Well, OK, maybe we are…but it’s really NOT for the reason you may think! It’s really for your own good. Actually it’s more for your hair and your wallet’s own good!
Let me explain…
You might think that we (stylists) are always trying to sell, sell, sell to make a commission from the products you buy from us. Truth is, we do get a small percentage of our retail sales, but it’s nothing compared to what we can be making by putting out amazing color for our clients, teaching them the proper way to care for their hair at home, and having them send in their family and friends to us to get some amazing color of their own! That’s where it’s at…making you a walking advertisement for our craft. That’s how we thrive and survive as stylists.
But back to the subject of selling products…
Think about it. You invest lots of time and money to get that perfect shade you’ve been working towards (or in some cases, trying to get rid of ) for the last 6 months. Each time you go to the salon you find yourself dropping upwards of $150-$250+ to get to your hair goals. Why on Earth would you invest all that money on your hair only to skimp on what you are putting on it at home? Why wouldn’t you want to protect your investment?
“Well since I spent so much on my hair, I can’t afford to buy salon products.”
We say you can’t afford not to! Here’s why…
Professional hair care products you purchase through your stylist at the salon are made with the highest quality ingredients and are guaranteed genuine when sold at a professional licensed salon. With high quality ingredients, the product is more rich and concentrated, which means you use less product to get the results you want. The products last longer and are better for the overall health of your hair. Your stylist knows which shampoo and conditioner has the proper pH balance for your specific hair type. Yes, that really does matter and we as stylists know all about the chemical make up of products we use and how they affect your hair. Bet you didn’t know that! 😉
Drug store beauty products typically contain harsh chemicals and surfactants, which can strip your hair of its natural oils, fade your color and dry it out. These products are diluted with fillers. These fillers tend to make your hair feel super soft at first but leave behind a waxy build-up and coating on your hair. Your hair is not hydrated from within. It’s just coated…and we know that you know exactly what we are talking about! (all you Pantene users out there)
Most salons will also allow you to return a gently used product if it does not perform the way you expected it to and will be happy to help you find a replacement that you will be happy with. A stylist can show you what products to use together, how much of each product is necessary (and not necessary) to achieve your salon results at home, and answer any questions you have about a product. We are your personal stylist after all.
You won’t get that service at your local drug/grocery store. Well, you may get that lady with the frizzy, blorange colored hair standing next you grabbing her own bottle of shampoo off the shelf, telling you how great the stuff your contemplating on buying is and how well it works for her…but wait, do you really want to use what she uses? We didn’t think so…
“I can find the same thing online or at the drug store cheaper.”
No really, you can’t! Salon brand products that you find online or at your local drug/grocery store are diverted products.
Diversion is bad…
Diversion is when an unauthorized vendor sells professional product lines they purchase on the grey-market and resells them. These products are often counterfeit, stolen, or outdated merchandise.
Deep discount stores, drug and grocery stores will often buy a huge lot of salon products from a distributor, or a salon that goes out of business and then set the products aside in a warehouse for years until the barcode expires so they can’t be tracked. Then they slap a new barcode sticker on top of the old one and sell it as new. By this time, the product breaks down, can become contaminated with bacteria, smells funky and does not perform the way it was intended to.
Believe it or not, people have even been known to dumpster dive at places like Sephora, Ulta, and other beauty supply stores. They find expensive products in the dumpster and resell them as new on eBay and Amazon. They have been known to add stuff to the bottles so they appear full and then sell it for the same price, and sometimes even more than the salon would.
Now ask yourself, do you really want to use inferior products on that expensive color you just invested in? We didn’t think so.
We have plenty of really great products at our salon in various price ranges. We can help you find something really great that won’t break the bank. Trust us…we care about your hair…our name is on it! 🙂