Shiseido Aqua

The Aqua Intensive line's most important distinction is the damage profile split. Dry/Damaged products address hair that is brittle, rough, and dehydrated - typically from heat styling, sun exposure, or mechanical stress (friction from towel drying, tight hairstyles). Weak/Damaged products address hair that has lost structural integrity - typically from bleaching, permanent color, relaxers, or perms that chemically alter the protein structure inside the hair cortex.

If your hair snaps or breaks at mid-shaft, it is likely weak-damaged. If your hair is intact but feels rough, stiff, and dry, it is likely dry-damaged. For hair that has both issues - bleached and then heat-styled - you can choose based on the dominant symptom, or use the mask from one profile and the treatment from the other to cover both angles.

The Aqua Intensive Shampoo comes in 250ml, 500ml, and 1800ml. It is a single formulation without the Dry/Damaged vs. Weak/Damaged split - the shampoo is the cleansing foundation for the whole sub-line and works for both damage profiles. It is designed to cleanse without further stripping the damaged hair's remaining moisture and protein content, using a low-stripping surfactant base common to professional care shampoos.

The 1800ml is a professional-scale refill or salon-use size - substantially more economical per ml than the 500ml. For a household where one or two people use Aqua Intensive shampoo daily or near-daily, the 1800ml makes the routine significantly cheaper to maintain over time.

The Aqua Intensive Mask for Dry/Damaged Hair (200ml) and the Aqua Intensive Mask for Weak/Damaged Hair (200ml) are rinse-off products used in the shower. Apply after shampooing, distribute through mid-lengths and ends, leave for two to five minutes (longer for more severe damage), and rinse. The mask provides the core moisturizing or strengthening dose in each shower session.

Both masks are 200ml - a reasonable starting size to try a profile before committing to a larger format. At two to three applications per week on medium-length hair, the 200ml lasts four to six weeks. For longer or thicker hair requiring more product per application, expect three to four weeks per bottle.

The Aqua Intensive Treatments come in 250ml, 500ml, and 1800ml in both Dry/Damaged and Weak/Damaged versions. These are leave-in products applied to towel-dried hair after the shampoo and mask steps. They stay in throughout drying and styling, continuing the conditioning or strengthening effect from the mask into the rest of the day.

The treatment is not the same product as the mask in a larger package - it is formulated specifically for leave-in use and applies in smaller amounts than the mask. For mid-length hair, two to three pumps or a small spread is typically sufficient. Focus on mid-lengths and ends, avoiding the scalp to prevent buildup at the root.

The Sublimic Aqua Intensive Velvet Oil (100ml) is the finishing step in the Aqua Intensive system. It is a lightweight, fast-absorbing hair oil designed to smooth the cuticle surface, reduce frizz, and add shine without heaviness. It applies to damp or dry hair on the mid-lengths and ends - either before blow-drying to protect during heat application, or after drying to finish and smooth.

The oil is lighter than typical finishing oils; it does not leave a greasy residue that weighs down fine or medium-density hair. For very dry or high-porosity damaged hair, it can be layered over the Aqua Intensive Treatment while the hair is still damp for maximum seal-in effect.

The complete Aqua Intensive protocol for damaged hair follows this sequence: shampoo with Aqua Intensive Shampoo (removes product buildup and cleanses without stripping), apply the matching profile mask (Dry or Weak/Damaged) from mid-lengths to ends, leave for two to five minutes, rinse, apply the matching leave-in treatment to towel-dried hair, and finish with Velvet Oil on the ends before or after drying.

Using the shampoo, mask, and treatment from the same Aqua Intensive profile gives the most consistent result - the three steps are formulated to work as a cascade. Mixing profiles between the mask and treatment is possible and may be useful for severely damaged hair with both structural and moisture issues.

The Aqua Intensive line is available in 1800ml for both the shampoo and the Weak/Damaged and Dry/Damaged treatments. The 1800ml is three to four times the volume of the 500ml at a proportionally lower cost. For daily use by one person with long or thick hair, a 1800ml shampoo lasts approximately three to four months. For a household of two or more people using Aqua Intensive regularly, the 1800ml format is the practical everyday size.

The 1800ml is also the size typically available in professional salon supply channels; buying it through skinsli gives you the same volume at US domestic shipping rates with no salon-account requirement.

For actively damaged hair, the shampoo can be used at every wash session. The mask works best two to three times per week with a longer contact time (four to five minutes) on severe damage, one to two times per week for maintenance. The treatment applies at every session when using the mask - the two steps are paired. The Velvet Oil can be used at every drying session on dry or medium-porosity hair, or every other session on fine hair that weights easily.

As damage improves over regular weeks of use, you can reduce mask frequency to once weekly for ongoing maintenance rather than repair. The shampoo and treatment can continue at regular frequency without risk of buildup if used as directed.