There are so many stores and brands that sell hair care products.
Unfortunately not all of them are as good as they advertise...
Since 2004 I learned a lot about shampoo and from now on, I want the world to know why shampoo in the supermarket isn't your best option and why professional brands are so expensive.
The Supermarket
Hair care products you buy from the supermarket likely aren’t the best choice. This is because usually it’s cheaply made, and we choose it based on whether or not it smells good or if we like the way it’s advertised. Obviously, manufacturers know this and they often use this knowledge to mislead buyers into purchasing hair care products that won’t actually benefit them — and could actually harm their hair.
For example, some companies will list expensive-sounding ingredients on their packaging, when in reality, even if they only add 0.01% of this ingredient to the product, they can legally list it on their bottle. This makes it easy for these companies to make their products seem like a better choice than they actually are.
Another reason why you shouldn’t buy hair care products at the supermarket is because of the damaging ingredients that are often added in abundance to keep the price low and to meet buyer's initial wishes such as its smell, the amount of foam it creates and the packaging. These can include:
Pure detergent, which is basically the same as dishwashing liquid, that’s meant to create large amounts of foam and clean quickly. Unfortunately, detergent is too aggressive for our hair, stripping it of all its healthy natural oils.
Heavy silicones that coat your hair every time you wash it to cover up the extreme drying out of your hair caused by the detergent. They also cause your hair to fall flatter and be less voluptuous, lose its curl or waviness, and they don’t allow your hair cuticles to close meaning your hair loses vital building materials and becomes weakened.
Perfume which is used with effective — though often misleading — branding to easily persuade someone to buy the product.
Cosmetics Stores
There are a variety of cosmetic stores that offer a wide selection of body and hair care products, from cosmetic to vegan. However, the brands you find here often spend their resources on researching what’s best for general skin care rather than specifically on taking care of your scalp.
As a result, cosmetic stores usually sell a more mild shampoo than compared to the supermarket, but are often just more expensive versions of supermarket products that still don't contain what you really need for beautiful, healthy hair.
Almost all of them use silicone replacers, this is because it's assumed that silicons are needed to create a shiny layer around the hair, when in fact the hair needs ingredients to close the natural protective layer of the hair - called the hair cuticles - so that the hair will shine without any extra layer added to it.
The Pharmacy
The hair care brands for sale at pharmacies often do spend a lot of time researching healthy scalp care options, but in my professional opinion, not into the overall health of your hair.
From my experience with customers, whenever I wet the hair of someone who has used a shampoo from the pharmacy, it often feels even worse than if they would have used a shampoo from the supermarket. I suspect this is because these brands haven’t looked closely enough into what the actual hair and cuticles need to not only look and feel healthy, but to truly be healthy.
Again, there are often added silicone replacers.
The Hair Salon
A good hairdresser will have a broad knowledge of scalp and hair problems, and which professional product can provide a solution for each individual customer. These professional brands have the time and financial resources to research which ingredients our hair really needs to be both strong and healthy. Meaning the end buyer of the product finances the research and expensive ingredients behind hair care.
For example, at Nelson Hairteam where I work as a hairdresser, we stock three different brands at our salon: one is cosmetic, one is natural, and the other is for men (which really only differs from the other two due to its fragrance). Within these three brands, we carry more than 30 different shampoos and over 50 treatments, because we know that each of our customers are unique, and so is there hair and their budget.
All in all, buying your hair products from a professional salon is your best option when it comes to creating your own personalized hair care ritual. These brands have spent countless hours pouring into each and every one of their products so that anyone with any type of hair care need can find the perfect fit.
Try It for Yourself!
Are you ready to feel the difference that investing in healthy hair makes? Talk to a specialist at your local salon, and after they let you know which products are right for you, buy 1 bottle of shampoo and 1 bottle of treatment. On average, a standard sized bottle (250 ml/8 fl 0z) will last you about two and a half months.
Once you’ve begun your new hair care ritual, make sure not to disrupt the process by using any other brands if you want to experience the true effects of your new shampoo and treatment! It can take a while for the built up silicone from cheaper shampoos to wear off, though by the end of the test, you can decide for yourself whether or not the investment in more beautiful and healthier hair was worth it.
Let me know if you have tried this at home and what your experience was with that.