9 Hair Products That I Avoid At All Costs

When you search online for hair products, there are plenty of rave reviews and people that share their favorite products. But what about the ones that don’t work?

The reality is that out of all of the products sold out there, not all of them are going to work for everyone’s hair type. And unfortunately, we sometimes have to find that out through trial and error. So with all that said, what are some of the products that I look straight past every time I go to the store now? Keep reading to find out!

Sulfate Shampoo

What is sulfate shampoo? Well, sulfates are an ingredient placed into certain shampoos to produce the suds we normally associate with clean hair.

They’re also responsible for the squeaky clean feeling we’re all familiar with. What may not be as well known though, is that sulfates are also found in other products, such as dishwashing liquid. While shampoos that contain sulfates do get our hair clean, they also strip our hair of its natural oils*, leaving it dry and frizzy.

Because of this, I always leave sulfate based shampoos on the shelves. Instead, I use black soap (by itself or a specific shampoo) to wash my hair. There aren’t any harsh chemicals, and it gets my hair just as clean.

Anything with cones

I also avoid products with ingredients like dimethicone. These ingredients add almost another layer to the hair, and are responsible for the slip and easy detangling we may be looking for in most products. You may see these ingredients in products like conditioners and stylers.

The unfortunate part though is that ingredients like dimethicone stay on the hair long after its applied. The only way to fully cleanse hair afterwards is by using a clarifying shampoo* (or black soap, in my case).

However, even though I don’t personally like -cones, they do serve a purpose. Some ladies use products with those ingredients before applying heat to their hair. A heat protectant* that contains dimethicone or something similar will act as an extra coating on the hair, so that it won’t be singed or damaged by the hot tools.

Products with ingredients I can’t pronounce 

Most people apply this way of thinking to their food, and I’ve applied it to my hair products. I prefer to know exactly what I’m putting in my hair, so I know whether it’s hurting me or not.

My simple rule in th beauty aisle is to turn the bottle over to the back and see if there are any ingredients I can’t pronounce. If it’s more than maybe two, and I can’t seem to find a benefit of that ingredient on Google, then I put it back.

Now, I normally shop indie businesses for my hair products. It’s much easier, because I can actually read and understand what I’m using. What also makes it better is that these products began in someone’s kitchen, for their own hair growth needs, so I’m more likely to trust it. Products made with love are 100 times better!

V05 Conditioner 

V05 conditioner is a staple for many naturals, especially because it’s so cheap. Depending on where you go, you can find it for as low as $1.

The ingredients also aren’t horrible, and they normally have nice scents. However, when I bought my first (and last) bottle of this conditioner, I was not impressed.

It didn’t provide any slip, and it didn’t leave my hair feeling softer. Conditioner is vital for any wash day, especially for replenishing moisture after shampoo. After the first two uses I realized this product wouldn’t do anything for me, and I used the rest of the bottle as shaving cream! (Yes, a girl’s got to get creative!)

Shea Moisture* Shea Butter* Deep Treatment Masque

This was one of the products from my first product junkie spree when I started my transitioning hair journey, and I was sad to say that it left me very underwhelmed.

The interesting thing about this deep conditioner* is that it’s the only product from the raw Shea butter* line that my hair did not like. It didn’t leave my hair feeling moisturized or soft, no matter how much or how little product I applied. This wound up sitting on my dresser until I could find someone to give it away to.

Organix Coconut Oil* Conditioner

Let me start this off by saying that Organix the brand is misleading. Although they’re marketed more as a natural brand, every product contains all of the ingredients that I mentioned above.

But for this product specifically, I just want to say that if you’re protein sensitive, I do not recommend this conditioner at all.

Coconut oil* is supposed to be moisturizing, but this conditioner seems more like its protein based. The one time I tried to use it, it left my hair hard, stringy, and hard to detangle. It also did not add any shine. I would literally never use this product again, except as a last resort, and even then I would add some carrier oils* to prevent that crunchy feeling.

Aussie Moist 3 Minute Miracle

The sad thing about the 3 Minute Miracle is that it used to be my favorite product ever! The price is decent, it smelled great, made my hair feel amazing, and didn’t need to be left on for an hour.

I used and used this product as much as I could, but unfortunately my hair adapted to it to where it was no longer effective.

After a while, my hair would feel really soft and tangle free while I was in the shower, but as soon as I stepped out, my hair would begin to dry immediately and it just wouldn’t feel nice. After I finished my first bottle of this product, I had to let it go and move on to something else.

Cantu Flat Iron* Spray

Before I realized that I could save myself time and energy by simply using oil to straighten my hair (or better yet, just not straighten at all), I had been in the market for a good heat protectant* spray. I purchased this from a local beauty supply store, and I was so disappointed.

The product is thick and sticky. Even when I applied it sparingly, it left each section stuck together and weighed down. I didn’t get the soft, blown out look that I was going for; instead my hair just looked like it needed to be washed. After trying it on two sections of hair, I immediately put it down and never used it again.

Salt / Beach Wave Spray

There are some people that use salt based sprays to help define their curls and give them extra pop – I am not one of them. I remember trying to use one of these sprays as a curl refreshed and overnight styler, but it was a BIG mistake. These products just leave my head itchy, and dry my curls out. My hair had no shine after using it. They also need to be washed out frequently just to prevent product build up.

Instead, I stick to simple gels and normal leave in sprays to define and moisturize my hair. Less hassle, more moisture, and definitely a lot more shine. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for anyone with type 4 hair, but ladies with looser curl patterns may have better results from using products like these.

And these are the products that i mostly avoid! After two years of trying practically everything on the shelves, I have a better idea of what my hair likes and doesn’t like. What about you? Comment below and tell us your least favorite products!