Making the decision to use drugstore or salon grade products can be a struggle.

What really are the differences? Is it really worth spending extra money at the salon,

or should I find whatever is on sale at the nearest drugstore? If you are someone

who gets their hair professionally chemically altered in any way, then without a

doubt you should be using salon grade products. If you are someone who never

chemically alters their hair in any way and never will, then you may be able to get by

with using drugstore products, but they still have negative long lasting effects on

the hair.

 

So what are the differences between drugstore and salon grade shampoos and

conditioners? After all soap is soap, and conditioner is conditioner, right?

 

What you are really washing your hair with

So what are drugstore shampoos made of that makes them so bad? There are some

drugstore shampoos that do contain some high-grade ingredients that are found in

salon grade products, but they only contain small amounts of it so that they can

claim their products are "high grade." They typically contain high amounts o

f harmful ingredients such as silicone, parrabens, and other chemicals that can strip

your hair of its natural oils, causing it to dry out. They also contain fillers and waxes

which appear to make your hair feel super soft, but it is actually building up a layer

of wax around the cuticle and prevents the core from getting the hydration and

nutrients it needs to be healthy.

 

What drugstore ingredients can do to your hair

When you wash your hair, you use warm water to open the cuticle so your shampoo can go in and cleanse away the dirt, excess oils, and other grime that might be on your hair. Conditioner and cool water is what helps moisturize and seal the cuticle back to protect it. Silicone is a rubber or plastic like substance used as a sealant against water. So a lot of drugstore companies will put silicone in their products to help further seal the cuticle. But sealing the cuticle with a non natural ingredient like silicone can have negative effects on your hair. It gives the illusion of shine and silk, weighs your hair down, doesn’t let the core of the hair receive hydration, and since there is a barrier of wax, the hair can not receive the full potential of a chemical service in the salon such as coloring, keratin treatments, and other chemical services. Not to mention when you put heat onto your hair, the heating tools act like "laminates" melting the wax and sealing off the cuticle completely not allowing natural oils and or healthy ingredients to penetrate to the core of the hair. They will just sit on top of that waxy layer causing more and more build up resulting in greasy, flat and lifeless hair.

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Here are a list of brands to stay away from:

Pantene

Herbal Essences

Treseme

Dove

OGX

John Frieda

 

What you should be washing your hair with

Salon grade shampoos are salon grade for a reason. They have been approved by professionals that work in the cosmetology field and they have been approved because of the nourishing ingredients they contain. They tend to be on the pricier side because they are highly concentrated with high grade ingredients to promote the health of your hair. They contain vitamins, oils, and minerals that truly nourish the hair rather than coat it in a layer of silky waxes and fillers. Instead of sitting on top of the cuticle they actually penetrate into the core. Since these salon grade products are more concentrated, you wont need to use as much as you would need to use if you were using a drugstore shampoo, so the bottle will last you longer.

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If you chemically alter your hair, you NEED to be using salon grade products

If you are chemically altering your hair in any way then you need to be using salon grade products to keep up with at home maintenance. Using drugstore products can strip away color, induce frizz, and potentially reverse any chemical service you've received like perms, keratin treatments, and brazillian blowouts. Even deep conditioning treatments or hair masks can be ruined just by one use of a drugstore product.  And just because your shampoo from your local drugstore says "color safe" does not mean that its any better. 'Color safe" drugstore products are still guilty of using fillers, silicones, and other harsh chemicals. So make sure when you are paying for a hair service, that you understand you will have to pay to keep up with it at home too.

 

Here are a list of products you can get from salons:

Pulp Riot

Redken

Amika

Wella

Joico

Milkshake

 

Buy Local

Hairstylists are the ones who know the most about your hair. We know what kind of hair you have, what chemicals are going on your hair, and what kinds of products you need to maintain the health, color, and integrity. Listening to our recommendations, and buying what we recommend IN THE SALON not only supports us, but it also supports the integrity of your hair. So instead of buying from Ulta, amazon, or any other beauty supply chain, buy from your local hairstylist that not only knows what they are talking about, but may know your hair even better than you do. And one more tip: NEVER buy from discount department stores. These stores sell products that have been sitting on the shelves way past their expiration date. Some even go as far as making fake labels to make the product look name brand. So if you are not buying directly from your hairstylist, be very cautious with what you are buying. We aren't here to make a few extra dollars off the one shampoo you bought. We want you to be educated about what you are putting on your hair, and we are looking out for your health and integrity!

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If you have any questions please feel free to shoot me a message, and if you’ve never been in my chair feel free to click here to receive 10% Off your first visit.