Hairdo it right: Go professional-grade and toss the cheap stuff

Think of hair stylists as doctors of hair.

Many local stylists say they genuinely care for the health of their clients' locks.

If clients actually care about their own hair, stylists say, then it's time to trash the store-bought shampoos and conditioners.

"When you use the grocery store product, you're going to end up spending more money down the road repairing your hair," said Casey McCabe, a stylist at Lather Salon, 1655 28th St. "It will eventually get very damaged.

"And who wants it to get to that point anyway?"

Store-bought products contain a lot of fillers and preservatives that are harmful to humans and the environment -- such as parabens and sulfates, said Chloe Klein, a stylist at Urban Pearl Salon, 1537 Pearl St.

"Most people like the store-bought products because they're cheaper," Klein said. "But you're paying for a cheaper product. You're paying for more alcohol and more water in the product."

People who have dry scalp issues often turn to cheap products such as Pert Plus or Selsun Blue, Klein said. These products are just masking the issue -- if the person stops using the products, the problem returns.

"The nice thing about using a salon product ... is to actually heal the issue, to repair the scalp," Klein said.

Klein said the cheap products simply coat the hair with waxes, making the hair more brittle and dry.

"It's just a mask, it just goes on top of the hair," Klein said. "It doesn't actually penetrate or actually do any good for the hair."

Travis Smith, a stylist at Zing Salon, 1100 Spruce St., said many over-the-counter products have fillers that cause artificial and natural color to fade.

"Most have a lot of sulfates and salt, which fades color," Smith said. "A lot of professional products have UV protectant to shield your hair from the sun -- which dries out the hair and fades the color."

But be careful where you purchase professional-grade products, the stylists said. Most professional bottles read "only guaranteed if sold in a salon" for a good reason.

The hair product companies do not guarantee diversion products, which are sold by unauthorized vendors outside of a salon -- such as Biologe, Redkin and Pureology at major retailers or grocery stores.

"A lot of times you just don't know what you're getting in the bottle," Klein said. "The company's take on the issue is: Whether it has the same label and the same color bottle, it is not their product and they do not endorse them selling the product."

Most companies are fighting the diverted products, including Paul Mitchell, who has been actively campaigning against diversion for years.

"You just don't know what you're going to get and it's not any cheaper to buy it from the stores -- you might save a dollar," Klein said. "You might as well buy it from a local company or a local business that you can support and then you know you're getting the real thing."

So, next trip to the salon, splurge. It's worth it for your hair's sake.

"If a client is going to spend $200-plus getting their hair colored or cut they really need to have good products at home," Klein said. "Otherwise they're doing themselves a disservice by using cheap stuff."