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No-Splurge January Meets the Product Aisles

Lindsey is in her mid-twenties and hails from the Midwest, a land second only to the South in Really Bad Hair. Having spent much of her youth supporting that title, she feels compelled to help others escape a similar fate, and is convinced salvation can be found in department store product aisles. Lindsey hates seeing people with wet hair in public and is suspicious of shampoo that costs more than $20.

After the excessive spending of the holiday season, I’ve determined that January will be No-Splurge January.   Sadly, very sadly, that applies to my limitless need for new products.  I could try to rationalize my need for organic lemongrass shampoo, but the reality is I can live quite happily in the drugstore aisle.

I have relatively thick, fine hair that is naturally very curly but also straightens easily with a flat iron.  If you even think of saying “lucky” to me, then I have YEARS of hideous hair in pictures to show you.  Good hair is owed to me, at this point.  And since I’m a complete and total product junkie, I’d like to think that in the depths of my bathroom drawers is a little something for nearly everyone.

For hair that is rather flat on top or simply needs some volume, Redken Workforce 09 or Guts 10.  Lovely names, those!  No-Splurge January insists on the more sensible purchase of  Tresemme Volumizing Mousse.  For finishing creme, I love the Hair Thursday cult favorite of Frederic Fekkai Glossing Creme.  Even though the travel size is manageable at $9,  John Frieda Satin Shine finishing cremes are more bang for your buck, and even come tailored to your particular hair color.  Unless you have black or gray hair, in which case John Frieda apparently does not care about you and should be written a strongly-worded letter.  For shine spray that won’t turn hair into an oil slick,  Frederic Fekkai Glossing Sheer Shine Mist is a great choice.  However, so is Citre Shine Shine Mist, Anti-Frizz Spray Laminator, despite its unfortunate name that conjures up images of high school girls from Jersey in the 80’s.

For fine curly hair, I’m a fan of Redken Fresh Curls Curl Boost Spray Gel.  Rather than shelling out almost $17 every time it runs out, Garnier Fructis has some great options– such as their Curl Scrunch Gel or  Curl Shaping Spray Gel.  Another inexpensive option is John Frieda Dream Curls Curl-Perfecting Spray.

So how much can be saved by going the drugstore route when the collapsing economy bank accounts demand it?

Salon products: $74.09

Drugstore products: $19.76

You do the math.  Especially since I repeated my college mathematics course.

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4 comments
  1. Groovymarlin

    January 12, 2009 at 8:41 am

    Great (and timely) post! I love John Frieda products. The new volumizing spray and mousse especially are terrific, I think. And when I was wearing my hair curly, that Dream Curls spray was a lifesaver.

  2. heels

    January 12, 2009 at 9:29 am

    I’ve never been a big fan of the John Frieda products, but I’m constantly searching for something that will take the frizzy edge off of my curly hair and that I can actually afford. I recently picked up the Dove Frizz Control Therapy Cream with Repair Serum (about $4 or so) and have been surprised at how much I like it so far.

  3. Darcey

    January 12, 2009 at 9:33 am

    I would definitely second the JF Dream Curls – now that my hair is longer, the weight is pulling down my curls I don’t really style it that way. But I live off that stuff in the humid summers of the South so instead of constantly fighting the frizz, I’m using its curl-inducingness to my advantage.