Shampoos

• Shampoos often contain surfactants such as laurel and laureth sulfates. "Their purpose is to make water wetter," says Damien Richard von Dahlem of Hair News Magazine. In other words, surfactants help products lather and increase their cleansing power by improving penetration into the hair. Lather is actually unnecessary; just because a shampoo has more bubbles doesn't mean it cleans better. Salon shampoos often contain gentler surfactants than store brands, with the gentlest being sodium laureth sulfate. Although a widely disseminated Internet rumor has led people to believe that laurel and laureth sulfates are carcinogenic, no concrete proof exists that this is true.
  
  

Conditioners

• Protein-based conditioners penetrate best and have the greatest softening effect. Because protein-based conditioners are also the most expensive, they're less likely to be found in supermarket or drug store brands but are in many salon products. When buying a conditioner, look for such ingredients as keratin and amino acids, both proteins that are good for strengthening the shaft of the hair. Milk protein is good for repairing split ends and damage from chemicals or heat styling. Moisturizers like lactic acid and lecithin are good for colored hair, helping it to look vibrant longer. Consider a high-protein conditioner that also contains balsam. In combination, the ingredients add volume by coating the hair shaft. Ask your stylist to recommend a salon conditioner containing high-quality proteins.
  
  

Styling Gel

• Styling gel is used to hold your hair in place, helping keep your spiky 'do from flattening by noon. Daniel Garza, a stylist at New York City's Robert Kree Salon, says, "Hair gels are usually alcohol-based and are best used to achieve styles that require medium to strong hold, like short, stiff spikes or tightly coiled hot-roller curls." Salon brand gels sometimes tout the same moisturizing ingredients as shampoos and conditioners, but because they're alcohol-based, they can still dry your hair. Be aware that "organic" and "botanical" ingredients such as honey, herbs and aloe are present in very minute quantities in most styling products, including those from salons, so it is debatable as to whether there is any benefit to your hair.
  
  

Hair Color

• The bleach and color used at salons are often the exact same ones you can buy at the drug store. The peroxide your stylist uses to strip you blond is the same kind that comes in commercial lightening kits. Here, though, is where it pays to visit a salon and allow a professional to do the work. A good stylist has studied color theory and knows how to complement your natural shade. She can suggest combinations of colors that you may not have thought of, and she knows which volume of developer to use to achieve the best results.
  
  

Hair Spray

• Hair spray, like glue, contains polymers that "freeze" the hair in place. Some polymers are plastic-based, and some are vegetable-based, such as gum arabic. A good hair spray is one that provides effective hold with a minimum of buildup. Hair-spray buildup can lead to dandruff and can be difficult to wash out. A select few salons are now marketing eco-friendly aerosol hair sprays, which are different from cheaper sprays. Look for one that is pine-tar based. If you use hair spray daily, remove buildup once a week with a substance that's neither a salon nor a supermarket beauty brand: plain baking soda. Mix a tablespoon into a half-cup of the shampoo of your choice and give your hair a good scrub.