Is it worth spending £££s on shampoo and conditioner?

[BadActingParsley]

Thick frizzy over 50s hair. Is it worth spending the money on Kerastase or similar. Baulking at nearly £60 on shampoo and conditioner....

It depends on your goals...

Is your hair dry? You may benefit from a sulfate free shampoo (tend to be more £). I have certainly found mine to be much shinier and require less styling since making the switch (after an adjustment period). Pureology is a good option. Bonus = you need a lot less per wash, and you may find you need to wash less often so you might save long term.

If it isn't dry, I'd argue that your money is probably better spent on investing in styling products to suit your texture.

I use Kerastase for long hair and it makes a huge difference. I am 50 and have bleached hair thou, so very very dry and very long. I use the shampoo, conditioner and mask once a week. It is expensive but my hair is my whole look so I save on clothes and don't wear make up.

No. I find that own brand shampoo (Lidl) is OK, but I prefer using a good conditoner, if I bother.

I don't colour, blow dry or straighten my hair, if that makes a difference.

The Kerastese thickening one i use is £24.100% worth it imo.

I’ve got natural blonde long hair. A few months ago I changed my hair routine completely and got professional cosmetics.
Very, very basically:
shampoo is for scalp
mask/conditioner for hair
I have 3 different shampoos („hair growth” - x2 a week, „serum control” - x2 a week, „daily shampoo” - on the other days if I wash my hair). I wash my hair twice (first a basic wash, second with a massage), always put a mask on afterwards (closes hair cuticles, wash off), dry with a towel for no longer than 5 mins and put another leave on condicioner (frizzynesz&split endings control plus to comb easily). I also have a scalp peeling (once a week) and a serum to encourage hair to grow (every single day), hair oil and „heat defence” spray. I got a special haircomb (not brush!) and I dry my hair after every single wash with a hair dryer (prevent form bacteria growing on your scalp especially when going to bed with wet hair). I listen to podcasts where a professional teichologist gives advice based on medical researches. Is it worth it? I do see a difference, I wash my hair more often so I look generally better, I don’t scratch my scalp like I used to do cos it was dry and I have notice a huge reduction in how much hair I loose daily (much much less!!!). I spent £200 for the starter pack but I only need 10 ml of shampoo per wash so they last much longer than the average cosmetics. You actually shouldn’t be using to much, it’s a waste and doesn’t make any difference. Anyway - you do what you want and what you can afford, it’s your choice. I now have beautiful hair and healthier scalp and this is where new hair grows so I carry on as long as I can afford it.

Yes.There is a huge difference IMO between cheap shampoos and Kerastase level. A bottle of shampoo lasts so long so it's really not expensive.

I use L’Oréal shampoo, but an expensive conditioner or mask once a week or so - usually Olaplex, Kerastase or K18

Yes, it is worth it. I can and do spend pennies on skincare and make up when skint, but nevre on hair care.

On plus side, if you can keep it out of the grubby paws of any teenagers side eyes DD it does last much longer than the cheap stuff. Also, look on Amazon or wholesale sites as it's often much much cheaper to buy the salon sized bottles or sometimes they offer refills which also work out much cheaper.

I have used L'Oreal shampoo professional shampoo for years and it really is better.

Oh, and my hair is very thick, and naturally very dry and very coarse and a bit frizzy. If youc ould see me right now with swishy, shiney, smooth hair... you'd be sold instantly.

You might have sold me on your all your swishy swooshy hair...

Sorry to go against the grain here but I don't think ££ shampoo + conditioner is worth it.

For me (dry ends, oily roots, highlighted), ordinary shampoo + conditioner is fine but combined with a tiny blob of Ouai hair oil when damp, and a weekly Opalex mask.

I am 49, I colour my hair but it’s in really good condition. I was using Pureology shampoo for about a year, it was good, not cheap but more than the usual brands you can buy in shops. I decided to treat myself and try Kerastase for the first time. I bought the Soleil one as I was about to go away on a sunny holiday in August. I have to say my hair is softer, cleaner and shinier since using it. It is very concentrated so I don’t need a lot even though I have quite a lot of hair. I wash every other day. My hairdresser warned me once you try these things it’s hard to go back and I think he could be right.

I would save the money you would spend on expensive shampoo and conditioner and get a Kerasilk treatment at the hairdresser every 6 months. It’s great for frizz. You need to use sulphate free products after but a lot of shampoos are sulphate free nowadays. Game changer. Wish I’d done it years ago. .

@KStockHERO , same here.

When I have paid more than usual for shampoo, it's not been a good purchase.

In my experience you do get what you pay for. Personally I like Wella and TIGI shampoo and products. They've transformed my fine hair, and while its not thicker it is less damaged and much less prone to split ends now

Yes. When I was young I could easily have the cheap stuff. Peri made my hair like a bale of hay. I spent loads of money trying everything across the price points. I've landed on Aveda. I'm a few years menopausal now. Still with Aveda.

Jumping on to say Champo was a complete waste for me… made things drier if possible and didn’t clean my scalp

Mostly you get what you pay for, however I’ve tried some expensive brands like Redken and Aveda which I don’t think are that great, shame as Aveda smells amazing, Matrix works well cleans well and Tigi. Some cheap shampoos are dreadful just don’t clean the hair well, but Pantene does! I’m sure growing up in the 90s, shampoos were much better, hardly any seem to ‘clean’ well enough and full of too much oils and moisturisers rather than being designed to clean.

Davines has been a game changer for me. It has totally transformed my hair (been using it for 2 years). Would explore other sulphate free shampoo in the future but would never go back to products containing sulphate!

I agree with pp in that the ones I've tried didn't leave my scalp feeling clean. I haven't tried the £££ ones.

I like a moisturising conditioner. Pantene might be OK but I didn't like the smell.

Kerastase is lovely and you don’t use much. My problem is that DH ran out of his cheap stuff and used my Kerastase, and is using it every day. Cos it’s lovely. And I can’t moan because he is generous in many ways.

I have what was once thick, frizzy over-50 year and the Kerastese curl cream is a game changer for me. The expensive shampoos and conditioners do make a difference in my experience, but I can get by without them when I'm skint. Can't do without the curl cream though.

I bought a Philip Kingsley set as a treat and it was annoyingly good. Can’t afford it all the time but I do use the frizz fighting stuff after every wash now.

Another vote for Kerastase. I've used it for nearly three years and my hair has vastly improved over that time. I wash my hair very other day and it is cut in a graduated, highlighted bob.

I use far less than the high street brands and the difference has been really noticeable. Today I used the thickener one, I rarely use conditioner but I did use the thickener hair mousse to blow dry. I also use the volume and blond colour shampoos too.

The range is expensive but the result has been worth it, the amount used for each shampoo is around a third of what I was using with ordinary brands and the smell is gorgeous.

1 litre bottle of Aveda Shampure lasts me months using the pump dispenser . I love the smell and I don't need conditioner after though I do use a hair treatment mask when I have the inclination. Need to increase this now coming to winter and need to book a haircut .

It would last longer if my DS didn't he;p himself (I know when you've used it DS, I can smell it on you !)

As it is my Holy Grail shampoo , I save money by not trying to buy something that don't match it .
I have BodyShop ginger for itchy scalp days but rarely have to use that .