How do you determine if a product "works"?

[conebread]

Is your opinion based on a one time use or usage over time?

 

[xSweetxCaramelx]

Excellent question...bump.

 

[lamaria211]

truth is that what ive noticed is that when my hair is in good condition mostly all products work well its when my hair is going thru hell that i can tell what really works well i have to try a product more than once on clean hair to determine how well it works for me and if something doesnt work after 2 usses i just hold on to it cause i cant tell you how many times ive given stuff away thinking that it doesnt work only to end up rebuying it later when new info on it comes to light. hth:trampolin

 

[Nasdaq_Diva]

Great question, I've often wondered the same thing

 

[beana]

When a conditioner "works" it usually leaves my hair easy to comb, does not leave me with lots of hair during my combout, and my hair is easy to style and soft after deep conditioning.

For a leave in, makes my hair soft without weighing it down, no excess hair during detangling etc.

For shampoo, cleans my scalp well, doesnt leave my hair feeling like straw or goopy. I look for my shampoos to make my hair feel manageable in prep for DCing

 

[Sosoothing]

I go by how my hair feels when Im done using the product. For instance, If Im using something moisturizing, I expect if to feel moisturized. If Im using a strong protein treatment, then I expect it to feel harder and stronger...and so on.

Im pretty confident I know the way my hair feels when its good and healthy with no product in it so that is my base line.

 

[Yoshi3329]

I give it two uses. If it doesn't live up to it's claims, "Soft hair, easier to detangle, stronger hair" or whatever, It gets ze boot.

Three chances if it's a really expensive product.

 

[13StepsAhead]

for me it's basically that it does what the bottle claims it is supposed to do.

ETA: I didn't fully answer your question. I would give conditioners 2 tries (1x on freshly shampooed hair and 1x as a co-wash). Shampoos get 1 chance.

 

[Whimsy]

For a conditioner, i will give it 2 tries. one as a co wash on "dirty" hair and one as a conditioner after shampooing. If it sucks both ways then I'd say it doesn't "work" for me.
Meaning it doesnt leave my hair feeling soft, moisturized, help with slip/detangling etc.

For a shampoo, if my hair feels extra raw after it I'd say it doesn't "work" for me.

Leave in products I judge by how it goes on, how it makes my hair feel, look, and how my hair feels after it's dried. If it doesn't do what it says it will, or if my hair feels hard, dry, sticky....anything negative... then I'd say it doesn't "work" for me.

I'll usually give leave in products a few shots before I determine if it works. I will try different styles and different amounts of it.

 

[PJaye]

I will give a product several opportunities, both tweaked and untweaked. If a product fails to perform after many tweaks with multiple additives, I will chuck it into the "waste of time and money" pile and then talk about it like a dog.

 

[Nix08]

truth is that what ive noticed is that when my hair is in good condition mostly all products work well its when my hair is going thru hell that i can tell what really works well i have to try a product more than once on clean hair to determine how well it works for me and if something doesnt work after 2 uses i just hold on to it cause i cant tell you how many times ive given stuff away thinking that it doesnt work only to end up rebuying it later when new info on it comes to light. hth:trampolin

This an interesting concept as I'm a newbie and everything I try (after lots of research) seems to work right away and does what it's says it's going to do. I hope this doesn't mean that when things go wrong I'll be lost I'm so nervous about hitting a 'setback' I don't think I'll be able to handle it

 

[conebread]

Thanks yall for the replies.

I ask this question because I've been using Elucence for about 2 or 3 weeks and at first I noticed my hair was more moisturized and it really helped with detangling. Over time I saw that my hair held moisture and was more...supple. Its the only conditioner I will use for cowashing now.

It still hasnt lost its "it" factor with me yet. Same with AOHSR. I guess Im sticking with this: If my hair improves with the use of a product, I see it as working. Some products I've used and the first time I used them I was like , but the results were temporary even after many uses. Even after clarifying.