Discovering Shu Uemura’s Art of Hair: Cleansing Oil Shampoo (Gentle Radiance) & Color Lus

I’ve invested in hair care and treating my hair as well as possible over the last year or two, because I am getting married next year. I have very fine, blonde, colour-treated hair, that is difficult to grow long and healthy because my hair type is generally very porous and prone to damage and breakage. Hence growing my hair is such a challenge!

In saying that, I have always spent quite a bit of money on keeping my hair in ‘shape’; using quality salon hair care products at home and colouring my hair only in a salon, which requires regular salon visits. I think most of us beauties are happy to ‘spend’ big on haircare (like skincare) because our hair has such an impact on how we look and feel.

I have reviewed ‘drugstore’ or supermarket brands of haircare for the blog, with some success and some failures. Generally speaking my hair responds better to salon brands, because they tend to be gentler and much more nourishing for my hair type, without weighing it down and making it a grease ball lol… I love trying out new products of course, so recently after finishing a lot of half empty shampoo bottles (was THAT a challenge!) I was finally able to pick up something new. Enter Shu Uemura Art of Hair products. Shu Uemura has produced hair care products for some years now, however, these products were not easy to get a hold of in Australia. They finally became more widely available online thanks to Adore Beauty becoming an official stockist a year or two ago, as well as Mecca Cosmetica (both in their stand alone boutiques and online) and Hair House Warehouse. I’m sure a few smaller retailers also stock the brand now. I buy a lot of my beauty related products from Adore Beauty, and received the Shu Uemura Colour Lustre Conditioner as a freebie (it was a deluxe sample) and needless to say, I wanted to purchase the full sized product 😅

The height of beautiful haircare, Japanese brand Shu Uemura Art of Hair, embraces natural products, and groundbreaking science with the passion and creativity of artistic expression in each product. The wide range of hair care products is designed to nourish and protect hair with ingredients to enhance and manage all hair types.

Shu Uemura Art of Hair products generally appeal to me due to their beautiful minimalistic yet eye catching packaging: each product is packaged in a bold colour that dominates, without the need for other bells and whistles. The idea that hair care is a ‘ritual’ just as much as skincare is, also appeals to me. Japanese culture is known for turning everyday routines into ‘rituals’ that not only fulfilled their purpose but are also good for your soul or wellbeing.

I decided to first try Shu’s famous Cleansing Oil Shampoo 🚿 Shu Uemura is well known for both their skincare and makeup lines, but a stand out product in their offering has to be their cleansing oils (oil based cleansing & makeup removers). It makes sense that they’ve turned this cult product and ‘idea’ into a shampoo formula! My fine and damaged hair needs a gentle cleanser, that gets rid of impurities and built up oil in the roots, but yet is gentle for my delicate hair. There’s nothing worse than a harsh shampoo or cleanser, that just leaves your hair feeling like hair and exposed to the ‘elements’ and damage.

cleansing oil shampoo for all hair types details

This cleansing oil shampoo, for all hair types, is formulated with delicate ingredients that leave the hair balanced with both moisture and volume, without stripping the scalp of its natural oils. The paraben free and silicone free shampoo transforms into a rich foam that effectively draws out the impurities and buildup on the scalp leaving soft, shiny hair with a lightweight finish. Safe on colored hair so your hair color can thrive without sacrificing the health of your hair. key ingredient

Onsen inspired ferment: Onsen is known in Japan for its purification properties to cleanse and nourish the hair. Onsen-Inspired Ferment is drawn from volcanic sources, situated 2000m deep off the California coast, and is renowned for its ancestral benefits on the mind and body.

how to use cleansing oil shampoo:

1. apply a quarter-size amount of the shampoo to wet hair.

2. massage into scalp using fingers and palms.

3. rinse thoroughly.

*Use as your daily shampoo or at least once a week as a pre-cleanse treatment before your preferred shampoo and conditioner routine. For oilier scalps, repeat steps 1-3.

Shu Uemura makes a few different oil cleaning shampoos (for different hair types) but this pale yellow formula is the ‘original’ and a good place to start I think ☺️💚

I like that Adore Beauty call this the Gentle Radiance shampoo, because gentle cleansing is exactly what I am after! The shampoo is a pale yellow, which you can see from the clear bottle the shampoo is housed in, but it looks clear in the palm of your hand. It has a consistency of a light shampoo – it still has a gel-sticky like viscosity if that makes sense. It has a beeeeautiful light floral scent, that is both sophisticated and fresh 🌸🌿🌼🌻💦

Shu mentions that you can use the Cleansing Oil Shampoo as a pre cleanse treatment, but I haven’t tried this. Mostly because the shampoo formula does contain SLS (sodium laureth sulfate) a cleansing agent, so I don’t know how moisturising it would be. But as a shampoo? It’s wonderful! I wouldn’t say the shampoo gives you a ‘rich lather’ like Shu says, but it lathers nicely. I think lather and foam fans will still appreciate the amount of lather the shampoo produces 🛁 The shampoo spreads easily on your scalp and through your hair. My hair and scalp is left feeling clean but not stripped. My hair lengths don’t feel completely parched!

*Tip* I try to not shampoo my hair lengths  – I think when you rinse your shampoo from your scalp, the water and diluted shampoo runs through your the lengths and end of your hair, leaving them cleansed but extra gently.

I thought I would need to shampoo my hair twice with this shampoo since it contains sunflower, coconut and apricot seed oil, but you know what? Nope! The oils don’t leave an oily residue in your hair – and trust me, if it did, by very fine hair would be the first one to show it! So that’s pretty amazing. I can get away with one shampoo and it gets rid of all dirt and oil build up, plus styling products. When I have shampooed my hair twice, my hair still felt ok (not dehydrated and parched). I think the oils in the shampoo formula counter-act any dryness or harsh repercussions that may otherwise appear when using SLS (a very effective cleanser).

I LOVE that the shampoo comes in a pump bottle. Extra points for Shu for practicality! I bought the 400ml bottle of the Cleansing Oil Shampoo, because it’s such a good deal and will save me from buying shampoo any time soon 😅  You can also purchase it in a smaller 140ml bottle and you still get a pump dispenser, ha! I payed $68 AUD for my 400ml shampoo from Adore Beauty. Would I repurchase this shampoo and recommend it? YES! 🥳🥳🙌🏾

The ‘original’ Cleansing Oil (Gentle Radiance) Shampoo is recommended for all hair types, but you can also pick up a cleansing oil shampoo for very oily scalps, Anti Oil Astringent Oil Shampoo and an Anti Dandruff Soothing Oil Shampoo. I LOVE that Shu does oil cleansing shampoos for oily hair and those suffering from dandruff, because shampoos for those hair and scalp concerns are generally extremely harsh on hair and drying for scalps…

ingredients 

Aqua / Water ● Sodium Laureth Sulfate ● Mipa-Laureth Sulfate ● Sodium Chloride ● Cocamidopropyl Betaine ● Glycerin ● Peg-18 Castor Oil Dioleate ● Propylene Glycol ● Peg-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate ● Alcohol ● Tocopherol ● Sodium Benzoate ● Sodium Citrate ● Sodium Hydroxide ● Phenoxyethanol ● Thermus Thermophillus Ferment ● Safflower Glucoside ● Ppg-5-Ceteth-20 ● Polyquaternium-53 ● Salicylic Acid ● Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil / Sunflower Seed Oil● Limonene● Linalool● Gentiana Lutea Root Extract ● Isopropanolamine ● Persea Gratissima Oil / Avocado Oil ● Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract / Rosemary Leaf Extract ● Butylene Glycol ● Citronellol ● Citrus Junos Fruit Extract ● Potassium Sorbate ● Bht ● Citric Acid ● Laureth-5 Carboxylic Acid ● Laureth-2 ● Parfum / Fragrance

And now onto the Colour Lustre, Brilliant Glaze Conditioner! 🌟 I just love the name…. ‘brilliant glaze’ just sounds soooo glossy, healthy and other-worldly 💛🪐💫

color lustre conditioner for color-treated hair details

This hair conditioner for colored hair provides lightweight conditioning from mid-lengths to ends, giving your hair a weightless glazed shine.

how to use color lustre conditioner:

1. apply conditioner to wet hair.

2. massage onto mid-lengths and ends.

3. rinse thoroughly.key ingredientsMusk Rose Oil: Infused with Musk Rose Oil, known for its inherent healing properties, the oil is rich in fatty acids that deeply nourish and strengthen the hair fiber. Goji Berry Extract: The formula is loaded with antioxidant-rich goji berry extract to keep protect the hair from fading.

As mentioned, before purchasing the full sized product, I received a deluxe sample of this conditioner from Adore Beauty. The first time I used it, I used too much because it’s quite a ‘light’ conditioner. It’s like a lotion – not a rich or heavy balm. My hair was over-weighed, flat and while being suuuuper soft, my hair became greasy at the roots very quickly. The second time I used the conditioner, I used a smaller amount and kept the conditioner further away from the root/scalp. The result? I haven’t had SOFTER hair in years! Not even after other heavier hair treatments. It felt like a miracle! I’m that dramatic about it because the effect was dramatic. Blonde hair doesn’t have pigment in the hair shaft – that means it doesn’t reflect light well and thus is often matter looking and not shiny. It also become porous and you generally need a lot of product or heavy hydrators and oils to make it feel really soft. That’s why I was SO surprised that this conditioner worked so well to soften my hair, leave it feeling silky and yes, glossy!

However… after buying the full sized conditioner, Ive noticed my hair is way more parched and dry, so the conditioner doesn’t give me such a magical effect anymore 😩 I have to use a lot of conditioner atm and that means I’m going to get through the 250ml bottle quickly. Because it’s a thin, light conditioner, if you have very long hair or very thick hair, you may also use more conditioner and run out of it quickly (making it an expensive exercise). BUT, if your hair shaft is healthy and not too damaged, I think you will be fine. My hair is just extra dry and porous atm. The needs of your hair change over time, so while I’m not going to repurchase this conditioner immediately, I will in future.

The Colour Lustre conditioner has a floral scent that’s also a little bit fruity…. it’s an ‘expensive’ “I’ve just been to the salon scent“ but isn’t OTT.

The Shu Uemura Colour Lustre, Brilliant Glaze Conditioner retails at $58 AUD via Adore Beauty. It also come with a pump dispenser which is brilliant 🌟 All hair care product bottles are made from sturdy plastic even though they may look like glass sometimes… Red is my favourite colour so I love the bold, bright & brilliant red packaging colour of the Glaze product line ❤️ There’s also a shampoo in the range and a mask, which I can’t wait to try both products but especially the mask!

ingredients 

Aqua / Water ● Sodium Laureth Sulfate ● Coco-Betaine ● Laureth-5 Carboxylic Acid ● Cocamide Mipa ● Glycerin ● Sodium Chloride ● Quaternium-33 ● Alcohol ● Tocopherol ● Sodium Benzoate ● Sodium Acetate ● Sodium Citrate ● Sodium Hydroxide ● Phenoxyethanol ● Safflower Glucoside ● Ppg-5-Ceteth-20 ● Peg-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate ● Behentrimonium Methosulfate ● Polyquaternium-10 ● Salicylic Acid ● Gentiana Lutea Root Extract ● Isostearyl Neopentanoate ● Amodimethicone ● Propylene Glycol ● Isopropyl Alcohol ● Propyl Gallate ● Rosa Canina Fruit Oil ● Cetyl Alcohol ● Citronellol ● Bht ● Citric Acid ● Parfum / Fragrance.

I have certainly enjoyed my Shu Uemura Art of Hair experience and can’t WAIT to try more of their products! Have you tried any of them Beauties? Do you prefer supermarket haircare brands and to save your pennies, or do you lean towards salon brands?

Catch ya next time!

Beauty Bee~

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