Drugstore brand products-rant

Oct 5, 2012

Stephanie M.

I agree 100%.. If someone is going to a professional and spending a decent amount of money, why would you use cheap hair products? If you have the money to spend on a great stylist, you should be able to afford quality products. My amazing hairstylist told me "If the hair product is under $5, I guarantee it's bad for your hair".

Oct 5, 2012

Lindsey S.

Thank you ladies!

Oct 5, 2012

Alana M.

I wouldn't agree that cheaper products are "bad" for your hair. I believe they just don't do the job AS well. 

Oct 5, 2012

Mary E.

I hear you Lindsey. I have just taken the stance that I don't guarantee my color or fix any fading, etc if they aren't using what I recommend. That sends the message & makes the client think. But also, since many formerly salon-only brands have been showing up in drugstores, your new challenge is to get clients to listen to you & purchase from you. Those brands didn't get into Target, Rite Aid, etc by accident....no matter how much they try to tell us it's "diversion". Loyalty to stylists is long gone. 

Oct 5, 2012

Amanda O.

I agree too I love salon products! I'm also a stylist and my clients think I'm nuts when saying that salon hair dryers are much better than the drugstore ones! Oh Ashley your comment isn't necessarily true sometimes that mean the company put more money onto the product and not the packaging 

Oct 5, 2012

Shelley W.

Sadly though you also have to remember that some folks can only afford just getting their hair colored and cannot afford salon products for care after leaving the salon. There are some drugstore gems to be had in hair care....just takes the research and experimentation to find them. If a stylist can offer suggestions from both sides of the spectrum that would be awesome.

Oct 5, 2012

Shelly T.

I can understand the argument that spending more on your hair styling tools (blow dryers, irons) is beneficial long-term. However, I don't agree with this philosophy in regards to hair care in general.

The ingredients used in salon brand hair care are *exactly the same* as the ingredients used in drugstore brand hair care, and many of the salon brands are now available in drugstores. The only reason you (stylists in general) are getting your clients to buy products in the salon is so it, and you, can earn more money. (TL;DR: "Give US your money, not them (Target/Walmart/K-Mart/drugstores/etc.)!")

A link on "diversion" (yes, it DOES happen and has happened for years, whether you want to accept it or not)...
http://thebeautybrains.com/2006/06/11/are-salon-products-in-regular-stores-the-same-as-those-in-salons/

Earlier this year, I set myself a challenge. I used only a salon brand for shampoo and conditioner for a period of three months. (Normally I use drugstore brands, but I've also used natural brands.) In that time, I did not notice one lick of difference in my hair. It didn't feel any different after using a salon brand from what it did using my regular hair care.

@Mary...
<< Loyalty to stylists is long gone. >>

I've been going to the same stylist since I was a teenager. Why? She does good hair. She's also never sold me any product.

Oct 6, 2012

Mary E.

@Shelly T, the loyalty from brands & manufacuters, not clients is over & done. I have many clients just like you, too. Bedbead works the same if you get it at Target or a salon, but the stylist can steer you in the right direction at least! 

Oct 6, 2012

Mary E.

The brands aren't loyal to the pros, ladies! I was addressing Lindsey, the salon pro who started this post ;) Without loyal clients I wouldn't be a successful salon owner, right? Of course my clients are loyal. I am talking to the salon pro, not about clients. 

Oct 8, 2012

Lindsey S.

I couldn't agree more Mary!! I use the same color line & product line, all paul Mitchell :) why? Because I know how they work and I love it all! I have never used a drugstore brand that has ever made my hair feel like it does now. I promote the John Paul products simply because they do what they say :) I would never recommend my client to a drugstore brand! I support the brand in my salon.
I can put a label on a bottle & put all these amazing ingredients that you say are on these drugstore products & sale them in Walmart but this does not mean they are good for your hair!
I feel that as a stylist it is my job to suggest the best products!  

Oct 11, 2012

Lerina A.

I use to purchase salon only brands...until I started reading ingredients. For me, that's what it comes down to. It isn't how much or how little a product costs or if the brand is high-end or not. It all comes down to the ingredients and what you know to work well for your hair - whether it be $5 or $35. I see many salon products have the same ingredients as drugstore brands - some will have more or less of a particular ingredient. Just do the research and you may find yourself saving a lot of money.

Oct 11, 2012

Lindsey S.

I can see where your coming from with the ingredients, BUT if the product does not do what it says (like every drugstore brand I have tried never does) then why waist my time buying it? If I buy something to give me volume, I expect volume or to protect my color I expect it to do so, that's what it comes down to for me  

Oct 20, 2012

Emily C.

This is something that always gets under my skin. I love beauty products i will try almost anything once. I have tryd expesive hair products and many cheap drug store brands and have found good and bad in both. for ex paul michle sorry if im spelling it wrong anyway i was told u should use get the line of hair products fine i had the money at the time but i used it for a month and i was disapointed it did nothing for me and same with bedhead. and i was vary unhappy. i do love its a 10 and thats about it but as for drugstore products i have tryd many with some fails and some wow i love this kind of reslults. i love all of jhon friedas products truly a gem. It has done more for my hair than any salone product. so when i get told that i should spend more money on name brands and that what i buy from the drug store is crap i get pissed because i take good care of my hair and have very beautiful hair and i do not spend a tone of money on product. so to the stylists you need to do some research and maybe even try out products befor you condem them it is not fair to clients who can not affored high prices for you to tell them what they buy is no good.

Oct 20, 2012

Avery M.

I don't completely agree. I have 2 kids am a stay at home home only 21 and my fiancée works a very good job. Yes we have money and I do have my esthaticians license. So yes I do her salon products at cost. But some are awful. I hate joico products. Redken has some crappy stuff too. Not all biologe is great. Most bed head stuff is garbage. Sexy hair sucks. I am very picky and I've found a lot of issues with my salon stuff as well as drugstore brands. Not everyone can afford to get their hair done for $200+ once or twice a month. I do mine at home with professional colour but most people can't even get ahold of it.

Oct 20, 2012

Michelle E.

I do not agree with this at all. I feel that stylists just want you to buy their products from them because they get more money that way.
Drugstore brands are not "random companies" as Ashley said a lot of drugstore brands & high end brands are owned by the same companies and therefore the products go through the same testing, research, and ingredients.
I found this list online just to share as an example:
The beauty industry is dominated by a few key players, all multi-billion dollar corporations with ownership over multiple major brands. Here's how it breaks down:

L'Oreal: 2005 revenues of $19.78 billion U.S. dollars. Only owns cosmetics, haircare and fragrance brands (29 in total).

Brands: Kérastase, L'Oréal Professionnel, L'Oréal Technique, Matrix, Mizani, Redken, L'Oréal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline New York, SoftSheen-Carson, Biotherm, The Body Shop, Cacharel, Diesel Perfumes, Giorgio Armani Parfums and Cosmetics, Guy Laroche, Helena Rubinstein, Kiehl's, Lancôme, Paloma Picasso, Ralph Lauren, Shu Uemura, Victor et Rolf parfum, Dermablend, La Roche-Posay, SkinCeuticals, Vichy Laboratoires, Innéov, Ombrelle.

Proctor & Gamble: 2006 revenues of $68.222 billion U.S. dollars (this includes all brands). Beauty sales alone equaled $21.1 billion. P&G sells many different kinds of consumer products (their brands range from Tide to Gillette to Pampers to Iams to Tampax and many, many more). You can read the entire listhere

Beauty brands: Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Pantene, Wella, Aussie, Clairol, CoverGirl, Herbal Essences, Infusium 23, Ivory Soap, Max Factor, Natural Instincts, Nice'n Easy, Noxzema, Secret, SK-II, Vidal Sassoon.

Estee Lauder: 2006 revenues of $6.746 billion U.S. dollars. Only sells cosmetics, haircare and fragrance products.

Brands: American Beauty, Aramis, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Bumble and bumble, Clinique, Daisy Fuentes, Darphin, Donald Trump The Fragrance, Donna Karan, Estée Lauder, Flirt!, Good Skin, Grassroots, Jo Malone, Lab Series, La Mer, Kiton, MAC Cosmetics, Michael Kors, MISSONI, Origins, Prescriptives, Rodan and Fields, Sean John, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach Fragrances.

Unilever: 2006 revenus of $53.97 billion U.S. dollars. Sells food, beverage, cleaning and personal care consumer products.

Beauty brands: Caress, Degree, Dove, Lever 2000, Pond's, Suave, Sunsilk, Vaseline.

Johnson & Johnson: 2006 revenues of $53 billion U.S. dollars. Manufactures consumer packaged goods, pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Beauty brands: Aveeno, Clean and Clear, Neutrogena.

Avon: 2006 revenues of $8.1 billion U.S. dollars. Sells cosmetics, fragrances and some clothing and jewelry.

Beauty brands: Avon Color, Anew and Solutions, Skin So Soft and Naturals, Avon Fragrances, mark.

Certainly there are other important corporations that stand alone, such as Revlon (2006 revenues of $1.33 billion). But when you consider just how many brands are controlled by a few companies, it's pretty mindboggling.

So for example if Garnier & Kerstase are owned by the same company their products go through the same processes. Why pay $25 when you can get a comparable product for $5?!? The price difference is all in the marketing a packaging. Take the same thing market one as high end & people will believe it to be as such but in reality the drugstore brand is nearly identical.

All that being said I tend to use whatever products work for my hair... Aussie moist works amazeballs on my hair while more expensive brands like Paul Mitchell, Shu Umera, and Carols Daughter were not impressive IMO.

People should stop being such slaves to brands & marketing schemes just because something is nicely packaged & expensive does not mean it will work well & everything cheap is not bad. I try everything && I tend to read ingredients && stick to what works for me regardless of price point. 
xx

Oct 20, 2012

Yesenia P.

Don't agree either. I've used both salon hair products - used to work at a salon, and drugstore products. I have never seen a difference.