure hope it's a permanent product so I needn't have to scramble to find an alternative if they suddenly stopped production. 7/10 review webites I visited had an overall majority of positive comments prior to buying this product, which made me all the more determined to give this product a try. Also, the cons itself are relatively few and not that hard to tackle, so it's still a highly recommended product from me.