By: Cai Maroket
An often neglected aspect to beauty is fragrance. The olfactory sense is powerful—the first to be developed upon birth—and can easily affect people’s psychological and emotional states, so why is its importance so easily set aside? Perfumes don’t always get the same attention as make up and skincare do, even though a good scent can give someone just as much of a confidence boost. Body scents are easy enough to come by, though, but what about your hair?
Imagine yourself returning to the office after a lunch out with friends only to remember a scheduled meeting with an important client. Your clothes reek of the barbeque you had, more so your head as each strand of hair is a very absorbent, porous thing—especially in humid climates. Smells, after all, are just lingering particles in the air, waiting to stick to something. As much as it is nice to have your hair remind you of the good lunch you just had, your client might not feel the same way, and perish the thought you come off as unprofessional.
While dry shampoos can do the job okay, sometimes they aren’t enough to mask strong odors and can make your hair stiff when newly washed. On the other hand, body scents can be overwhelming. The perfect solution to help you refresh your hair any time without having to hit the shower? Hair perfume.
My first experience using hair perfume was when I lived in Japan and frequently ate yakiniku with friends. Not only did the barbeque scent stick to me, but so did their cigarette smoke. Thank goodness for a Japanese friend, who was just as particular about scent as I am, who handed me her can of Shiseido Ma Cherie Hair Fragrance. It makes me wonder if the importance of not just looking but also smelling clean is something cultural to them considering the variety of hair fragrances they have is nearly as vast as their impressive range of KitKat flavors. In any case, I’ve since made it a point to buy myself a few cans every time I find myself in Tokyo. Not only does it make your hair smell like you’ve just stepped out of the shower, it doesn’t hurt your wallet either! Bye bye, barbeque hair.
