What makes you keep buying the expensive products?

G

gimbap

Well-Known Member
Sure, products from Nexxus and Keracare etc. are great, but they can seem expensice ESPECIALLY when there are cheaper products that give the same results. What keeps you buying those $10, $15, $20+ products? Have you found cheaper end products that are very similar from the expensive ones? (for example, I think Kerecare Hydrating Detangling poo is CON green label by another name)
 
Most of my products are pretty cheap ( I like ORS, Silk Elements, and Proclaim), and though I have just about every conceivable type of product you can imagine, I really cannot find a cheaper alternative to my Nexxus Keraphix, so I shell out the cash for it.
 
I've brought 100s if not 1,000s of products (expensive and cheap) and I've finally found what works on my hair. I couldn't imagine starting over trying to find replacements (for what I already have) for $3 less. Think of the breakage and time and money thrown away on the products that don't work. :nono: My hair :love: my current regimen; that's all that matters.

I also don't consider Keracare products ($8-12) expensive; they're not cheap, but definitely not expensive. I consider Aveda DR ($26-$80) expensive.

ETA: Also my hair hates non-watersoluble cones and the cheapies I brought seem to have more of those.
 
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I am true pj and I love to buy products cut I have come to realize that no cheap shampoo works like design essentials or keracare. Now I could keep trying and risk breakage and fustration or I could just invest in a big liter of it for 30-40 bucks or so and call it a day. I do think that many products do have cheaper alternatives but they always don't work for me. Like someone already said, nothing (for her atleast) works like nexxus keraphix and I feel the same way. It is the only protien conditioner I can use every wash without protien overload or dryness. I am actually going to go bac using it every week for that reason. All the setbaks I experienced when I stopped wasn't worth the money I was trying to save looking for something else. I would have saved money if I would have just repurchased it.
 
Well for me, I use Joico products and have used a lot of different things but nothing works for me like these products. SO that's the reason I purchase the not so cheap products.
 
I use a few products that some may consider expensive, especially when you add shipping costs.

I MUST MUST MUST use Qhemet’s Sidr Tree Butter Balm as a leave-in. I happily pay $16 plus shipping for a container of it. I normally buy 2 or 3 jars at a time.

Also, my WONDERFUL Aveda Brilliant Universal Styling Cream is the best combo moisture/shine/sealing product I have ever used. It is $16 for a 4.5 oz tube. I will happily be in Aveda to restock.

I will never replace my Kenra Clarifying!!!! That shampoo has saved my hair from the hardwater that I never knew I had for YEARS!! I think the retail price is $21 for a liter of that, but I found a place that sells it for $18.

I also use Fermodyl 619 leave in ampoules for extra slip. I buy them by the dozen and that can be expensive. The cheapest box I’ve found is $18.99 plus shipping online.

I use all these because they work for me. The ease they give me, the time they help me save and the benefits they give my hair make the price no big deal. Those are not expensive to me at all.

My other shampoos and my conditioners are not that expensive so I don’t mind a little splurge on the other stuff. My staples, Porosity Control shampoo, Mane and Tail Original Conditioner, Motions Moisture Plus and others are pretty inexpensive. I just fell in love with Sunsilk No major issues shampoo to clarify with. That can help my Kenra last longer.

Really when you look at the benefits, these are not that expensive.
 
oobrittany said:
Sure, products from Nexxus and Keracare etc. are great, but they can seem expensice ESPECIALLY when there are cheaper products that give the same results. What keeps you buying those $10, $15, $20+ products? Have you found cheaper end products that are very similar from the expensive ones? (for example, I think Kerecare Hydrating Detangling poo is CON green label by another name)
Click to expand...


They do smell the same. Does the Keracare Hydrating Detangling have Balsam in it?
 
Most ive spent was on Bulk of MN... 60 dollas
also i spent on DRC which ran me about 50 bucks other then that i dout ill spend anything cept for my MN
 
I keep repurchasing Design Essentials and Keracare because they have not failed me yet. I am a PJ so sometimes I purchase an expensive product looking for something better. But, these 2 lines are the best so far for my hair.
 
oobrittany said:
Sure, products from Nexxus and Keracare etc. are great, but they can seem expensice ESPECIALLY when there are cheaper products that give the same results. What keeps you buying those $10, $15, $20+ products? Have you found cheaper end products that are very similar from the expensive ones? (for example, I think Kerecare Hydrating Detangling poo is CON green label by another name)
Click to expand...

Whew lawd, lemme be the first to jump up and SCREAM it sooo is not. At all. My hair doesn't like Con but loves KC hydrating. Sooooo not the same.


My answer is simple. I have not found anything that is as good as my most expensive products. I have found a few things that "get the job done." But never the same. Either it will give me the slip, but not the look, etc.

I have currently found cheap staples just for the expense of my wallet. But if I had it like that I would def go back to the expensive stuff. It's NOT the same (well, atleast when it comes to Aveda).
 
LocksOfLuV said:
No. Girl they have tootttally diff ingredients. But the smell is similiar.
Click to expand...


Okay confession:

I bought a bottle of Keracare detangling from ebay. when I opened it, I thought it was a fake. It smelled just like CON. I thought it was a scam and threw it out. I bet it really was Keracare. :ohwell:
 
If I knew of cheaper products that gave me the same results, I'd definitely use them, but I'm not willing to spend anymore money (than I already have as a PJ) to find out.

My hair loves Aveda DR products, but my pockets don't. But there is no other shampoo that makes my hair feel and act the way Aveda DR does. I've tried other/cheaper shampoos, but my hair starts to rebel (shedding, tangling, dryness, etc.) Now, I can substitute the conditioners from time to time, but I always go back to Aveda.

My hair knows what it wants, so if I want long, flowing hair, the least I can do is listen to it.
 
Personally, I have found that many salon products work better than cheaper ones. Not that cheaper ones are bad, because I still use many, but like many things you really do get what you pay for. My staple Kenra is $28 for both the liter of poo and cond. I don't think that's too expensive since the liters last me a while.
 
HoneyDew said:
Okay confession:

I bought a bottle of Keracare detangling from ebay. when I opened it, I thought it was a fake. It smelled just like CON. I thought it was a scam and threw it out. I bet it really was Keracare. :ohwell:
Click to expand...

it probably was keracare:lachen: i can't blame u though
 
As many others have said, if I knew of cheaper products that would give me the same results, I'd use them.

I consider Alterna expensive, the Hemp Hydrate deep conditioner is about $50 for 32oz. I love the way my hair looks and feels after using it but I also use Nexxus to keep the costs down.

Nexxus Phyto Organics I'd say are moderately priced. Sure I'd love it if they were all under $5, but I have to be realistic. I've spent years using cheaper products but my hair is 10 times healthier and better now that I use salon products.
 
Well I have seen the generics version to most expensive hair products and It exactly the same thing just at a cheaper price. I recently bought the Generics Joico K-Pak reconstructer and I compared the ingredients myself b/c I didn't believe the bottle(generics list ingredients of their product and the ingredients to the name brand) and they were the same. Just an alternative for anyone who is interested. Works the same too!:grin:
 
Honestly, I don't think anyone on this board is purchasing (regularly?) any product that would be deemed "expensive". Hair purchases notwithstanding, it's all in a normal range.

That there are cheaper alternatives makes certain prices seem expensive by comparison. There are some cheap items that'll do, but I'm after quality.

Now when folks start purchasing that 200 buck serum and the such, do chime in with a review!

p1
 
I save so much money doing my own hair (and wearing my own hair:lol: ) I indulge regularly. All my staple products are cheap though. I don't think I would ever need to incorporate a salon product as a staple, but who knows I'm barely shoulder length I may need more potent formulas in the future.
 
HoneyDew said:
Okay confession:

I bought a bottle of Keracare detangling from ebay. when I opened it, I thought it was a fake. It smelled just like CON. I thought it was a scam and threw it out. I bet it really was Keracare. :ohwell:
Click to expand...

LOL The Keracare poo has a runnier consistency than CON green label, thats the only difference I notice
 
Even though I told myself no more new products, does anyone know of any websites that sell Design Essentials products? Y'know, so I can just look?

:sekret:
 
baglady215 said:
Personally, I have found that many salon products work better than cheaper ones. Not that cheaper ones are bad, because I still use many, but like many things you really do get what you pay for. My staple Kenra is $28 for both the liter of poo and cond. I don't think that's too expensive since the liters last me a while.
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That has also been my experience. I also love Kenra!
 
I feel like my hair is fragile. So the products that work for me are helping to keep my hair on my head. They may be expensive but I wasn't getting good results until I started using them.
 
I've wrestled with this question lately and I've decided a few things-

The number one thing I decided is that I want to grow my hair long again. I want it to not only be long, but I want healthy hair, healthy ends, shiny, bouncy, strong hair. I want this again and I WILL have it.

I know from past experience that Phyto works well on my hair. I've used other cheaper products in the past, and those products have not worked the same nor have they worked as well. There are some new products I've become aware of here that I'd like to try - and I probably will. But, even in the trying, these products will have to be of a similar quality and type. Phyto is a little pricy, but there are products far more expensive (expensive is a relative term that largely depends on personal budget and such things). I'd rather have my Phyto line and the other products I need and want and use than lots of other things that sit on the shelf that I've settled for and rarely, if ever use.

The final issue I decided and DH and I had a talk about this - spending money on myself. I hardly ever do. For him, for the kids, for the grandkids, for the blinkin' dog, for goodness sake, all of these always end up coming before me like I am some unworthy left-handed stepchild. Not so! I work very hard for my money, and I will use some of it on myself. If that means that someone else doesn't get something, I can live with that. All of my children are of an age to work and earn their own money; they just like spending mine better :lol: . If you are a woman with family, think about the number of times you do without something that you want/need so that someone else can have something. I can pinch a penny until a squeaks, but not on this, not this time.
 
Trust me, Ive tried alot of products--from cheap to expensive, and the expensive stuff works muuuuch better in my hair and I only have to use a little bit since its so concentrated. Now my main staple is KC Hydrating poo and the matching Humecto.:)
 
i buy expensive products (Aveda) because if it works well and if i see a difference i stay with it. for some products by aveda i buy the professional size:p
i'm not opposed to buying cheap products as long as they work just as well but when i find a product that works well, i'm loyal to it:D
 
honeybadgirl said:
i buy expensive products (Aveda) because if it works well and if i see a difference i stay with it. for some products by aveda i buy the professional size:p
i'm not opposed to buying cheap products as long as they work just as well but when i find a product that works well, i'm loyal to it:D
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Same here. Many times it is cheaper to do it this way and you don't have to repurchase so often.
 
Over the last couple of years I've really alternated between products and tried cheap and expensive things. My main struggle has been finding affordable products that are natural/organic and WORK. For the most part I have found that coconut oil and natural butters work pretty well. When it comes to conditioners, I still don't stick to just one. I cowash almost daily so I go through a lot of conditioner and I have to be realistic about the money I'm spending. Sometimes I use cheap ones, sometimes expensive, depending. I have to stay away from cheap cone conditioners though.

Now, I don't like to use anything with parabens and long ago gave them up. However, that meant giving up Aveda Sap Moss shampoo, which worked on my hair like a dream. (Don't care for the conditioner, though.) I tried so many different shampoos to duplicate the results. I tried cheap shampoos, expensive shampoos and even homemade and nothing was like my Sap Moss. Recently I caved in and bought it again. It is as good as I remembered. I don't know if I will buy it again or not. I use just a little once a week or so. So this will last me a little while.

If I had the money I would stick to more expensive products, especially organic/natural products.
 
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