Shampoo~ Drug Store vs Professional

** Please note: Everything listed below is based off of research and personal opinion. I am a licensed professional here to educate my clients on how to maintain healthy hair, or restore damaged hair! Results of products vary depending on your personal hair texture and how you use your products!

It’s a common situation for you to tell your stylist you use Pantene, and they look at you like you just shoved a knife in their chest. It’s been a well-known battle for generations between hair stylists urging their clients to use high-end products, and clients not seeing the reasoning or simply not being able to afford it. Recently, it’s become a trend to ditch the “high-end” and switch to drugstore because “I feel like I’m wasting my money.”, or “Drugstore feels the same, if not, better than the expensive stuff.” And it may work for you. Let’s dive into some chemistry listed in the ingredients of some shampoos.

Before I continue, I want to explain that I am not the hairstylist that shoves professional products down my client’s throat. Do I use professional products? Yes. Do I use professional shampoo? NO. I use Dove shampoo. At the moment, I cannot afford to buy professional shampoo, and Dove seems to work fine on my hair. Am I going to judge you for using Pantene or Suave? No, but I’m going to educate you on them and let you know that those shampoos are likely a huge factor in why your color fades quickly, your hair is breaking, or your hair has no life and seems dry.

For example, we’re going to look at two shampoos. The famous Pantene, and Amika. Pantene is of course the drugstore shampoo, and Amika is the professional shampoo. Let’s take a look at the ingredients within these two products.

Here, we have a “higher end” Pantene. It is known that sulfate is not good for your hair seeing as it can dry your hair out, causing it to split or break. Therefore, we are looking at a “sulfate free” shampoo made by Pantene. Clearly, the price is very reasonable, and reviews were 4.4 stars.

Above are the ingredients listed in this Pantene shampoo. As you can see, I have circled all of the sodium labeled in the ingredients. Some sodium can be good for the hair, but too much sodium can strip the hair of its oils. This will cause dryness that can lead to breakage and splitting. However, the ingredients listed in this specific Pantene shampoo look much less toxic as some others I have seen!

Let’s take a look at the Amika shampoo.

As you can see, this one is also sulfate free. It is also said to be for all hair types. Pricing starts at $10 and goes up to $60. Clearly this one is not as price friendly. However, quantity is quality, and with most high-end products, less is more; so they last a good while. This shampoo got 4.8 stars in the reviews.

Some notes and ingredients in the product.

Above are the ingredients listed in the product. Note that I have also circled sodium in this shampoo. As said earlier, some sodium can be good for the hair; however too much can result in dryness. These ingredients are going to be more natural and less harmful than Pantene’s seeing as they added vitamins, antioxidants, and used chemicals that aren’t as rough on the hair.

By comparing ingredients in the two shampoos, we can see which has more toxicity. We also see which is more price friendly. You never truly know about a shampoo until you have used it consistently and seen how it works for you. Also, it is key to use shampoo, conditioner, and products correctly! (there will be another blog posted on this subject)

Would I recommend Pantene to my clients? No. Amika is an amazing brand that seems to work very well. However, at the end of the day it is your choice and your hair. Before buying a new or more expensive shampoo, do your research, or ask around! It is very likely that you know someone that has tried it before, or ask a stylist! We are here to educate and provide you with amazing results and overall healthy hair!

As always feel free to message me directly with any questions! I love hearing from you all and want to help benefit you in anyway possible!

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