Question on Expensive Hair Products

[starlights]

I was watching a tv hair advert today (oh yes);) and it got me thinking do you think that spending lots on hair products and hair care actually makes a difference to hair?
has buying expensive hair products worked for you?
or do you spend hardly anything and still proud of your hair?
Your views would be appreciated. Have a good day guys:D

[JenniferNoel]

I used Kerastase when I was flat ironing and styling and my hair absolutely loved it, wouldn't get along well with anything else. But after LHC and letting my natural curl pattern show, and gaining length, the cones and the moldability just wasn't my cup of tea anymore.
My hair gets along just fine at 8 bucks every several months. :p

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Not really. They only include more cones and more protein to make damaged hair look healthy. Sure, that works for many people, but not me. When i had permanent extensions on, they handed me an expensive leave-in CONEditioner (9 out of 10 ingredients was a cone!) which made my hair brittle and gunky...(eewwww :( )

[Kaijah]

Most the time, what you end up paying for with the expensive products is the name, the pretty packaging, and the marketing. Check the ingredients lists, and aside from fragrances and vanity ingredients (you know, the magic pearl-extract shine enhancers!, minute amounts of topical vitamins, half a grain of cassia, etc.etc.etc.), you'll likely find an identical shampoo/conditioner for half the price.

Or, ya know, look for the blatant knock off versions (Sally's GVP anyone?) that work just as well without the Ohh La La label. :D

[jaine]

My skin determines which hair products I buy...unfortunately every drugstore brand I've ever tried has caused itchiness and breakouts on my back from the runoff in the shower.

When I stick to natural brands my skin is totally happy...Hugo Naturals, John Masters Organics, Sevi, Aubrey Organics, Max Green Alchemy....those are my safe brands that never irritate my skin. I pay between $8 and $20 for an 8 ounce bottle of shampoo or conditioner that doesn't irritate my skin. I'm ok with that.

[Gumball]

I have to echo Kaijah on that one. Sometimes pricier products can really be useful to some people since they might work with that particular head of hair, but other times you're just paying for the brand. The example being how some people love using Biolage Conditioning Balm, which is maybe $20 a bottle, while I use a generic version (same ingredients) for about $6 a bottle.

Ultimately many people stop worrying as much about brand name, but end up focusing more on the ingredients in the products and what combos may best apply to them.

[Othala]

I don't care a hoot for brand names or exotic ingredients, however, my holy grail products are expensive. The shampoo I use, Aubrey Organics Calaguala Fern, costs £10 and my leave-in conditioner is Philip Kingsley's Elasticizer which is £20 per tub.

I have used cheap products in the past but they just did not work as well for me. Having said that, I have used other expensive products and they were awful. It just depends on the formulation I guess.

[virgo75]

Does buying expensive products make a difference to my hair? Sometimes. Depends on the product. As Kaijah said - many are just pretty packaging and a name brand. But some may make a major difference if you hair is highly processed. Mine isn't so it usually doesn't help that much. But the difference for me between expensive and inexpensive is that inexpensive tends to sit on top while more expensive seems to sink into my hair and feel like nothing is there, but my hair is happy. I only noticed this because my hair is often pulled back and it frizzes so I'll wet my hands and run them over my hair in the front to smooth it back down. Cheap products make my hair(and hands) feel slimey, expensive ones feel like nothing.

Buying expensive products worked better for me when I did more to my hair(chemical, dye, and heat style), now it's nice but not necessary.

Currently I spend a lot more than I should just on experimenting with products(both expensive and inexpensive) - but I can honestly say that I haven't found a treatment that works as well for my hair than a cheapy SMT with Suave or V05. ;)

Hope that helps. :flower:

[Fractalsofhair]

A lot of people here use VO5 or Suave for Conditioner only washing.

I personally use a shampoo bar that costs $5 a bar, vinegar with tap water(basically free since a jug lasts me ages), and a conditioner that is $10 a bottle, but is all natural.

Shampoos basically have the same ingredients and if you dilute them as many people here do, you might not notice much of a difference. Pantene is basically the same as most salon products!

[jaine]

A lot of people here use VO5 or Suave for Conditioner only washing.

I personally use a shampoo bar that costs $5 a bar, vinegar with tap water(basically free since a jug lasts me ages), and a conditioner that is $10 a bottle, but is all natural.

Shampoos basically have the same ingredients and if you dilute them as many people here do, you might not notice much of a difference. Pantene is basically the same as most salon products!

I notice a big difference in my hair and skin with a shampoo made from SLS vs a gentler surfactant like decyl glucoside or decyl polyglucose. Dry hair and dry/itchy skin, or clean hair and skin that's not dry... It's a pretty big difference to me! I don't usually see my kind of shampoo, with all of my other ingredient requirements, for less than $2/ounce, but maybe it's out there...

[Fractalsofhair]

Yep, SLS free shampoos do exist, but most salon products contain SLS, hence why there's not much of a difference between salon shampoos and regular ones. (I use shampoo bars and they are very different than conventional shampoos.)

[Ursula]

From what I've seen, technique and understanding products and ingredients makes far more difference than merely choosing something more expensive.

For myself, I usually CO wash with Suave Naturals, White Rain or VO5 conditioners, and occasionally use a little TreSemme Vit. C shampoo to clarify. The TreSemme is more expensive ($5-6 per bottle) but a bottle lasts years. I use a bit of oil for leave in, or oil and shea butter mixed, also cheap. I've use more expensive leave-in conditioners occasionally (e.g., Curls Souffle, Oyin Whipped Pudding) which cost more per jar, but again, last months or years, so it is cheap overall. I make my own detangler spray, with tap water, aloe gel and oil, which is inexpensive and works better than anything from the store.

[jeanniet]

Most cheap products just don't work for my hair. I wish they did. I save the Suave conditioner for hendigo glosses. For the most part, I'm happier using more natural products along the lines of Avalon, Aubrey Organics, Alaffia, etc. Most of those aren't super expensive compared to some salon products, but they're not cheap, either. I just go by what's tried and true for my hair.

[GlassEyes]

It depends.

I've used expensive AND inexpensive products--there's been many of both that have sucked, and many that worked. For example, Kinky Curly Curling Custard is about $30 plus shipping--it is a gift form the curly haired gods. Little else has worked similarly, save for Curls in a Bottle, which takes -way- too much for the price.

On the other hand, conditioner wise, Suave Tropical Coconut is lovely, as is Generic Value Conditioning Balm. Sometimes you're just paying for the marketing, even if the products do work. :shrug:

[Buddaphlyy]

The term "expensive" is subject, but overall, I think product price does not always equate to product quality. My hair seems to like a mix, but I would definitely say my hair can deal with drugstore brands over similar salon brands.

[Pink Pearls]

Inexpensive products don't seem to work on my hair. I've tried VO5 and Herbal Essence and didn't get good results. My hair felt coated with the HE HH and the VO5 was too thin. So, I'm sticking to what my hair likes...salon brads.

[amaiaisabella]

As a previous poster suggested, "expensive" is subjective, and taking into account the increased availability of salon products nowadays (e.g., Biolage at Target), the line becomes fuzzy. That said, I can't use the cheapest of the cheap stuff (Suave, White Rain, and so on). However, I love the L'Oreal EverStrong shampoo, and the GVP version of Nexxus conditioner, but the LUSH H'Suan Wen Hua was awesome on my hair, and I consider that expensive (seeing as how I don't shell out for it). Use what makes your hair happy. I view it as a body part- you have to do whatever you can to make that part happy, even if it costs the earth or pennies. For the most part, it's permanent, so there's no use going throughout life unhappy, kwim?

[longblondetan]

i get a discount being a beautician on pricey stuff, but always loved the drug store stuff before, it depends on the product for me.

[usatodaywife]

I only use baking soda and water to wash it...rinse well...and then apple cider vinegar and water for "conditioner"...rinse again. That's it for cleaning.

I also use hairtopia hair oil to oil the ends...but a person could use olive oil, jojoba, or coconut oil if they wanted to save money.

[ghost]

I don't think that expensive products necessarily yield the best results, but my favorite products are a bit pricey.
I use Aveda's clove shampoo, which costs about $29, but that buys you a liter...and a liter of shampoo lasts me forever! The Organix cherry blossom conditioner I like is about $6-8, depending on which drugstore I'm in when I buy it, and I go through conditioners pretty quickly. It does get pricey, but my hair really seems to like it, so I don't mind spending the money...I got good results with Suave, but am getting great results with this.
The coconut oil I favor comes from Whole Foods, and a jar costs about $10, but again...it lasts forever.

[usatodaywife]

The nice thing about coconut oil is you can use it "all over". I'm single, so every Friday night I put an old comforter on the couch. Then I coconut oil up from my face down to my feet (I now use Hairtopia oil on my hair, but use to use coconut oil on my hair, too)...then I pop in a DVD and sit on the couch and let the oil soak in for a couple hours. Then take a shower when the movie is done. Of course, if you have kids (unless they're infants), you really can't sit around the house in front of them like that. You'll have to wait for them to be out of the house at grandma's or something.

[Kome]

The most I've ever paid for a shampoo, conditioner, and gloss was $15 per bottle. It's my FAVORITE line, but I rarely buy it as it's just not worth the price. I love the smell and the way it leaves my hair, but I can't justify the price. It's something to put on the Christmas wish list though, but I just try new conditioners and that works just fine for me. I like to try new things anyways.

[squiggyflop]

um well pantene is about as expensive as i will pay.. (3$ per bottle).. and i NEVER pay more than 1$ for shampoo.. conditioner is where i will spend the 3$.. plus ill pay for detangler (kids detangler).. oh and did i mention i dilute the shampoo with water?

i have received paul mitchell stuff as gifts before.. but they didnt do anything for me.. oh and the stuff they have used on me at salons leave my hair dry and awful

i think my hair is pretty.. and its pretty cheap too..

oh and the coconut oil i use is 2$ for a tub that lasts forever

[julliams]

I have a friend that is a hairdresser. She works for herself now and doesn't buy or sell products so she has nothing to "sell" me. She says that the difference is in the cleaning agent (shampoos). The thing that cleans in a cheap shampoo is no different than using washing detergent (in her opinion). It's uneccesarily harsh and cheap to make. In the expensive shampoo, apparently the cleaning agent is better quality.

As for conditioners I'm not really sure.

This isn't really what I personally believe but this is coming from a professional so I guess it's worth considering.

I'm guessing alot is the name and marketing as well. For some people, paying a certain amount of money means to them that they are buying quality. Some feel more comfortable with the idea of "only using the best" and there has to be a market for this way of thinking. I certainly think that there is a difference between brands but in my opinion, my hair hasn't looked "SO" much better when I've used something expensive. Then there are products that make it look terrible and most often they have been cheap ones. On the other hand some cheap products do wonders for my hair.

[Amelia]

I spend most of my life with supermarket shampoos, until I found *my* shampoo, which is only sold at the Pharmacy. It costs about 11€ (that's 14.37$) and it always worked wonders for my hair. Problem is it contains SLS and i'm off those nasty things. I use it every six weeks now just for clarifying.

Since going natural (sort of speak) I've actually spend a good amount of money. Most shampoos are in average 6 to 8 euros (that's 7.84$ to 10.45$).

I think the most expensive thing i've bought for my hair was Neem Oil from the Dr. Hauschka line, but I had very good results with it. It was 14€ that's 18.29$, but it seems that even with my thick hair the bootle is going to last for months.

[mellie]

I haven't had good results at all with expensive salon shampoos (and other products). They end up just sitting in the cupboard gathering dust, while I actually use and get great results from supermarket or health food store products.