Good Hair Products

Kayleigh09

Hi all,

I am currently using Redken hair products which make my hair feel really smooth and healthy but they're quite expensive to replace!

Anyone got any recommendations for any cheaper alternatives?

I know you get what you pay for, but at nearly £15 a bottle (and my hair is very long) it's a tad bit expensive!!!

jenniewb

I have shorter hair but find the luxury brands last much much longer then high street brands- I need about a 10p sized blob for my whole head and would never be able to get away with this little with the cheaper brands I used to use. I don't know if I could suggest a better value brand for that reason.

Have you tried places like HQ Hair, Wantthelook, Lookfantastic, Georgousshop.....etc? they tend to have 20%, 30% sort of discounts on the rrp and failing that ebay which can be cheaper- though watch out for those that add water to the product or sell fakes- as long as you know what your looking for its fairly safe as you can put through a claim with ebay if its fake so more of a hassle then losing anything.

Otherwise I'd suggest mixing your own with water as you may be using more then you need without realising just because it does tend to be quite dense.

Wish I could suggest a product but am a haircare junkie! I spend most of my expendable income on haircare (takes me ages to save as well!) or get given it as birthday/Xmas gifts. I guess I forgo clothes and non-basic foods in order to do this!

Kayleigh09

Maybe that's where I am going wrong then? I still use quite a lot! It's usually only the Conditioner that runs out, i still have half a bottle of Shampoo left. In all fairness though, the bottle of Conditioner was 3/4 the size of the Shampoo bottle!

I did think about looking at eBay, but I don't really want to end up buying fakes that turn my hair blonde or make it fall out or something! Certain things I will stay away from on there! I will have a look at the others though. See what bar-gains I can find!

Aha, I am the same. I am (and always have been) a complete and utter snob when it comes to my haircare and make up! My cousin works at Toni & Guy and has work for Francesco's and Umberto Giannini salons in Selfridge's, so as you can imagine I don't like using 'high street' brands. I just thought there maybe a cheap alternative out there somewhere - there normally always is!

What haircare products do you use?

babyshoes

I like Paul Mitchell products, but they are also expensive. I do find that a little goes a long way with them, you really don't need as much as you might think.

Perhaps try alternating the expensive product with a cheaper, or even home made one. There was a thread on the Oldstyle board about home made beauty products - that way you don't have to have a 'cheap' brand bottle in your bathroom, just a bottle of (say) olive oil or mayonnaise in the kitchen... Alternatively, if you find a cheap product that works for your hair, you could always decant it into the branded bottle - this is MSE after all!

Also, if you are going through loads of conditioner, you should try to work out why this is rather than simply trying to find a cheaper alternative.

If you have really dry hair, one of those weekly or monthly treatments like hot oil or intensive conditioner should help. If your hair is really long, as you say it is, there is a good chance you have split ends, and a good trim would help with that, and regular conditioning treatments should help to slow down the splitting process in the future. If you dry or style your hair using heat, that can be very drying and damaging, so perhaps go 'au naturel' sometimes and use a protective product when you do use heat. Dyeing and bleaching hair is also very drying, so it may be a good idea to give those a rest sometimes if they are affecting the condition of your hair and make sure you use products for colour treated hair if you do colour it.

You may even just be using the wrong type of conditioner for your hair (maybe too lightweight if you are using so much of it?), and a chat to a good hairdresser should help you find the right one. If all else fails, chat to your hairdresser - most hairdressers I know (and trust me, I know plenty, I come from a family of them!) know a fair amount about products and will be more than happy to discuss what your hair needs to get and keep it in good condition, though be aware they will try to sell suitable products from within a range that will get them a commission! With most salespeople, I often use the trick of saying right at the start that I can't afford to buy anything today, but will consider their suggestions after payday - that way you are likely to get a more unbiased recommendation.

jenniewb

Kayleigh09 wrote: »

Maybe that's where I am going wrong then? I still use quite a lot! It's usually only the Conditioner that runs out, i still have half a bottle of Shampoo left. In all fairness though, the bottle of Conditioner was 3/4 the size of the Shampoo bottle!

I did think about looking at eBay, but I don't really want to end up buying fakes that turn my hair blonde or make it fall out or something! Certain things I will stay away from on there! I will have a look at the others though. See what bar-gains I can find!

Aha, I am the same. I am (and always have been) a complete and utter snob when it comes to my haircare and make up! My cousin works at Toni & Guy and has work for Francesco's and Umberto Giannini salons in Selfridge's, so as you can imagine I don't like using 'high street' brands. I just thought there maybe a cheap alternative out there somewhere - there normally always is!

What haircare products do you use?

I use what I get given (Borthday not long ago!) at the moment Aveda which works well and has the least fade. Aveda is around alot in ebay but its finding a seller who is genuine- try to look for those who have good feedback but also places like wantthelook and etc have it discounted which is where others tend to buy it for me.

I used to use Kerastase which did last for aaaaages last year, you do only need a little amount to wash your hair but I found although it was dense it wasn't right for my hair and I wanted something to help more with the frizz. Redken and Kerastase are both made by L'Oreal (as are Matrix, L'Oreal Professional and Wella) I do think they all use separate recipies for their products as when I have been a hair model for them they don't tend to mix brands at all but I do think of all the brands L'Oreal stuff is more likely to be similar to each other then any other brand IYSWIM.

Kayleigh09

babyshoes wrote: »

If you have really dry hair, one of those weekly or monthly treatments like hot oil or intensive conditioner should help. If your hair is really long, as you say it is, there is a good chance you have split ends, and a good trim would help with that, and regular conditioning treatments should help to slow down the splitting process in the future. If you dry or style your hair using heat, that can be very drying and damaging, so perhaps go 'au naturel' sometimes and use a protective product when you do use heat. Dyeing and bleaching hair is also very drying, so it may be a good idea to give those a rest sometimes if they are affecting the condition of your hair and make sure you use products for colour treated hair if you do colour it.

You may even just be using the wrong type of conditioner for your hair (maybe too lightweight if you are using so much of it?), and a chat to a good hairdresser should help you find the right one. If all else fails, chat to your hairdresser - most hairdressers I know (and trust me, I know plenty, I come from a family of them!) know a fair amount about products and will be more than happy to discuss what your hair needs to get and keep it in good condition, though be aware they will try to sell suitable products from within a range that will get them a commission! With most salespeople, I often use the trick of saying right at the start that I can't afford to buy anything today, but will consider their suggestions after payday - that way you are likely to get a more unbiased recommendation.

Hi,

I have used Paul Mitchell, I don't like his products much :-(. The one's I do like are Lee Stafford, Umberto Giannini, TIGI and Redken. I don't think the first two are expensive.

I used to straighten my hair everyday, and I have always used heat protecting products - I still do even if I am not straightening my hair. In the last 4 months I haven't even straightened my hair 10 times. I am in the process of growing my hair for the wedding and I am quite lucky, i don't have major split ends, so that's one plus side! My hair is my natural colour, and I never do anything to my hair that I shouldn't (i.e extensions and what not).

I think it may be that I am just over generous! As I said in my last post, my cousin works for Toni & Guy (he used to work up here in the Midlands, until he went to Southampton, and he works Covent Gardens 4 times a month), so he knows what he's talking about. He has been the one who made me see the light - if you like - about decent quailty hair products.

Kayleigh09

jenniewb wrote: »

I use what I get given (Borthday not long ago!) at the moment Aveda which works well and has the least fade. Aveda is around alot in ebay but its finding a seller who is genuine- try to look for those who have good feedback but also places like wantthelook and etc have it discounted which is where others tend to buy it for me.

I used to use Kerastase which did last for aaaaages last year, you do only need a little amount to wash your hair but I found although it was dense it wasn't right for my hair and I wanted something to help more with the frizz. Redken and Kerastase are both made by L'Oreal (as are Matrix, L'Oreal Professional and Wella) I do think they all use separate recipies for their products as when I have been a hair model for them they don't tend to mix brands at all but I do think of all the brands L'Oreal stuff is more likely to be similar to each other then any other brand IYSWIM.

Hehe, that's what I used to be like! I used to get loads by the bundle at Christmas time!

I was advised to get some Kerastase products by one of the people who was there to watch my cousin when I was his model. My hair is very fine, and it's not frizzy at all... in fact I am very lucky with my hair, a lot of people always comment on how 'good' it looks. I do like Redken, and I have their Anti Snap Leave in Treatment which is really good. I am noticing a difference with my hair already. I still have 1 and a half bottles of Shampoo though (all in the Extreme range), so if I can get my hands on the Coniditioner and then I will be realllly happy. I just don't want to fork out an absolute tonne for it all as I have my wedding soon!

I have to admit i like Bed Head too, that leaves my hair looking really good. I just fancied trying something new when I bought the Redken stuff (plus it was on offer - 2 bottles of Shampoo and 1 bottle of Conditioner for about £25) and I am really pleased with it!

It's just the price tag that comes with it! :-(

Bubby

I have only used salon products for the last 10 years but I have actually found a brand that does just as good a job if not better on my hair "aussie" stuff in boots. It is amazing, i have long hair and it lathers up really well and makes my hair feel clean yet moisturised:D

I have used every other brand in boots prior to changing to salon products 10 years ago and nothing else worked

laurielou88_2

Hii

Kayleigh09 what Redken products do you use? My hair is quite long but I want it longer and in nice condition! Is it the Smooth Down line, Extreme line, Clear Moisture line etc?

Also do you use just their shampoo and conditioner or other products too and can you recommend any to buy/not buy?

Thanks

x

laurielou88_2

I found them on this website, there is another website too that I've used before where I got some Bedhead stuff quite cheaply, but I cant think what its called! Anyone know?

http://www.feelunique.com/brands/redken/smooth-down

Kayleigh09

Hiya!

I use the redken extreme range. I have got the shampoo, hair treatment, conditioner and the split end treatment. I think they're all fantastic.

I would recommend them to anyone. The reason why I started using them was to get my hair in as good a condition as I could for my wedding in August.

I would recommend getting heat protector too as the products don't have heat protection in them.

They're wicked though, just come with a bit of a hefty price tag in comparison to the £1 a bottle herbal essences my friends use!