Ask Karen - October 2002

October 17, 2002
Cheap Hair Care Products That Are Identical To Top Hair Care Lines?

Question

Dear Karen,

If somebody was not wanting to spend a ton of money for hair products (which are the best)... which of the cheaper ones are most comparable?

How do you choose the best ones from the cheaper products? Or which of the cheaper products would be most like the ones Brad Pitt uses?

I want my hair to look like Brad's hair but don't want to spend lots of money on hair care products or routines.

Douglas

Answer

Dear Douglas,

The best according to many of the big name celebrity stylists include the following imported French lines (not in any particular order):

Rene Furterer, Phyto, JF Lazartique, Leonar Greyl and Kerastase.

Other popular "professional brands" include Aveda, Paul Mitchell, Redken and Joico.

Of course everyone hairdresser has their own opinions about what is the best. Keep in mind that what is best for one person is not necessarily the best for anyone else.

This topic always guarantees a lot of controversy. Some hairdresser and hair consumers believe that it is very important to use only the very best products, others believe that products from the grocery or drug store are just fine.

The reason the "best lines" are so expensive is because they really do use the very best ingredients. I have been to some of the labs and I have seen what they put in the products.

Not everyone agrees with this and of course, everyone has the right to their own opinion.

I have seen this controversy for years about whether there really is a difference and based on five years of talking to consumers, in my opinion, there is a difference.

When you talk about cheap, I have to confess personally I can not use anything cheap on my own hair. I have tried just about every line and it wrecks my hair. So I alternate between Phyto, Rene Furterer and ARTec (which is now owned by L'Oreal).

The best of the cheap has to be a personal thing.

In other words, you have to try different products and figure out what works for you or what you can afford.

I can honestly say that I have never found anything in the grocery store lines like Pantene or Alberto Culver that is remotely similar to the Rene Furterer, Phyto or ARTec products.

Some hair consumers, to minimize hair care product costs, will attempt to mix and match cheap with high end lines.

They will use cheap styling products like waxes and sprays but will put all of their hair care budget into an excellent shampoo or conditioner, depending on what their hair needs. Or they might alternate and use the good stuff once a week and then fill in with the cheaper stuff.

A lot of people save money on hair and beauty products by buying on the Internet. The reason? Some sites like HairBoutique.com will not charge any shipping on the high end lines if the amount spent is $50. In some cases there is no tax, which also helps bring the costs down.

Of course not down as far as the super cheap products.

If my life depended on an answer, I would tell you to try the John Frieda products for shampoos and conditioners. You could try those as well for starters.

Bottom line? Only you and your hair can decide whether you can go the cheap route, do the mix and match of cheap with high end or go high end.

Best wishes,

Karen

October 7, 2002
Hair Products Celebrities Use

Question

Dear Karen,

Is there an easy way to find out what specific hair products celebrities use? For example, I want to know what shampoos, gels, etc. does Brad Pitt use?

Drew

Answer

Dear Drew,

Sometimes it's possible to find out if you can first figure out who the celebrity stylist is that works with the celebrity, in this case Brad Pitt.

Celebrities often use the products recommended by their stylists.

I have heard from reliable Hollywood sources that Chris McMillan works on Brad at this point. I also know that Jennifer Aniston, Brad's wife, has been known to use a lot of the Phyto products on her hair. I have also heard that Brad also used the Phyto products on his own tresses.

In general, most celebrities will usually not say what specific hair products they are using because they don't want to endorse a product in the media unless they are getting paid.

Many times if you dig through printed interviews with celebrities they will share tidbits about various products they use at home. Sometimes if celebrities do publicly discuss hair products they enjoy, the manufacturer of that brand will often publicize that info since of course it will help sell the products.

In the celebrity world, just like in the non-celebrity world, couples often use hair products that are identical or from the same brand. Of course this is not always true, but there is a trend.

Best wishes,

Karen

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