Professional hair products. Are they worth it or waste of money? Your opnion:)

[Desideira]

Welcome everyone

I thought that maybe I could start a tread about proffesional hair products and yours exprerinces and opionios with them.

In media we hear all the time that we get what we pay for. That salon products provide much beter faster results. Is it true?

I am courios about opinions and experiences?:):cheese:

Have your ever thried any salon product that is your Holy Grail and you get great results form it?

Have you experience from certain profesisonal product big dissapointment and felt riped of money?

do you think salon products are making biger instant diffrence then drugstre? or its just pure marketing?

If you happend to use salon products waht are your fave and wchich you dont like?
:)

I personally have very mixed experiences. I like certain products drugstre and professional. I think it all depends on the igredients and how your hair react to it.:)
:cheese:

[Cheeks1206]

My opinion Is that they are a waste of money. Most of them are full of ingredients I don't want in my hair and they just cover up damage. I've bought salon products and I've never really noticed enough of a difference to justify the cost. But then again, I prefer low maintainence products that I can get inexensively or make on my own.

[Coffeebug]

Ten years ago I would have said yes - I was a big fan of John Frieda Frizz Ease and it kept my hair lovely. They since reformulated though and it just leaves my hair feeling gummy - as do a lot of other salon brands... I've tried a lot of them now and had bad results, so unless someone was raving about a particular product and their hair looked fab, I'm not sure I'd bother.

[contradiction]

I think they're worth it, for the most part I've had way better results with salon brands I've tried. A lot of drugstore stuff has A.L.S. which my hair can't really tolerate.

[ccaswick]

The fact that you put it on and rinse it down the drain sort of answers the question on it's own -- I think the more $$$$$ you rinse down the drain, the less you'll have for important things like retirement, travel, etc. Experiment with the less expensive stuff and go for ingredients that tend to leave your hair the way you love it.

[virgo75]

Have your ever thried any salon product that is your Holy Grail and you get great results form it?

I wouldn't call it my 'Holy Grail' but I've repurchased Aveda's Brilliant line repeatedly. I like what it does for my hair but have a love/hate relationship with the fragrance - VERY strong, herbal, natural bordering on masculine scent. If the scent were different I'd probably call it my Holy Grail, but there are days I rewash my hair with something else because it gives me a headache.


Have you experience from certain profesisonal product big dissapointment and felt riped of money?

Yes, most professional products have been much less impressive. The ones I've tried so far - Redken, Nexxus, Biolage, Paul Mitchell, CHI, TIGI, Bumble & Bumble - they've all been disappointing to me. I didn't find them to be extra moisturizing or have any special effects on my hair to justify the cost.


do you think salon products are making biger instant diffrence then drugstre? or its just pure marketing?

I think it depends on the product AND the state of your hair. These professional products might not have had much of an effect on my hair because it's not damaged, chemically treated, color treated, or heat styled. Hair that's damaged may have a better response.


If you happend to use salon products waht are your fave and wchich you dont like?
:)

As I stated, the only one that has been a fave so far is the Aveda. It makes my curly, frizzy hair -tamed, defined, shiny, and moisturized without being coated with product. Even when I leave some of the Brilliant conditioner in my hair, if I touch my hair(which I do often) I'm not left with anything on my hands.

The rest worked similar to drugstore products - some were more moisturizing than others, but most didn't really 'sink in.' They just sat on top and coated my hair. Or rinsed away and left behind no change in my hair. :shrug:


I personally have very mixed experiences. I like certain products drugstre and professional. I think it all depends on the igredients and how your hair react to it.:)
:cheese:

Me too, and I totally agree.

Hope that helps. :flower:

[Fractalsofhair]

Paul Mitchell products made my hair break off from thigh(possibly hips. I may have had a haircut I don't remember that well, and I don't remember my hair being longer than hips,but photographs say otherwise) to shoulder due to the heavy cones in them and the harsh shampoo. Aveda Rosemary Mint was OK, not amazing, but not horrid, but I needed a ton of the conditioner and very little of the shampoo, and that was the opposite of what my stylist told me to do then. I do like the Chi Silk Infusion for a short amount of time, but I have to be really careful since cones dry out my hair.

[spidermom]

I've never had a bad experience with a salon product, but they're not all that. I'm using a completely natural, non-salon product line right now - Save Your Hair, Save Your Rainforest - and it's awesome.

[ademtce]

some are, some aren't.
if they've got SLS/ALS there are not.

[ravenreed]

I have problems with certain hair products making my scalp break out in huge cysts. It seems to happen more with the more expensive brands. I have no idea why or which ingredient is the culprit. However, I do like one of the Biolage products enough that I start to panic when I run out of my Sally's version of it. It makes it possible to run a comb/brush through my hair.

[sweet*things]

There are exceptions to every rule, but I'd have to say that most of the time I think they're worth it. The salon products I buy tend to have high concentrations of "good" ingredients and therefore I don't need to use very much. With the products I'm using now, I don't need to use more than a teaspoon of conditioner on my waist length hair.

I also think the cost comes close enough to evening out in the end when my $25 jar of Kiehl's deep conditioner lasts me 2 years, vs. the 15 bottles of Suave I'd need to glop on to get an equivalent level of slip and conditioning.

[anthonyswife]

Personally I find that in general, salon brands or otherwise higher-quality brands leave my hair MUCH softer and more moisturized than drugstore brands do. Of course, there are always some exceptions to the rule. I do like drugstore brands like Renpure Organics and Pantene, but my favorite conditioners I've ever used are by Frederick Fekkai and Paul Mitchell.

I also find that higher quality brands make my hair easier to detangle.

[moominhapa]

I don't regularly purchase salon products, but I have used a couple I liked more than the average drugstore product. One was a smoothing cream from Redken (I think it was Redken, anyway) that they don't make anymore. Another was a botanical gel from Prive that I bought for $15 and it lasted me for three years. So that was worth it.

In general though, I don't think salon products are worth so much more money. They're nice to buy once in a while as a treat, but not all the time.

[melikai]

I used to be a big product junkie, and tried many drugstore and salon brands. I found some of both that I liked, but none that were HG material. I've had the best luck with products from health food stores.

[teela1978]

I've tried a few and never found any of them to be particularly superior to drug store brands... although I do like my chi silk serum thats sitting in my bathroom cabinet...

[BrightEyes]

I've had better results with some salon products (not all!). I've had the most luck with Aveda and Pureology. They really help my highlighted/color treated hair stay moisturized and soft. It's too bad they are so expensive, but I love them so much that to pay extra is worth it to me:p.

[Aries_jb]

Hmm...that's a good question.

I've experimented with a lot of products: salon, drugstore, and natural. I think it depends on what you're looking for. In my opinion, salon brands make my hair look better than drugstore products. Also, my hair feels a little bit better to the touch with salon products (plastic feel with drugstore and producty feel with salon). Overall, I think that natural products have really helped in improving the health of my hair. When you have curly hair, it typically looks its best when it's healthy. My hair looks and feels much better now than it ever did with salon products.

[eschmi1]

I haven't had much luck with salon brand hair treatments. They just dry my hair out for whatever reason. I've actually had the best luck with drugstore brands, believe it or not. Pretty crazy.

[oceanwoman111]

Before LHC, I preferred salon products over store brands. They made a huge difference. My hair seemed to respond better and looked healthier than when I used the regular brands. Now I'm using all natural, well, as natural as I can get, products. I haven't found the perfect sulfate and cone free combo yet ,but I think I'm moving in the right direction.

[RavennaNight]

I can't say I ever saw a tremendous difference between the cheap routine I am on now and the occasional salon products I have tried. My results with Redken, Biolage, and the like have been average at best. Rusk products are mediocre. I cannot even dare to justify the prices on the Fekkai or Ojon stuff I see.:shudder: I rather use that money for food or save it:twocents:. I currently use tresseme naturals, VO5, and Inecto Coconut. (cone-free mood of late) I have trouble justifying the outrageous prices on the salon stuff. $10+ for one product just seems excessive.

[Desideira]

In my own experience i learned that when my hair was and now unfortunately is again dameged form chemical dye it benf\efits more form salon brands. I think its becuse they are ment for overporcessed , porous hair and they give more and instant fix repair.

More natural cone free porducts need much more time to give difference altought they give more real improvment rather then instantly making hair look better. I use it when my hair is in better conditon.:)

Before I dyed my hair again my hair was healthy and profesionall products loaded with all stuff was too much and was waithing hair down

after (very unsucessful )dying lighter my hair eat everthink. I can put six different products on my hair and its will absorb all becuse its so "thirsty".

but I have few HG from salon brands. One of them is shampoo for sensitive scalp for dry hair. It made such a differnce. It really helped me when my scalp was so irritate that the skin was braking till blood. It made my hair grow faster too.:D:cheese:

Istant amaizng silkenss gives me kerastase masquintense for thick hair. :) Love it love it love it. But it so expensive that i can recall last time I ahd it:(

I hate fekkai protein RX serie. It literally was a hair catastrofy:rolleyes: Never again.:(

from drugstore I like very much nivea shampoos and conditoners. Especially spray conditoner for long hair diamond gloss. No silicones. And really helps condition hair. Very moisutizing

I must admit that i ma a product junkie and I love to buy things for hair more then any clothes or antyhing else.:D

sorry for my english. :rolleyes:

[Othala]

Kerastase is brilliant as are some of Philip Kingsley's products (not all). I think it depends on your needs and getting lucky with the right product. All salon lines are not great.

[LoveMyMutt]

I always used to use salon products, and before I learned how to deal with my wavy/curly hair they did work better than drugstore products.

Now I've been a Curly Girl for a year and a half and I use pretty much nothing except cheapo drugstore products. My hair looks a lot better and more importantly, is a LOT healthier.

The only salon product currently in my bathroom is Matrix Emergen-ce, and frankly, I don't like it all that much.

I use Suave Naturals or V05 to CO-wash, L'oreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss (the coneless one for wavy/curly hair) or Tresemme Naturals for rinse-out, Aubrey Organics Mandarin Magic or Giovanni Direct for leave-in, and Eco-Styler with Protein as a curl booster. For frizz control I use either LA Looks Sport Gel or (if it's really humid) Biosilk Rock Hard Gelee.

I think the Aubrey Organics is the most expensive at $10 for a biggish bottle. The Biosilk also is around $8 -- everything else is in the under-$4-for-a-huge-bottle range.

That's just me, though; my hair is dry and hates cones/sulfates. I'm very glad that it likes cheap products.

[GRU]

Like LoveMyMutt, I pretty much just use cheap stuff, primarily Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut. I do have some GVP stuff from Sally's (Conditioning Balm and The Conditioner) but if I didn't have them I wouldn't miss them.

[Pimpernel]

After the first time using Matrix's Sleek Look ($25 per bottle) I was hooked. I had previously been using Suave's knock off version, which didn't have the same effect. After using Sleek Look for a few months I noticed that my hair was just plain gross and clarifying didn't help. I switched to Tresemme about 3 months ago and my hair has improved a lot.

[amaiaisabella]

I think with drugstores now carrying salon lines, they've gotten a lot more affordable, so that's a plus if you want to try some salon brands. I used to like Biolage, but now I use a knockoff line from Sally's that is called Miracle 7 that I like quite a bit.

As for salon stuff, my hair always feels quite nice when the stylist used L'anza, but not so much that I spring for the shampoo and conditioner. Lately, I've noticed that it doesn't really matter what shampoo I use (so long as it's not super coney, I can handle one cone) so long as my conditioner is good. If that happens to be a salon brand, so be it.

[Chamomile betty]

I use brands from the drugstore and from Sally's. I love GVP Nexxus better than the original Nexxus. I use Garnier, Aussie, Suave, Pantene, Herbal Essence, Mane & Tail, and Biotera.
I think it's just what works for your hair. I love reading everyones thoughts.

[Oskimosa]

Hm. Well, I've tried salon brands in the past; such as Redken, Matrix products, Biosilk, and many many many more. I can't remember the names, only how the bottles looked. But I really never had results that were good enough to purchase them again.

I actually liked Aussie products the best on my hair when it was damaged. I hated the smell, though. It was too strong and stayed all day, so it wasn't just the showering experience. Nowadays my virgin-ish hair is a totally different animal and, evidently, is as frugal as I am :)

[freezerpop]

I buy most of my products from the drugstore/Walmart or Sally's. I believe the most expensive bottle I own is a small Lush conditioner. :p Right now I'm using suave aloe & ginkgo shampoo and John Freida root awakening breakage-prone conditioner (only because I had a coupon) and my hair is pretty happy. When I'm picking out a hair product I look at 1-what's in it and 2-the price. The name on the bottle means nothing.

[LittleOrca]

I would say yes and no.

Yes because as part of my post-op care, I was told to use Nioxin to help with my hair loss I would experience. Though I lost a lot of hair, I do think it helped because I did not lose as much as I could have. At the same time, I did not use the Nioxin brand, I used the Sally's off-brand, Nutriox, but it is the same thing. I also say no since I have used some salon products and they did not give me the same results as my Garnier does, and I know that Garnier is definitely not a salon favored brand since the last salon lady who found out I used it proceeded to bitch at me about it and try to sell me her product... the ladder of the sentence is the key word there. ;)

[Desideira]

I have few HG salon products.

Its shampoo for dry sensitive hair enriched by Kerastase.
It heled my scalp, it made my hair grow faster, and new hair started to grow. After a mont I didnt have to use conditoner it was so rich and nourishing:D

Masquintense for coarse hair. I absolutely love it.:D

salon product i hate is kerastase pink line for colored hair. The sampoo made my scapl so irritated and itchy. I am allergic to it:mad::rolleyes:

My HG drugstore so far is polish deep conditoner ECOWAX by L'biotica for blonde hair. It with henna extract,alomond oil, aloe, lemon and no silicone. I love it:D:cheese: my hair is like silk after using it

Nivea diamond gloss sprey conditoner. Very moisturizing.
:cheese:

i like some fructis stuff and I am very courius about new garneir natural care that jsut came out here in my country.