Dear Answer Girl,
Well, it is that time of year again-the big question has arrived. What, you ask? Time to buy more shampoo. I know this seems trivial, but my hair is a complicated thing. It is wavy, but more on the curlier side, and can get really curly if I want it to. I want to enhance the curl while minimizing the frizz. I want my new look to be as natural as possible (none of that gel crap). And, seeing that I am on a tight budget, I want it to be as affordable as possible. Can you help?
Frizzy in Frank Clement
Yeah, sure. I can help. And yes, it is pretty trivial. But, you asked.
Do you really expect to go out to the Wal-Mart armed with $2 in nickels and dimes and buy a miracle shampoo that will turn your drab, frizzy hair into model hair in just one wash?
Think about your friends. Now think about their hair. Do you actually know anyone whose hair looks really good on a regular basis? No. Of course not.
Hair is not supposed to look really good. It’s supposed to keep your head, back and shoulders warm.
So maybe if you really want to do yourself a favor, you’ll grow it as long as possible and wear it down all the time. No need for that expensive new jacket when you’re Mr. Super Mullet or a Crystal Gale-wannabe.
But if you insist upon buying some new kind of shampoo, just grab a bottle of Suave, VO5 or the cleverly labeled store brand. You can get a couple different scents for showering enjoyment and you’ll still have enough change for that pack of gum at the checkout line.
Of course, if your budget is as tight as you say, maybe you’ll just do what most college students do and leave your current shampoo bottle open so that shower water trickles in, magically refilling the container every day.
If you really knew anything about hair care, though, you would realize that manageable hair comes not from shampoo, but from conditioner.
Haven’t you seen those hair product commercials on TV? They are the experts, right? And they always stress that shampoo strips away dirt and oil, while conditioner leaves hair shiny and manageable.
The moral: get a two-pack of cheap shampoo and conditioner. You’ll likely get at least 14 percent free, and you’ll get to smell your scent of choice not once, but twice in your shower progression.
Just as with placebos in medicine, if you believe hard enough that your shampoo and conditioner will make your hair beautiful, it surely will.
But if you diligently shampoo and condition for at least a few days and are still not satisfied, then maybe you should take your purse/wallet to the salon (after a cash advance from the ATM, of course) and ask a stylist.
They are paid professionals, and I’m sure they could steer you toward a series of at least six styling products that are crucial for your hair type, length, color, cut, oiliness, flexibility and elasticity – completely objectively, of course.

Author