JAPAN HAUL 2025 REVIEWS | &HONEY

I've had this in my drafts for almost a year!

I went to Japan and, quite literally, shopped until I dropped at Mega Don Quijote. As someone who hates wheeling a cart, I opted for a basket, which was a terrible idea because the basket quickly filled up, I have no upper body strength, and I lugged it up the stairs and through the labyrinth. Generally, I have a good sense of direction, but navigating Mega Don Quijote was dizzying.

Before going to Japan, I created a spreadsheet for everything I wanted to buy. The spreadsheet includes the name, cost online, justification, and yen value it must be under to purchase. Before I went to Donki, I also browsed all the pharmacies in the area to compare prices. For the sake of buying everything in one go with tax exemption, I decided to shop at Donki.

One brand I considered purchasing from was &Honey because it was and still is popular online. I've browsed the prices on Stylevana and Teso; I couldn't justify spending a total of $40 on shampoo and conditioner I've never tried before. Donki has these sample sachets that cost ¥100, so I purchased three, as well as some full-sized styling products.

If you're like me and overwhelmed by all the different lines, Kellybellyy02 demystifies everything. However, whether you remember everything while you panic and sweat through the store is another story... RIP to the umbrella I lost there.

@kellybellyy02 &honey shampoos 💧✨ #japanesehaircare #haircareproducts #haircareproduct #jbeauty #jbeautyhair #asianhair #japanesebeauty #andhoney #shampoo #shampooviral #shampoos ♬ original sound - kellybellyy02

To recap:

• Deep Moist for dry and damaged hair
• Melty Moist for dry and frizzy hair (I've seen a creator mention it's for curly hair)
• Creamy for thick, damaged hair
• Herb Smooth for oily hair
• Silky for rough and tangled fine hair

My hair is very frizzy and dry at the ends. My scalp isn't too oily. I can go at most two days without washing my hair before I get too disgusted with myself, but I generally wash my hair every other day. Since frizz is the main issue I want to address, Melty Moist sounds like the one that's most suited for my hair issues. I also have an itchy scalp, but I already have a shampoo for that.

Pixie Silky Moist Shampoo and Treatment (Conditioner)

The first &Honey shampoo and conditioner that I tried. The special honey blend in this line is 50% Manuka Honey, 30% Citrus Honey, and 20% Raw Honey (Buy Me Japan Photo). I also looked at that website for the ingredients list.

Other call-out ingredients that are also present in the lines I'll be reviewing: propolis, royal jelly, honey fermentation liquid, honey protein, Argan oil, hydrolyzed silk, keratin, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, amino acids (except Silky), and coconut oil. NOT vegan or cruelty-free because of the keratin and honey. The Treatment contains Dimethicone/Silicone. 

Silky specific ingredients include Shea Butter in both the Shampoo and Treatment, and Daisy Flower Extract in the Shampoo. 

Everyone comments on the brand's fragrance. The smell of the Silky Moist was lovely and inoffensive. It's a mild, sweet floral scent with a light powderiness. Despite including Citrus Honey, it didn't smell citrusy. It also doesn't smell like [artificial] honey.

Since using the line (I was able to get three washes out from the sample), my hair appears to be less frizzy. Qualitatively, purely from observation without photo comparison, frizz *appeared* to have reduced by almost 80%, which is amazing! My ends are still a little dry and tangled, so no significant changes. Sadly, my hair isn't shinier.

In terms of delivering results, Silky did a great job. I would give this line a B+. It's supposed to make hair less tangled, but I experienced the same amount of tangling. Although I have significantly less frizz, my hair isn't shinier or healthier/more moisturized, which is what this brand is all about. The inability to deliver on this goal is the reason for the deductions. This line did a good job of improving hair roughness. I used to have a couple of stands of rough, coarse, kind of curly/fried hair, which I couldn't find. The strands are more uniform and smooth.

Takeaway: People with thicker hair can also use this line to address their frizz and hair roughness goals with some success. Although other lines may give you better results. 

Melty Moist Shampoo and Treatment

The special honey blend in this line is: 30% Acacia, 50% Manuka, and 20% Raw Honey (Kiyoko). 

Line-specific ingredients include Damask rose flower water in the shampoo. Rose centifolia flower water and almond oil are used in the treatment.

The initial whiff of the shampoo is tart and peachy. It smells like the fruit jelly sticks. Once it's lathered, it's not as fruity. Again, it's a subtle floral with an undetectable honey fragrance. Considering there's rose water and the online discourse about how heavily fragranced these shampoos are, I expected a powerful rose fragrance. Luckily, the rose is barely perceptible in the shampoo. 

The treatment smells absolutely nothing like the shampoo, so the scent pairing confuses me profoundly. It smells like a powdery, fabric-y musk. I prefer the smell of the shampoo over the treatment. 

Just based on scent, I prefer Silkie more. 

The treatment is thin. For the sake of rationing, I used less conditioner than usual/an amount equivalent to the shampoo. If I ever buy a hair wash system from this brand, I would purchase the hair pack for extra hydration and to satisfy that desire for a rich, creamy tactile experience. I might even forgo the treatment and purchase the shampoo with the hair pack. 

My ends feel dry, similar to leaves that are a couple of days short of becoming crunchy, and drift away in the wind. No shine, and there's still frizz. Since one creator said it's for curly hair... I have wavy hair after the shower. I didn't notice more defined or longer-lasting waves. 

I wasn't a fan of the smell, and the effects weren't as great as Pixie's, so I'd give it somewhere from a C+ to a B. 

Deep Moist Shampoo and Treatment

Apparently, the honey blend in this is the same as Melty: 30% Acacia, 50% Manuka, and 20% Raw Honey. Line-specific ingredients are panthenol in both treatment and shampoo. Dutch Peony flower extract in the shampoo. Lavender flower extract in the treatment. 

I do not smell the peony. While washing for the first time, I learned this is the worst-smelling of the three. I will chalk it up to how it mixed with Aromatica's Rosemary Root Enhancer spray. It smells tart with the cheap, musty musk. After washing and letting my hair dry, my hair smells like I used Shiseido's FINO Premium Touch hair mask, but without the silkiness or hydration.

The shampoo is average. I didn't have any expectations for it; my expectations kept going down with each line I tried. The conditioner: lackluster. It's too thin for a conditioner, considering it's part of the "Deep Moist" line. It feels like the other treatments in the line. I need something with more oil and richness. I don't see it helping dry, damaged hair. Use a hair mask! Use anything else instead. 

I give this line an F.

The delineation for different hair goals and hair types is pointless. Anyone can use any line and get similar results. The scents aren't outstanding or high-performing as some people tout online. I've had better success at increasing shine and reducing frizz from using RYO's Cooling Scalp Shampoo, which isn't even advertised to address those concerns.

Moist Shine Hair Oil

This was the first product I ever tried from the brand. Even with a light hand, this product is too heavy for my hair. It visibly darkened my hair with grease. The hair starts to look chunky instead of having distinct, free-flowing strands. Limp, chunky, and greasy. 

The smell is like a sour fruit gummy. Mm, delicious. 

I don't use it as a finishing oil, but instead as a treatment. After attempting to apply the thinnest, evenest layer, I twist my hair and clip it as usual. Let's say I let my hair down to relieve tension on my scalp. There's a pleasant scent that wafts, and my hair looks significantly less greasy and mangy-looking than in the morning. 

Matomake Stick

I don't use this product enough, and every time I try it, I'm blown away by how great it is. Generally, it does a great job at laying down flayaways, but it struggles with the super tiny baby hairs. There is an extra hold version which may do a better job taming those stubborn hairs, so try that instead. 

No waxy, oily, powdery, or dusty-looking residue. This is worth noting because in Japan, I've encountered some ladies who used an unknown product to keep their hair frizz-free, but at the expense of them looking as if they had run a wax stick multiple times through their locks. The hair didn't move, and looked as if glue had dulled its shine. It is a mean thing to say, and I'm sorry for offending those ladies. I think they'll look back in a couple of years and react the same way we do to 2014 eyebrows.

I've applied three layers of product to my hair, which I haven't washed in 1-2 days, and there's no nasty-looking residue. The scent is addictive, but the alcohol is quite strong. Will definitely use this during my next Vintage hair brush out to test how well it works at creating a smooth coiff. If it works, I can continue to put off buying a pomade.

There are some hits from &Honey, but the brand has definitely lost its allure. While certain products smell great, that's not a good enough reason to repurchase. Especially since there are other Japanese products with similar fragrances that may deliver better results.