What’s the truth about salon only shampoo? Is it something salons push to make an extra buck, or, are they entirely worth splashing out on. This hairdresser and private salon owner weighs in…
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Sacha – a hairdresser, and owner of her own salon – says one of the most common things her clients say to her when she recommends one of the salon-only shampoo/conditioner formulations they have for sale, is that they’re too expensive.
“Maybe they reckon I’m just trying to make a profit on selling them to them, but that’s not the case,” she says.
“The one thing I wish they knew – that I tell all my clients – is that those ‘expensive’ shampoos/conditioners we sell, work out at around the same cost as the cheap stuff you’re buying in the supermarket.”
Um… How?
“Obviously, for the price they are in the supermarkets, they don’t have as many active ingredients, that you’ll find in the salon-only formulations,” says Sacha.
But there is an ingredient that the supermarket brands have a lot more of: water.
“You’re mostly buying water,” says Sacha.
She says for the price you’re paying, you might very well be better off buying the more potent salon-only versions.
“If you buy higher quality versions, you’re getting less water, so you should use a much smaller amount than what you use of cheap versions,” she says.
“A bottle from the salon should last you much longer than a supermarket version. I’d say at least two to three times longer. You don’t need nearly as much. If you times the price of your cheap version by two, three or four, it isn’t very much of a step up in terms of cost. Sometimes it’s the same price! Plus, you’re getting higher quality, more effective active ingredients.”
Sacha says it’s worth having an honest chat with your hairdresser about what might work best with your hair, and how much product to actually use.
“They should be upfront with you and stress that you don’t need to use very much product. A little goes a long way. And they should know your exact hair type, what your scalp is like, and will have the best advice about what product will enhance your hair.”
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