Masami Natural Hair Care Review: Runway-Quality Products For Everyone

Finding hair care products that are not only derived from the ocean but help preserve the ocean are hard to come by. Enter Masami natural hair care products.

As someone who uses organic and botanical ingredients in as many of my everyday products, Masami sounded in line with my philosophy. I already knew of the many health benefits of seaweed, since I eat it regularly. But, I had rarely run across seaweed in personal care products.

My spouse and I decided to try 3 of their most popular products to see how the Mekabu affected our hair. And while the packaging the products came in were fairly minimal, the extra baggies seemed a bit wasteful to us. 

Each product came in it’s own cloth drawstring bag. Which, while soft and nice looking, we had no practical application for. So, for us, these were just something else to either discard or that would sit in a junk drawer until who knows when.

What I first noticed about the Masami Hydrating Shampoo was how sleek it looked. The bottle this shampoo comes in is really aesthetically pleasing with the darker green body and silver top. 

I loved the scent of this shampoo, but it was a bit too thick for me. This made it hard to get out of the bottle since there isn’t a squeeze cap. Neither bottle squeezes effectively and you have to unscrew the top to get the product out. We both ended up dropping the lids multiple times, and sometimes had a difficult time getting the product out of the bottle. 

Even with that issue though, the shampoo comes out with the appearance more similar to a conditioner. A little can go a long way with this product, which is probably a good thing, since it doesn’t lather up as much as I’m used to. Plus, the shampoo costs $38 for a 10 ounce bottle, which is pretty pricey.

And because I have slightly oilier hair, this hydrating shampoo wasn’t the best option for me. However, it worked really well for my spouse who has drier scalp and hair. He continues to use it regularly and loves it. For me, I had to switch back to the Briogeo because this shampoo was weighing my hair down too much.

Upon unscrewing the cap of the Mekabu Hydrating Conditioner, my spouse and I both commented about how much we loved the scent. This conditioner is one of the best smelling conditioners we’ve ever had the pleasure of using. It reminded us of our youth and some of the products we both used then, but couldn’t put our finger on. 

When it comes out of the bottle, it’s white with some specks of brown mottled throughout. I’m not really sure what those brown specks are, but they feel a bit rougher, like an exfoliant. The issue with both the shampoo and the conditioner is the practical application, however.

This conditioner immediately felt much too thick for my hair upon application. It made my hair extremely slick in the shower. And upon rinsing I pulled out much more hair than I’m used to. I can’t say why that is, but it was a little concerning at the time. 

My hair was pretty greasy after using the conditioner, which is why my hair is tucked behind my ear.

While my spouse loves this product for how well it hydrates his dry hair, I had the opposite reaction. Since my hair is already pretty well hydrated and I have a slightly oilier scalp, this product just made my hair and scalp oilier. I had to discontinue use of it after trying it 3 times.

I highly suggest it for dry to normal hair though, if you can manage the $38 price tag for a 10 ounce bottle.

The Mekabu Hydrating Shine Serum is supposed to make your hair shinier than normal for a healthy glow. The directions say to use a few drops and work through towel dried hair. Or you can use it on dry hair also, if need be. A little of this product goes a long way. Which is a good thing, since it’s only a 2 ounce bottle for $34.

My spouse used this product quite a few times and loved it. He said it made his hair feel exceptionally hydrated and gave it a bit more shine than he’s used to.

However, as much as he loved this product, it didn’t perform as well for me. Almost immediately, my hair was oily and greasy. I waited a little while to see if it might soak in better, but it did not. I ended up having to use some dry shampoo to help combat the extra oil.

Due to my experiences with the products, they seem to be a much better fit for those with a more dry scalp and hair, than someone like myself.

Masami doesn’t use any of the most common controversial, potentially harmful, or toxic ingredients in their formulations. These products include:

• Silicone – can prevent nutrients and moisture from penetrating into the hair follicle
• Phthalates – linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, and endocrine disruption
• Parabens – endocrine disruptors

Besides doing what they can to ensure their products don’t contain any toxic ingredients, they also put as many naturally beneficial ingredients in their products.

Since their company is founded on the Japanese wisdom of using Mekabu, this only makes sense. The Mekabu they use is sourced from a local Japanese family who has a 71 year track record of harvesting and manufacturing this specific crop.

In addition to using Mekabu powder in every product, they also use:

• Kelp – helps thicken hair
• Blueberry – aids in hair growth
• Aloe – helps strengthen hair, reduces itchy scalp, and promotes hair growth
• Coconut Oil – moisturizes the scalp and hair
• Apricot Kernel Oil – promotes hair growth and strength, reduces dryness

All of these ingredients are meant to hydrate your hair through more advanced nutrition. Which is fantastic. However, nowhere does this brand mention where they source their ingredients from, nor do they state anywhere whether they are:

• Organic
• Fair Trade
• Ethically Sourced

I’ve run across the same issue with regard to where their manufacturing facilities are.

On each product, they are labeled “Made in the USA.” However, I couldn’t find any mention of their manufacturing facilities on their website or on any of the other sites I usually search out to find this information. And since I was unable to procure where their actual facilities are, there is also no way to tell which certifications they have, if any, in that aspect also.

This lack of transparency gives me great pause on an otherwise great product line. So, while I’d like to say the product is high quality, there is really no way to know for sure until the company becomes more transparent. But, they certainly feel like higher quality products.

When it comes to natural hair care, there are a lot of things to consider. Natural doesn’t always mean the same thing to every person. And just because something is naturally derived, doesn’t mean it’s helping your hair or the environment.

In the case of Masami Mekabu Hair Care Products though, they may just be worth it. This line is meant to hydrate and moisturize like other products do not. They do make sure their Mekabu powder is ethically sourced for all of their products, which is extremely beneficial. However, there is a significant lack of transparency regarding sourcing and quality controls. 

Even though that aspect gives the product line a blight, we have found them to work like no other for dry hair and scalps. So, if you fall into this category and need some serious hair repair, they may just be worth a shot.

If you want to get 10% off of your first order with Masami, then all you have to do is sign up for their email list. Other than that, they don’t offer any regular discounts or coupons.