Choosing the right hair products

After over 20 years in the salon industry, it still amazes (and amuses) me when I watch someone shopping for hair products. I see people open the bottles to smell them before reading the details on the label. Now, I do not deny that fragrance is an important factor in choosing personal care products but it should not be the #1 criteria. What a product is designed to do and it’s performance should be on the top of the priority list. If it smells good well, that is the bonus. Quite frankly, I have rarely found a shampoo or conditioner that smells dreadful. Some are just more appealing than others.

Having discussed products with literally thousands of people while they sit in my chair, I have heard a lot of perplexing things. Here is a sample dialogue to illustrate some people’s thinking in regard to personal care products:

Client: My hair has been so dry lately.

Me: Well, what sort of products you use?

Client: Oh...I use good products...I buy them at the beauty supply (or health food) store!

Me: Well, can you be more specific? What shampoo have you been using?

Client: “Brand X” (not a real brand)

Me: I see. They make several types of shampoo. Have you been using their hydrating formula?

Client: No, I like the smell of the volumizing shampoo better.

Me: Uh huh. Well, what about conditioner?

Client: Oh, I never use conditioner because it weighs my hair down!

There are several things going on in this conversation that need rethinking.

First, to assume that a product is “good” because you bought it at a beauty supply or health food store is a absurd. While you do generally find better quality products in the professional salon market than in the grocery or drug stores, there are still some lesser quality products found at that level. It has been my experience in this industry that you truly get what you pay for.

Secondly, regardless of the brand, the client chose the wrong formula considering the fact that her hair is dry. In fact, many volumizing shampoos can be a bit drying. Some allow the hair to be more voluminous by removing oils from the hair. With continued usage, these shampoos can dry the hair out even more.

Third, not using conditioner because it “weighs the hair down” is not helping matters. Although some conditioners coat the hair and weigh it down, a good conditioner penetrates the hair shaft and supplies it with essential internal moisture. Hair that lacks internal moisture can split and crack, won’t hold color molecules, lacks shine and appears dry. The solution for this particular client is quite simple. Switch to a truly hydrating shampoo and add a quality conditioner to their arsenal.

Since we are talking about conditioners, let me add that another  common mistake people make in selecting their products is that they will buy a “deep” or “intense” treatment and use it frequently, even daily. The logic here seems to be that if it is good for occasional use, their hair should be amazing with regular usage. Guess what? It ain't gonna happen!

Here is the scoop :

These types of treatments contain a lot of protein. Oftentimes they are called  “reconstructors”. They are designed to replace the missing amino acids (the building blocks for proteins) and strengthen the hair shaft. Too much  however, can make the hair brittle. They often lack the most essential conditioning factor which is hydration. The result of excess protein and lack of hydration will take the hair in exactly the opposite direction of where you wanted to go in the first place. 

As a rule of thumb, I advise my clients to hydrate frequently and nourish periodically.

Lastly, if a product is not working, change it! If you have no clue what to change to, ask a professional!

-Buddy Wilds has over 20 years of salon industry experience as a hair cutter, colorist, and educator. He is an expert in the art & science of Physiognomic haircutting®  which he learned from Calvin Basil.