Are you committed to your hair care products or always trying new ones?

I don’t find my hair is very fussy, so I tend to go from product to product without committing to any. I might repurchase, but I don’t know that there’s anything I’ve used for years and years!

— Christine

29 Comments

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Debbie Avatar

I am always switching them off to keep my hair confused. If it gets too used to a certain shampoo, conditioner, leave-in treatment it will basically stick it’s unruly locks out at me and shut down. I will try anything once.

Mariella Avatar

There are certain products I’ll probably always have – AG Firewall, Moroccan Oil, Kenra Silkening Gloss and Kerastase leave in conditioner (can’t recall the name – Nectar Thermique, perhaps), I’m always up for trying new things. If some company came up with a leave in type product that would give me straight, smooth, glossy-cap type hair just like *that* (snaps fingers) – no need to blow dry, flat iron, etc. – I could buy a lifetime supply but sadly, this product does not exist (yet).

brendacr1 Avatar

I have fine thin hair and I tried the Verb Ghost Hair Oil and it is lovely on my hairIt doesn’t just make it smooth it gives me a little volume and it doesn’t weigh it down. I don’t know what it would be like for other hair types though.

Cameron Avatar

I found some stuff that worked out really well for me about 3 years ago and have been sticking with that. My hair doesn’t like heavy oils and butters, it turns it into a sticky heavy mass. I’m hesitant to try anything new right now.

liz Avatar

I do the curly girl method so I have a few products that don’t change (conditioner, mousse), and a few product types that i tend to switch around here and there to try new stuff (shampoo, curl cream, gel). I am really interested in trying Briogeo products but whew, that price tag.

Ana Maria Avatar

Try some minis from Briogeo if you can, Sephora even sometimes has them as point perks or offers. Personally I never liked their products, they simply do nothing for me. But I know so many people that absolutely love them, and if they work it’s worth the splurge, especially if you take advantage of sales.

cc Avatar

Man I tried, but SheaMoisture kept discontinuing the lines I actually liked and replacing them with stuff that’s just frustrating and disappointing (overly fragranced, shampoos that don’t lather, conditioners that left my hair limp and greasy). Moved on to R+Co, which has been uniformly pleasing. Their “Gemstone” line is a fave for my bleached-and-brightly-colored hair: lovely light scent, sulfate-free shampoo that’s actually a delight to use (and effective), conditioner isn’t just a bottle of fragranced dimethicone with some cheap fatty acids thrown in. Worth it! When my hair is NOT double-bleached and dyed, I’ve long been a fan of Aveda’s Pure Abundance line for extra volume.

Dana Avatar

I have been on the hunt for the perfect combo, and I went through a lot to find what worked. For about the last 3 months, it has been Joico Moisture Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner, their K-Pak Hydrator, and Briogio Farewell Frizz Rosarco Milk Leave in Treatment. My hair was getting dry and crunchy, and so far this combo has been really helping.

Lesley Avatar

I am committed to Olaplex 0 and 3 but nothing else. I prefer to try new things but don’t get the opportunity often. My hair is short and double processed so washing it often is not a good idea for me. That means that any products I have, even travel sizes,
will last me a long time and since I hate waste, I don’t buy anything new until the old one is finished.

Donna Avatar

I have thick hair with a wave which I keep short and I colour. I can’t use anything with SLS as it makes my scalp itch.

I do swap around but Oribe Gold Lust and Kevin Murphy Angel range are the two I use.

Helena Avatar

The only product I’m committed to is my medicated shampoo, lol. Other than that, I don’t care about my hair enough right now to either repurchase something I love or constantly experiment with new things. I’d like to try a routine to enhance the curls and waves that sometimes come out (there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for their appearance/disappearance), but to be quite frank, I’m way too lazy for anything even close to the curly girl method!
I used a lot of dry shampoo as an adolescent/teenager (why wouldn’t I just wash it?? Because I didn’t want to straighten my hair again), then was a bit more particular when my hair was colored, which was punctuated by a no-poo/co-washing phase, and I used styling product in my hair when I cut it short mid-2019. And now it’s just always up in a bun so I don’t have to deal with it. Might get another buzzcut next summer, who knows?

Ana Maria Avatar

My medicated shampoo is always stocked as back-up, sometimes even more than a regular shampoo. 😅 I don’t even consider it hair care, it’s health care.

Nowadays my scalp is better, I rarely actually use it. But when my flare ups start and I get itchy scalp, dandruff and all those irritations, it’s the only thing that saves me. It’s usually stress related, so that’s why I see that shampoo as health care.

Christine Avatar

I know this website focuses on reviewing makeup products. Yet, I wonder if you or anyone here know of similar and reliable websites that thoroughly review haircare, skincare, nail care, or perfume products? Any suggested websites? I’m into all the above products and not just makeup! 🙂

cc Avatar

Not as thorough (as far as covering every available item, new releases, etc) as you might be looking for, but LabMuffin is excellent. She’s actually a PhD chemist and talks in great (yet easily-understood) detail about sunscreens, moisturizers, common ingredients in skin/hair care products, and so forth. Based in Australia, so some of the items she reviews might be harder to find if you’re in the states, tho. KindOfStephen.com and SimpleSkincareScience.com are also terrific resources for deep-dive info on the science behind a lot of skincare actives (acne treatments, retinoids, and the like). Also, the “Beautypedia” site developed by PaulasChoice has been really helpful — they do tend to severely downgrade products for including fragrance, but they often have good info on why a product’s formulation should (or shouldn’t) work, based on its ingredients, % of actives, pH, packaging type, etc. (I don’t know of any sites strictly dedicated to frequent/comprehensive skincare product reviews, as I’ve found my favorites through lonnnnng trial and error, so I stick with the handful of things that work well for me.)

Erin Avatar

Committed. Been “burnt” way too many times.
I have fairly stubborn hair, like many of us. Straight, pin straight, until age 27, then it got some wave. Oily scalp, dry ends, very very prone to atrocious tangling. And at 46 after a radical hysterectomy 10 years ago, my thyroid removed, and being type 1 diabetic…I could cry. Tons of hair fall. Oh, and my hair is now beyond bra strap. Medium to fine texture. I prefer shorter hair.

In April my hair was falling out to the point where I’d have clumps in my hands while washing. My brush was full. I switched back to **sulfate** shampoos and it definitely decreased significantly. It was as if (my theory) the roots were not getting clean enough and then…the hair just…fell out. Also, my hair was so…ugh, coated, dry, dull, dead. As soon as I introduced my favorite sulfate shampoo I’ve been using since 1995, pow…soft, silky, clean, bouncy, hair. My routine:

Vo5 Normal
Curlsmith Hydro Creme Soothing Mask
Hask Unwind White Wine 10-1 to detangle or Cibu Knot So Knotty
A few drops of Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil
Dry Bar Super Lemon Drop brush
Dry Bar Single Shot sometimes

I’m currently not working out of home, so I do a lot of buns and poneys. But I love Amika products; Haute Mess Gloss gel, Plus Size mousse, Undone texture spray. I also use and love Cibu hair mousse in Shang High.

Believe me, I’m totally tempted to try new stuff, it all looks amazing. But now, with much longer than I’d like hair (have not had it cut or colored since the pandemic) I’m sticking to what I know.

Genevieve Avatar

What an ordeal you have been through Erin, and it always shows up in your hair too. It must have been so depressing to find your hair was falling out due to all the medical issues you faced. I am pleased to read that you now have your hair back and have found some products that work for you.

Ana Maria Avatar

I am very committed to my Paula’s Choice Hair & Body Shampoo and Conditioner, and I have been for years. They work very well for me and the best part is that they are scent free (I hate when my hair smells of anything, during and after wash).
I might try something else if I receive free samples or minis, just to not waste them, but I somehow always returning to those two excited. 😅

I do admit that this year curiosity got me and I tried the Drunk Elephant body and hair care line. Fortunately I bought the mini set… Because it was just a reminder of how great my hair looks when I use the Paula’s Choice shampoo and conditioner.

Genevieve Avatar

I am committed to a few hair products — like L’Oreal’s Professional Series – the hydrating shampoo and conditioner. I also like some of DeLorenzo’s shampoos as well. But I am also keen to try new shampoos – some of them have worked out and others I will use on my eyeshadow brushes.
I colour my hair still (and will to my dying day!) and have oily roots (still), so I can’t have moisturising shampoos or I will be an oily mess.

Kathy Avatar

I have been loyal to Aveda for many years like 30! I have used other brands from time to time but always return to Aveda. Started using sometimes age 20 now 52.

DVa Avatar

Not committed, I think variety is best.
I was a hair stylist waaaay back, when Goldwell, TRESemme, Focus 21 and Joico (for example) were all salon only products.
I’ve always used salon level products and I have fine, straight, waist length (way too long but, COVID…) coloured hair and find it’s the way you treat your hair, not just the products.
Build up, too much product, heated devices, those all cause additional damage including too frequent washing and of course colouring, perming (not so common like in the days of the horrid spiral perms–ouch).
Right now I think stress and a lot of us wearing our hair in knots, ponytails etc. really doesn’t help.

brendacr1 Avatar

I like to change up my products and try new things, my hair seems to get used to products and then it starts to not curl properly and just basically not behave nicely so if I just keep changing things up it behaves. There are a few products that work really well on my hair and when Sephora has their Rouge sale I stock up on them. Living Proof, Olaplex, Christophe Robin, Verb, Rita Hazan, Kerastase, Briogeo are a few of my favorites.

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