Shampoos

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Do any of your ladies prefer to buy shampoos/conditioners at a hair salon like Hair Cuttery, Bubbles, etc? Or you prefer to buy over the counter products like Pantene? I hear how the OTC products are bad for the hair. But the hair salon brands are so expensive!

I used Pantene for decades and loved it. I have long hair and they had the best OTC conditioner I could buy, for something like 20 years.

But Pantene changed their formulas and labeling recently so they're confusing for me to figure out which to use, and they're higher priced now, so I don't use them anymore. Now I'm using one of the least expensive OTC moisturizing shampoos I can get - Tresemme - but I haven't noticed a dramatic difference if I'm careful about not abusing my hair in other ways.

I tried the salon brands many years ago. They're actually a little over-conditioning for me, leaving my hair feeling a little greasy and limp. I have fine hair, and I don't blow dry or use any other heat on it, I don't use hairspray or gel with drying alcohols, and I don't wash my hair daily, so too much conditioner is as problematic as not enough. Besides, they were so EXPENSIVE! Honestly, who can afford that? Even at Costco the price of the salon brand they carry (maybe Nexus, I don't remember for sure) is astronomical compared to what I use.

One trick with OTC shampoos, if you have long hair, is to only wash once, don't repeat. That way you don't strip the oils completely out of your hair. Use the one labeled for dry, damaged hair or ultra-moisturizing.

I've read on long hair forums that some people do something called CO washing where they wash their hair just with conditioner and only use shampoo if it's actually dirty.

I used to use Suave or VO5 but a while ago I got Tresemme on sale and like that better. There is no way I'd use something really expensive. I have long thick hair so I'd use it up fast if I washed my hair as often as I should.

I do that. I have curly hair that tends to be very dry, and that's the only way I was finally able to get rid of the frizziness.

I used to use the Suave shampoo that came in the black bottle back in the 90's because I loved the smell of it. Once they stopped making that, I didn't really care what I used (I just try to find a moisturizing one). The conditioner I use is Nature's Gate jojoba, though - good results, none of the ingredients that can damage your hair or leave residue on it.

I've started using Suave rosemary and mint. The fancy stuff is too full of chemically smells for me.

I've recently cut all my hair. It's very curly, prone to frizz and dryness. I'm going on holiday at the weekend and it's likely to be hot and humid. I decided I didn't want to be a frizzy mess for 2 weeks, so it's gone. It doesn't even look that curly now, but the curls will return, when my hair grows (I hope, because I do like them). I only wash my hair twice a week and tend to vary what shampoo I use. I'm allergic to parabens, so a lot of brands are ruled out right away. But, I've discovered a product recently (which isn't even a shampoo) that I'm going to stick with for now. I took my daughter swimming and only had shower gel, so I told her to use it on her hair. Then I applied some leave-in conditioner, before combing, as usual. I couldn't believe how few tugs were in her hair and how healthy it felt and looked. The leave-in conditioner helps, but normally after swimming, her hair is extra tuggy. She's a curly top too (not as curly as me). I've used it again and the result was the same. The shower gel is Urtekram Himalayan Salt and contains only natural ingredients. I used it on my own hair a few times and so far so good.

I've tried both salon brands and non-salon brands. I went through a stage where my special interest was toiletries (it was very expensive) and I spent hours comparing all the different brands and became obsessed with having a colour theme to everything.

My favourite brands are Aveda and Paul Mitchell but they are out of my price range just now so I am using a shop brand. I like Treseme. When I am really poor I use this 31p shampoo from the supermarket and even though it is cheap it compares quite well to some of the cheaper chemist brands. If I was a millionaire I would use salon brands, but sadly I am not.

I buy whatever is on special at the supermarket.

Before my boyfriend, I used to just wash my hair with dishwashing liquid or normal soap. If it is good enough for Sarah Harding out of the Lost world:Jurassic Park and Ian Malcom it is good enough for me.

Last edited by Solvejg on 20 Jun 2012, 7:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

I got a small size of the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration and the smell is amazing!

Ditto on CO washing.
Shampoo is REALLY BAD for hair as it strips the oils, you then need to use a silicone conditioner to cover-up the damage, which then leads to even further damage by preventing moisture getting to the hair shaft and requires shampoo to avoid build-up. If I use shampoo I get terrible dandruff from the SLS's, my hair gets super frizzy, it gets greasy really fast and I get loads of split-ends, my hair is far better with CO washing.

Basically salon or OTC products isn't important, it's the ingredients that are important.
No SLS's and no silicones are the biggest rules, and the fact is that the cheapest OTC hair products are often the best as they don't have as many harmful ingredients....I pay 60p for the conditioner I use which is silicone free and free from any toxic ingredients (so good for my wallet, my hair, my health and the environment), verses about £4 for an OTC conditioner or £6+ for something from a salon.

SLS Sodium laureth sulfate?
That's in all OTC brands I think...

What's CO?

I like the smell of Paul Mitchell Tea Tree but the stylist says don't use it often because it can dry out the hair. I like it because it comes in a huge bottle that can last for months. I do like it since its no animal testing and doesn't have that SLS. I tried Bumble and Bumble and made me really itchy.

I know that Pantene specifically, and possibly some other OTC brands have a high wax content that builds up over time on the hair. I just look for sales on the salon shampoos, which you can usually find in the larger sizes.

Hair Cuttery is probably cheapest to buy salon quality shampoos

I never know what to do with my hair. The top layer, which gets exposed to the elements, is always dry and frizzy, and the bottom layer, next to my skin, gets disgustingly greasy within two days. I get hot flushes, which involve drenching sweats on my head and neck, and this is mostly what makes my hair greasy. I don't have enough volume of hair to be able to separate the two layers out when I'm washing.

At the moment I'm using Frizz Ease shampoo with the conditioner that comes with the good quality permanent colour I put on my hair every six weeks. This seems to be the least worst regime – the conditioner's a bit heavy but the dry layers do seem to need it. The best thing for my hair would be to wash it less often, I think, but until the drenching sweats stop, there's no way I can do that.

I have to use T-Gel, because my scalp gets very itchy and dandruffy, otherwise. Cheap conditioner is as good as the expensive kind, if not a little less harsh chemically. I hardly need much conditioner because I have fine, greasy hair, anyway. I don't wash it every day, though. I wash it every other day and talc it on the off-day.

I've been trying the old-fashioned baking soda and vinegar method for the past two weeks, and I actually really like it. I'm allergic to a lot of products so it's great to find something natural that doesn't irritate my skin or make me break out