Drug Store Products vs Salon Grade Products - is there really a difference?
Some of my main questions when I’m comparing Drug store Products to Salon grade Products are:
why are they cheap?
what’s in them?
what do they do to my hair?
what do they do to my hair extensions?
Drugstore
The shampoos and conditioners we find at the drugstore are appealing for obvious reasons. They’re affordable, convenient, and we love all of their different scents (I mean, who can resist vanilla & shea butter?). But what makes them so affordable may be cause for concern. Although drugstore shampoos do contain high-grade ingredients found in salon products, they only contain small amounts of them. They typically contain chemicals, which can strip your hair of its natural oils, essentially drying it out. They’re also known for diluting their products with fillers. These tend to make your hair feel super soft, but can also leave behind a waxy build-up. Basically, your hair feels soft but isn’t actually hydrated from within.
Popular Drug Store products that are doing more harm than good
Pantene — it is filled with chemicals that are harsh and can cause skin irritation.
Aussie — Contains ingredients that are extremely harmful & parabens that are linked to breast cancer, and soldium lauryl sulfate that potentially increases your carcinogenic exposure.. If you are using any Aussie products toss them NOW.
Herbal Essences — Extremely drying causing a lot of breakage!
TRESemmé — LAW SUIT ALERT — There is a Class-action lawsuit filed against shampoo brand Tresemmé claims keratin products cause hair loss, I say, stay on the safe side and avoid this brand all together!
Garnier — This shampoo is one of many that contain dangerous chemicals. It's so bad that it's listed on Mamavation's list of shampoos to avoid because they're so toxic.
Head & Shoulders — really harsh and drying for your hair, they also contain sulfates which damage the hair follicle (where your hair grows out from on your scalp) and cause breakage.
Suave — includes sulfates that will strip your natural oils from your hair & scalp, leaving your hair feeling like straw..
L’Oreal — an ingredient that stood out to me in this one was glycerin, which is used as antifreeze in cars..
John Frieda — This shampoo strips away the red dye and even changes the colour of people's hair! Extensions are colour treated and need a shampoo that will help continue to lock those colours into the cuticle.. the verdict here is to stay away from John Frieda, otherwise, youe extensions will change colour quickly!!
Monat — ahh this guy here.. At the end of the day, this company survives off of MLM (multi-level-marketing). Meaning that they employ your mother, sister, cousin, aunt, friends, & other fellow women or men on a commission based salary - these types of jobs are normally targeted at lower middleclass individuals as “Get Rich Fast” schemes that only sound attainable but really are not.. This company has had multiple lawsuits filed against them and have mislead consumers heavily in terms of product safety - so much so that the majority of these thousands of complaints were due to HAIR LOSS. Click here to read more about the Law Suits. So my verdict is to run as fast as you can in the opposite direction from all of the products manufactured from this company. Not worth the risk!!
Salon
The reason salon shampoos tend to be on the pricier side is because they are highly concentrated with high-grade ingredients. They often consist of vitamins, oils and minerals that are truly nourishing, yet too pricey to exist in most drugstore options. These shampoos also include less fillers than their drugstore counterpart, preventing that waxy build-up and instead, hydrating from within. Because these premium shampoos are more concentrated, you don’t need to use as much to see results.
What are salon products that are worth the money?
Kevin Murphy
Joico
Malibu C
Matrix
Olaplex
Kerastase
Amika
All shampoos contain a lathering agent. The safest agent to use in a shampoo is called sodium laureth sulfite. This is the gentlest type for both hair and scalp and used in most professional products depending on what your hair care needs are. The only issue most people have when changing over to professional products with this type, is that it does not produce a lot of lather. Through television ads we are convinced that the more lather a shampoo may make, the better it is at cleaning the hair, this is not true. Lather has nothing to do with cleaning power. The drug store brands usually use one of the following, ammonium laurel sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate, or sodium laurel sulfate. Though these three types will produce a richer lather, they are much harder on your scalp and hair, and can be as harsh as dish soap.
Salon grade conditioners will contain more of the important moisturizers and proteins that your hair needs. This means that they have a better chance of sinking deep into the hair shaft when applied. The drug store brands only need a small amount of these ingredients to claim that they are in the conditioner. Just because they say those helpful moisturizers are in the product does not mean there is enough in there to do anything to help the health of your hair.
With all of this talk about shampoo & conditioner we cannot forget about all of the other wonderful products that will help nourish your hair & hair extensions! Keeping in mind the new knowledge that you have from this post, here are a few other products that will help your gorgeous hair extensions:
Hair Serum
MoroccanOil Oil Treatment (other oil treatments are fine too)
Dry Shampoo
Salon Grade Hair Masks for nourishing
Final Conclusion:
You should look for shampoos that are free of sulfate, sodium chloride and parabens. All three of these ingredients should be avoided at all costs.Talk to your hair stylists and hair extension technicians, these professionals will have personal favourites and will be knowledgeable about what types of products are best for your hair. It just doesn’t make sense to be spending hundreds of dollars on Hair Extensions or Hair colour to turn around and buy cheap products to take care of your hair.. The math just isn’t there. Just remember, you get what you pay for, and when it comes to hair, it’s well worth the price of maintenance & homecare.
