PROFESSIONAL VS DRUGSTORE BRANDS

You’ve seen the commercials for shampoos that make your hair extra shiny for a fraction of the cost of professional products, right? You want your hair to look just like the model’s so you go right out and buy it, right? Well, I’m here to tell you…to STOP!!!!

As a professional hair stylist, it’s important for me and my clients to have nice, shiny and healthy hair so I can relate to your urges to go and buy a product that promises to deliver shiny, silky, frizz-free hair. But there are reasons why that product, full of promises, is only a fraction of the cost…you get what you pay for!

Most shampoos, conditioners and styling aids you find in the drug store have a lot of the same ingredients as the professional products found in a salon, but at different ratios. Anytime you read the ingredients on a product of any kind, they are listed from most to least. Drugstore hair product brands have a high percentage of wax in them therefore making the hair appear to be beautifully shiny and healthy, all the while remaining unchanged underneath all of the wax. The intense shine you get from the knock-off brands only masks the condition of the hair underneath. Even the professional brands that you see sold in the drugstores are not what they seem. These products have been altered (watered down) and so you’re not really getting a professional product for a drugstore price. A word to the wise is not to purchase a professional brand that you see sold in drugstores because they are no longer salon/professional quality and the companies make them are therefore cheating themselves and the customer.

As a hair stylist, it only makes sense to use in the salon what your clients can only buy from you. Salon shampoos and conditioners use more proteins, vitamins and moisturizers than the drugstore brands, which accoun for a deeper penetration into the hair shaft and that‘s what the user wants. The same rules apply when it comes to styling aids such as hair spray, gel, mousse, etc. These drug store products can contain a high amount of alcohol which can be very drying to the hair especially when they’re used on a regular basis. Professional brand styling aids have a much lesser amount of alcohol or none at all.

We all know the economy’s not doing the best but if you’re using drug store hair care products, likely, your hair‘s not doing the best either. Sometimes it takes putting things into perspective to realize our priorities. Your hair is an integral part of your appearance and plays a major role in your overall look and feel so spend a few extra dollars and have peace of mind that you’re doing the right thing…your hair deserves it!