"SOLD ONLY IN PROFESSIONAL SALONS" OR RISK HEAD FUNGUS? GREAT HAIR EXPIRATION INFO!

Wow thats a little crazy.  I don't buy any of my hair products from my hairdresser.  However with the amount of preservatives that are in these products I really don't worry about them going bad.  

i read about that. how companies illegally carry 'professional use only' products. as long as it doesnt appear tampered w/ i'll take my chances at the discount rate. i wouldnt purchase a banged up or dusty bottle and i know those are the only ways to tell if a product is old. 

Oh Marco, thankyou for this excellent piece of information!  If I see any of my exclusive hair-care in any discount stores I'll be sure to pass on the information to the company themselves.  I'm sure if I were in their position I'd be really upset that my brand was being discounted as well, and that people weren't getting the quality advice that's required for a hair-dresser only brand.Good to know there's no real chance of hair fungus, but I don't think I would want to run the risk anyway.  :P

Marco, not only do you take care of all of us at Megsmakeup, but you do so with grace, style and wisdom.  Very impressive, Thank You! 

I've wondered about this too.  I've also heard that there is a risk that the products may be counterfeit.  To me, it sounds like a lot more trouble to counterfeit a product than it would be to "divert" (read: steal) it.  Consumers should definitely use caution though in buying salon products for cheaper at TJ Maxx or CVS, etc. than you would pay in the salon.  I am a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" and if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.  I personally wouldn't care about buying a salon product from a drugstore, but I wonder why the drugstore can even sell it.  If this is supposed to be a salon-exclusive product - where is the lawsuit? 

LOL, this post actually made me laugh out loud, as I never heard of scalp fungus caused by expired salon products before;-)). Probably, what your stylist meant, punkeydew, is that only a salon guarantees you 100% authentic products that are not tampered or thinned anyhow. This aside, is there really an expiration date on shampoos and haircare, I wonder...?

thanks for bringing this up! i had never thought abot it before! i always buy my salon products from a discount shop, never a salon! :-{

Marco that was an amazinly honest and unbiased answer-I usually buy kerstase from the salon-cant seem to find it anywhere else anyway-so no choice in the matter.

I never buy my salon products at a salon. Almost always I'll buy them at a "discount" store. I've never had any issues and I've had good results. I think some people that work in salons get defensive about this topic because it really is all about commission. Plus, like someone else noted, these products have a ridiculous amount of preservatives in them and I'm sure for the most part, they're fine.

I used to buy salon shampoos at Walmart, etc. and never had any issues. It honestly never occurred to me to be uncomfortable at all doing that!

I buy a lot of things off of discount sites (ie beautyticket), but if you ever mention it to someone in a salon or anything they freak out tell you the same story about how it isn't the real product and people calling them asking for empty bottles (to put 'fake' products into and sell). Well... I've also bought the same things from salons and I've never ran into a problem with a product not being the same as what I bought from the salon. I'm sure that people have gotten scammed buying from discount places, but I really think 99% of the time it isn't fake products or whatever and the salon just needs to make sells (which is why they freak out when you buy a product somewhere other than them). If I had a salon it would irritate me too if my customers were buying the same exact thing I sell from somewhere else.

With how expensive some shampoo & conditioner is right now I'll take my chances purchasing them at a discount store. Paying over $40 for a bottle of shampoo or conditioner just seems ridiculous to me so if I can purchase it at a more affordable price when it's not from the manufacturer then I'm happy. I've been trying lots of new shampoos & conditioners and I've even been willing to try the more expensive brands but I haven't seen anything that makes it worthwhile to spend that extra money.

Iam a hair stylist... So I buy my shampoo from the distribator! ... And i really dont think that You are going to die if you buy your shampoo from a normal store! ... ... Although my old boss used to say that Suave caused child hood acne!! haha

I buy my hair products from a beauty supply store where the products fly off the shelves and are sometimes out of stock of the things I use. So I am happy that I don't have to worry about the length of time they stay on the shelf but scalp fungus is eewww!

I am a hair stylist, so I buy all my products directly from the distributor, and I have never tried any of the "salon" products from any where but the distributor, so I can't really say that they are the same. But salon products are super expensive and if you can save a little money, go ahead and buy it at Target or Walmart, the only issue I would say you would have to worry about is dilution of the product.  I really don't think that fungus would be an issue..

I have always wondered about these products and now know how to go about finding out what is truly going on with them. Thank you.

I use good old Panteen shampoo and conditioner.  It's the only kind that works right in my hair.  It's very affordable!  I have been tempted to buy bedhead from walmart for styling products but it is SO expensive, even there.  I usually don't use products in my hair.  I like it a bit natural!!

I have never bought the haircare products from a salon because it's too expensive. Right now I am just using Dove shampoo and conditioner. I was using Panteen but it was not working well enough. I have been looking for a new option but money's tight.

I too have been influenced not to purchase my products from drugstores.  My hairdresser swears he would be able to tell the difference and that my hair would fall out.  Ugh, not very encouraging words!....  I will definitely have to make it a point to contact the manufactuer of the products and voice my views to them.  Thanks for the help!

I work in a beauty store, so i buy my stuff from a distributor as well.. for like 100 time's cheaper,  on the back of Paul Mitchell and stuff it says, 100% not guaranteed if not sold by a salon or something like that anyway!Alot of people have different opinions some of the girls at work think the product was frozen before i don't believe that.Are grocery store's sell BedHead and Joico and Redken for pretty much the same price as a salon so i would usually just get it at a salon anyway when i had to go that route back in the day

I would never have thought that the salon shampoos i've seen in supermarkets were any different to those bought through a salon, as long as the packaging is the same! definately worth checking out with the company from now on. x

Just be very careful when you buy these products at stores!  Yes, I am a hairdresser in Louisville, KY. I wont hide anything about myself because I want people to know I am not lying.  At some of our Walgreens, Redken and Purology are sold.  I went to the shelf and sniffed the bottles and they DO NOT have the same color or smell or consistancy at our salon.   SECOND, they were only $4 cheaper than the salon price.  So here is my suggestion.  Look at what your salon is selling them for, sniff and look at the product.  Then go to your discount store, and do the same thing.  For 4 to 5 bucks more, I would buy from a salon.  Like many people above said, "call the number on the back of the bottles" and see what they say.  I am positive, that they will tell you walgreens, kroger etc....are not authorized distributors! yes, it is illegal.  I would rather you people buy "off brand" products similar to the name brand, then buy name brand at "discount" stores.  i can even tell you which store brands are just as good if you ask me. (email)  At least L'oreal sells products that are just as good as salon brands and they are not watered down, old etc... they are new.  i would rather people use suave, pantene etc.. then see you buy professional products at discount prices.....