The Hair Truth

Six months ago I began an unexpected beauty experiment and I am interested to hear your opinion.  I have been pretty lucky because as a beauty junkie I have always been surrounded by quality beauty products from my college days of working at an independent beauty boutique to beauty editorial internships and eventually jobs in the industry.  One thing that I never skimped on when it came to products was shampoo and conditioner.  I have experimented and been a devotee to the best - Kerastase, Phyto, Bumble & bumble, Davines, Fekkai, etc.  My hair always looked good, in fact I rarely had a 'bad' hair day - meaning my hair was not frizzy and unmanageable.  

But as I mentioned, six months ago I changed things around.  I was tired of spending so much money on shampoo and conditioners, I thought I would give the drugstore variety a chance to earn a spot in my shower.  I tried brands like L'Oreal and Pantene and slowly over time, within a few days actually, I began to suffer from 'let me put my hair in a bun because it doesn't look good' syndrome. I wasn't sure if it was a new hair cut, but my hair just looked horrible. I noticed buildup, it was frizzy and as some people say, a bad hair day can ruin your day.  I had some bad days!

Having worked in the industry, I know that more expensive brands invest more in formulas and do not use unnecessary filler ingredients like sulfates and silicones and other harmful ingredients that not only can damage hair, but have been linked to health issues.  I pushed on until I decided after more than five months, I needed to invest in and head back to the mother ship - luxury hair products.  After two days, my hair was immediately different.  It was smooth, soft, the horrible frizz was gone (even in 90 degree humid weather) and I was back to looking like my old self with my hair down.  After all, the bun was giving me a major headache, not to mention a neck ache.  

So let me ask you, do you invest in quality hair products? Or are you lucky that your hair reacts well to items purchased in your local CVS?  

Oh and if you want to know my favorite hair items, here is a list. While the price tag might be high, I realized that you don't have to use nearly as much since the formulas are much for concentrated.  

Davines, Love Shampoo & Conditioner ; Kerastase Bain Chroma Shampoo & Conditioner 

Phytojoba Intense Hydrating Shampoo; Redken All Soft Shampoo & Conditioner 

Oribe (all products that I have tried are quite amazing)