Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair better

[fluffylocks]

I have a relative with SL hair ( same length as me) that believes the more something cost, the better her hair will be

She would never use Cream of nature shampoo, or ORS paks, only Redken, Aveda, Rusk ect.
Never use Silk Elements or Optimum relaxer, only Affirm or Mizani

She would never go to a plane jane salon with lower prices, only high end ones


My opinion is, the ingrediets are what matter in the product, you can find an expensive product with worse ingredients than a $2 product, and when it comes to the salon, its the stylist that matters, not how much the building cost or how new their things are
What do you think?

 

[Xavier]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I think expensive products work great, but you can find other products for less that will give you equivalent results, or sometimes better results. I also think that some people are just conditioned to think that expensive is better in most instances. Yes it may be true with many things but not all. I would love to do an experiment which consists of putting an ORS pack in a bottle of Aveda to see how many people would be able to identify a difference in the way it conditions their hair.

 

[Neroli]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

Not in my opinion. If the product has right mix of ingredients, it can do wonders for hair, regardless of cost. Much like skin care products . . .

 

[kally]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I put don't know. I have not treated my hair to the high end products, because I can not see myself spending that kind of money just yet. So far the cheapier products and been fine for my hair.

 

[HoneyDew]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I don't think price matters, but I seem to be able to find more options with salon products.

I have my staple cheapies, but I have some salon products that I just cannot compare to the cheapie ones.

Anyway, I think the salon products I buy are of medium cost. Not too expensive, but not cheap either. But I feel that get my money's worth.

I have used many expensive products that just weren't worth it! It's like someone decided to put the high pricetag on just to get the product an opportunity to label it "for professionals only".

Those are just worthless. I also think Aveda and Phyto products are overpriced. We pay a lot for that name. Good products, but I don't care what anyone says, they are overpriced.

But, there are no cheapies that are comparable so people just buy them up anyway.

 

[MissMusic]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I don't think price matters at all, just ingredients and how the products work with your hair. Many women on this board use LeKair Cholesterol which is $2, Creme of Nature Shampoo/Conditioners, Suave Conditioners $2 or less, EVOO right out of those store shelves, etc.

However, oftentimes people add oils, honey, aloe, etc. which in the end raises the price. Also, it often takes a lot of product with some of the cheaper products which can equal the cost of the more expensive products which run out slower.

I personally just use an expensive product(Aveda) line because I want to stick with one brand to curb my PJism, and its sometimes easier to find consistent product quality in one brand name. Also, with almost everyone one of the more expensive products it takes from a dime-sized to a quarter-sized amount of product which makes it last a looooonnnnng time (makes it worth the price).

 

[Syrah]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

C'mon now - if price was really equal to quality - we'd all be some broke ladies with some fly ass hair!! Cuz you know we'd make the necessary financial adjustments to go buy our $50 shampoos and $400 hair cuts.

Pricing is nothing but marketing and perceived value. And if this site is any testament - some of the ladies with the most beautiful hair are dedicated to Kericare, Creme of Nature, Aphogee and other "low to mid-range" products.

I don't know - I shake my head at folks who assume price = value. And maybe it's personal cuz I have a cousin who swears by labels. Label this, label that. There's nothing wrong with liking labels for what they offer, but liking a label simply because it's a label is silly to me. But that's just me.

And I'd be interested to know where folks who assume price = quality buy their hair care products. Because if they're buying the $20 NeXXus and Pureology at the local Korean beauty supply shot, there's a pretty good chance that mess is FAKE.

 

[PinkPebbles]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I use to think price mattered or if they are using a product brand in an upsclae salon, than that products must be superb...Well, fortunately, I found out that's not true. I was so stuck on Affirm relaxer and brand name that I would not use any relaxer that I could buy from the local BSS. Last year I was complaining about the dryness of my hair. My coworker said it's your relaxer "Affirm" no-lye. They are known to dry people hair out. She challenged me to try Motions from my local BSS and promised that I would see a big difference. I tried it and I saw a HUGE difference...and I'm still using Motions relaxer!!! You can't pay me to go back to Affirm.

This past weekend I was in Trade Secrets and wanted a protein leave in...I told myself go to the local BSS just to see if they have something equivalent or better and cheaper in price. I'm glad that I followed my instincts because I found "Aphogee Leave In keratin Tree ....(forgot the whole name") for $5. I was so happy that I did not pay $20 plus tax for Joico leave in...

 

[Legend]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

Tough question, because what is "expensive" is different for different people. Personally, I try to keep my hair supplies around or under $20 per item. To me, that's a decent, low/mid-range price, especially since I'm the only one using my products and they last a long time. However, I don’t think twice about dropping up to $60 for a product because I know it works.

That said, products I have to pay more than $9 an ounce for gives me pause. To me, one you hit that $9-10 an ounce cost, I question if the product is really worth it when my $20 conditioner (or whatever) works just fine. I would have to see how it works with my hair before committing.

Then again, I want to believe in the "you get what you pay for" mentality. I would hope at $10 an ounce, I'm getting quality, concentrated, effective ingredients. But, this is not always the case. Even the best products can suffer from poor application proceedures.

In the end, I would have to choose "Some of the time," expensive products are better, but that option isn’t available in the poll.

P.S. The one thing I would never pay too much for is shampoo because they all are pretty much the same. I never pay more than $2 an ounce for it. Also, some of the prettiest, longest hair I see daily are on the heads of Suave and Pantene users. Go figure!!!

 

[Daisimae]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I don't think price matters that much. I've used Sally's Generic Nexxus Therappe and Humectress for years. They worked just as well as the brand name products. I love the Humectin and Theratin I just got. I went with them because the sale price made them ounce for ounce less expenisve than the Generic Nexxus products I was using.

The best moisturizing leave-in I've found so far comes from Sunsilk. Yep, I said Sunsilk, a brand that I never would have tried if I hadn't found this board. That Hydra TLC 24/7 creme is the BOMB and the Straighten-Up and De-Frizz cremes work well for me too.

I may try Aveda one of these days. I know I won't have to pay their prices for healthy hair.

 

[Energee]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

It has been my experience that there is more consistency in quality products and many of the quality products I use for my hair are what some may consider 'expensive'. However, we must remember that what is perceived as expensive to one person may not be expensive at all to another.

When I buy my products like Aveda ,for example ,I buy directly from their salons or I buy directly from their site. I like Aveda simply because it works for me and my hair and I was using Aveda before I came to this board. I like their products and even use their skincare line. I buy what works for me and usually what works for me costs a little more. It's the same for any product that I use. I want to know that what I am using is the actual product that I paid for. I don't do knockoffs.

Realistically, most times, more expensive items have better ingredients and actually do what they claim to do. You are not throwing your money out of the window and you use much less to get great results. This isn't true all of the time because obviously everything isn't going to work for everyone but it's been my experience that 99% of the time you do not go wrong with the more expensive product. Whereas with the cheapie product it's a crapshoot...it may work..it may not and you lose a few dollars here or there..but really you are losing a lot over time because those few wasted dollars add up.

Now is that saying that I don't purchase cheap items? No, not at all. Again, I buy what works for me..expensive, mid-range, or 'cheap'. If it works I will buy it....if it doesn't I won't. I wouldn't use Aveda at all if it didn't work for me and I didn't like it. I wouldn't use a cheaper brand if it didn't work either. Also, I'm a little older than most here as well I think. So I've paid my dues to buy whatever I like and that feels good.

 

[victorious]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I think expensive is better most of the time, not all.

There's no cash for high end products in my budget, so I do my best with regular products from the bss.

 

[prospurr4]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I voted, "I don't know," because I've never used what many may consider to be "expensive." I started out (years ago) using Revlon and Motions, which are comparatively lower-priced products. My hair does very well with these brands (which makes me happy that I don't have to spend more) so I stick with them.

I just can't imagine my hair doing any better if I were to spend more money per ounce for something else.

 

[lovenharmony]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I put the price doesn't matter, but sometimes the expensive ones do work wonders. Most likely you need to look at the ingredients to see whether or not they are useful for your type of hair. There are a lot of expensive brands of hair products that have cheapie ingredients in them like SLS (sodium laureth sulfate) mineral oil, petrolatum, alchohol, which all do nothing for our hair! I use Queen Helene Placenta Shampoo for $2.99 and that works better than my $12.00 Nexxus Therape Shampoo

But my 33oz of Joico Deep Conditioning reconstructor, which is definitely not cheap has helped my hair tremedously!

 

[Creatividual]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I think expensive products work great, but you can find other products for less that will give you equivalent results, or sometimes better results. I also think that some people are just conditioned to think that expensive is better in most instances. Yes it may be true with many things but not all. I would love to do an experiment which consists of putting an ORS pack in a bottle of Aveda to see how many people would be able to identify a difference in the way it conditions their hair.

ITA. I bet you wouldn't be able to tell. It's about the ingredients IMO and not the price. Some cheap stuff really works and for a woman just having been working in the professional world for a lil over a year, I"m down for the cheap if it works!

 

[Creatividual]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I put the price doesn't matter, but sometimes the expensive ones do work wonders. Most likely you need to look at the ingredients to see whether or not they are useful for your type of hair. There are a lot of expensive brands of hair products that have cheapie ingredients in them like SLS (sodium laureth sulfate) mineral oil, petrolatum, alchohol, which all do nothing for our hair! I use Queen Helene Placenta Shampoo for $2.99 and that works better than my $12.00 Nexxus Therape Shampoo

But my 33oz of Joico Deep Conditioning reconstructor, which is definitely not cheap has helped my hair tremedously!

Girl I Joico K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor! Now that stuff is soooo worth the price tag! That stuff keeps my hair in check!

 

[hennagirl]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I have a relative with SL hair ( same length as me) that believes the more something cost, the better her hair will be

She would never use Cream of nature shampoo, or ORS paks, only Redken, Aveda, Rusk ect.
Never use Silk Elements or Optimum relaxer, only Affirm or Mizani

She would never go to a plane jane salon with lower prices, only high end ones


My opinion is, the ingrediets are what matter in the product, you can find an expensive product with worse ingredients than a $2 product, and when it comes to the salon, its the stylist that matters, not how much the building cost or how new their things are
What do you think?

I think it is the ingredients - the quality of the ingredients and their proportion in the product. I happen to believe that quality ingredients in the right proportion are found in higher-end products with the exception of henna and Indian oils. I don't pay high-end prices, however. I get ALL my haircare products either from TJ MAXX, Marshalls or Walgreens on sale. For example, I love Joico and Graham Webb products. They are always available at TJ MAXX for $4.99. I bought a 32 oz bottle of Mastey no soap shampoo for $7.99. I travel quite a bit and I have seen them at TJ MAXX's around the country.

 

[gymfreak336]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I don't think cost is a great indicator of how well a product will work. I love sunsilk leave in creams, they only cost me 3-4 bucks but work great. I used Rusk leave in that cost me 13 bucks and it doesn't compare. I do think that you should stick with what works. If you find a product that is all that and a bag of chips and it only cost 2 bucks then keep using it. If there is an expensive product that I like, I do keep an eye open for a cheaper replacement but if I don't find one then I do however spend the most money on what will stay on my body the longest. My deep conditioners, skin serums and such cost me the most money.

 

[Twisties]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I think expensive is better for things like weaving hair--- you should go high-end if you can afford it.

For cleansing and conditioning products, I think you can find both cheaper and expensive products that work well.

 

[intergalacticartist]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

It really depends. Because my VO5 Strawberries & Cream, Aussie Moist, and Bone Marrows detangles my hair like NOBODY'S business and it's not expensive at all. But then My Paul Mitchell is really good also....
I recently tried Aveda USC and that thing did nothing for me. My Sunsilk is better

 

[Missi]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

Luster's line: Motions line (except for Herbal Relaxer): Dr. Miracle lines: Doo Grow line: Pride line: Herbal Essance Conditioners: Dove Conditioners: Dark & Lovely Line: Profectiv Line: don't do good for my hair: expecially Motions Products: OOOOOOOOh I hate them: my hair likes bed head, design and keracare: more on the exspensive side: but some expensee's like aveda: my hair or skin doesn't like it: i think the products that claim to grow ur hair super fast: like doo gro: with the magic scarves ( i bought 'em too) don't do well for me: if white ppl can't use them I can't: lol

 

[fluffylocks]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

Luster's line: Motions line (except for Herbal Relaxer): Dr. Miracle lines: Doo Grow line: Pride line: Herbal Essance Conditioners: Dove Conditioners: Dark & Lovely Line: Profectiv Line: don't do good for my hair: expecially Motions Products: OOOOOOOOh I hate them: my hair likes bed head, design and keracare: more on the exspensive side: but some expensee's like aveda: my hair or skin doesn't like it: i think the products that claim to grow ur hair super fast: like doo gro: with the magic scarves ( i bought 'em too) don't do well for me: if white ppl can't use them I can't: lol

Oh yeah, now thats something different

I have to stay away from really cheap products made just for black people to grow hair long, not because of price, but because for some reason when its involving black hair, those companies will throw all kinds of alcohol, wax, lanlion, mineral oil, petroleum and all that garbage in there, and because its so cheap, then you know right away 98% of the product is going to be the garbage ingredients.

As long as the cheaper brand isnt trying to rip me off, im good to go.
I think alot of products for black hair is a scam

ETA---ofcourse i never just write a product off, but if im already familiar with the line and know how they do

 

[Barbara]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

It depends on what works with your hair texture. Nexxus Therappe doesn't work well on my hair (my stylist used it twice and that was it), but low priced items such as Cream of Nature Moisturizing/Detangling, Suave, Mane N Tail, and Lemon Fluff shampoos work very well.

The only expensive hair care products I have is Verifen Complex, which I've used for 10 years. Everything works well except the detangler (its okay), but Infusium 23 Leave In Treatment works a whole lot better . . . and it costs a lot less. Motions Moisture Plus and Motions CPR conditioners work very well as deep conditioners.

Since my stylist likes the low priced items better, I will not replace my expensive hair care line.

 

[Nightingale]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

The more expensive brands have really changed my hair for the better. The line I'm currently using has everything my hair needs, except for a thick moisturizer. Before this I was mixing and matching and the one cheap line I tried to stick with wasn't good enough. Despite this, I voted "I don't know" because what my hair needs and responds to is probably different from another person who might get better results with cheapies.

 

[Nightingale]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I put the price doesn't matter, but sometimes the expensive ones do work wonders. Most likely you need to look at the ingredients to see whether or not they are useful for your type of hair. There are a lot of expensive brands of hair products that have cheapie ingredients in them like SLS (sodium laureth sulfate) mineral oil, petrolatum, alchohol, which all do nothing for our hair! I use Queen Helene Placenta Shampoo for $2.99 and that works better than my $12.00 Nexxus Therape Shampoo

But my 33oz of Joico Deep Conditioning reconstructor, which is definitely not cheap has helped my hair tremedously!

I love Joico! Thats the line I'm using exclusively now.

 

[Missi]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

Oh yeah, now thats something different

I have to stay away from really cheap products made just for black people to grow hair long, not because of price, but because for some reason when its involving black hair, those companies will throw all kinds of alcohol, wax, lanlion, mineral oil, petroleum and all that garbage in there, and because its so cheap, then you know right away 98% of the product is going to be the garbage ingredients.

As long as the cheaper brand isnt trying to rip me off, im good to go.
I think alot of products for black hair is a scam

ETA---ofcourse i never just write a product off, but if im already familiar with the line and know how they do

exactly: i even thought that Pantene's Relaxed & Natural Creme Moisturizer wasn't good either: i believe it had ingredients that made hair hard: i was amino protein & alcohol: somethin in it made my hair crispy: but i agree w/ u 100%: those scam 'black hair care' lines don't do good for me: i can almost spot all of them out on the shelf.

 

[intergalacticartist]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I think salon quality products make all the difference. They don't have to be expensive like Aveda but Mizani, Sunsilk/Sedal, and TIGI Bedhead, and Nexxus are all really good and I have notice a diffrence since just using products marketed toward blacks.

 

[Candy_C]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

i honestly think the more they are the better they are

this is usuall the case, as they're more concentrated formulas than the cheap ones, that are full of thickeners and water!!

 

[Brownie518]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I have a relative with SL hair ( same length as me) that believes the more something cost, the better her hair will be

She would never use Cream of nature shampoo, or ORS paks, only Redken, Aveda, Rusk ect.
Never use Silk Elements or Optimum relaxer, only Affirm or Mizani

She would never go to a plane jane salon with lower prices, only high end ones


My opinion is, the ingrediets are what matter in the product, you can find an expensive product with worse ingredients than a $2 product, and when it comes to the salon, its the stylist that matters, not how much the building cost or how new their things are
What do you think?

I agree with you. It's the truth. I have some very expensive products and some real cheap ones. Most of the time the high price is just because of the name. It's all a matter of what ingredients agree with your hair.

 

[YoungWavey]

Re: Do you think expensive is better? Do costly products and salons make your hair be

I just got into the mix of buying cheaper products. Maybe last year I wouldn't dare put Vo5 or Motions in my hair but now I would buy vo5 like nobody business. I like to have a mixture of both now.