Lauren’s on the lookout: I’ve been wanting to try Kerastase hair products for quite some time now, but they are so overpriced. What about these products make it so such more expensive than most others? Are there any cheaper shampoos, conditioner and masks that perform similarly but for a cheaper price?
The Right Brain responds:
In case you haven’t read our post on “Who’s Who in the Cosmetic Industry,” Kerastase is owned by cosmetic giant L’Oreal who markets a variety of brands at different prices. Like many large companies, L’Oreal spends a lot resources developing the best possible formulas and then use those formulas across different brands. Why is Kerastase so expensive? Can you say “brand image?” You’re paying for a different fragrance, packaging and advertising but not necessarily a different formula.
High Cost
For example, look at Kerastase Nutritive Oleo-Relax Smoothing Hair Masque. A 5 ounce jar sells for $50.00 and it contains the following ingredients:
Water, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, Potato Starch Modified, Cetyl Esters, Isopropyl Alcohol, Elaeis Guinneensis Oil, Shorea Robusta / Shorea Robusta Seed Butter, prevervatives, fragrance, blah blah blah.
Low Cost
Now consider L’Oreal Vive Pro Smooth Intense Conditioning Treatment. A 6.8 ounce tube will set you back $4.99. The ingredients are remarkable similar:
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, Potato Starch Modified, Cetyl Esters, Isopropyl Alcohol, and more blah blah blah.
Chemically speaking, these are nearly identical. They’re based on the same fatty alcohol blend and rely on behentrimonium chloride and amodimethicone for conditioning. And the potato starch is an interesting choice of thickener/emulsifier. Functionally speaking, we’d be amazed if a consumer could tell any difference between these two products.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Does this mean ALL Kerastase formulas are the same as the cheaper L’Oreal versions? Not necessarily, but we’d take a close look at each product before spending that much cash.
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I recently asked my stylist about the more expensive product lines…he said “most of them are the same old crap”…he did say that he thought Pureology was a BIT better so I bought a teeny travel size and it does smell nice but I don’t expect it to be vastly better than other cheaper brands. Keeping my expectations realistic, I guess.
My stylist also told me when you see “New and Improved” on a label it usually means that they have changed the COLOR or the FRAGRANCE not the essential ingredients.
Your stylist is uncommonly knowledgeable or honest.
“New & Improved” doesn’t ALWAYS mean changes to the color and fragrance but it often means that. Every so often a company will completely change the formula (like when P&G bought Herbalessences and changed all those formulas to the Pantene formula). But mostly, you’re stylist is right.
Incidentally, Pureology isn’t much different either. They were recently bought by L’Oreal and now probably have the same base formula as something like their Vives.
It’s a good product but overpriced for what you’re getting.
i bought a bottle of keratsase, brought it into the drug store, and matched it against pro-vive. same exact formula. when i went to return the keratsase, the girl told me it had better ingredients – more silicones and better grade. i looked at her as if she had 3 heads. the only difference is the packaging (and of course the price!). i’ll stick with my deva-curl (where no animals were harmed to make my hair clean).
Why isn’t this illegal? It seems like these high-end brands are like the snake oil salesmen of a hundred years ago.
I know, it really should be but seeing as the whole cosmetic industry is not regulated by the FDA they do as they please. I’ve noticed Pantene has many different NAMED product lines (Hydrating Curls, Smooth and Sleek, Ice Shine) yet the same exact formula. I find it very annoying because it seems false advertising. Especially when one costs 10 times more in L’Oreal’s case..
It’s not illegal because they are not lying to you. They make minor changes to the formula that don’t really effect the performance, but also change it enough so it isn’t exactly the same.
While the cosmetic industry is largely self-regulate, it’s not true that the FDA doesn’t regulate the cosmetic industry at all. There are many instances in which they do (dandruff shampoos, sunscreens, ap/do, etc.) Additionally, the cosmetic manufacturers are not allowed to lie about their products. If called on it they have to prove that what they say is not false advertising.
On some level this problem is caused by consumers. How many of you would want to buy a brand that only costs 99 cents? Most people just wouldn’t believe it’s as good as something that costs $10. The cosmetic industry is just giving people what they want. So, who’s fault is that?
I recently bought a L’oreal hair dye. It causes such a bad reaction I will never use any L’oreal product again. (And the potato starch is an interesting choice of thickener/emulsifier) this is not an interesting choice. This is a genetically modified materials choice that L’oreal/Nestle’s corp thinks is a good idea. GM foods cause severe allergic reactions in people they know that but they do not want to stop using it. They are disgusting. I will never buy another L’oreal product again.
Before you doubt a product; why don’t you try it. Just because the ingredient list matches another brands, doesn’t mean they are the same.
The Keratase products I’ve used are concentrated and superior. My salon recommends and of course, sells them. They are excellent!
t true there is not too much difference between L’oreal owned products ranges. Kerastase and serie expert both sell a hairloss treatment called aminexil – different packaging – same name – the kerastase on is £20 more expensive though. It true you are buying into a brand image and the name. Although i would say the salon product L’oreal makes are far superior to the supermarket range they also put there name to El’vive, studio lines etc. But everything with a name comes a a price. Just like a item of clothing a pair of armani jeans with a £140 price tag are not going to be 7 time better than a pair from new look, but the determines that you are paying 7 times more.
I am a hairstylist and have used many different Kerastase products. I have also used other L’oreal products in the past. And I can tell you the ingredients may read the same but they are not comparable. I used to work for a Kerastase Salon and got a great discount and now I pay full price like everyone else and I still use it. It is totally worth it. I am not saying its for everyone. If you are happy with what you are using don’t waste your money but I think its the best stuff on the market and I have tried many brands from many price ranges. And as for Lisa and her bad L’oreal color mishap… no offense but I don’t think, and maybe I am wrong that you have much back round in chemistry and maybe with that in mind should not be mixing chemicals and putting them on yourself. L’oreal makes a great color line for professionals and it is used in MOST high end salons around the world from all the Toni and Guys Salons to Fredrick Fekki in NYC along with many others.
My name is Ed Angles from the Phils… i own the first anad only Kerastase Institute by Salon ESA in the Phils…. i am somewhat a kerastase freako… you might call me.
I know the effect of each and every line of kerastase shampoos, conditioners, intense conditioning, leave-on protectant and salon in-use treatment… i’ve tried each and every product and i swear to the effectivity each line specifically designed for each type of hair.
I must admit it is very expensive.. in the phils… a shampoo retails for about P1,075.00… which is approximately $26.20.But you can see results… the product is really very effective… and each line is made to correct the problem or give the desired results each customer or client desires.
In my case… i alternate bain gommage(the anti-dandruff shampoo) with bain prevention (shampoo to reduce the risk of hair-loss), and bain volumactive (for fine and limp hair), together with bain de force (the repair shampoo for chemically treated hair.. as i color my hair every month as i have greying hair).. and even if i dont have dandruff it is always good to use an anti-dandruff shampoo twice a week in order to exfoliate and cleanse your scalp properly… we have to understand that the scalp is an extension of our skin… and overtime.. we need to remove the dead skin cells that need to be replaced by the underlying new cells that want to show up.
I have to say, I know that the Kerastase brand has similar ingredients to the other cheaper L’oreal products, but I find Kerastase FAR more effective in doing what it says on the bottle (or packet).
I used to straighten my hair every day for 3 years (and I have very thick and curly hair) and I seriously damaged my hair to what I thought was beyond repair, unless I shaved my head and grew my hair all over again.
I tried tons of products on my hair and ditched my straightening irons but nothing really stopped my hair from snapping off. I ended up spending TONS of money on lots of cheaper to middle priced products (and i’m a student living in London, so i can’t afford to waste my money)…
then my boyfriend, out of the blue, went down to the hair salon nearest to where i live and explained my situation.
He got me shampoo and conditioner from the Bain de Force Kerastase range and some treatment as well.
At first i got mad at him for wasting his money, but then when i tried it I was surprised to find that it works.
To be honest though, i would only recommend going out and buying expensive products if your hair situation is very bad.
Thanks to everyone for their great comments. What you fail to realize is the power of your mind to convince you there are differences where there may be none.
We won’t be able to convince you because you’ve already decided that there is something different about Kerastase. But if you were to take a Kerastase product and a store brand L’Oreal product like the one outlined above, make them smell the same and put them in the same container, you most likely wouldn’t be able to tell a difference.
It’s a difficult thing to accept but it’s true. All people are easily fooled by product marketing. We just want to believe we are not wasting our money.
Kérastase products are really efficient and as a professional hair dresser i must say that i wouldn’t recommend any other products.
Kérastase is really awesome and you may pay a significant price but in the long term Kérastase customers are really satisfied.
Kérastase products can be also purchased online at a fair price for example at http://www.josscoiffure.com
I noticed a huge difference when I first used Kerastase products at home. My hair was soft, shinny and weightless. It is alot more, but I buy it online. I may try the pro-vive to save money, but I love the Kerastase products.
I have Kerastase and Loreal Vive Pro at my house. I compared the ingredients after reading this article and past the first ingredient…they aren’t the same. Also, you can tell that it isn’t the same product not only by how different my hair feels after using each product, but also by the way they lather when you’re shampooing. I bought the Loreal Vive Pro a couple months ago and gave up on it after a couple days. The Kerastase I’m continuing to use. It gives my hair moisture and volume. My hair has never been in better condition.
Kerastase works amazing! I had celebrity hair after using the conditioner, Ashlee Simpson swears buy it and so does Ken Paves!!! Jessica and Ashlee have gorgeous hair if you ask me and so did I after using it so i dunno…it sure works for them and me!
Of course the product works. It’s just that you can find other products that work just as well and don’t cost as much.
Well, just to counterbalance all the favourable opinions, some Kerastase products worked ok, but some were downright bad. At any rate, there is only one I would consider repurchasing (although I probably won’t – there are too many products out there I haven’t tried!).
I bought the products believing it would be the best for my hair, but didn’t even use some of them up, because they were not up to par. I really don’t know what most of you see in Kerastase.
I have tried everything from Redken to Pureology. I startd using Karastase after my last color. My hair looks awesome and I will never switch. I don’t really care about the price as long as it works. It smoothes my hair shaft and leaves my hair so manageable. I say do what you want to do. It is your hair. If it works, do it!
L’Oreal…once again deceiving people. I am not surprised. I love their products but when they screw the ‘little’ people that want good products by making them pay outrageous prices for Kertatase when the ingredients are the same…shame on them. They should remember…a faithful customer will stay with them forever but greed seems to matter over loyalty…
Without a doubt, Kerastase products are worth every penny. Even if they do have ingredient lists similar to less expensive L’Oreal products they are NOT the same. There can be a large difference in the quality of a single ingredient. It may help if you think of it like this…take an example of chocolate chip cookies. The basic ingredient list is this: flour, sweetener, fat, flavor and chocolate. That ingredient list is sufficient enough to refer to both of the following two specific recipes: the first is made with processed flour, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips (also containing hydrogenated something or another). This is the typical ingredient list for most cookies found in the grocery store. Or you can buy your second option made with whole wheat flours, organic cane sugar, organic hormone-free butter, vanilla (not vanilla extract), pure organic dark chocolate chips. The ingredients in the second example will have a different effect (immediately and cumulatively) than the ingredients on the first. And that’s how cosmetic ingredient lists work, they list the basic name of each component and don’t have to delve deeper to indicate the quality level of each one. So you’d have no way of knowing if it was ingredient list 1 or 2 because they would look the same.
I love Kerastase products and know from experience that they are amazing quality and do what they say they will. Regardless of price, Kerastase is one of the best lines available. But because of the price, they are definitely not for everybody and there are other fine products available at reasonable prices. Just like anything else, it is all about finding the best quality for the money you are willing to spend while still getting the end result you are looking for.
I checked the ingredient list of pro vive with kerastase bain miroir for color-treated hair, and they were not the same at all. only about 5 ingredients were the same, but many more were different. i’ve tried both shampoos, and all i can say is….kerastase makes my hair salon smooth every time, while pro-vive and others leave it more dried out and frizzy.
I use Kerastase and love it!
“The chanel of hair products”
I believe they may list the same ingredients but there are some secrets in the kerastase brand they don’t want everyone to know.
Anyone that is ripping on the product has not tried it!
Because once you use it you will see that even a frizzed up color died skank mop of hair looks fabulous after using the product!
If you like Kerastase Masquintense, take a look at L’Oreal Nature’s Therapy Mega Moisture mask at Sally Beauty Supply. $10 for the same product.
I have long hair, and have noticed a big difference when I started using kerastase. Reading this article, I saw the chance to save a bundle, and went out to get Vive Pro Smooth Intense Shampoo and Conditioner. I tried them, and didn’t think my hair was quite the same. So the next time I washed, I did a test. I washed and conditioned one side of my head with Oleo-Relax, and the other side with The Vive Pro. Other people noticed there was a difference – the Oleo-Relax performs better, no contest. They weren’t swayed by marketing or price of either product – they just noticed the obvious fact that one side of my head looked like I gave up before it was quite dry.
Saying the products are the same because of similar ingredients is no different than saying my mom’s home made chicken soup is just like campbell’s condensed – after all, its mostly just chicken, water, carrots, celery, and spices – how different could it be? There’s a huge difference in the quality and selection of those ingredients, and the cooking process is not at all the same.
You can’t compare products based just on the label – you really do have to try them and see how they work. I agree that not everything that costs more works better, but you can’t assume that everything that costs more is a waste of money, either. Try them both, the difference is clear. Instead of saving tons of money not buying kerastase, I wasted money on a lousy product that I’m not ever gonna use.
@Ben
Your analogy with food and cosmetics isn’t exactly right. While there is a big difference between quality of food, there is relatively little difference between surfactants, emulsifiers, and polymers. Companies often use the exact same suppliers for their ingredients. There is no huge difference in cosmetic ingredient quality.
We don’t assume that everything that costs more is a waste of money. We’ve tested most of the products we write about. However, what is true for lab tests and our personal experiences might not be true for everyone. Just like what is true for you might not be applicable to other people.
Now I’m confused. Though I read your blog on people being “bamboozled” into thinking something is better due to a higher price tag, I’m still sure (judging by the amount of hair left in my brush every morning) that I’ve had the best result from Kerastase. (bain mirroir/ chroma reflect). When I switched to a different brand (KMS) my split ends soared.
So why have I had better results?
IS there a higher concentration in some top-end products?
Can you get better quality ingredients in products which are basically chemical compounds?
Are there “filler” ingredients which can cheapen a product by not adding any usefulness, just bulk?
If you have two brands with the same ingredients in the same order, is there any way of telling which has a higher concentration?
You’ve already mentioned that the chemicals are often from the same source but would they be similarly treated? And do some chemicals work in conjunction with others for a better result?
Also, do you have a substitute for Chroma Reflect that has been lab-tested? It’s $30 a bottle over here so if there was a generic I’d love you forever.
Kerastase is wonderful and I agree with others who have stated that you have to try them before you come to some conclusion based off ingrediants that they are the same as like ingrediant brands or products. Kerastase performs like a champion and is the Chanel of hair products. I have used every single line with the excepetion of the hair loss line and each one has done what it has promised in managing my hair
Well, I’m sorry for the honesty, but saying that “Kerastase kill your cash” sounds nasty.
You point that the ingredients are the same…. Someone said the quality and quantity of substances may vary, wich seems pretty obvious to me. Why does a mp3 player may cost 25€ and another one, from the same brand can cost three times more? Is ot because the “ingredients” are diferent? Aren’t mp3 players made by plastic, phones, etc etc…. Why does the price range varies so much? Because of WHAT each MP3 player is able TO DO and HOW GOOD it is…. I can’t figure out why some of ou don’t undersant this.
HELLO?
Plus, if all the shampoos are the same I don’t why you bother so much and talk so much about it. Just grab the first you find!!!!!
Plus, don’t dish somenthing you don’t even Know….The shampoos available in the supermarket are crap and if you use a professional one for some time, you understand how ridiculous it is to state that Lorel products from 3€ are the same than Kerastase that costs so much more….
And, if Kerastase products were the way you say then NO ONE would pay for them and the brand wouldnt last for so many decades…. Pantene, my darlings, is CHEAP, Therefore sells and remains.
Kerastase is luxury hair care, with real results, thefore sells and remains!!!
Keraste kills nothing. You kill good sense
If kerastase products weren’t great NO ONE would buy them and the
brand would be gone a long time ago….
Plus, why does a certain MP3 player cost 30€ and some other one, from the same brand costs 75€? Is it because of the ingredients? Does the plastic have two different names??? HELOOOOOOO????
The more expensive is more expensive because of WHAT IT CAN DO and WHAT STANDARD OF QUALITY IT HAS…..
WAKE UO TO LIFE GIRLS and stop telling yourself that Pantene equals Kerastase…. Please
First you buy the right shampoo for you hair type(from Kerastase) and matching conditioner and use till it’s over. Then, come here and have your say! : )
I’ve used Kerastase’s Oleo-Relax and Oleo-Curl line, and to be honest, I hated them. Marketed for thick, coarse hair my hiney! The hairspray has SD-alcohol listed as the first ingredient–umm, hello, my hair is DRY!! I don’t need alcohol on it! The serum did beyond nothing, and I can make my own deep conditioners which do a much better job than the $58 I’m going to spend on either of their conditioners. And to be PERFECTLY honest, the $4 I spend on my Creme of Nature ultra-hydrating shampoo left my hair feeling much more clean and moisturized than any product I’ve tried by Kerastase. I will gladly stick with Creme of Nature and Aubrey Organics any day of the week.
Well hello
so I red all those comments above.I have to say that I never tried any of Kerastase products,but I can tell you this.I learned that even ingredients are same the product can and will feel different.Here is an example: I am from Europe.Few years ago I was using Pantene products and I will always bring conditioner with me while traveling back home.We do sell Pantene over there,just like L’Oreal and many different brands you find over here.And even they,at least Pantene does,contain same ingredients,they WILL feel completely,completely different.I loved Pantene conditioner sold over here,hated it over there.It was just so much more liquidy.So before saying bad things about any product on the market,just try it,you might be surprised.I am planning on buying Kerastase,cuz my hair is damaged and other brands don’t seem to be helping much.I know it’s expensive,but I am willing to give it a try.And so I won’t be listening to ppl who say the ingredients are exactly the same.Cuz I know there CAN be different in results.Well,have a great day and I might be back in few months to let you know what I found out 
Hi there.
I am a bit confused at the moment….
I bought the Bain de Force Shampoo and the matching conditioner Ciment anti-usure, for those of you who don´t like the french language I translate:
- Bain de Force means Bath of strengh
- Ciment anti-usure means ciment that eliminates breakage.
So I bought these two products three months ago… At first, they seemed wonderful, I used to feel my hair so soft after washing and definetely softer. My hair was quite long and damaged at the ends back then and so it remained until the day I finally decided to cut it…. So, if you ask me if this stuff has made anything for me I have to be honest and say it only made my hair softer (but that you can get with much cheaper products)…
And now reading this article I feel like a total idiot because I spent almost 40 euros in these two products….
Could you please explain to me if that story they claim, that these products conatin the vita ciment tecnology deserves some credit. I mean, what is that substance and what can it make for your hair? I would love to understand that.
As someone said, it should be forbiden to sell the same formulas faking it, leading people to believe they’re buying something extraordinary.
P.s- Yes, the Kerastase products are very concentrated… So what? Does it justify the price tag just like that?! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
I am also questioning myself “is that true that similar ingredients can peform differently?!”
That’s a good question… lol
Unfortunately, no, the story they claim about vita ciment technology deserves no credit at all. Hair is dead and vitamins do not have any positive effect. (There is some suggestion that Vitamin B12 can help strengthen hair but the evidence is weak).
People associate vitamins with healthiness and thus vitamins in hair means you have healthy hair. But putting vitamins in your hair is like putting vitamins on a shoe lace. The hair on your head is no more alive than a shoe lace or kite string or a wool cap.
I’m not an expert and I don’t know anything about chemicals or anything, but Kerastase works so much better than L’Oreal commercial products. I am now using the Bain Prevention because I have many issues with hair loss and it really works. Kerastase really makes my hair healthier and totally worth the price.
I would like to share with everyone who cares that I swear I am THE living testimonial to proof Kerastase is not just a marketing ploy but truly superior to all other drugstore brands.
I have been coloring my hair since 13 years old. When I was in high school, I did it myself at home causing lots of damage. When I started work with money to spend, I started going to high-end salons to add more colors + blonde highlights up to this day. My head has never been without colors for as long as I can remember. On top of that I use blowdryer, curling tong and lately the great GHD. So you can imagine my hair damage CANNOT be described!!
My hair is thick and waist length. After every wash my real hair is dry, frizzy, rebellious, poofy, breaking, extremely tangled, lots of split ends and fragile. All the worst you can imagine about hair, I definitely am facing it. I cannot have short layers like most long-haired lady do because it will start going crazy and uncontrollable.
Dreaming of owning a head of beautiful hair seems unreal. In my strive to just have manageable hair, I tirelessly tried 1 drugstore brand after another after another for the longest time. The result was always the same. I would use a pump or 2, and my heart sank knowing it did not work again. I would just pile them up in my cupboard, and it began looking like a mini drugstore on its own.
NOTHING has ever work I began to believe my hair is the most impossible to conquer in this world!!! I gave up on my hair.
Until 1 day, due to a business venture I was doing alot of research on hair supplies. It must be so in demand that I stumble upon Kerastase because everyone I read was going crazy over this brand called Kerastase. I honestly never heard of it, and certainly don’t care a hoot either after all my personal experience with lousy products.
I got hold of Kerastase supplies from authorised Loreal supplier in my country for business purpose only – to supply to my beauty shop.
It was really fate that I used the first Kerastase product – Oleo relax serum. It was one bad bottle that leaked and the Authenticity sticker was damaged. I definitely did not want to risk selling it. So I put it aside meaning to return it to my supplier. As I was very busy with work the following weeks, I decide why not I just give it a try and see what’s the craze about? I got not much to lose either.
I used it for the first time and could not forget how blown away I was by the result. My hair ends FELT LIKE HAIR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY ENTIRE LIFE !!
My dead fried ends were soooo soft, smooth, ZERO frizz, it actually lay flat on my back. It looked so healthy that when I walked it can actually bounce a little. I cannot believe its my hair!
Please bear in mind, I used L’oreal Elseve Smooth Intense Anti-Frizz serum (its much compared psrtner)before and it was nothing like this.
So my personal collection of Kerastse grew from that day onwards. Not 1 Kerastase item has ever disappoint me. It is the first time I can actually finish the whole content and even repurchase.
I also contribute the secret to my waist length hair to Kerastase or I can never grow it to this decent length and still looking fabulous.
Not many salons in my country use Kerastase. The one I frequent lately use other salon brands. Even so, I can feel the dramatic difference every time I walked out the salon. My hair don’t feel as good as I did it myself at home!! Therefore my trips to salons are no longer an eye-opening experience. Nothing compares to Kerastse after you start on it.
However, I would like to highlight to everyone that you can only experience the true effect of Kerastase if you have problematic hair. You will definitely not see result if you already blessed with good behaving hair to begin with. That is precisely the reason why not many salons in my country use Kerastase because the Asian customers here have good strong hair due to lack of chemical abuse and heat damage in our society. If there is nothing to fix, don’t fix it.
So if you ask me, YES – Kerastase definitely justify its expensive price tags.
Sorry for my super long post, I just wanna share my true account with anyone who is still doubting this issue. Thank you for your time!
By the way, to address all those unhappiness that says the effect of using Kerastase is not permanent…
To begin with, everyone needs to understand that hair issues like split ends and heat damage cannot be repaired permanently. Because the hair that all of us is struggling to maintain is made of dead cells. Even healthy hair is dead. It may be thick and lustrous, but it contains no living tissue.
With this in mind, you can only hope to give it the best FIX to improve its strength and vitality by using the right products if you do not wish to chop it off and start with new growth.
In other words, we need to accept that all hair products applied externally should be viewed as quick COSMETIC FIXES no matter whether it is cheap or expensive.
So where does Kerastase stands in this? In my truly humble opinion, Kerastase is one of those fix that lets you have hair you can only dream of. Most other drug store brands do not fix your hair enough, totally did not fix or fix it until you feel its “plasticky” (eg. sticky, gross and what not)
So please do not be disappointed when all the effects are gone after a good wash. That is exactly how you are left with after washing off your expensive make-up too but oddly enough everyone seems to accept it and religiously apply a fresh coat the next day.
Cheers!
Keretase is the greatest hair products of all time, my hair is absolutely gorgeous, always has been but Keretase makes it that much better. I don’t care what anybody says it’s the best. I switched shampoos trying to find one as good but cheaper…not possible i always end up back at Keretase. You only need littlest amount, size of finger nail, it lasts me months, so in the long run it’s cheaper.
I went to a salon and they gave me a free kerastase treatment and it was amazing. I wanted to buy the product until I learned it was $50 and I was like “no thanks!” So knowing how companies operate, I went and looked for the L’oreal drug store product cause I figured it’d all be the same. Countless companies package the same product under two price tags. But, anyone who has tried both products know that L’oreal Vive Pro is NOT Kerastase. I truly believed I was outsmarting L’oreal and being incredily resourceful, but I have to admit I was incorrect. Vive pro is still a good conditioner, and I use that on the day to day basis and treat my hair with Kerastase once every week or every other week. But, you really can’t say they are the same product after using them both.
very interesting. I’ve tried the chroma riche line and i liked it. I want to try the bain de force and ciment stuff, its just the cost thats postponing it. I know of a friend who wastes sooo sooo sooo much cash on hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of cheap hair products that she never sticks with… I think she has tried EVERYTHING under $30 on the market, and with that money all added up she could have brought several Kerastase products and stuck with them..
I think with Kerastase its just the trust thing. You know your not taking any risks, you know your going to like the products and okay’ you might be paying more than is “sensible” for them… but its better than totally wasting your money on a “could be” substitute and risking that you might not like it. I think paying the extra dollars for the trust thing at the end of the day is fair enough.
Also the product does speak for itself, it must do, if it can sell at those prices. Like people earlier have mentioned, it seems to be a miracle for people with damaged hair and average for people with normal hair. Its just like expensive make up I guess… great if you have bad skin… waste if you have flawless skin.
lol Leftbrain, give up! Kerastase is amazing and works way better than the regular loreal line. It is VERY noticeable and leaves your hair in perfect condition! Lightweight, shiny,soft,moisturized…just amazing!
Manuela, saying the same thing over and over again (comparing conditioner to MP3 players etc) doesn’t make you right, it makes you a spammer.
I’ve used practically every shampoo and conditioner on the market, from Keratase to Goldwell to Label M, and all the way down to Garnier. Honestly, the only time I’ve noticed a real difference in my hair is when I’ve used a product with medication in it (like an anti-dandruff shampoo) or a conditioner with huge amounts of glosses in it. (Whether that’s silicone or other oils is irrelevant.)
Given the economy, I’ve gone back to Garnier and coconut oil/shea butter for all my cleansing/conditioning needs. Most products really do all do the same thing, but if your brain tells you that you’ve suddenly got softer more luxurious hair because you spent $100 on a conditioner then no one will be able to convince you otherwise.
What I don’t understand is why, when the Brains are simply pointing out what the labels on the bottles say, everyone is making arguments based upon anecdotal evidence.
Now, if you used Cheap Product A for 1 month and pulled out a strand of hair, then used Le Expennsive Product B for one month and took a strand of hair, and studied them both under a microscope, then recorded the findings, I’d be way more inclined to listen to your findings.
Until then, please don’t point out that Cosco Ipods are crappier compared to the ones you buy at the Ipod store, just because they’re sold at Cosco. And don’t say that one kind of L’Oreal is better than another just because you can’t get it at CVS.
What I believe that you people forget is that even though a cheap bottle and an expensive one might in the whole picture contain the same ingredients, doesnt mean the concentration is the same. a cheaper tensid might be used in a higher range in the cheap bottle, but eventually its not the best tensids. the expensive one do contain a bigger amount of the good ingredients in many cases. Another thing is that these cheap schampoos contains very much of water! with kerastase you can use just a little amount of schampoo to your hair, but with a cheaper loreal schampoo you need att least three times more schampoo!
I believe that kerastase has great schampoos and the prices is motivated! But if you want cheaper schampoo the expert serie is great to, and cheaper!