NCFiction needs to know…I have dry curly hair, and the Hydrate line helps make it soft! At 8.5 oz for almost $30 Pureology conditioner is NOT cheap! I’m used to getting conditioner that has three times that for $6! (Aussie Moist.) But my hair was still feeling dry so I am looking for a cheaper alternative. There are loads of stuff in this formula, I can see why it’s so expensive… any ideas?
The Left Brain responds:
The amount of “stuff” in the formula actually has nothing to do with the price. I’ll break it down for you…
Pureology ingredients
First, look at ALL the ingredients:
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetrimonium Chloride, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silantriol, Superoxide Dismutase, Melanin, Ascorbic Acid,Tocopheryl Acetate, Hilanthus Annuus (Sunlfower) seed extract and oil, Butylene glycol, Amodimethicone, C11-15 Pareth 7, Laureth 9, Glycerin, Trideceth 12, Citric Acid, Lactic acid, Malic acid, Camelia sinesis leaf extract, mucor mehei extract, lentinus edodes extract, ganoderma lucidum extract, mentha piperita (peppermint) leaf extract, Sage leaf extract, Rosemary leaf extract, Cetrimonium Bromide, Dimethiconol, Divinyldimethicone/dimethicone copolymer, C12-13 Pareth-23, C12-13 Pareth-3, Glycerth-26, Panthenol, Jojoba Esters, PEG-45M, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, butyrospermum parii (shea butter), wheat amino acids, mentha arvensis leaf oil, menthol, glycine soja (soybean) oil, Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Polysorbate 60, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Methylparaben, Fragrance
Now I’ll strip away everything except the ingredients that actually condition your hair:
Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetrimonium Chloride, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Amodimethicone, Glycerin, Cetrimonium Bromide, Dimethiconol, Divinyldimethicone/dimethicone copolymer
These are the key conditioning ingredients.
Conditioner copycat
Now, if you want a formula that works the same, the first thing you do is look to see who makes Pureology. It turns out to be L’Oreal. They bought Pureology in 2007. So, look at other L’Oreal formulas like the Vives and find one with similar ingredients to the listing above. If those don’t work, try Pantene, Fructis, or Dove which all use similar ingredients. There really is nothing special about the Pureology formula which would warrant the price that they charge.
What do YOU think? Do you have any favorite conditioners you’d like to share with NC? Leave a comment for her and the rest of the Beauty Brains community.