Is expensive shampoo worth it? Recommendations?

[Willowskyblue]

My hair is a bit dry as I age, so I'm wondering if investing in a better shampoo and conditioner would be worth it, rather than the cheaper brands. Can anyone advise please, and recommend a good brand?

Sisley was my break through. I have coloured hair which is and thin and frizzy. Used epic amounts of conditioner as it was so tangled after a wash.

A pushy sales woman in Sephora on holiday in France last year convinced me to try the shampoo and never looked back.

I use it 2 or 3 times a week plus the hair mask occasionally.

My hair is now sleek, full of body and no tangles.

Got into the skincare now and the lipstick. Lovely brand.

Im the same with my hair and found MooGoo shampoo & Conditioner and leave in hair treatment fabulous.
My hair is soooo soft and healthy.
Mid price range. Last for ages and you can buy as a set its cheaper.
No nasties either like other brands mentioned here.
They do a trial and travel set too.
Worth a look 👀

My teenager who has eczema uses these products, he swears by them.

I’ve used them all & to be honest, the only thing that has really helped has been getting a water softener installed. I used 1L bottles of Pureology Sheer Hydrate for a while but it ended up irritating my scalp.

Currently loving Dove density & growth shampoo & conditioner, and really rate it.

I used to work in hair marketing. No I wouldn’t say expensive is ‘better’. The likes of L’Oreal and Unilever spend millions on research and development and patents. Much more than some of these smaller more niche expensive brands. So trusty Tresemme Keratin Smooth for me. Is has Unilever’s best tech and is super reasonable.

As an aside, the whole sulphate free trend was a total marketing con. It was made up by a marketer in order to find a new Unique Selling Point and scare us all (‘clean beauty’ is a trend that is similar - often replacing tried and tested ingredients with new untested stuff - dangerous and unregulated).

Sulphates are great for washing stuff out of your hair. What they replace them with is even more chemicals (have a look at the ingredients) that don’t wash out so efficiently hence why lots of people who try sulphate free shampoos find it leaves their hair more straw like and greasy. Yep I went down the rabbit hole! I think that ‘trend’ is now abating thank goodness.

There you go. Dove is Unilever. Avoid the sulphate free ones tho - they have had to make those on the back of this ‘trend’ I mention above - but the original ones with sulphate in are the better ones.

Genuinely interested to know what you think is a ‘nasty’. This is where some shrewd marketing has captured us. Whereas there ARE some historic ingredients that have now been banned - anything that is now allowed is highly regulated and constantly tested. I would be more concerned about then accepting the alternatives that have scant testing, data and long term evidence behind them honestly. The ‘clean beauty’ movement was a made up marketing thing. Most serious beauty people are pretty annoyed about it.

Actually shampoo is just as important if not more. It is the thing that actually cleans the hair. And it can also contain some really great ingredients on top of the ‘cleansers’ that also repair it or add oomph. Having said that I use both as the conditioner adds that bit of extra conditioning power. But don’t downgrade the role of the shampoo. That’s the core.

Kerastase is L’Oréal’s tip top brand. It’s where all their research and development goes first. Hence expense. That tech will eventually trickle down into the other L’Oréal brands over time. Unilever don’t really have the equivalent (Living Proof I guess - which has a slightly different set up) so the best tech there gets put into Tresemme and Dove.

That's interesting, I've never experienced amazing shampoo that has improved my hair like a good conditioner has. As long as my roots and scalp is clean, I considered it job done. What specific ingredients should I be looking for?

My go to is Tresemme Keratin Smooth. I used both the shampoo AND the conditioner after. Let us know how you get on. It’s often on deal too. Have not found anybody YET who doesn’t like it. But everybody’s hair is different so I get people like different things.

I do LOVE Oribe Gold Lust shampoo and conditioner by the way - mainly for the texture (it’s quite runny) and the gorgeous scent. And the glint of gold. But the high price never makes it an everyday thing for me. Every now and then for a treat. But again that is mainly the sensorials eg the fragrance, texture and colour - that I love. The end result is the same as the cheaper Tresemme (Unilever). I do also love Kerastase (L’Oréal) for same reason. But again it’s super pricy for everyday.

I really love Redken acidic bonding shampoo and conditioner. I can definitely feel a difference.

This is weird logic. It is better to find a shampoo that washes OUT most efficiently - primary role is to CLEANSE - but then also adds some benefits. Which many shampoos do. Lots of shampoos not only have sulphates to clean the dirt and grease away. But also have other goodies that add volume or condition.

On your SLS point - this is a trick marketing gimmick. If you remove the sulphate (or SLS as you abbreviate it to here) then they have to add something back in to substitute for that - because you need something to cleanse your hair. So what they add back in is a cocktail of other sodium substances that often actually don’t wash out as effectively as the original SLS it replaced. They get stuck to your hair and scalp - hence why many sulphate free shampoos make your hair feel icky. So you are left with more chemicals stuck on your scalp and hair ironically.

Parabens (a common preservative to stop your beauty products growing bacteria, mould and yeast) is a similar but not identical beauty myth. There was a small 2004 study which found a correlation but not causation with breast cancer. This study has never been backed up by larger studies since. As a result some parabens are still allowed but because of consumer push have had to be replaced by other, less well tested preservatives such as sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate. These are less effective so need to be used in combination and can also be more irritant.

Note that despite all this any of these preservatives are better than none at all - the bacteria and fungi are much worse.

I used to work in this industry and misinformation is rife and can be damaging.

They do make a difference. My mum uses
Aveada and I’ve used it when I stay at her house and I can see and feel the difference in my hair. Sadly not in my budget. Aussie miracle moist is a great budget alternative though.

I do this too! I have no idea why this happens, but I’ve always noticed it. I find something I like and then after 3 it 4 months it just doesn’t seem that great anymore and I switch it up and things are better. I had an expensive aveno shampoo recently which made my hair feel amazing the first 4 or 5 washes but now it’s a bit meh… I hate switching so often though as you end up with odd bits in the bottom of bottles which seems wasteful and takes up space in the bathroom cabinet.

Elvive Bond Repair is good if you use the whole lot - pre-shampoo, shampoo, conditioner and serum. It's often on a 3 for 2 in Boots/supermarkets which helps with the pricing.

Bleach London reincarnation mask is good for occasional use.

Aussie 3 Miracle Oil is good if you wake up and your hair has frizzed overnight.

Yes! I have to rotate my shampoo for this reason. This leads to a bit of a lottery as sometimes I have a 'good hair day' but I don't really know what combination of shampoo build-up over the last few washes has led to it.

This was happening to me and is why I now buy a more expensive brand, I have used the same one for around four years.

I used to have about 10 bottles of different branded shampoos and some conditioners on the go, a few washes with one and I'd have to change to another one. It was costly and I was fed up with so many half used bottles of stuff loafing about. Plus I used more shampoo each time than I do now.

I switched to Kerestase and my hair has been fine with the same brand but different types, i.e. volume, thickener, blonde colour and their Premier shampoo. I don't use conditioner very often as my hair goes a bit limp and floppy if I do, so maybe once a week and occasionally a treatment with the same brand.

Kerastase/Loreal Professional Absolut Molecular
K18 leave in
L’Oréal heat protection
Color Wow straight spray
l’oreal extraordinary oil

(sometimes the night version)

Yes its wonderful I use all the Moogoo products now including skin care. Their Peptide serum is fabulous. Odylique I use for SPF though its gorgeous and effective. Small British Brand excellent customer care.
Love supporting small businesses 💓

I’ve only used professional products since I hit peri and they’ve been absolutely worth it. I’ve bought the first ones from the hairdresser then used eBay/amazon after that.

Moroccan Oil
Hydrating shampoo & conditioner, treatment oil, styling cream and hairspray.
15 years.

I recently switched up to a Sisley shampoo (I have very fine hair, but lots of it, so need volume). V expensive, but the difference was incredible. Woke up the next morning looking like I'd had a blow-dry; didn't even need to brush my hair. I wash my hair tops twice a week, so use it sparingly.

It’s quite transformational. French women ‘s secret.