- Joined
- Aug 30, 2013
- Messages
- 16
- Reaction score
- 0
You have to understand that a big chunk of a salon's income comes from product sales. Therefore your stylist is more than likely to stretch the truth about them. After doing a little bit of research and reading the labels on various products I'd like to share my findings with everyone.
1. Myth: drugstore shampoos and conditioners are watered down Truth: drugstore and professional products generally contain the same amount of water. This myth is only true with uber cheap drugstore brands like VO5 and Suave. Any product priced above $2.99 will probably contain as much or as less water as a professional product.
2. Myth: drugstore shampoos are harsher than professional shampoos Truth: There is actually truth in this one. Sulfates are the main cleansing ingredients in all shampoos. The particular sulfates mainly found in Shampoos are: Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (very harsh,) Ammonium Laureth Sulfate (harsh,) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (less harsh,) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (most gentle sulfate.) You will find that virtually all salon shampoos use Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate alone as their cleansing agent. With drugstore products this is not always the case. The uber cheap brands of drugstore shampoos (I.e VO5 and Suave) usually use a combination of Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate in their formulas. Now these are the drugstore shampoos that you want to avoid at all costs. Both of these ingredients are very drying and strip color easily. However most drugstore brands use a combination of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate in their formulas. While not as drying and color stripping as the VO5 and Suave they are still harsher than most salon shampoos and I would advice you to stay away from these also. However there are a few drugstore brands who use Sodium Laureth Sulfate as their sole cleansing agent exactly as salon shampoos do. These are the drugstore shampoos that you want and these are usually the shampoos that are the most pricey, however they are not nearly as expensive as a salon shampoo One more word on Sodium Laureth Sulfate. While this is the most gentle sulfate it is still a sulfate. All sulfates dry hair out over time and strip color. If you want a shampoo that will not dry your hair out and not strip out color you will have to buy a sulfate free shampoo. L'oreal's Ever Pure line comes out at the top of my head. However a lot of women complain that these sulfate free shampoos do not clean hair very well. Bottom line: Most drugstore shampoos are indeed harsher than salon shampoos, however there are a few that are not that can be had for a significantly smaller price.
3. Myth: Drugstore conditioners contain wax Truth: All modern salon and drugstore conditioners use a standard blend of silicones to provide slip (the softness you feel) to the hair strand. In the past this was done with mineral oil which did a pretty good job but could make your hair look greasy if you used too much. Also the mineral oil would cause build up after a while unless a clarifying shampoo was used every now and then. Products containing mineral oil are still sold for extremely dry and/or damaged hair. Mineral oil is still a mainstay in most African American haircare products.
1. Myth: drugstore shampoos and conditioners are watered down Truth: drugstore and professional products generally contain the same amount of water. This myth is only true with uber cheap drugstore brands like VO5 and Suave. Any product priced above $2.99 will probably contain as much or as less water as a professional product.
2. Myth: drugstore shampoos are harsher than professional shampoos Truth: There is actually truth in this one. Sulfates are the main cleansing ingredients in all shampoos. The particular sulfates mainly found in Shampoos are: Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (very harsh,) Ammonium Laureth Sulfate (harsh,) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (less harsh,) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (most gentle sulfate.) You will find that virtually all salon shampoos use Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate alone as their cleansing agent. With drugstore products this is not always the case. The uber cheap brands of drugstore shampoos (I.e VO5 and Suave) usually use a combination of Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate in their formulas. Now these are the drugstore shampoos that you want to avoid at all costs. Both of these ingredients are very drying and strip color easily. However most drugstore brands use a combination of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate in their formulas. While not as drying and color stripping as the VO5 and Suave they are still harsher than most salon shampoos and I would advice you to stay away from these also. However there are a few drugstore brands who use Sodium Laureth Sulfate as their sole cleansing agent exactly as salon shampoos do. These are the drugstore shampoos that you want and these are usually the shampoos that are the most pricey, however they are not nearly as expensive as a salon shampoo One more word on Sodium Laureth Sulfate. While this is the most gentle sulfate it is still a sulfate. All sulfates dry hair out over time and strip color. If you want a shampoo that will not dry your hair out and not strip out color you will have to buy a sulfate free shampoo. L'oreal's Ever Pure line comes out at the top of my head. However a lot of women complain that these sulfate free shampoos do not clean hair very well. Bottom line: Most drugstore shampoos are indeed harsher than salon shampoos, however there are a few that are not that can be had for a significantly smaller price.
3. Myth: Drugstore conditioners contain wax Truth: All modern salon and drugstore conditioners use a standard blend of silicones to provide slip (the softness you feel) to the hair strand. In the past this was done with mineral oil which did a pretty good job but could make your hair look greasy if you used too much. Also the mineral oil would cause build up after a while unless a clarifying shampoo was used every now and then. Products containing mineral oil are still sold for extremely dry and/or damaged hair. Mineral oil is still a mainstay in most African American haircare products.
