The Tamesis
Before we begin, there are a few things you should know about me. First of all, I am already 28 years old and will be 29 soon. Secondly, I have black hair. Both of these details are important because I’ve officially reached an age where my hair is graying faster than I can keep up. The first few grays feel charming, even intelligent. After that, the novelty wore off and I found myself lost in searches like “Is this genetics or stress?” and “If you pulled out a gray hair, would it actually get worse?” (I’m still skeptical).
Of course, the most traditional solution is regular root touch-ups. But due to years of heat damage and my general aversion to sitting in a salon chair every few weeks, coloring my hair just wasn’t for me. Admittedly, I was both lazy and time-poor. Thankfully, my editor recommended me the Kiwabi Hair Color Shampoo, a Japanese color-depositing formula designed to gently blend grays over time rather than cover them up in one fell swoop.
- Why we love it: If you’re looking for something gentler than traditional hair dye, Kiwabi is a Japanese color-depositing shampoo designed to gradually mask grays over time. Use it like regular shampoo, but rinse the residue off your shower tiles before drying to avoid staining. Because the formula strengthens with each wash, patience is key—results typically show up in about three weeks, making it easy to achieve the most natural-looking shade possible. Be sure to choose the color that is closest to your natural hair (black, dark brown, or light brown), as choosing a color that is too light or too dark may cause unwanted tonal changes.
- Main ingredients: Japanese knotweed, rosemary, green tea, licorice, jojoba oil, lavender oil
- size: 300ml
About Kiwabi Hair Color Shampoo
According to hairstylist Rogerio Cavalcante, Kiwabi Hair Color Shampoo is a color-depositing formula designed to gradually cover gray hair while cleansing the scalp and hair strands. “It doesn’t work like traditional dyes, but subtly blends grays when used repeatedly, resulting in a softer, more natural effect,” he explains. It comes in three colors: light brown, dark brown and black.
The formula relies heavily on botanical extracts and oils, including traditional Japanese botanicals known for supporting scalp comfort and hair care, particularly burdock, Japanese knotweed, calendula, tripterygium, toon, and gardenia. It’s also free of ammonia, peroxide and harsh oxidative dyes, making it gentler than traditional hair color products.
Instead of penetrating the hair shaft and changing the pigments inside, the shampoo deposits the color on the surface of the hair, explains Cavalcante. “With continued use, the pigment will build up, reducing the contrast between gray and pigment lines rather than providing full coverage in a single application,” he adds.
My experience with Kiwabi Hair Color Shampoo
Before using Kiwabi, I relied on hairspray and other low-investment options to protect my strands. The problem is, many people feel there are too many chemicals, or the need to wear gloves, a long wait time, and the patience to sit with wet hair for anywhere from five to twenty minutes—none of which are ideal. Kiwabi, by contrast, is refreshing and effortless—lather, leave on for two to three minutes, then rinse.
