Expensive hair products, recommendations ?

[Minazen]

Hair products valued at 50+ USD have always rubbed me the wrong way. As if it's a scam of sorts, but my hair has been getting a bit tangled lately and it feels somewhat dry. (It could be that Aussie product I’ve been using which I’ve recently discontinued its use)

From your personal experiences, are these boutique valued hair products worth the investment? If so, which one do you suggest?

My hair is thick, long ( nearly reaching my lower back ) and It’s vividly red ( Not naturally colored ) so if there’s a product that can nourish colored thick hair to make it silky smooth I’d love to hear feedback on it.

Thank you.

[Gravytrain]

I use canola oil and Epsom salt, works wonders.

[KaosuHamoni]

Being of Greek heritage, I also have rather thick hair, and I tend to either use Head & Shoulders shampoo (The normal one), the pink or light blue Herbal Essences shampoo, or White Pear and Avocado Original Source Shampoo, depending on whichever's cheapest. I used to just use generic cheapo stuff, and I found that after I started buying these, my hair became a LOT more healthy.

Also, coloring, straightening or otherwise messing with hair, will degrade it, healthwise. Especially straightening. It KILLS your hair...

I am a MANLY man... v.v

[Lord_Mountbatten]

To be perfectly relevant, being of German/English heritage means I normally have some pretty good hair. I use my own force of will and black and white photographs to keep it sleek and shiny.

[Cho]

Well, I'm of English, German, and Passamaquoddy heritage. Though I think the only thing I got from the Passamaquoddy side was the nose - red hair isn't very native american after all. I find that Loreal products do the job just fine.

[Minazen]

I use canola oil and Epsom salt, works wonders.

I'll research into this, so far it sounds like a bath mix which I wouldn't mind trying out.

Being of Greek heritage, I also have rather thick hair, and I tend to either use Head & Shoulders shampoo (The normal one), the pink or light blue Herbal Essences shampoo, or White Pear and Avocado Original Source Shampoo, depending on whichever's cheapest. I used to just use generic cheapo stuff, and I found that after I started buying these, my hair became a LOT more healthy.

Also, coloring, straightening or otherwise messing with hair, will degrade it, healthwise. Especially straightening. It KILLS your hair...

I am a MANLY man... v.v

These are usually between 5 to 10 USD are they not? I should post about the expense details. I've given most of these products a try and they've given pretty good results but nothing extraordinary.

Hunny, don't joke about it from shame; Be proud that you're taking care of yourself, It's quite an attractive feature.

To be perfectly relevant, being of German/English heritage means I normally have some pretty good hair. I use my own force of will and black and white photographs to keep it sleek and shiny

I have to ask, are you ever out of character?

Well, I'm of English, German, and Passamaquoddy heritage. Though I think the only thing I got from the Passamaquoddy side was the nose - red hair isn't very native american after all. I find that Loreal products do the job just fine.

I’ve never tried L’Oreal, never caught my eye. I’ll consider purchase of it. Any specific L’Oreal products or just pick one to my liking ?

[Cho]

Well, I'm of English, German, and Passamaquoddy heritage. Though I think the only thing I got from the Passamaquoddy side was the nose - red hair isn't very native american after all. I find that Loreal products do the job just fine.

I’ve never tried L’Oreal, never caught my eye. I’ll consider purchase of it. Any specific L’Oreal products or just pick one to my liking ?

They have a number of different products depending on your hair - treated, non-treated, etc. Just pick the one that best fits your situation.

[Lord_Mountbatten]

I have to ask, are you ever out of character?

Character?

[Minazen]

Well, I'm of English, German, and Passamaquoddy heritage. Though I think the only thing I got from the Passamaquoddy side was the nose - red hair isn't very native american after all. I find that Loreal products do the job just fine.

I’ve never tried L’Oreal, never caught my eye. I’ll consider purchase of it. Any specific L’Oreal products or just pick one to my liking ?

They have a number of different products depending on your hair - treated, non-treated, etc. Just pick the one that best fits your situation.

Right, that's what I figured. Thank you.

[Zinrius]

I've used Aveeno shampoo/conditioner products for a while. It’s not exactly doing wonders but it definitely leaves the hair feeling smooth.

[KaosuHamoni]

Being of Greek heritage, I also have rather thick hair, and I tend to either use Head & Shoulders shampoo (The normal one), the pink or light blue Herbal Essences shampoo, or White Pear and Avocado Original Source Shampoo, depending on whichever's cheapest. I used to just use generic cheapo stuff, and I found that after I started buying these, my hair became a LOT more healthy.

Also, coloring, straightening or otherwise messing with hair, will degrade it, healthwise. Especially straightening. It KILLS your hair...

I am a MANLY man... v.v

These are usually between 5 to 10 USD are they not? I should post about the expense details. I've given most of these products a try and they've given pretty good results but nothing extraordinary.

Hunny, don't joke about it from shame; Be proud that you're taking care of yourself, It's quite an attractive feature.

I'm not sure what the prices are in America, but those products in particular go from £2 - £5 GBP

[makkaal]

Hope I didn't overlook something.
I have very thick and curly hair by nature and when I still wore it regularly long, it was frizzy like a Mofo. Used a organic shampoo of the brand "Schauma" for moisture (which I doubt you'll get in the US) with pomegranate but without paraffin oils and silicones, and a repair conditioner by Syoss for dry hair, also without silicones.
The former is rather cheap with about 2 Euros, the latter costs about 4 - that's about 2,80 and 5,70 USD respectively.
By the way: I was strongly advised against anything that contains silicones (such as Herbal Essences, which is why I'm mentioning it) because it messes with your hair's natural defenses (which that famous gloss of pretty hair comes from), switching the shampoo/conditioner can prove disastrous for your hair and they make whatever you use incredibly expensive.

If you REALLY want something cheap for your hair, get dreadlocks. I know this isn't for everyone, but my expenses on grooming products have shrunk to near zero per month because I only need curd soap to wash them, which I get for about 1,40 USD for 3 bars. However, while you save money like a pro, you spend a LOT of time grooming them. Way more than with regular hair. Unless you're Rarity.

(Spoiler contains a rough guide and personal experiences about dreads, feel free to skip)

Spoiler! :

All you'll need is

• 1 to enjoy the look (this, in case you haven't guessed, is crucial!),
  2 a back-combing comb (~50c - 1 AUD),
  3 between 50 and 150 small rubber bands (probably ~2-4$, IMHO the best sold by special dread stores),
  4 probably a thin crotchet hook (~1$) as well as
  5 the ability to bear pain (heaps and heaps of terrible pain), and
  6 a few months worth of patience.

As I said above, I use curd soap to wash them. Others use regular Head&Shoulders or simple shower gel - doesn't matter, as long as it doesn't smoothen or moisturize hair. Most people wash them about once a week and often rinse with saltwater (to roughen the strands so they felt).

The beginning is the worst, though. Back-combing the strands hurts like heck, even for days after you're done. You can't wash your dreads for about one or two months (some even recommend 3 to 4 - which I couldn't stand and they still look fine) because they'd just dissolve as they haven't felted yet, but your scalp still works as if you washed them on a daily to two-day basis, so it smells and itches. As soon as it adjusts after a few weeks, though, both problems are gone. But worst of all, it looks like ish for 6-12 months, depending on your hair type and how well you take care of the dreads.

As I said, the grooming is the hard part. Even though you wash them only once to twice a week, the whole process takes forever. You'll want all dreads to be lathered in soap which can take ages, as well as getting your scalp clean, which can be tough due to the thick nature of dread roots. Drying them takes even longer because using a towel isn't effective - and I haven't heard of anyone using a hair dryer.

And that's not all. You have to make the regrown hair felt. There's various techniques, all of which are tedious and time-consuming. Many dreadheads also crotchet single, protruding hairs back into their dreads to encourage felting - plus, it looks nicer. All in all, I'd say I spend about 3-4 hours a week grooming - while before I used to spend about 15 minutes a day washing and brushing .

[KaosuHamoni]

-snip-

I tend not to use Herbal Essences very often, but I didn't know that, thanks.

If I had to choose, I'd go with the White Pear & Avocado Original Source. It smells the nicest, and I tend to find that, when using it, my hair is at it's best, and it's the cheapest, which is a nice bonus.

But yeah, I have hair very much like Makkaal's

[makkaal]

[...] I tend not to use Herbal Essences very often, but I didn't know that, thanks. [...]

The funny thing is, natural looking hair doesn't always look as good as when it's treated with stuff containing silicones, which is one of the reasons why they put it in there.
I was told the gloss comes from hair being smooth, moisturized and a natural thin film of grease and those hair products just put a layer of silicone on it - so while the underlying hair may not look naturally healthy, it's the silicone that smoothens it out, like enamel on rough wood.
That's why they're not only bad but also it looks nasty if you switch - the layer washes off, exposing your actually not-that-healthy-looking-hair. Forces you to keep using their product.

[Lord_Mountbatten]

That's why they're not only bad but also it looks nasty if you switch - the layer washes off, exposing your actually not-that-healthy-looking-hair. Forces you to keep using their product.

"Hi everyone, my name is Jerry."
"Hi Jerry!"
"I haven't been using this silicone-based product in four weeks."
"Excellent work Jerry. You can sit back down now. Everyone give Jerry a clap!"

[makkaal]

"Hi everyone, my name is Jerry."
"Hi Jerry!"
"I haven't been using this silicone-based product in four weeks."
"Excellent work Jerry. You can sit back down now. Everyone give Jerry a clap!"

Stay the course, Jerry. God bless you, young man.

[Pinmissile]

You start shaving your head. That's what I did. Alternatively you get a mohawk, mohawks are sweet.