What Hair Products are Worth the Extra Cash?
In a world where your hair product budget can easily surpass your grocery bill if you’re not careful; it’s hard to know when to pinch your pennies and when to give in to the temptation of beautifully packaged salon brand hair products. Truthfully, in a perfect world, I’d love to splurge on everything, but the world isn’t perfect, and my budget isn’t always friendly to the high priced products on the salon shelves. See below to find out which products I choose to spend my money on and which ones I save on when money gets tight.
Splurge or Save on Shampoo
Unless you have a prominent scalp condition that requires a special shampoo, save your money when it comes to shampoo. More or less, shampoo is soap, and its primary purpose is to clean the gunk, oil, products, and environment off your hair. If you still love your favorite professional shampoo, but still want to save a little dough, try this tip; buy a drugstore brand and use it for your first round of shampoo and rinse well. Then, use a lesser amount of your expensive salon brand afterward and rinse well. You’ll get all the benefits of your favorite expensive shampoo, but you’ll quadruple your mileage on the bottle.
Splurge or Save on Conditioner
When it comes to conditioner, it’s time to splurge. Cheap conditioners can be packed full of fillers that don’t rinse well, build up on your hair, and leave your hair generally gunky and lifeless. A good conditioner that’s ideal for your specific hair concerns will go a long way. You won’t use as much as the drugstore variety, and your hair will behave better with a salon brand that you love. Just remember, a little truly goes a long way. If you’re using more than a silver dollar sized amount in your hand, you may need a haircut, a deep conditioning treatment, or a good hair oil post-shower to detangle your hair.
Splurge or Save on Deep Conditioners
While I recommend splurging on daily conditioner, save your money on the deep conditioners. My absolute favorite deep conditioner by far is coconut oil straight from the grocery store. Check out these tips on using coconut oil in your hair before you try it. Other oils at home can make excellent deep conditioners as well. Try olive oil, lemongrass oil, or really any other kind of oil you find in your kitchen instead of an expensive deep conditioner from the salon. Just make sure you shampoo the oil out of your hair after letting it penetrate your hair for 15-30 minutes to be sure to not leave your hair greasy.
Splurge or Save on Hair Treatments/Leave-In Products
Anything that you’re going to leave in your hair for the purpose of reconstruction, repair, or detangling is almost always a splurge item for me. Cheap leave-in products can quickly create unwanted buildup on your hair causing a dull cast, more breakage, and some pretty terrible hair days. Check out some of my favorite hair oils for some advice on choosing the best leave in products on the market right now.
Splurge or Save on Styling Products
Styling products can be pretty hit or miss when it comes to saving or splurging, and the only genuine way to find out if a styling product is right for you and your hair is to give it a try yourself. If your favorite hair products can be found for a few dollars on the drugstore shelves, by all means, save your pennies, ladies and use what works best for your hair.
Splurge or Save on Hairspray
Finishing hairsprays can also be a hit or miss item, but the difference is really in how often and how much hairspray you use. If you’re a bit of a hairspray junkie or at least a daily user, splurge on a salon brand that will wash out cleaner without building up over time. If you like a heavy, firm holding hairspray definitely splurge on a non-flaking brand that won’t pull your hair or turn into a flaky mess. If you only use hairspray occasionally or prefer a flexible, soft hold, save your money and choose your favorite drugstore brand instead.