My hairdresser told me that I shouldn’t use Suave shampoos and conditioners, but she didn’t tell me why. And I didn’t ask. Darn, I should have!
I thought maybe Suave (inexpensive brands) contained ingredients that were perhaps harsh or somehow damaging to hair. Or maybe that the expensive brands contain special ingredients that are super conditioning.
But I still wasn’t sure. Either way, I didn’t like telling my hairdresser that I use Suave (inexpensive brands), because I feel like she is reprimanding me by telling me I shouldn‘t use it. And I don’t like being reprimanded. Especially for trying to stay within a budget.
Well, let me tell you about a neat place I came across that helped me with this dilemma about Suave (inexpensive) products. It is
‘The Long Hair Community’ (or LHC) which is a place where people (mostly ladies) talk about every facet you can think of about growing their hair long. At the time, my hair was waist-length and I thought it was really cool to find a community all about hair!
Anyway, these ladies really know their stuff! There are lots of conversations and articles about hair care products of all kinds, including cheap shampoos and conditioners like Suave (that are inexpensive). I did some searches about Suave, and found out that there are many ladies who like and use Suave (and other inexpensive products)! Finally, some kind of confirmation that Suave (an inexpensive product) is OK!
That was the first time I didn’t feel embarrassed to be using an inexpensive product, and I haven’t looked back since! In fact, if you are trying to save $, get on a budget, cut down costs, trying inexpensive products should be your first strategy. Then, if that particular inexpensive item doesn’t work for you, then try the next expensive one.
Actually, some ladies at the LHC liked the Suave 'Naturals' line in particular, because they do not contain any silicone-based ingredients. (Not familiar with silicone and how it affects hair? I will cover this in another post. I’ll just say that in some types of hair silicone causes
breakage! But some ladies actually like silicones {or ‘cones‘ as they are called at LHC}and the way it makes their hair feel - and others do not. If you want to learn more about silicones and how it affects our hair, you can try doing some searches at The Long Hair Community. You will learn a lot!) I do plan to cover this topic in the future.
But the #1 thing you need to know is this:
NO shampoo and conditioner will work great for everyone. Even the super dooper crazy expensive products. Some people have really great results with inexpensive products, and other people need other types of products to get their hair to feel and behave in ways that they want, and sometimes that means more expensive. It takes experimentation though.
And #2:
Do NOT feel guilty or ashamed for using inexpensive product! Believe me, if they work for you, there are ladies out there who will be jealous of you for being able to have great hair with cheap products! Not everyone is that lucky!
Be willing to try inexpensive products. If you find one that works great for you, that will be money in the bank for you. And if you end up with a shampoo that doesn’t work for you, you will only be out a small amount of money.
If you end up with shampoo you can't use:
*** Use it to clean your bath tub or shower and sink. Really! I do this all the time. (Got the idea from
Flylady. Do you know her?) Anyway, it is much more pleasant smelling than using scouring powders, and it does work really well to clean the greasy scum. You’ll have a year’s supply of inexpensive yet effective tub cleaner in no time!
*** Wash your dog with the shampoo & conditioner, provided he/she can tolerate it well. (Some dogs have sensitive skin too.)
*** Let your kids use it. Kids seem to be able to use practically any shampoo and their hair comes out nicely, the same as always. (Aren’t I right? Little kids seem to have perfect hair. Why does that change when we get older?)
*** Give your products to a family that is in financial difficulties, telling them it just didn’t work for your hair. I am sure there are families out there who would appreciate it immensely.
