How Cheap Hair Products Could Be Ruining Your Hair

Are professional hair product brands really that much better than what you can buy at the drugstore? Why do cheap hair products get such a bad rap? In this post I’m going to cover how cheap hair products may be damaging your hair, an experiment to show the difference, and where you should shop instead for high-quality hair products.

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Why cheap hair products are bad for your hair

Cheap hair products are less expensive because they contain harsh chemicals and additives instead of high-quality ingredients. These additives will coat the hair, which may first give the appearance that the hair is shinier, but in reality the hair is coated with silicone, and moisture is actually being blocked from entering the inner layers of your hair.

I can immediately tell when a client uses cheap hair products because I can physically feel the waxy buildup on the hair. Over prolonged periods of time, this buildup dries the hair out and leads to breakage.

Another thing that cheap hair products do is dilute the product with water. This makes the product much less concentrated, causing you to need to use more product per use.

This enables the brands to charge a fraction of the price to increase their profit per bottle of product, as well as the need to purchase it more often. Their focus here is on quantity, NOT quality.

And for the record, Sally’s hair products are NOT considered professional grade. They really aren’t any better than the drugstore brands. I know, this is shocking to some, but it’s true! I’ll tell you where to shop for your hair products down below.

Why you should use professional hair products instead

Hairstylists are not just trying to make a buck off of you. We take pride in our work (your hair) and want it to be maintained and well taken care of. We truly want to help you keep your hair in its best condition, and this is possible by using quality products.

Think of it this way: If you are paying good money for a color service, it would be a waste to ruin it by using cheap hair products. That would be like going to a fancy gourmet restaurant and dousing your entree with Great Value ketchup. It just doesn’t make sense!

Quality hair should use quality products.

Drugstore shampoo vs. professional shampoo experiment

Check out this video below to see the difference yourself! I compared 4 different color protect shampoos, three drugstore brands, and one high-quality professional brand.

To begin, I took four I-tip extensions, each with a highlight piece and a lowlight piece, and colored them red with Pravana direct dye.

I then shampooed three of them with “color-safe” shampoos that I bought at Walmart, and one with Pureology Hydrate Shampoo. These were my results:

From left to right: Dove, Herbal Essences, Suave, and Pureology.

These are each supposed to look like the extension on the right! The Pureology one didn’t fade at all, while the Walmart shampoos turned pinkish!

Where to shop for hair products instead of the drugstore

So, since the drugstore is the go-to place for cheap hair products, and Sally’s products really aren’t any better, where should you shop instead?

If you don’t have a hairstylist that you love and want to support by purchasing products directly from them, then shopping at Ulta is ALWAYS a safe bet! Since Ulta has a hair salon in-store, they’re allowed to sell professional-grade hair products. Walmart and other drugstores are not authorized to sell professional hair brands (it usually says so directly on the bottle!)

And while you can purchase these brands on Amazon, you do run the risk of getting hair products that are counterfeit, diluted, or expired because you don’t always know who the distributor is. There are often distributors illegally reselling professional brands on Amazon. See my post here to learn how to shop on Amazon without getting bad products.

Conclusion

So while cheap hair products may seem like a budget-friendly option, they can actually cause long-term damage to your hair. The use of harsh chemicals, water dilution, and unnecessary additives can leave your hair feeling dry, brittle, and coated with buildup that blocks moisture from penetrating the inner layers. Over time, this leads to buildup and hair breakage.

Professional hair products are more concentrated, use higher-quality ingredients, and are formulated to support the long-term health of your hair. Investing in professional-grade products is essential for maintaining your color and keeping your hair in its best condition.

To avoid the risks from using cheap drugstore products, shop at trusted retailers like Ulta or purchase directly from your hairstylist. These sources ensure that you’re getting genuine, high-quality products that will help keep your hair healthy and soft. So, next time you’re thinking about reaching for that inexpensive bottle on the shelf, consider making the switch to products that will truly benefit your hair in the long run.

Leave me a comment and let me know your experience with using cheap hair products vs. quality products! And be sure to subscribe if you want to make every day a good hair day.