As someone with uncooperative hair (curly-ish), it took me almost 40 years to learn that more product is better and skip the cheap stuff.
I am the oldest of four kids, and our family had no budget for speciality hair products. A trusty bottle of Flex shampoo, and occasionally its companion conditioner, sat on the edge of the bathtub shower. If I wanted something different, I had to buy it myself, and I did: Clairol Herbal Essense Shampoo, purchased with baby itting money earned after boozy late-night rides home with the neighbor dad.
That’s why this news article from the Cleveland Clinic caught my eye with the headline, “Expensive Beauty Products are Not Always Better.” I love picking through the sale racks at Marshall’s for off-the-wall cosmetics and hair products, all steeply discounted. In my experience, expensive is usually better. But I’ll let the Clinic doctor say her piece. Judge for yourself:
-Marie Elium
When it comes to hair and skincare products, it can be easy to assume that the more expensive brands are better, but that’s not always true.
“When you look at hair care and skin care, I think ultimately, more expensive doesn’t mean that it’s better.There are a lot of different things that go into price points. You can look at concentration of active ingredients, the packaging, the marketing, the formulation,”says Shilpi Khetarpal, MD, dermatologist at Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Khetarpal says, rather than focusing on the price of a product, consider what ingredients are in it. You want to make sure they’re safe and effective. For example, if you’re looking for a new shampoo, she recommends buying one that is sulfate-free. She explains that sulfates can be damaging to your hair and strip the color.
As for moisturizers, Dr. Khetarpal suggests choosing a brand with hydrating ingredients like ceramide, cholesterol and hyaluronic acid.
“In general, when looking at skin care products, avoid things like fragrance. It may smell good, but when you put it on your skin, fragrance can cause irritation and dry out our skin. So, essentially avoiding fragrances is one key thing,” she says.
“And then people with more sensitive skin, there are some allergens that we recommend they be careful of, but I think fragrance is probably the most common thing we see in personal care products that is not necessary and that can cause irritation.”
Dr. Khetarpal says, regardless of which products you buy, don’t forget to add sunscreen to your routine. A broad spectrum with an SPF of 30 or higher is best.
