At H&B, we believe that healthy, gorgeous hair and skin starts at home – even if you’re having regular salon services and treatments, it is important provide proper care between appointments. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure you are using quality products that are suitable for your skin or hair.

WHAT’S IN YOUR PRODUCTS?

We talk a lot about professional products in salon, but WHY do we recommend these over products available at the supermarket or pharmacy?

Firstly, let’s take a look at the ingredients: professional quality products use higher grade ingredients, and the active ingredients are more concentrated. Active ingredients are the bits that give your products extra oomph (for example hyaluronic acid to bind moisture, argan oil for shine, or vitamin C for anti-aging).

Many non-professional products will claim to have these active ingredients as part of their marketing campaign, but will only contain a miniscule amount that will have little to no effect on the skin and hair. A great way to tell how much of a certain ingredient is in a product is to look at where it sits on the ingredients list. Ingredients are always listed with the highest concentration first, and lowest concentration last. Because professional products are more concentrated, you need to use significantly less product to achieve results – a bottle of professional shampoo and conditioner should last approximately 3 months, depending on how often you shampoo your hair.

So, if these non-professional products don’t contain a lot of actives, what DO they contain? The answer to that is a lot of (usually cheap) fillers. These fillers are often not water-soluble, and they build up on the hairshaft creating a barrier. This can have a cosmetic effect on the hair, leaving it feeling ‘soft’, but it also prevents any beneficial ingredients from penetrating into the hairshaft and can even prevent colour and lightener from working correctly. Over time as the build up gets worse, many people find their hair becomes lifeless and difficult to style.

A QUESTION OF ETHICS

It’s also important to look at where the ingredients come from and how they are sourced. Many professional quality-brands contain ingredients that are ethically sourced, fair trade, and sustainably produced, and are against animal testing. Argan oil is a good example of this – it is a hot ingredient in the hair and beauty industry at the moment, but many people are unaware of the devastating effect unethical farming and harvesting practices are having on the environment in Morocco (argan trees are essential for preventing soil erosion and protecting water resources, so it is vital that sustainable practices are used when collecting this valuable resource).

BACKED BY SCIENCE

Another reason we recommend professional products is that they tend to be results driven – many years of development using the latest scientific research goes into each product, followed by independent studies to ensure that all claims being made by the company are true. La Biosthetique products are rigorously tested at some of Europe’s top scientific institutes before they are available for salon and home use, allowing your stylist or beauty therapist to confidently recommend them to you, knowing you will see results with consistent use. Professional brands also provide training on their products, the ingredients they contain, and how to prescribe these correctly, so you know you are receiving the correct product to target your hair, skin or scalp concerns.

If you’re unsure of the best product for your hair or skin, pop into the salon and chat to one of our hair and beauty experts – they have all the skills and knowledge needed to recommend your perfect homecare products.