I recently began going to an Aveda spa and I have to say, after using Redken nearly my whole life, I am totally sold on the product line.
However, they are frightfully expensive.
After learning I’ve been paying twice as much for Redken products that, as it turns out, aren’t much better, ingredient-wise, than the stuff sold on discount store shelves, I am just a wee bit jaded about high priced hair care.
And if Redken is expensive, Aveda is outrageous. $80 for the best deal I could find consisting of shampoo, conditioner and a couple of tiny bottles of pre-styling products. But it is a better deal than buying the products separately at the spa. If you’re interested, you can find them at www.aveda.com.
Granted, Aveda’s products are all natural and avoid some of the ingredients that dull color, shine and so forth. I could see a difference in my hair after having it washed and instant-conditioned at the spa.
But when you tack on the $80 to the more-than $50 I paid for a two-inch hair trim, I felt like I was spending too much money for six weeks of haircare (and that doesn’t include color, which runs about $150 to $200 at the spa. Ouch!).
I recently discovered, however, that you can buy all-natural hair products that are similar to Aveda from online health stores, the same place I go to get protein powder and so forth.
I checked out www.vitacost.com and found all kinds of all natural shampoos and conditioners that don’t contain sodium laureth, alcohol or parabens, all ingredients you want to avoid. And the price? About $5 to $7 per item, and in most states, there is no tax tacked on. At $4.95 per shipment– no matter the size of the order– shipping is a deal, too.
Try typing in “natural shampoo” to get some products. Jason Natural and Aubrey Organics are two brands that are well-rated. Ingredients and customer reviews are posted right on the page, too, and can help you decide which products to try, if you can’t make up your mind.
In the next day or two, I plan to order GeniSoy pure protein (great stuff!) to throw in my bread dough from Vita Cost, and am also going to try out at least a few of these brands.
In the meantime, I hope the bigger name, “professional” haircare companies will come to realize we’re in the throes of one of the scariest recessions ever, and start lowering their prices. Between drugstore knock-offs and Internet health stores, they have some stiff, low-pried competition. I’m not sure how long it will take for them to realize consumers are no longer shopping based on lifestyle, but on price. My guess is–given that the recession isn’t predicted to be at all temporary– it won’t be long before they realize that these days consumers are no longer shopping based on lifestyle as in the recent past, but on price.
Until they do get it, I’m done paying hundreds of dollars for their products. How about you?
