When I was younger and would go to the Salon to get my hair washed and styled, I would use their products. I would use their shampoo, their conditioner and all of their own styling products. As I grew older and started paying more attention to things that were going on around me, I realized that those things were not good for my hair, AT ALL.
- Shampoos were over-diluted and in some cases boosted with detergent so that it can still produce a lot of foam (so I hear)
- Conditioners were diluted.
- Styling products were diluted where possible and used really sparingly where dilution was not possible.
- All of the items were generally the cheapest one could get in the market.
- Where they had a premium range, one would have to pay a bit more to use them. Even then, there was no real assurance that the content was actually the original content.
If you are still reliant on Salons, especially those that are not “standard” salons – you know what I mean, girl! – I would advice that you have a salon bag at the ready. This should contain at the minimum
- Moisturizing Shampoo
- Deep Conditioner
- Leave-In Conditioner
- Oils or Whipped butter
- Any styling products you need
- All the combs you will need from start to finish.
- A clean microfiber towel.
- A plastic/shower cap
There was a woman that used to do this at the Salon where I would go to get my hair woven (corn rowed) as a child. She had near waist length hair. I never made the connection between her hair length and her use of her own products and tools until years later.
I have included microfiber towel on this list because they usually do not use one. Combs are because they usually do not clean them from client to client and this fosters the spread of hair diseases. Even dandruff can be spread from person to person when they share the same combs. Also even in reputable salons where top end products are used, the products may not agree with your hair. It is just easier to work out what works for you and use that at home and at the Salon.
Best practice however would involve prepping (washing, drying) your hair at home and then going over to the Salon to get it styled.
Do you have a Salon Bag? What is in it?