QuoteReplyTopic: Salon vs. Drugstore products Posted: January 12 2000 at 6:59am
> My take on all of this is that salon brands don't want> to use "cheap" ingredients like the> silicones and if you have the kind of hair that I have> you can't get away without silicones.Silicones are found in products of every price range. The ingredients that are used (both good and bad ones) are just the *same*. L'Oreal is obviously a drugstore brand, yet they spend on average 360 MILLION dollars a year for product development. Also, L'Oreal owns Redken. Wella owns Sebastian. Dial owns Nexxus.>They also cater> to making you feel "worth it" by spending a> little more on yourself - which is OK because it makes> you feel good.Absolutely. A HUGE part of the appeal is in the packaging and the idea of "pampering" oneself, a concept that is most certainly not foreign to me! {grin} And there's absolutely nothing wrong with people buying salon products. I have some in my bathroom right now! But the point against which I argue is that salon products are somehow inherently better for your hair and that a cheap price means a cheap product. As you've found out, it just isn't so.Jena
OK, here's my story. I have shoulder length wavy/curly/frizzy blonde hair that I have been struggling with since I was 13. Before then my hair was straight - guess that's what puberty does. I blow dry my hair straight and sometimes make it curly. I also have hard water.Anyway, I could open a beauty store with all of the products I have tried over the years. I have tried Nexxus, Aveda (which I just can't use because I think the products smell putrid), KMS, Joico, Paul Mitchell, Biolage, Matrix Essentials, Vavoom, Artec, Thermasilk, Redken, Neutrogena, Aussie, Daily Defense, Herbal Essences, Salon Selectives, Suave and White Rain (my most current disasterous experiment) just to name a FEW. Believe me, I have tried them ALL - and not just for a day or two, I give it a good couple of weeks.So what do I use regularly? Believe it or not, I have been using Salon Selectives for about 10 years with wonderful results each and every time. I used to use SS Protective formula but they changed it a couple of years ago so I now use SS Botanicals Melon Rose conditioner. I now alternate with Suave Professionsal Biobasics and every so often a throw a drop of Sebastion Potion 9 in. I use SS #3 Gentle and Suave Lavender shampoos. I also use a drop of Frizz Ease mixed with Thermasilk Gel. I am extremely happy with these choices and it doesn't matter to me whether they are popular shampoos or not. They work for me and that's what counts in my book.My take on all of this is that salon brands don't want to use "cheap" ingredients like the silicones and if you have the kind of hair that I have you can't get away without silicones. They also cater to making you feel "worth it" by spending a little more on yourself - which is OK because it makes you feel good.I have spent many $$$ on salon products and ironically the ones that work best for me are less than $2 a bottle. This all boils down to one thing - all products are different, all hair is different and if you find something that works for you then stick with it.Sincerely,ggggg
Hi :)I was wondering, when people post on this subject and tell us your experience with drugstore or salon products, could you let us know whether your hair is short, medium, or long please?Thank you!!MariaRelated Link:Maria In Mass
> In my experience, these products aren't as> concentrated as salon shampoos, so they don't go as> far.How many products did you try before coming to this conclusion?> Over an extended period of time,my hair becomes> unmanageable and dull.Again, how many products did you try?I'm only trying to point out that just because a few inexpensive shampoos or conditioners didn't work for you doesn't mean that everything won't work! Several cheap shampoos do include ingredients that will build up on your hair and cause you the problems that they did. But guess what? SO WILL EXPENSIVE SALON SHAMPOOS!!Price has absolutely nothing to do with the effectiveness or gentleness of the products. I'm honestly not trying to pick on you, but I have just seen so many gross generalizations that simply aren't true!Salon products are no more concentrated than drugstore shampoos as a whole. What does make a difference is the ingredients. Some shampoos (such as the White Rain ones that Maria used) do not build up on the hair and others are made with silicones and other ingredients which do indeed build up on the hair. Both kinds of shampoos can be found in drugstores AND salons.In other words, don't judge a book by its cover. Your stylist makes money on the products she sells. There are some excellent salons products! And there are some salon products that contain ingredients that will strip hair color and build up on the hair. But people would never lump all salon products together and say they're worthless!We should discuss specific brands and ingredients rather than make a gross generalization about a product based on its price or where it can be purchased!I personally never trust a stylist who badmouths all products that aren't sold in her salon.Jena
Hi Jena :)(Waving to Alex~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi there!)Glad you brought up this subject and looking forward to reading people's responces!Like I already brought up, I think some of have been fed the line that salon products are much better for our hair so many times that after awhile of hearing this, we start to believe it's true.For years, whenever I ventured into a salon or met someone who was a hairdresser, I'd ask them this very question: which are better - drugstore or salon products? Of course they'd always answer salon products. I'd ask them why and they'd then answer "Because drugstore products have alchohol in them and other junk for ingrediants". I believed them back then.A couple times in a salon I used to go to, while trimming my hair the hairdresser would ask me "Are you using Pantene or Suave?" I'd ask her why and she'd tell me "I can tell on your hair. It feels rough and there's build up on it". Of course after her telling me this news, I threw away the Suave and bought Paul Mitchell or some other salon product.What's really funny though is that my doctor telling me after about my one million visit in eleven years for my little scalp problem "Don't use Suave as a shampoo or any of the cheap shampoos. It's too harsh for you. Try something good like Pantene or a salon shampoo". I then told her "I used the old formula Pantene Pro V years ago right after I was put on the Accutane for the second time and right after I used it my scalp broke out again." She then told me something along to the effect that just because Pantene didn't work well for me back then, it might now.Nowadays, I believe I'm better educated, read ingrediants on products before I buy, and tend to use things that won't make me break out. In my experience, the products that tend to make me break out are ones with a lot of conditioners in them, minerol oil, anything with oil, ect. I like products that clean well, are gentle, and leave no build up.It's funny. All my life (I'm not trying to boast here) I've been told my hair is my best feature, but for years I wasn't happy with it because it's not curly (I did have curly hair when I was a baby but then when I was five and had derriere length curly hair, I accompanied my little brother and Dad to the barber. After seeing my brother get his hair cut, I wanted my hair cut and the rest is history. My Mother and Nan were so mad at my Dad!)like my brother and sister's. First my Nana (Maternal Grandmother)bought me shampoos often from the salon for me to try hoping they would make my hair curly. Of course it didn't work. Later on, when the scalp problem got worse I again tried everything from dandruff shampoo to salon shampoos just wanting my scalp to stop breaking out and itching badly. Dandruff shampoo didn't really help. That's when after reading a book I decided to try the suggestions in there for oily scalp and bought some Breck shampoo which had no conditioners in it and was just plain shampoo. I started washing everyday and you know something? It worked! When I look back at pictures taken during this time using the Breck my hair looks very full, shiny, very wavy, and in good condition. I wish they still made Breck, but I think they changed the formula and it's not available anywhere near here. Oh well.There are some salon products I like and some I don't (I have found that many salon products seem to have too much conditioning ingrediants in them for me to use.). There are also some drugstore products I don't like and some I do. It depends. I used to be a big sucker for salon products and believing all the hype. Now I just try to use things that are right for my scalp type and hair type. If it works for me, I will use it regardless of the fact if it's a drugstore brand or salon brand. When choosing a new shampoo, forget whether it's a drugstore or salon brand and choose instead whether or not it's right for your particular scalp/hair type.Hope I helped!! Merry Christmas everyone!!*Big hugs*Maria :)Related Link:Maria In Mass
My hair is approx. 28" (or about 4 inches about the waistline), and I've actually, I've found a "cheap drug store" shampoo and conditioner that I rather enjoy.I use Salon Selectives every other month, alternating with George Michael products. Before I discoved GM, I had always used SS. And I don't use a whole palm full. As my stylist has always told me to do, I simply use a quarter size for my first wash and a dime sized for the second. I also follow up with SS conditioner. And my hair has always remained healthy, shiny and even. Perhaps the problem with your using the cheap shampoos is that you're using too much and not rinsing it out all the way. (Not meant to be offensive, just an observation on your comment)Jenn> Hmmmmmmm.....> Well, let's first establish some definitions. Nexxus> and KMS are now sold in supermarkets, but I still> consider them "salon" shampoos. Drugstore> shampoos would be things like Agree, Flex, Silkience,> Herbal Essences, etc. Stuff in the $3.99 range.> In my experience, these products aren't as> concentrated as salon shampoos, so they don't go as> far. (I need a palmful to wash my hair.) They also> leave my fine, wavy hair feeling rough, even when it's> still wet. When it dries, my hair gets tangly, even> matted, or may feel "coated" from a cheap> conditioner.> Over an extended period of time,my hair becomes> unmanageable and dull. Granted, my hair has been> somewhat damaged for the last few years, so it could> be that the expensive stuff is helping it, as opposed> to the cheap stuff hurting it.> Lately I've noticed a lot of new "upscale"> drugstore brands that I'm tempted to try. I know I> shouldn't judge a product by its price and fancy> bottle. If I could find a couple of cheap shampoos> that worked for me, I'd buy them. Believe me.> Ally
Hmmmmmmm.....Well, let's first establish some definitions. Nexxus and KMS are now sold in supermarkets, but I still consider them "salon" shampoos. Drugstore shampoos would be things like Agree, Flex, Silkience, Herbal Essences, etc. Stuff in the $3.99 range.In my experience, these products aren't as concentrated as salon shampoos, so they don't go as far. (I need a palmful to wash my hair.) They also leave my fine, wavy hair feeling rough, even when it's still wet. When it dries, my hair gets tangly, even matted, or may feel "coated" from a cheap conditioner.Over an extended period of time,my hair becomes unmanageable and dull. Granted, my hair has been somewhat damaged for the last few years, so it could be that the expensive stuff is helping it, as opposed to the cheap stuff hurting it.Lately I've noticed a lot of new "upscale" drugstore brands that I'm tempted to try. I know I shouldn't judge a product by its price and fancy bottle. If I could find a couple of cheap shampoos that worked for me, I'd buy them. Believe me.Ally
This subject has come up so often that I'd love to explore it.If you think salon hair products are always better, why? Is the amount of money spent on the product proportional to the quality?How, specifically are the products better?I'd especially love to hear from Ally, who, below, compared using inexpensive shampoos to eating "junk food" in a diet.Thanks!
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Salon vs. Drugstore products
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