I get almost all of my shampoo, body wash and toothpaste exclusively from Value Shop because they sell the cheapest ‘standard items’ around due to their ingenious ability to parallel import almost any household item from random countries in South Asia, South East Asia and in some cases, even Africa (based on a quick study of items we have bought from Value Shop thus far).
Most Singaporeans are grateful for a good deal and can’t really be bothered about where these products actually come from. I think most of us just happily assume the as long as a product is being made by the same Multi-National Conglomerate, the quality and ingredients couldn’t be that far off right…?
Actually there is going to be differences in the exact same product and brand depending on where the item is manufactured in and for which market it is specifically manufactured for. But that will be an entire separate post and a separate matter altogether.
What I actually want to talk about today…
This is all just a lead-in to this particular set of Ginger Shampoo and Hair Mask I was planning to talk about because my frame of reference for the price of shampoo is terribly skewed because of Value Shop and I did not purchase this on Taobao. The missus did.
So at this current point in writing, I have no idea how much it costs and will find out towards the end of the blog post when I open up her Taobao Account to do a price check.
I’m not sure if this is a problem for any of you, but living in hot and humid Singapore, I take a shower at least twice a day and I have to shampoo my hair if not I feel that it is ‘dirty’.
The missus on the other hand, insists that scientific research dictates that not washing your hair every day is actually better for your hair because washing it too frequently with shampoo strips away the natural hair oils necessary for healthy scalp and hair.
In any case, I think the decision to buy this Ginger Shampoo largely stemmed from the idea that the heat from Ginger could be quite shiok on the scalp and could potentially help ease any ailments such as an itching scalp.
If anyone of you has heard of this alternative method of therapy called ‘Yuanshidian‘, you may have heard about the extraordinary amounts of ginger one is recommended to consume on a daily basis as part of the Yuanshidian approach to self-care. (Again I digress).
The missus actually bought this more than half a year ago and I had used it once when she just bought it out of curiosity.
I tried both the shampoo and the hair mask and I remembered that the hair mask gave a shiok warm toasty feeling on the scalp when I left it on in my hair for a while as recommended.
The shampoo smelt nice and I think we were lucky enough to not get any of it in our eyes in order to make it a painful shower time experience.
I remember using it and liking it enough, but the cheapskate side of me wondered if it was any different from my cheapo Value Shop Clear Shampoo that was parallel imported from Japan and apparently had Argan Oil in it and Cristiano Ronaldo’s face on the packaging.
Thinking that it was an expensive product, I stuck to using my cheapo value shop shampoos until…
I became desperate…
So just last week my scalp started itching like mad and I was desperate. My cheapo shampoo was not giving me much relief after showering and I began using the Ginger Shampoo which was on the shower rack.
I was expecting some heat but the Ginger Shampoo doesn’t have as much kick as the hair mask.
My scalp actually felt happier and less angry (meaning less bumps or dried scabby bits).
I have continued using the Ginger Shampoo. So far, after almost a week of using the Ginger Shampoo, my scalp had felt less angry and more at peace with itself. Maybe it likes drinking old ginger juice.
So I’m at the point where I’m beginning to like the Ginger Shampoo a lot and I’ve decided to ask the missus how much it costs in order to decide for myself if this is something I might want to consider getting as an essential replacement for Value Shop Shampoo.
I was worried that the price of Ginger shampoo will be too rich for my liking because the missus does have a tendency to be more ‘atas’ in her preferences even though she also likes a good deal.
So why did the missus get this?
Before I got the price from her, I asked her why she bought this particular brand and what she liked about it.
According to the missus, she decided to test out this particular brand of Ginger Shampoo and Hair & Scalp Mask because this was one of the rare Hair & Scalp Masks in the market that you are actually able to put on the scalp and not just the hair (yup, I didn’t know the difference because shampoo equals wash everything on the head – hair and scalp included).
Because of the old Ginger Juice used in the formulation, the hair & scalp mask was supposed to help with detoxifying the scalp and clear out the pores on the scalp as it was allowed to work its magic.
She was convinced to give this particular brand a try after reading positive reviews on Taobao by other users indicating how the mask felt really warm upon application and she was keen on trying anything that may help with reducing hair fall and relieving itchiness on the scalp.
The mask is the really potent item out of the pair as it is good for the scalp in terms of oil control, caring for the roots of the hair and in reducing hair fall.
It is also the really ‘spicy’ product that will make your fingers / hair / scalp heat up once it comes in contact with the product.
So please do use it with care and do not get any of it into your eyes.
So how much does it cost?
We got it on nearly 50% discount at approximately S$9.95 for a bundle pack for 1 x 500ml Ginger Shampoo and a 1000ml Hair & Scalp Mask.
This works out to approximately S$3.30 for the Shampoo and S$6.65 for the Hair Mask.
Actually that’s quite OK what. Because the Value Shop shampoos may seem cheap and the Clear Brand Shampoos cost approximately S$1.95(refill pack) to S$2.95 (pump bottle) for about the same volume of product.
It is definitely not as cheap as my Value Shop shampoos, BUT this feels like one of those things where you are getting good value for money because of the quality of the ingredients being used and the quality of the effect and relief you will not otherwise get from a cheapo alternative.
Getting old ginger juice in your shampoo for just 35 cents more sound like a reasonable enough deal.
Conclusion
After that whole episode with the itchy scalp, I am convinced that this is a good quality product that I will keep around in the bathroom and use sparingly or on rotation with other shampoos.
I’m not sure if this particular tendency to refrain from using too much of a ‘good stuff’ stems from some self-limiting belief or fear that I may enjoy good things too much or that I don’t deserve to enjoy or over-indulge in them but that’s a separate psycho-analysis / therapy issue altogether.
This is a solid 4 out of 5 Carrots because of the near immediate relief I experienced after using it out of desperation.
At about S$3.33 per 500 ml on discount, it is fair value for money and cheaper than anything you might get in a supermarket.
Get it HERE!