Since quarantine has been a part of our life and the pandemic has happened, we are looking for alternatives and are convinced to purchase and receive products we are loving and wanting to try.
But when it comes to hair products, is ordering them from amazon and taking recommendations from influencers better then buying them from your local hair stylist or local salon? The short answer to this question is, Yes. But you run into the risk of buying old, diluted, or expired products. I'm sure many of y'all have experienced this, or have heard of this happening to someone you know.
We also have seen trusted influencers directing you to amazon to purchase these hair products (myself included).
So what's the deal with who you can/can not trust?
When you order something from Amazon, you aren’t necessarily ordering it from Amazon directly. Amazon gets all of their products from distributors or the businesses themselves.
Some of these are well known and trusted companies, while others are not.
So when you look up your favorite professional grade shampoo on Amazon, you may find a number of different links, all with different pricing, pictures and reviews. This means that the product is coming from a number of different sources, some trusted, others not so much.
I first want to start out by saying that I have absolutely NO problem with influencers. I know several personally and I am technically one myself! That being said, let me give you my opinion on taking a recommendation on a hair product from an influencer.
We all have our favorite influencers that we follow whether it be on Instagram, YouTube, or any other social media outlet.
So, should we trust their opinion?
In order to trust someone’s recommendation on a product, you need to make sure they are in the right place to be giving that recommendation on the product in the first place.
As a hairstylist myself, I’m not going to take the recommendation of an IG influencer on a hair product unless she happens to have more experience behind the chair than I do (for the average influencer, it’s very unlikely).
Sure her hair may look great in all of her pictures, but she only knows about HER hair. She doesn’t have the experience, training, or knowledge to be giving hair product recommendations to the general public.
A lot of third party sellers will sell counterfeit, old, or watered down hair products.
So, how do you know if you are buying from a trusted source or not?
I have found over the years that a lot of my clients would buy a product from me in-store, and when they need it again they order it from Amazon instead of buying it through me.
They didn’t do this because they don’t want to support me; they did it because of the convenience. And trust me, I GET IT.
So in conclusion, I would highly encourage you to do your research on where the distributor is located and who is selling the product on Amazon. If it's possible, always try to support your local hair stylist or local salon. I can guarantee you they are going straight to the source or supplier who is making the product itself. We as stylists and salon owners guarantee you that the products are not expired and diluted. We can not stand behind a product that you have bought from a third party vendor.
**Quick side story - I was in the supply house just yesterday purchasing more Olaplex products and the cashier told me she had a client that she services hair and extensions and this client bought some Redken products on Amazon and it left her with blisters on her scalp. Now she is having to go to a dermatologist to look at her scalp and hoping she will not have long term damage. I'm not trying to scare anyone, just be very smart about what you're purchasing and where you are purchasing hair products from.
Amazon can be great for a lot of things, just be cautious about hair products that you purchase. There is a number on the back of every hair and makeup product that you can look up and see if its expired and when the product was made and distributed for sale.
Support your small businesses around you and they will thank you!
- Ashley