Wonder Product Wednesday: L'Oreal Professional Hair Care

As a follow-up to yesterday's post, I am finally posting about the product that has made the most noticeable difference in the quality and appearance of my hair, L'Oreal Professional Shampoo and Conditioner. I swear by this line, in my opinion and experience, it's better than Kerastase. I decided that pictures are worth a thousand words, so here are my 1000 words regarding hair care and the difference in salon products vs. drugstore products.

The above image was taken during a period of time when we were going through a move. I inexplicably left my L'Oreal Shampoo and Conditioner behind at our home in Ft. Lauderdale. I thought I would be returning to get a few things the next week, but I found out I was pregnant with my son soon afterwards and making a three-hour drive to South Florida with crazy drivers and construction, with my seven-month old infant while pregnant did not sound like a very fun thing to do. So, long story short, I used my husband's shampoo and conditioner for about six weeks or so. This is what my hair looked like during that time using his drugstore brand (he alternates between Pantene, Herbal Essences and Garnier Fructis--not sure exactly which one it was). As you can see, my hair is extremely dry, dull and lifeless. There is no bounce or vibrance to it at all. I think what stands out to me most is how damaged and DRY it looks. I just want to pour water on it and give it a drink! So, the only thing that was different during the period of time that this picture was taken was the shampoo and conditioner I was using. I had my T3 blow dryer and I was using the Super Skinny Serum, but just subbed out the L'Oreal for the drugstore shampoo and conditioner.

Now, fast forward to present day. This is how my hair looks using the L'Oreal Professional products (I am currently using the products shown in the top images, but have used many combinations of this line, they all work superbly).

To my eye, the difference in quality of my hair is just hard to ignore. In the bottom pictures, my hair has bounce, shine, volume--it doesn't look like it's parched and dying of thirst! Actually, what's interesting too is that the first and last of the bottom pictures were taken after using Quick Slip and my hair actually looks better in those images than in the middle image where I just used the Super Skinny Serum. Hmmm, I think based on these photojournalistic proof, Quick Slip has officially replaced Super Skinny Serum as my must-have hair product!

So this is my photo journal of why I don't use drugstore shampoo. The difference in quality and health if the hair is amazingly noticeable. I personally have been most impressed and happiest with the L'Oreal Professional line. I've used Kerastase (also very good, but doesn't last as long), Aveda (not as impressive as the Kerastase), Paul Mitchell (again, not blown away by the PM shampoo/conditioning products), Frederic Fekkai (not impressed at all, my advice would be to skip Fekkai products all together, I've never liked anything I've tried from this line), Paul Brown (too drying) Bumble and bumble (did nothing for me), and Phyto (couldn't tell much of a difference at all). So in my experience, investing in some L'Oreal Professional would be the way to go to obtain healthier, bouncier, shinier hair. In my opinion, it's best to nourish the hair with the basics rather than having to worry about using all of these crazy products to make it appear fuller/healthier/shinier etc. That is my personal philosophy. My hair is healthy and in good condition, all it takes to make it look good is a tiny bit of Quick Slip, a blow dryer and a round brush. To me, that simplification is definitely worth the extra $20 or so that salon products cost. (L'Oreal Professional Hair Care available at fine salons, drugstore.com, and amazon.com)

What shampoo lines do you use? Which is your favorite? Do you swear by any specific line or product? Have you ever tried L'Oreal Professional?