Question about hair products

[catnapper]

I have a cabinet full of hair serums, creams, gels, mousses (what IS the plural of that? )

Every hairdresser I see spends twenty minutes telling me just how wonderful their product is and they put it in my hair. I'm not too impressed with the outcomes, specially since their product always cost $20 or more per bottle. It seems to look just like the stuff I get at the drug store for a whole lot less.

BUT is there really a difference? Like I said, I have a cabinet full of stuff. After the last hairdresser appointment I left and went to Ulta and bought a clearance bottle of curl cream. I like it enough. But it certainly is not worth the original price on the bottle. I can't seem to justify spending $20 (or mmore) just to have it sit in the cabinet with all the others.

I've been having good results with Garnier products, which my hairdresser gasped and told me was junk. She put Redken stuff in my hair - which ended up looking just like the 'do I get from the Garnier. I do have Redken, Nexxus, etc. in my cabinet (mom likes to buy me hair stuff as gifts)

Anyway, apart from my rambling, I really want to know who uses what on their hair. Is the salon stuff REALLY that much better? I understand you get what you pay for, I really do. But are you really getting a miracle in a bottle?

[happylabs]

This is a very good question. I am interested to see what everyone says.

I have been using the Garnier mousse. I used to buy stuff from the salon but I haven't done that for some years.

I do have a suspicion though that the hair dressers gasp because they want us to buy their products.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Honestly, I never use any of the salon stuff on my hair. I think the cheaper stuff works just fine. The ingredients may not be as amazing or whatever, I honestly wouldn't know because I never look at those, LOL, but I don't think you have to spend a fortune to get a good hair product.

[Randi]

All I use is shampoo and conditioner. I really like a shampoo that cleanse thoroughly - the one I use remind of the old Breck you could get back in the seventies. It's not even expensive, but if you color your hair, I'm not sure the color will last very long. Another shampoo I really like, is Redken's Smooth Down (brown bottle).

When my mother washed my hair when I was a child, she used a splash of household winegar in second last bowl of water. The effect feel like that deep cleansing shampoo I sometimes use.

For a conditioner, I like John Frieda's, but it's a little expensive here. In any case, get a good one and put it only on the edges of your hair, leave it on for a few minutes and rinse.

[Miss Z]

I think it's very much down to the individual as to what works best. I have fine, poker straight hair that often lacks volume, and splits easily. I tend to use a combination of Kerastase (recommended to me by my London stylist) and Alterna (recommended by my home stylist) and that seems to keep it healthy and bouncy. When I use general supermarket products, the outcome is fine but I don't get the lift that I get from the professional products.

I have a few products in my cabinet that are reserved for special occasions, since they work really well on my hair for a short period - but they cost an arm and a leg! Hence I'm not so keen to have 'perfect' hair every day

Sometimes I think the 'wow' factor plays an overactive part in new hair products. I've had stylists sell me products before that they've believed to be wonderful. Once I've used it a few times, the effect loses its novelty and I stop noticing it. I have too many half empty bottles at the back of the cabinet and just my handful of regulars at the front - one day I'll learn!

[Freedom]

I use shampoo and conditioner. Must say no animal testing on it, and the fewer long chemical names, the better.

[moosmom]

I don't use any of that salon stuff. WAY too expensive. Besides, it's been proven that you can get the same results from the products you can get for less at a CVS or the like.

My hair is short so I use Suave shampoo on it and, once in a while, I actually condition it. With Suave conditioner!!

Kim,

"I've been having good results with Garnier products, which my hairdresser gasped and told me was junk. She put Redken stuff in my hair - which ended up looking just like the 'do I get from the Garnier."

I think you just answered your own question, Kim. Besides, hairdressers are supposed to push hair care products on their customers.

[caseysmom]

If I use an over the counter conditioner in my hair I can't get a comb through it unfortunately. I have luck with matrix smoothing shampoo and conditioners. I use to be able to get them for decent prices at jcp but they have changed everything. I use a little hairspray and i don't need the good stuff for that.

I think makeup is the same...some things like foundation I buy the good stuff but for mascara and eyeliner revlon is fine.

[pomtzu]

My beautician is my former DIL, and she knows better than to try to sell me on any products in her salon (since I'm so poor ), but just advises me what NOT to use that I buy OTC. The biggest no-no is Suave!!!

I use both shampoo and conditioner, and I use both of the same brand (and matched formula) since they seem to work better that way. I have been using Garnier, but it seems to be drying my hair out too much, and the color I put in my hair isn't lasting as long using that too. I just switched to Clairol Herbal Essences - Color Me Happy - for color treated hair, so I'll see how that works out. Since Tammi (dil) recommended the Clairol hair color for me to use at home, I figure the Clairol products for color treated hair would do good. We'll see. And since my hair is baby fine, I do use a styling gel - Pantene for fine hair. I does good and isn't sticky and weighty like some I've tried.

Before I started coloring my hair and it was mostly silver, I used Pantene Silver Expressions which did a great job of keeping it silver, with no brassy or dirty yellow look to it. And it didn't give me "blue" hair (or violet) like you see on some of these little old ladies that have just had a hair treatment.

[mrspunkysmom]

I use some salon products and some OTC. L'Oreal Color Protect shampoos and Garnier products. Every time I find professional stuff I like, it's discontinued or unavailable.

I have to read labels, too, for allergies.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I've tried both salon and OTC products before and I really didn't notice much difference except in price. I have very fine naturally curly hair and I do color it. It tends to break easily and if I use certain shampoos I tend to lose a lot of hair. I've been using L'oreal Everstrong shampoo and conditioner in the Hydrate formula. I also tried the new L'oreal Evercreme in the shampoo and conditioner but I didn't like it as well and it has too much of a fragrance for me. I really like that these products are sulfate free. I also sometimes use the L'oreal Everstrong overnight hair repair treatment and sometimes the deep replenishing masque which is a deep conditioner. I've tried shampoos and conditiners for color treated hair before but they never really helped me keep my color from fading.

I also use some of the Garnier products like their hair spray, gel, and anti-frizz serum. I also use Marc Anthony strictly curls in the curl defining lotion but it doesn't work well alone so I also need to add a gel. I loved the Tresemme curl gel but they stopped making it and now they only carry the curl spray which doesn't work as well. Needless to say I have way too many hair care products that I've bought and tried and now rarely use. They just take up cabinet space.