Shampoo and conditioner poll; expense and effectiveness

[happypamama]

I use cheap Suave shampoo and conditioner. Limited shampoo, generous conditioner. (You saw my hair, Quill; there's a lot of it.)

 

I get decent enough hair with the cheap stuff. It tends to be a little dry sometimes but not too bad. I might get even better hair (like shinier and silkier, maybe?) with expensive stuff, but I don't know. But I also have read that you should use conditioner without silicones, and the cheap stuff doesn't have them. We did just put in a water softener, and my hair seems to like the softened water.

 

(Fwiw, my hair is all natural, medium brown. Never dyed at all, never permed. I don't know if that makes a difference or not as to what shampoo and conditioner you need.)

[Guest]

You have an Ulta!?! When did that happen? LOL

They put it in a week ago off Muldoon in the Tikahtnu Commons :D

[UncleEJ]

They put it in a week ago off Muldoon in the Tikahtnu Commons :D

I'll have to tell my mom, she loves going to Ulta with me when she visits!

[mamajag]

Does Paul Mitchell qualify as high end? If so, I use it because the tea tree formula is the only thing that helps my itchy, flaky scalp. My stylist kept trying to get me to buy it, and I kept being skeptical until finally she just used it on me. I called her the next day and asked what she'd used because I was barely scratching. I went that day and bought some from her. It was awesome.

 

Back in high school I used Suave and was fine. The scalp thing has been since my first pregnancy.

[Guest]

I use cheap Suave shampoo and conditioner. Limited shampoo, generous conditioner. (You saw my hair, Quill; there's a lot of it.)

 

Yes, I did. You have some beautiful, uber long hair!

[Mergath]

I have to use Head and Shoulders Dry Scalp shampoo.  I have tried everything else- cheap brands, high end brands, fancy organic brands, everything- and it is literally the only thing that keeps me from having a horribly dry, flaky scalp.  Tea tree oil does nothing for me.  It's ridiculous.  Even other kinds of Head and Shoulders don't work.

 

For conditioner, I'm using Pantene at the moment because a friend whose husband is in product testing gave us a giant box of it.  It works just as well as the expensive brands I've tried.

[chiguirre]

I only buy Suave because GW occasionally likes to make bubbles with the whole bottle of shampoo. If it's Suave, it's no big deal. I also found out that lice are repelled by mint shampoo courtesy of a school nurse who was in my GSA camp training patrol. I've been a faithful consumer of Suave Rosemary Mint ever since.

 

I only buy shampoo because conditioner tends to make T and my hair greasy. We only wash every 3 days so we can get away with no conditioner for our straight, thick hair. It's awesome when the other girl in the house has the same hair type. The guys all have hair short enough that it doesn't matter what they use. Dh likes the mint scent and it's pretty unisex. We have enough other complications, I'm glad our shampoo is easy.

[Audrey]

I researched and tried different things before settling on the mid-range shampoo and conditioner I use now.  I have very, very fine hair, but plenty of it.  I researched mostly on the hair care board on MakeUp Alley.  I frequent that place for info and reviews on everything related to beauty care.

[eternalsummer]

We also don't use nonessential/beauty products that involve animal testing  - right now we're doing Nature's Gate and I like it.  I have to switch frequently or my hair gets gunky; I also do an apple cider vinegar rinse every other week or so, and that is great.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I have to use Head and Shoulders Dry Scalp shampoo.  I have tried everything else- cheap brands, high end brands, fancy organic brands, everything- and it is literally the only thing that keeps me from having a horribly dry, flaky scalp.  Tea tree oil does nothing for me.  It's ridiculous.  Even other kinds of Head and Shoulders don't work.

 

For conditioner, I'm using Pantene at the moment because a friend whose husband is in product testing gave us a giant box of it.  It works just as well as the expensive brands I've tried.

 

Yep.

You know what works well for me too is tar shampoo.  I don't use it regularly, but if things get out of hand it really clears the problem up.  Smells like hell, but works well.

[eternalsummer]

I only buy Suave because GW occasionally likes to make bubbles with the whole bottle of shampoo. If it's Suave, it's no big deal. 

 

 

The day DD3 dumped out an entire bottle of California Baby bubble bath, bought that same day for $17 or something insane like that at the Whole Foods, was the last day I bought bubble bath.  They tried again later with the dishsoap (!!!!) but that is easier to keep out of reach.  The shampoo is nowhere they would even think to look.  

 

Something about kids between 2 and about 7 - they're just compelled to dump out bubbly liquids.

[Zinnia]

I really like the high end stuff (Aveda is my favorite).  But $$$. 

 

I think that Suave Professional line is almost as good at a fraction of the cost.  So Suave it is. 

[Guest]

I hate that this thread has a one-star rating. I know it shouldn't bother me, but it does. Hit me up with some stars if you want to make a girl happy!

[Runningmom80]

I use cheap stuff from whole foods, I think the brand is acure? I do however splurge on a hair mask from Australia, which everyone irl finds ridiculous. It's not expensive either, it's just the fact that I buy it from Australia. Lol

 

My hair is in a bob, colored.

[flyingiguana]

We all use expensive stuff because it's the only one I've found that's unscented.  Seeing as scented shampoo triggers asthma in my daughter, it's actually more cost effective than going the cheap shampoo/Advair route.  (Least I find it expensive, at 8 dollars a bottle)

 

Added benefit -- I no longer get rashes where the shampoo runs down my back.

 

I've never understood why it costs so much more to NOT put perfume into something.

[flyingiguana]

But we did always find that Suave and White Rain worked just fine, before perfume became a big issue.

[go_go_gadget]

I've used products at all different price points, and have never been better pleased with my hair as I have for the last 18 months or so. I use the Tea Tree shampoo and conditioner from Trader Joe's (I think they're about $5/ea, so I consider that low-end, price-wise), but the bulk of the ''work'' done on my hair is done by the oil I sleep in the night before I wash (twice a week). I use straight castor oil with a little rosemary oil on my scalp, almond oil on the hair shafts, and my hair is soft, shiny, and frizz-free. I used to lose fistfuls of hair in the shower every time I washed my hair, and now I lose fewer than five strands per wash. I know it's the oil, because when I get busy and don't oil a few times, I start losing hair again. My stylist noticed I had a bunch of new hair, too. I use Suave dry shampoo every night before bed unless I'm oiling, and then I put it up in a sock bun/doughnut, which keeps it from going flat and kinking. 

 

I wanted a shampoo without SLS since that might be associated with hair loss, and so I needed a conditioner without silicones, since you need SLS to wash them out. My kids were already using the tea tree line as a preventative against lice (they're in martial arts and I'm paranoid) and it was SLS and silicone-free, so I tried it. The shampoo washed the oil out and the conditioner gave it that little bit of slip--perfect. I could be happy with most things that fit the SLS and silicone-free bill, though, because they're not my workhorses.

[Guest]

I hate that this thread has a one-star rating. I know it shouldn't bother me, but it does. Hit me up with some stars if you want to make a girl happy!

I saw that! I fiured it had to be an accidental starring because... Seriously? It's hair products.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Because of my scalp sensitivity, I can't use anything with Sodium Laureth Sulfate in it, so finding shampoo is a challenge.  I use Mastey Traite shampoo.  It's milky/creamy, and lathers well.  Jason's is good too, but it's so thick and honey-like, it's hard to work through my long hair.  I buy four quarts of it a year.  I use it as a body wash, too, so I don't think I spend an exorbitant amount.

 

For conditioner, I've always used Nexxus Humectress.  Sometimes I'll use a tiny bit of a high end conditioner, and leave it in.  I get it at the mall, from a kiosk vendor.  It comes in a black tub, but I can't remember what it's called.  It's wonderful stuff.

[Guest]

I've used products at all different price points, and have never been better pleased with my hair as I have for the last 18 months or so. I use the Tea Tree shampoo and conditioner from Trader Joe's (I think they're about $5/ea, so I consider that low-end, price-wise), but the bulk of the ''work'' done on my hair is done by the oil I sleep in the night before I wash (twice a week). I use straight castor oil with a little rosemary oil on my scalp, almond oil on the hair shafts, and my hair is soft, shiny, and frizz-free. I used to lose fistfuls of hair in the shower every time I washed my hair, and now I lose fewer than five strands per wash. I know it's the oil, because when I get busy and don't oil a few times, I start losing hair again. My stylist noticed I had a bunch of new hair, too. I use Suave dry shampoo every night before bed unless I'm oiling, and then I put it up in a sock bun/doughnut, which keeps it from going flat and kinking.

 

I wanted a shampoo without SLS since that might be associated with hair loss, and so I needed a conditioner without silicones, since you need SLS to wash them out. My kids were already using the tea tree line as a preventative against lice (they're in martial arts and I'm paranoid) and it was SLS and silicone-free, so I tried it. The shampoo washed the oil out and the conditioner gave it that little bit of slip--perfect. I could be happy with most things that fit the SLS and silicone-free bill, though, because they're not my workhorses.

That's a great tip, with the oil. I can imagine that would be great for me and might give it a try. I also lose a lot of hair in the shower, though I have a lot of hair as it is.

[Guest]

P.s. Thanks to everyone who up-voted. I'm sure it was accidental starring, but single stars on threads I started always bring me back to sixth grade, standing in the school caffeteria, wondering who will allow me to sit with them...

[IsabelC]

I have to compliment you on your clear and thorough poll design ;)

 

 

My experience has been that some cheaper products are 'cheap and nasty' while other cheaper products are similar to expensive ones only not as expensive.

I suspect there is some kind of Law of Diminishing Return on hair products, as in going from super cheap to moderately priced will probably get you a noticeable improvement, while going from upper-middle to ludicrously expensive doesn't really make a difference. After all, shampoo is mostly just detergent. It's the same basic ingredients as your laundry detergent, with a few different additives to make it smell more shampoo-like and lather more, and the differences between brands are mostly in colorants, scents, and showcase ingredients (the microscopic amounts of vitamins or plant extracts they are forced to put in so they can list them on the bottle).

 

Having said that, though, it definitely varies from person to person. My hair doesn't seem to 'care' what I use, but my 9yo's hair only 'likes' a certain kind of shampoo. It looks shiny and healthy like, well, a shampoo advertisement, but if she uses something different the hair looks less shiny, almost ropy.

[ElizabethB]

My husband uses Ivory soap as shampoo! But, his hair never gets long, he cuts it super short every few weeks, so even if it is bad for it, it does not hang around long enough to look bad...

[Katy]

I think this depends a lot on hair texture and WATER quality. 

 

I have fine hair. It's thick, I have a lot of it, but it's finer than most newborns.  My hair was translucent until I was about four.

 

The absolute best shampoo I've ever found for my hair in terms of immediately having great hair is Biolage for fine hair.  It strips the grease out amazingly well and when I blow dry afterwards it's super voluminous and shiny. That said, if that shampoo makes my hair a ten, the cheapest fruity scented Suave (that also strips hair) is a nine.  The major difference is the Suave is slightly more drying and doesn't have the same luxurious scent.

 

Other expensive shampoos aren't as good as the cheap Suave on my texture.

 

Having said that, the problem with stripping shampoos for fine hair is that they make your hair get greasy very quickly, so sooner or later I end up needing to wash it twice a day.  Moisturizing shampoos don't cause that problem, but they also don't give amazing value and shine.  I haven't found a high end or low end shampoo that doesn't strip my hair that also gives amazing volume.  The cheap stuff is just as good as the expensive stuff in terms of shampoo that's not quite ideal for my hair.

 

Having said all that, in my experience, having a water softener makes a bigger difference than shampoo or quality of products in general.  My best hair (like hairstylists always commenting on my amazing hair) was when I had a water softener, didn't color or heat treat or even blow dry my hair, and at that time I alternated between cheap suave and biolage.

 

Right now, when it's warm and I'm likely to shower twice a day anyway I use stripping shampoo.  The rest of the year I alternate moisturizing shampoos.

 

ETA:  I just remembered I did have one shampoo I loved even more, but they stopped making it.  It was Kiss My Face's organic everyday shampoo in grapefruit.  They kept making the "everyday" shampoo but when the scent changed it wasn't as good.  I think there was something in the grapefruit that helped fine hair.

[Melissa in Australia]

I could not vote as there was no other-

I have to use a special shampoo/ conditioner because DH has Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and I cannot sleep in the same bed if I use anything else. SIGH! I don't really like it at all.

[Murphy101]

I've heard tell that the shampoo you use makes absolutely no difference whatsoever, that it's the conditioner that makes the difference. So I use the cheapest shampoo I can find, usually VO5, and I spend a little bit more for a decent conditioner, usually Pantene or something like that. I'm not brand-loyal.

Idk.

 

I only use either tea tree paul mitchel or original moisture paul Mitchell shampoo. I have extremely dry skin and my scalp is the worst. This is the only one that doesn't make me want to pull my hair out from itching like crazy. I use the tea tree in the summer bc I'm in the pool nearly daily, but it is a salt water and conditioned pool, so my skin isn't totally scraped dry of moisture. I use the other in non pool seasons. 90% of the time the only conditioner I use is Apple cider vinegar and it works great on my curly hair. About once a week or every other week, I use a paul Mitchell leave in conditioner on the ends just to keep the end curls from fraying and going completely crazy. But I also have hair below shoulder length and it's curly and the Mitchell shampoo only takes a nickle sized amount. It goes much longer than the cheaper stuff.

 

The sports clip place my dh goes to sold mini bottles that amounted to about 2 weeks worth and dh really liked it, so encouraged me to give it a try. With coupons at Ulta or Sally beauty, we buy the big pump bottles about once or twice a year.

[sunflowerlady]

Long and curly hair that tends to frizz. I didn't vote because sometimes I buy more expensive products and sometimes cheaper ones.

 

I just found something that is probably the best for my hair. The brand is Twisted Sista. I got a huge pump bottle of hair cleanser, a bottle of conditioner and a jar of curl defining cream. They were in Ross right after the holidays and were very reasonably priced. They are awesome!