System Hinoki for Thinning Hair Review: 1 Month Update

Press Sample

Something that I know many women out there experience, but don't like talking about, is thinning hair. It's not just an old man's problem, it can happen to us too and a lot earlier than you think! Due to hormones going crazy during pregnancy, breastfeeding and pre-menopause among other things, even women in their 20s and 30s can experience hair loss. For me, I began to have thinning hair after having my second child and it has persisted through having the third and breastfeeding. I am still nursing, so I do think that is a contributing factor to how long it's lasted, but I'm ready to try and kick this hair loss outta here. I was very excited to try System Hinoki from Hayashi (I admit, mainly because hinoki oil is Japanese (>w<)) and I want to share my experience over the past month with you.

System Hinoki contains 4 products:

Hinoki Shampoo: 10.1oz | Volumizing cleanser for fine and thinning hair.
Hinoki Conditioner: 10.1oz | A "weight-free" texturizing rinse for thinning hair.
Hinoki Thickener: 10.1oz | A highly concentrated leave-in formula of "weight-free" ingredients that infuse the hair fiber with increased diameter.
Hinoki Plus: 10.1oz | Leave-in scalp conditioner with pure Hinoki oil.

From the Hinoki.com website:

HOW TO USE THE PRODUCTS

The order in which you should use the System Hinoki products is 1. Shampoo, 2. Conditioner, 3. Hinoki Plus (leave-in scalp conditioner), 4. Hair Thickener (leave-in body booster). For best results, use all four products every time you cleanse and condition your hair. If your scalp begins to itch, only use the Hinoki Plus every third use of the other products. The shampoo and conditioner are used the same as any other wash out shampoo and conditioner. The Hinoki Plus should be applied to damp hair, directly on the scalp, by separating hair with fingers or a comb and spraying directly onto the scalp, then repeating until adequate coverage is achieved. Then, use your fingertips (never fingernails!) to massage the product further into the scalp. Finally, while hair is still damp, apply the Hair Thickener by squirting a generous amount into the palm of your hand, then rubbing your hands together and apply to hair from root to ends, working it in for full coverage of the lengths of your hair. Style as usual.


My first impressions were pretty good. The products have a sweet, floral scent that's reminiscent of baby powder and not too overpowering. The shampoo lathered up well and cleansed my hair and scalp nicely, without drying it out. The conditioner wasn't super creamy, so I had to use a little more to get the desired creaminess, and didn't leave my hair feeling as hydrated as I would like, but it did have more volume and thickness than usual. One of the things you get less of with volumising products is usually hydration as the more moisture in your hair, the more it gets weighed down, so it's not uncommon for them to be a little drying. The PR contact from Hayashi told me not to use the Hinoki Plus every day if I found it too drying or my scalp began to itch, as it contains alcohol in order to allow the ingredients to penetrate into the scalp. If you have very dry hair or a sensitive scalp, this is something you should be aware of. These are the ingredients in the shampoo and conditioner:

Hinoki Shampoo Ingredients

Hinoki Conditioner Ingredients

Hair day 1

Hair after 1 month

It's a little hard to tell in pictures, but I do feel that my hair is slightly thicker and I have more baby hair starting grow in. For one month, it's not a huge difference, but I only wash my hair once every 2 or 3 days, not every day. They recommend that you use the system for 3 months to really see the effects. I am worried that it might be a little drying to my bleached ends, so I try to just keep the shampoo and conditioner on my scalp and mid-lengths. As it's meant for reducing hair loss and volumising, which usually happens at the scalp anyway, I'm ok with using it like that.

I will be posting again to update you on how it's going in the next couple of months, so keep an eye out! Please let me know if you have any questions or anything you'd like me to address in my next post :)