Have you ever sat down and thought of how many different shampoos and conditioners you have purchased throughout your lifetime? Have you ever gone to a hair stylist and they recommend a professional hair care system to recreate your look at home, but you decided to cut corners and go straight to the drugstore to buy your haircare?
Keep in mind that the average person uses 10 bottles of shampoo and 10 bottles of conditioner in one year. That averages out to about 1 a month. That is a lot of trips to the store with more cost and more plastic waste. Only 10% of plastic is recycled. We may think about recycling our water bottles, but not shampoo and conditioner bottles. They usually go straight into the trash.
Let us compare ingredients in drugstore vs. professional haircare. Most drugstore products have a small amount of higher quality ingredients in the bottles. Just enough to get by on the label. They also have a higher pH, anywhere from 4 to 9. The average pH of hair is 5.0. Professional salon grade shampoo range from 5-7 and are considered neutral on the pH scale. Thus meaning that they contain more gentle and not harsh chemicals, like sulfate-based surfactants, that can strip your hair. They are also made up of fillers. This could be anything to literally fill the bottle. More water, chemical fats, waxes or parabens to name a few. Over time, these fillers can cause a build up and weigh down your hair leaving it flat and dull.
Professional salon products, like Oribe, (the brand we use in our salon) are made up of cosmetic grade ingredients. It's basically skin care for your hair. They are sulfate-free, color and keratin safe. They have UV protection to protect against sun exposure, are vegan friendly, and gluten free. Now, let's breakdown the cost and amount you have to use. Oribe's shampoo is $46 a bottle, while drugstore shampoos average around $10 for a 12oz bottle. Oribe is concentrated, so you would use a lot less per shampoo, while the drugstore shampoo that contains fillers and a small amount of good ingredients, take a larger amount to lather.
So if you think professional care is out of your reach, think again! In the long run, drugstore products cost you more time, more money, more gas, and more waste in plastics! Stick with quality products and quality ingredients to get the best results and the best bang for your buck!
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