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View Full Version : Why do we trust store-bought products more than our own concoctions?



swearnsue
October 9th, 2011, 02:06 PM
I have created a hair and scalp oil for myself that I like alot and it's working for me. BUT I find myself looking for hair oils to moisturize and/or stimulate hair growth online and in every store I go in. What is up with that? Does anyone else feel compelled to buy something that was prepared by scientists, marketing VPs, chemists and whoever else instead of trusting ourselves? Does paying $12 an ounce make the oil better than mixing some oils and EO that we have in our kitchens?

isabelx
October 9th, 2011, 02:20 PM
I'm the same, I was in my local drug store the other day and was nosying through the hair care isles and saw a whole load of products that claimed to repair split ends, (I think it was Pantene or Treseme) I was so tempted into buying the whole lot! Until I came back to my senses, thought of LHC and remembered nothing can repair split ends :brickwall

ElusiveMuse
October 9th, 2011, 02:31 PM
People assume that companies which specialize in haircare would have research and development teams to create products more sophisticated or effective than what you could at home. Of course you have to balance that assumption with the fact that these companies are businesses meant to make money, not necessarily to provide a service.

leeyah
October 9th, 2011, 02:40 PM
I have created a hair and scalp oil for myself that I like alot and it's working for me.

Could you share your recipe? I still struggle with oils in search of my perfect mix.


Does anyone else feel compelled to buy something that was prepared by scientists, marketing VPs, chemists and whoever else instead of trusting ourselves?

Yup. And I don't really know why, since I read a lot about the nasty stuff they put in those things. I always assume that the scientists MUST know better than I do, since they study these things thoroughly. I am also kinda gullible and believe they really want to help my hair, when obviously all they want is my money.

Chromis
October 9th, 2011, 03:04 PM
Nope. I know mine is better if I look at the ingredients!

spidermom
October 9th, 2011, 03:16 PM
Saying "we" trust store-bought products more than self-made is a broad generalization that probably isn't justified in this community. There is no shortage of kitchen chemists here.

Speaking strictly for myself, in general, I'd rather buy something than make it because I'm just not that interested in experimenting. I'd rather identify what I need and go get it rather than try to formulate it myself.

Carolyn
October 9th, 2011, 05:15 PM
I've tried kitchen witching and making my own products and 99.9% of the time my concoctions are dismal failures. THAT's why I trust store bought products whether it's my tried and true favorites or something new.

fil
October 9th, 2011, 06:01 PM
I am addicted to trying new hair things, but you're right. I dunno why I don't make these things myself. I love to make things and I hate having to trust some thing when it comes to things I'm putting on my body.

Finnenna
October 9th, 2011, 06:09 PM
I would love to make my own hair care items. However, even after a year, I'm not sure what my hair likes, and it's easier for me to go try something pre-made than to do even more work to try it out and if it doesn't work, go back to the drawing board.

ratgirldjh
October 9th, 2011, 06:16 PM
Well I do know that my friend told me after finding that I made a skin oil from ghee and essential oil - that she would never use 'food items' on her hair or skin because she was afraid it would attract bugs... ;)

verene
October 9th, 2011, 06:26 PM
I like store products because once I find something that works the I can count on it to work again because commercial formulations (usually) stay the same over time.

This is not to say I haven't made some very cool things, and some very bizarre things in my experiments at home, but I am not scientific enough to be able to consistently recreate my home-brews so I'm not always sure if what I'm making will turn out awesome or just another flop that's sort of close but not quite.

In2wishin
October 9th, 2011, 06:31 PM
I have a different take on it. I have been making all of my own products for years and when I see something new on the shelves I immediately look at the ingredients to see if it is something I can duplicate but without the stuff I try to avoid in commercial products.

swearnsue
October 9th, 2011, 06:59 PM
My hair is still so short I can experiment without risking damaging too much. I have more time than money so I don't mind Googling ingredients and mixing them myself. My current oil is a concoction of castor oil, olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, tiny tiny bit of EOs: patchouli, orange, clary sage and lavender. I snipped some rosemary and put it in a bottle of castor oil and set it in the sun for several days. I added some of that oil (strained) to the mix. Every now and then I add something else, very unscientific I know but it's more fun to be spontaneous! It is mostly castor oil and the other oils are to thin it out. BTW it doesn't attract bugs!LOL And my cat doesn't like it too much either which might be a bad sign. When/if my hair actually gets long I may be more timid about experimenting with my own concoctions and stick with simple castor/coconut oil mix.

Rebeccalaurenxx
October 9th, 2011, 07:10 PM
I just find it easier. I can experiment easier with store bought than things I make myself, mainly because im not very good at making things myself.

julierockhead
October 9th, 2011, 09:03 PM
So far my kitchen witching and concoctions have been pretty successful, and COwashing lets me experiment with the commercial side of things but in a good way - best of both worlds!

thelittlestdoc
October 9th, 2011, 09:07 PM
Before LHC I religiously used Moroccan Oil (I'm still finishing a bottle) which rings in at $42 per 3.4oz! Plus, it's mostly cones with a bit of Argan oil mixed in. Once I'm done with it I'm definitely going to start making my own mixes, both to eliminate cones and save money.

For those who still love Moroccan, I totally get it--the bottle does last a long time if only used for light daily application. However, I like to do a heavy oiling as a deep treatment once a week, and that makes it rather unreasonably priced.

CurlyCap
October 9th, 2011, 09:29 PM
This always blows my mind.

I have so many friends that complain about the quality of their hair while at the same time asking me why mine grows so fast.

I don't think I do anything odd. I add some oil to a few steps. I try to avoid damaging styles (I say "try" because I'm girl and sometimes I just have to try a certain 'do.)

And yet, despite the evidence, they think I'm crazy. Recently, I did flat iron my hair and my friend was aghast to see me rub a tiny bit of oil over the straightened hair before putting it up in silk for the night. For me that makes all the difference between having fried hair that will split and having hair that just needs a week or two of babying to recover.

She was aghast that I
1) Got my hair "dirty" after all that work.
2) Deep conditioned with yet more oil and honey the very next day. Ie, I didn't try to make my super curly hair stay unnaturally straight for more than a day.

I also get a lot of weird looks when people see my bathroom and realize all my bottles are not commericial, but little 4oz bottles of different oils and supermarket things (aloe, honey, a mixing bowl). LOL

morrigan*
October 10th, 2011, 01:41 AM
I only mix my oils. I would love to do shampoo bars and conditioner, but i don't know how.

Rosetta
October 10th, 2011, 02:14 AM
"Why do we trust store-bought products more than our own concoctions?"
I've been wondering exactly the same... And I just don't know! Well, one reason for me is that, for some strange reason, in general I just seem to have more success with bought products than those I've made myself...! (They don't even have to be store-bought, but products made by someone else!) Maybe, just maybe it's some kind of placebo effect, I don't know. ;) Because often something store-bought with not-so-great-sounding ingredients will work much better for me than something self-made with supposedly great natural ingredients... :(

That said, I'd love to be more independent of commercial mass-production industry and make my own things, as much as possible. I still do that as well, even in hair products, despite the above...