The Right Brain returns:
In our post on “Too Many Shampoo Choices” we quoted Rob Fisher’s blog. Rob came back with some excellent comments clarifying his earlier rant. Rather than keep his points buried in the comments section, we thought we’d followup with another post. Take it away Rob:
Are there too many choices?
It was fun to find my article mentioned here and read your comments, so I thought I would respond.
In answer to each of your comments:
1) There are too many choices if you just want to buy some shampoo quickly, but don’t want to end up with your hair accidentally volumised or something. Of course, if you really care about getting the best possible product there can *never* be too much choice. To turn it around, I think there can never be too many electronic gadgets, but a technophobe would not necessarily agree.
2) Because it was written as a fun rant, I think I came across as more cynical than I really am in that article. I agree that companies are responding to the market and that is exactly what they should do. I certainly don’t think that they are deliberately misleading people, or that there is anything wrong with creative language. It’s just that that type of marketing doesn’t work for me. Perhaps the marketing guys are missing a niche, or perhaps there’s just no money to be made from marketing a Ronseal-style “does exactly what it says on the tin” shampoo.
3) I was thinking of readers of a certain style of beauty magazine raving over the latest product and showering it with awards when I used the words “stupid” and “gullible”. I would certainly encourage skepticism when it comes to evaluating products, and I’m sure most people do. This website does just that, for instance “Paraben Perils” article is exactly the type of thing people should be reading to help them evaluate products. I certainly agree with your final point.
So, I’m still looking for the ideal shampoo that will make my fine hair look as good as possible, without smelling funny or coming in a pink bottle or having any new-age sounding ingredients like ginseng. Got any recommendations?
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Thanks for the kind words and for taking the time to follow up with us Rob. We appreciate it. As far as recommending a shampoo for you that doesn’t “smell funny” or ” come in a pink bottle, ” well, our expertise is reviewing the science of the product and not making aesthetic judgments. But maybe our readers could help you out with some ideas. Anyone have any suggestions for Rob?
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Citre Shine smells slightly lemony, but works well on fine hair. Comes in a yellow, white and black bottle.
Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Magic Soap (available at Target and health food stores like Whole Foods, etc.) comes in many nice scents (peppermint, lavender, almond) or none, and leaves fine hair soft–maybe too soft–try a smaller bottle and see–or use it for washing your face or just about anything else. Burt’s Bees has nice shampoos–sniff and see if you don’t mind the scents, but they are not flowery. They even have a manly bar shampoo.John Frieda Root Awakening is nice and zippy-feeling in the morning. Almost any shampoo works okay for fine hair, imho. It’s coarse hair that has to worry about getting too dried out by shampoo.
I have always wanted to start a hair care line based on being clear and honest. Like, telling you just what it does on the bottle, what the ingredients do, and what type of hair it is for. But without all the frilly “ad words”. And warnings for who the product is NOT good for. Like “contains heavier silicones, best for those with thicker hair use this one instead” … Haha. Dont know if it would work but I know I would like to see something like that. If that makes sense.
sorry. kind of goofed up my words there! “for fine hair use this instead” was what i was going for.
I just use Panteen. No funky smells and you can buy in large bottles at CostCo that last about a month or more. And that’s with the fact I wash my hair every single day.
I can see his cynicism, though. A lot of that marketing blah-blah works not to inform a customer, but to keep them as confused as possible, so that they continually wander around trying this and that. The LAST thing the industry (or any industry) wants is to have a completely satisfied customer. Uncertain, confused people are a lot easier to soak for money.
I can tell you, since I settled independently on my own on just using Pantene since it seemed to work, I’ve spent less on hair care. I know what I want to buy, and I don’t sit there vacillating over product anymore in the supermarket going, “Maybe this one will fix my hair, no maybe this one, wait, maybe this one, no … ”
I know precisely what works and why, and I’m a LESS ideal consumer because of it, I’m sure of it.
That’s why the industry doesn’t do what Rob suggests. Although I have to admit, if he’s insecure enough to fear using something in a pink bottle, that’s another problem that can’t be cured by marketing.
Dude, I use men’s deodorant without fear for my self-identity. Get over it.
I love Tresemme products. They cleanse well; the conditioners are great. I have alot of hair but its fine in texture. Their products do not have an overwhelming fragrance.
Shampoo is in a black plastic bottle and I believe the conditioner is either in a black bottle or a white one.
Last long because you don’t need to use alot and like Pantene was used in salons. Price is better than Pantene and for me it works better.
I wish they would have as many choices in the hair color isle. They usually stock a few Blondie and brunette of each brand and then have one or no shades of red.