evidence based hair care

[basil]

Sort of a spin off of the skin care thread.

If we know that only certain ingredients actually make a difference in skin, what are the things that can really make a difference in your hair? I used to go to a salon and spend a lot to get very nice highlights. Now I am dyeing at home with Madison Reed. It's not as nice but it's a lot cheaper.

My former stylist was always pushing salon products that were very expensive. I rarely bought them because when I did, it didn't seem like they were that much better than stuff bought at the drug store. They did smell nice though.

My hair is fine but coarse, wavy with a tendency towards frizz. Left alone will get that really dorky triangle look. Better with my Revlon style brush dryer thingy and a good cut.

So what products actually make a difference in hair care? Should I be looking for something special in shampoo, conditioner, or styling products? Any recommended blogs or Youtubers with good information re drugstore hair products?

[AnnieW625]

I have been using salon haircare for the better part of 30 years; I started in high school and used my baby sitting money to buy it. I have thick wavy blond hair that is prone to frizziness, and breakage. I don’t dye my hair at all (never have, and hope I never have to). I used Matrix Biolage Hydrating line, Paul Mitchell Awapuhi, or Redken All Soft for the better part of 25 years. I tried other brands like Rusk, Aquage, Aveda, and Joico and always went back to one of the other three. I also tried conditioner only multiple times from my late teens until mid 30s with VO5 or Suave conditioner and it was always initially great, and then by the end of a month I hated my hair and went back to regular shampoo and conditioner. For the last 6 years I have been using Deva Curl’s No Poo shampoo and conditioner (I wash my hair every three to four days; some weeks I can go five days) and a liter lasts at least a year. I also tried Ouidad, Redken’s So Curly line, and Living Proof (this shampoo and conditioner made my hair super weak....I love their styling products though), but liked Deva Curl better. Also about two to three times a month I use Redken’s Cleansing Cream shampoo, and Moroccan Oil brand weightless hair mask. I sleep with my hair in a bun on the top of my head and use a microfiber cloth scrunchie (Kitsch brand), and then wrap in a Turbie Twist (been using these for 20 years....so much better than a towel) and then in the AM my hair is wavy. The hair towel eventually falls off my head, but the scrunchie stays in all night. When I was going to office daily I would diffuse it as well and style the ends with pomade and scrunch with spray gel.

I have used L’Oreal Everpure, Kirkland Signature sulfate free s/c, and pretty much every shampoo and conditioner that Trader Joe’s has ever made and they are all good options when I needed to stay on a budget, but tbh since I don’t do anything but get my hair cut every 7-10 weeks or so I don’t mind spending more on my shampoo and conditioner. A liter of a Deva Curl lasts at least a year.


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[gatorsmom]

Sort of a spin off of the skin care thread.

If we know that only certain ingredients actually make a difference in skin, what are the things that can really make a difference in your hair? I used to go to a salon and spend a lot to get very nice highlights. Now I am dyeing at home with Madison Reed. It's not as nice but it's a lot cheaper.

My former stylist was always pushing salon products that were very expensive. I rarely bought them because when I did, it didn't seem like they were that much better than stuff bought at the drug store. They did smell nice though.

My hair is fine but coarse, wavy with a tendency towards frizz. Left alone will get that really dorky triangle look. Better with my Revlon style brush dryer thingy and a good cut.

So what products actually make a difference in hair care? Should I be looking for something special in shampoo, conditioner, or styling products? Any recommended blogs or Youtubers with good information re drugstore hair products?

My hair texture sounds like yours. I have found that by using this stuff I can reduce some of the frizz and fly aways: https://us.davines.com/products/oi-oil. I put that on my damp hair right after I wash it before I do anything else. Also condition my hair after every shampoo. That also seems to help but it didn’t make a difference like the oi oil.

But the product that makes the most difference for preventing my hair from drying out and helps control frizz are the Olaplex leave-in treatments my stylist does. I’ve tried the Olaplex shampoo and conditioner at home and don’t notice a difference from any other shampoo or conditioner. But the stylists’ treatment makes a noticeable difference.

I also really like the Davines prodiucts I’ve tried. All the ones I’ve tried have been surprisingly good.

[boilermakermom]

My hair sounds similar. Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Lavender Mint shampoo and conditioner have been a game changer for me. I'll use the Paul Mitchell Skinny shampoo and conditioner every once in awhile, it does help cut down on frizz.

The Paul Mitchell Skinny serum works well if I am planning on just blow drying and using my flat iron. It works well for the frizzy hair around my face.

I have never had luck with drugstore products.

[PunkyBoo]

I have to say, I really think hair care is so individual. There are so many factors at play- diet, water intake, vitamins, humidity, the hardness of the water at your house, a good hair cut that works with the texture of your hair, etc. I battled my hair for YEARS. I truly HATE any photos of me from about 3rd grade until senior year in high school because my hair was horrible - and I don't mean that I had a hairstyle that makes me cringe now. I mean I truly had no clue why my hair was so awful and how to make it better. Once I started getting haircuts that made sense for my hair, and I started to figure out what works and what doesn't, it was an unbelievable transformation. But I find that when we travel, the different climates and different water require adjustments to how I handle it. When we moved into this house, from only 5 -6 miles away, some things that worked just didn't anymore and I had to tinker with my products and routine. Every hair stylist I've ever seen offer to put products on my hair that, maybe they work for their other clients with seemingly similar hair, but just don't work on mine. Like dimethicone. That ingredient is life changing for some people with big, coarse, wavy-curly hair like mine, but it is disastrous on my hair. About 25 years ago, I spent years researching and trying different products, and found a routine that works well for me on naturallycurly.com. When I get haircuts now, I leave with my hair wet and unstyled so I can go home and do it myself with my products that I know will work. So whatever recommendations you get just might not work for you at all.

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[Globetrotter]

If you’re interested in embracing your natural texture, look into the curly girl method. ETA: You may be thinking but my hair isn’t curly! That’s what I thought, but frizz often means there is underlying curl.
My hair Sounds similar to yours but it’s actually curly. Yours might just be wavy, but if you’re ready to learn how to work with it, check it out.
Even within the curly girl method there are tons of variations. I found an awesome deva stylist. The deva curl system works well for me, but I also mix it up with other products. The key is to avoid silicones and avoid sulfate free shampoo‘s, Plus a few other things. I do use sulfate shampoos after I get my hair colored. once in a while I use sulfate free shampoo to help clear build up When it gets to that point. but otherwise I avoid shampoos and wash with conditioner. I also use apple cider vinegar to clear buildup on a weekly basis. I figured out that I need to have the right protein balance, so I mix up protein conditioners with protein free conditioners for the best results. But that’s me.

Dd uses sulfate free shampoos and silicone free conditioners with good results, unless it rains. She’s Very low maintenance And not willing to use the gel and leave in conditioners etc. but she can get away with it, whereas I cannot.
If you’re interested in this, there are some threads on BBB, or us curly girls can try to answer your questions. If you do Facebook, there are a couple of great groups. One is curly girls conditioner washing group and there’s also a curly crew which also discusses using sulfate free shampoo’s etc. and is less rigid. I’m in both though my method is more of the curly crew.
also, You don’t need to spend a lot on product. Some of mine are quite inexpensive, like the not your mothers natural line.

[AnnieW625]

Another thing to think about is if you have hard water or not....if you have soft water your hair will feel amazing no matter what you wash with. Hard water is a whole other story. I could get my hair washed with Aveda Shampure shampoo, and conditioner at our old salon and my hair looked amazing afterwards, but if I used it at home where I had medium hard water it was absolutely nothing special and I thought it left a little much residue in my hair. I had better luck with their curly line, but again I felt it was nothing special for the price.

Globetrotter- interesting about the sulfate free shampoo thing as Deva Curl shampoos are sulfate free. The Redken Clarifying shampoo has sulfates as do most of the other brands I referenced in my other post, and I don’t sweat it when I use it.

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[PZMommy]

My hair sounds similar. Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Lavender Mint shampoo and conditioner have been a game changer for me. I'll use the Paul Mitchell Skinny shampoo and conditioner every once in awhile, it does help cut down on frizz.

The Paul Mitchell Skinny serum works well if I am planning on just blow drying and using my flat iron. It works well for the frizzy hair around my face.

I have never had luck with drugstore products.

The smell of the tea tree lavender mint shampoo was intense! I normally don’t mind scents, but that was the first product I have ever returned to Ulta, because there was no way I could continue to use it due to the strong smell.

[Green_Tea]

I have tried everything (high and low end) and am currently using the Kristen Ess line from Target and I REALLY like it. My stylist is very forthcoming that she doesn’t think salon level products are superior (though she does like Davines, and so do I.) She just wants whatever I use to be sulfate free.

[mmsmom]

I know nothing. But a friend who has done a ton of research loves the Wen line of products.