HAIRCARE…is it worth it?

Part 1: SALON PRODUCTS vs BIG BOX PRODUCTS

Recently I walked down the hair care aisle in our neighborhood drugstore and I was overwhelmed with the choices that are available today. Each product is tantalizingly labeled with promising words such as “reconstructing, fortifying, moisturizing, body building, shine enhancing, luminescent, curl defining, protein enriched, smoothing, calming, transforming, mega hold, and my personal favorite…professional!  It is no wonder that so many consumers are confused about what to use, how to use it, and may even possibly be using products that are doing more harm than good.

Let us be very clear about the way that these big box chains operate. They are able to purchase mass quantities of hair care products at super discounted rates and then pass them on to you at about a 100% markup. Many of these products are not much more than water and a sudsing agent with enough of a floral fragrance added to make you believe you are indulging. There is minimal regulation on truth in advertising so they can tell you pretty much anything they want to tell you in an effort to get you to purchase their brand. They may even contain fillers such as alcohol, petroleum, waxes, paraffin, gums and occasionally a marginal amount of something good like chamomile, but don’t be too sure.

Now when you see, for instance, a Paul Mitchell, Sebastian or any other so called “salon brand” in a grocery store or another retail outlet it is usually either black market packaging filled with who knows what, or it is products that are well past the recommended usage date. Let me remind you, that many of the natural ingredients in these products can mold and spoil causing potential health concerns, and at the very least, they are simply not good for your hair. These so called “professional” brands will also cost you MORE than they would if you bought them in a reputable salon which almost always guarantees what they sell.  It just doesn’t make any sense to pay more money for a sub standard product.

Only when you purchase products in a reputable salon, can you be assured of the quality, as salon professionals are well trained on the ingredients and the benefits of the items they are using and selling to you. At OH SALON, we carry only top grade professional products that have been researched, tested and our staff has been trained by company experts on how to use and provide information on the specific brands. True professional products are concentrated with the active ingredients and regulated by STYLIST. This is how we can offer you a 100% satisfaction guarantee on what we do when you are using what we recommend to you. I cannot imagine that anyone would wash their finest silk garment in Dawn dish detergent, and if you did, you certainly wouldn’t expect it to look very good or to hold up very well. Why think any less of the products that we use for our hair?

 

Haircare... is it worth it!

For the next five weeks I am going to do a series of blogs concerning professional hair care products that I hope will shed a little light on a frequently asked question, “Does it really matter what I use at home?” I hope that you will find these posting to be helpful and that they will make it easier for you to decide what you should be using and how you should be using it. The information is far too much for one posting so I have broken it down into four categories.

1…Salon Products vs Big Box Products

2…Cleansing and Conditioning

3…Styling Aids

4…Coloring and highlighting Services

We will examine the differences in what you are buying from stores such as Wal Mart or Costco and how those things compare with what you will find in a reputable salon. We will also uncover the truth about the so called “professional labels” that you may see at Publix and many drugstores. We want to let you know the facts about how these companies can offer them to you and if they are really selling them at discount prices. We want for you to be aware of the hidden dangers of “do it yourself” color and highlighting products and how it can actually cost you much more in the long run.

Please look for this series beginning on May 30 and tell all of your friends to check it out as well.  As always you can subscribe by hitting the like button on our facebook page, or you can go directly to  WWW.OHSALON.COM and click on the link to the blog. You will not want to miss the information that we are about to give to you. You know that you can trust us to keep you informed.    

 

KIAH

 

Summer Reading

One of my greatest pleasures in life is getting lost in a good book. I have always loved to read. As a child I remember “Curious George” and “Babar”. Later I evolved into more sophisticated works like anything by John Grishom and classics such as George Orwells, “1984”, “The Grapes of Wrath”, “Dorian Grey”and “To Kill a Mockingbird”.
Recently I began to read “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman. My staff quickly noticed my face buried in this book at lunch and during slow moments in the day and began to comment. One by one they became more interested in what I was reading and eventually they all purchased this book and began to read and discuss it. I didn’t take long before we decided to form our very own book club, since we were really doing it anyway. I fell in love with this idea right away and can hardly wait for our first formal meeting. I also think it is so cool that we can do this together and that they are excited about the joy of reading so much so that I am already hearing suggestions for our next book.
With the fast paced world that we live in today let me urge you to find a great book this summer and spend a few moments each day in escape. It is a practice that rewards your mind, body and spirit and will remind you of the simple pleasures of the written word. Here are a few suggestions from my own reading list. Maybe you will find one of these books to be right up your ally.
Self Awareness:  COMING TO OUR SENSES by Jon Kabat-Zinn   This book takes us into the world of meditation and how this simple practice can enhance our daily lives and help us to live fully in each moment.
Non Fiction: NIGHT by Elie Weisle  This is a true story of a holocaust survivor and the atrocities that he witness as a young boy at the hands of the Nazi regime. Rabbi Weisle shows us how joy, hope and great peace can be found even after the most horrid of experiences.
Fiction: THE POISENWOOD BIBLE by Barbara Kingslover take us into the heart of Africa in the 1950,s as this family of missionaries is sent to live in a new world that they don’t completely understand. Each chapter is told from a different family members experience and tells how they grow to find challenge harmony and understanding in a foreign land.


KIAH