When it comes to choosing haircare, there’s plenty of opinions and false advertising. The main difference between professional shampoos versus supermarket shampoo is the ingredients and investments made in the product development.
There is a price variance for a reason – professional salon ranges simply contain better ingredients and are more concentrated products which will last you 2-3 times longer!
Did you know using supermarket products can affect your salon visit?
Yes, you did read that correctly! Poorly made hair products are not designed to be compatible with professional chemical treatment processes. The combination can cause serious chemical reactions and damage to your hair and skin.
Ever experienced having hair that never gets blonde enough? Or a toner that only lasts up until your next shampoo? It might not be your hairdresser who is the culprit.
- Supermarket bought shampoo + conditioner can cause side effects while colouring – the built-up parabens and silicones can stop the hair from being lightened. This means you will need more sessions to achieve a desired colour and may have uneven tones throughout the hair.
- The build-up of silicone on the hair can cause a chemical reaction when a professional lightening product is applied. Causing the lightening agent to heat up to extreme levels, burning the hair off and leaving chemical burns if applied to the scalp.
- Silicone’s layer the hair shafts preventing moisture from penetrating, leaving the hair brittle, frizzy and prone to breakage = hair not fit of colouring services.
- Because of harsh cleaning chemicals your fresh hair colour and toner will fade so much quicker.
- Cheap products can counteract those treatments you spend a lot of money on.
What are these harmful ingredients I speak of?
Silicones: behenoxy dimethicone, bis-phenylpropyl dimethicone, cetyl dimethicone, cetearyl methicone, dimethiconol hydroxystearate, polysilicone-18 cetyl phosphate, propyl dimethicone, stearoxy dimethicone, stearyl dimethicone, stearyl methicone, trimethylsilylamodimethicone
Silicones give the illusion of smooth, healthy hair, however, in reality, they are a plastic like layer, coating over the hair. Being water insoluble they are almost impossible to wash out, so they continue to build up on the hair, layer after layer, preventing any moisture or natural oils getting inside the hair shaft where its’s needed the most. As the result of lack of nutrition, the hair will begin feeling limp, greasy, weighed down, knotty and breakage may occur.
Additionally, silicones can cause rashes, itching and irritation to the hair follicles. These symptoms can lead to hair loss if not treated accordingly.
You may have noticed professional salon products have silicon in them too, except this is a unique type of silicon – they’re water soluble, vegetable silicon.
A water-soluble silicone has the ability to dissolve in water. It is a silicone that is easy to wash out of the hair and doesn’t leave a build-up. Water based silicone products will usually contain cyclomethicone or Dimethicone copolyol.
Sulfates: sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, and ammonium laureth sulfate.
Sulfates are chemicals used as cleansing agents and are a standard ingredient in most household cleaning products, such as detergent. Their purpose is to rid the scalp and hair of oil and dirt, however, due to the harshness of these chemicals it can also strip away the scalps important natural oils, also causing frizzy hair. This signifies, that regular use of shampoos containing sulfates can lead to dry scalp, dandruff, skin and eye irritation. Sulfates have been found to be one of the key culprits of hair loss and thinning hair, it can destroy hair follicles and inhibit hair growth.
Parabens: butylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, alkyl parahydroxy benzoates.
Parabens are chemicals commonly used as preservatives in cosmetic products to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and mold prolonging their shelf lives. Allowing products to survive for months, even years, in our bathroom cabinet.
Parabens have been linked to the irritation of skin conditions such as dermatitis and rosacea.
Not only is it bad for your hair, scalp and skin they can also be detrimental to your overall health. Studies have shown that some parabens can mimic the activity of the hormone estrogen in the body’s cells, and while estrogenic activity is associated with certain forms of breast cancer, parabens have been found present in breast tumors.
Where your money goes matters
It is also a good idea to think about what your money goes towards and who you are supporting. When buying supermarket shampoo your profit goes to the big brand-named store and company that makes the product. The company uses your money to develop more shampoo quantities, market it, then turn a profit. When buying from a salon your money goes towards the salon owner who uses it to support their business, and as a locally taxed business, this contributes to the community. Also, to the professional company that puts money back into the salon industry via education which is beneficial for salon professionals and YOU the consumer.