I love Paula Begoun: she does her research and loves inexpensive products. She just put together a list of the best inexpensive shampoos and conditioners--among them a Suave product! Think of what you can do with all the money you save.
The 5 Best Inexpensive Shampoos
The products listed below are presented alphabetically by brand. After analyzing dozens of competing products, we selected them based on price, great performance, and intriguing formulas (well, as intriguing as hair-care formulas can be given their widely repetitive nature). All of the listed products are readily available at drugstores and mass-market retailers such as Target and Wal Mart. We're betting that some of these prices will shock you, but once you use these products, you probably won't go back to the expensive ones because of how well these work!
1. Aveeno Nourish + Shine or Nourish + Moisturize or Nourish + Volumize Shampoo ($6.49 for 10.5 oz.). Regardless of which one you choose, these all work great for all hair types without causing considerable buildup—the formulas are nearly identical.
2. Dove Volume Boost Shampoo Weightless Formula ($3.49 for 12 oz.). A great all-purpose shampoo for the whole family that's also a wise choice for normal to fine or thin hair. Most stores sell a larger size, too.
3. John Frieda Smooth Start Repairing Shampoo ($5.39 for 10 oz.). A brilliant conditioning shampoo for dry to very dry hair that's normal to coarse, curly, or thick. Note that many of Frieda's shampoos contain drying detergent cleansing agents, but this one (packaged in a tube) doesn't.
4. Suave Naturals Daily Clarifying Shampoo ($1.74 for 22.5 oz.). An exceptional bargain for a shampoo that works beautifully to remove product buildup and restore a healthy bounce and shine to hair, especially if you routinely use heavier styling products (pomades, waxes, or silicone serums). This is also a great shampoo to remove chlorine and hard water deposits from hair.
5. VO5 2-in-1 Moisturizing Shampoo + Conditioner, Normal Hair ($1.49 for 15 oz.). Although those with dry or color-treated hair will want to follow this with a good conditioner, this 2-in-1 formula is suitable for its intended hair type. This is a much better option than the other VO5 shampoos because those contain the drying cleansing agent sodium lauryl sulfate (not to be confused with sodium LAURETH sulfate, which is gentle).
The 5 Best Inexpensive Conditioners
1. Clairol Herbal Essences Hydralicious Reconditioning Conditioner for Dry/Damaged Hair ($2.99 for 10.1 oz.). This is great for daily use on dry hair, whether it's chemically treated or not. This can be too heavy for those with fine or thin hair.
2. Garnier Fructis Color Shield Fortifying Cream Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair ($3.09 for 13 oz.). Among the many Garnier conditioners, this is a good option to smooth, soften, and add shine to color-treated hair. It doesn't have any advantage for helping color last longer, so you can ignore that claim.
3. Neutrogena Triple Moisture Daily Deep Conditioner ($5.74 for 8.5 oz.). A must-try for dry, damaged hair that's normal to coarse or thick, this rich smoothing formula makes hair beautifully soft and helps combat frizzies.
4. Pantene Nature Fusion Moisture Balance or Smooth Vitality Conditioner ($5.89 for 25.4 oz.). Most of Pantene's conditioners are good, but their Nature Fusion options capitalize on the silicone technology for which Pantene is known, and also adds intriguing conditioning ingredients that have research showing they help strengthen hair and protect against heat damage, at least to the extent possible (no product can completely protect hair from heat damage). The Moisture Balance and Smooth Vitality formulas are nearly identical, so it doesn't matter which one you choose—both are good for normal to dry hair of any thickness.
5. TRESemme Moisture Rich Conditioner for Dry, Damaged Hair or Smooth & Silky Conditioner for Dry or Damaged Hair ($2.89 for 15 oz.). The formulas of these products are nearly identical and with each you get an outstanding daily conditioner that's best for normal to dry hair that's normal to slightly thick, curly, or coarse. These can be used on fine or thin hair, but only if applied to the ends and rinsed thoroughly.
It truly is possible to have beautiful, manageable hair without spending a lot of money.
Check out Beautypedia for other recommendations.
Custom Search
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
8 comments:
Love Dove and Neutrogena products! Often check Begoun's ratings.
We do spend a shocking amount on bar soap as the one we use (Santa Maria Novella's "Melograno") scents the whole room, like a home fragrance. And that's your point, spend on what is truly worth it to you.
Lipstick is another area where I will not spend top dollar; how can any lipstick be worth $30 or more?
I use ONLY Paula's Choice skincare products, and have great success with them. Her work makes the way women spend money on their personal care much more rational and well-executed; you've got to love her for that!
As a scientist I can tell you that all shampoos come from the same base ie detergent. It is just the pretties that make any dubious difference. My wonderful and highly qualified dermatologist said years ago that one should always buy ' from the bottom shelf' ie basic product - sorbolene, lanoline plain soaps and shampoo. I have saved much since that I transfer inot my 'shoe/handbag account' Soooo much more enjoyable ;-)
My shampoo and conditioner are Aussie Moist Shampoo and Conditioner. $5 for a BIG bottle. I've used this for a decade and I only change when my hair needs a little something extra. At risk of being not-humble, I would say my hair is my best feature, so it works really, really well.
@Duchesse--Now I'm dying to smell that soap. When I was a kid, I saw a public tv show on the make-up industry. Lipstick is wax.
@Vivienne--Yes! I do love her. And I also love the products.
@De-Thanks for the scientific perspective. Ooh-what shoes and handbags have you acquired???
@SS--You have long hair, so you need more shampoo, so you save even more than I do--to pay for all your other luxuries. Thanks for stopping by. I love your blog.
Boyoboy, this is another product about which I'm ludicrously picky. One of my quirks is that I loathe and detest industrial perfumes. I want my hair to smell clean, not like a cheap perfume concocted by some factory chemist who imagines the largest number of women will fancy it.
Ugh. Some of these things smell just gawdawful. I've found Pantene isn't too annoying, and you can get it in lifetime supplies at Costco. And...uhm...did you realize that in a pinch, ordinary dish detergent works the same as shampoo? Ivory's clear version or else one of the unscented "green" varieties do the job quite nicely, for a lot less $$ than shampoo.
It's all detergent. It's all the same, except for the perfumes and the dyes.
i love her list :)
i have bought 3 or 4 bottles of the VO5 alone, for something like $ .90 or less each..
this is the 2 in 1
I will give it as gifts :)
it works so great, so fast, rinses well, and moisturizes!
i would never have tried it without her suggestio n
I tried the Aveeno nourish and shine. I'm still trying to get the silicone out of my hair! It's the second ingredient listed, which I discovered after I used it and it left my hair a slippery, ooky mess. Ack. So look for dimethicone as a listing if you want to avoid silicone. Bleh. But I'm up for investigating the others! Thank you.
Post a Comment