Are Your Hair Care Products too Old?

What’s on the label matters…

Originally Published Aug, 2020. Updated February 2024. Contains affiliate links. Thank you for visiting!

Did you ever wonder why something might work beautifully and then, eventually, just NOT?

You’re not crazy…their is a reason for that…actually, probably several reasons, but let’s talk about two of those. Age and those pesky directions. Don’t worry…I’m not talking about YOUR age…I’m talking about the age of your beauty products! In the discussion, I will be talking from the perspective, mainly, of hair care products…but you can apply most of this to ALL of your beauty and personal care products.

Let’s just dig right in…

1. Read the directions.

Recently, I purchased Olaplex at home hair treatment. On first use, fell madly in love…MADLY. Second use? Well…not so much…

Guess what? I was exhausted. Didn’t feel like messing with it…but I knew it would be another week before I would wash my hair again, so I did it…without reading the label…or following instructions. I used wrong, and even at the wrong time…so many things I did wrong… Of course, I didn’t expect stellar results – and I certainly didn’t get them. So, the third time I used it, I actually read the directions…and guess what? Back to AMAZING results…

But, that’s not why we’re here, is it? To discuss my wrongs? 🤣 Well, hopefully it gets the point across.

The point is this…be careful not to blame the product if you’re not using it the way it was intended. Here are a few things I think we all try to get away with, and then blame the product (I know I’ve been guilty in the past)…

• Mixing product lines. Sometimes it doesn’t matter…you can mix and match your favorite products from different brands and lines, sometimes, though, it does actually matter. Many products simply perform BETTER when paired with products from the same line. If you’re uncertain, ask a sales rep or your stylist! If that’s not possible, it might be worth sending an email to the company. Not sure I’d go that far, but it’s certainly an option.
• Not giving a product time to do it’s job. If it says ‘leave in for three minutes, leave it for three minutes. If you have smart device (mobile phone, Alexa, etc..), it’s very easy to set a quick timer. If it says ‘for ‘maximum results, use daily/weekly/etc’….give it the opportunity to do that.
• Allow the product to right some wrongs. If you’re upgrading to a better product, switching brands, or, most especially, switching to more natural products, you may have the initial impression that product is a DISASTER for you…I’ve seen this over and over in hair discussions, and with friends and customers…Here’s the thing, though…If you don’t give it a proper chance (you know, the good ol’ college try?), you’re likely going to hate it. My favorite example of this is a friend of mine switching to more natural hair cleansers and conditioners…she was used to washing her hair DAILY, and couldn’t imagine going several days without using shampoo or some sort of cleanser…because of her natural oils…well, guess what? With lots of encouragement, and few pony tail days, and grinning and bearing it…it took about 3 weeks for her to feel good about going 3-4 days between washing. There’s a longer story there, but we’ll save that for another day! Trust me…give it a little time, a few tries…if you REALLY think it’s not working, ask around! Look for blogs, groups, posts, etc that discuss the product you are using (let me know if you need help finding hair groups – I’m in a few of those!) and read or ask questions! You can also, again, contact the manufacturer. In this case, I think it might be worth the effort and potential wait for a reply.
• Not actually reading the directions…seriously…there’s a reason they are there…
  • A much repeated joke about shampoos is that companies say lather, rinse, repeat…just to get you to use more! It’s pretty funny, and I used to sort of buy into that myself…and then…how many times do you repeat? Well, guess what? It’s a real thing…if the shampoo doesn’t lather, it’s likely not doing it’s job. And you’ll need to do it again. Sometimes, our precious scalps are just that dirty. Many sulfate free shampoos will still form a little bit of a lather, but even if they don’t, you’ll learn pretty quickly how to tell if you need to ‘repeat.’
  • Check out the label below from my Olaplex…see that big note, right on top, that starts out in ALL CAPS point they want to make sure they are getting across? I’d say that one is important. The thing is, if I just picked up this bottle at someone’s house, I’d think it was conditioner…and likely use it as such. Y’all. Read the directions, Ok?
  • If you want to get the best experience from any beauty product, read the label. Understand the instructions. Understand the ingredients. Know the codes. here’s a great article I found about the symbols on your beauty products on Bustle: This is Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Those Confusing Symbols on Your Beauty Products.
  • You might see a symbol (also pictured below) that looks like a finger pointing at a book...that means their is an insert you need to take a look at and that there is likely important information in that insert! It might be safety information, or it might be more detailed directions.

2. Check the dates.

In closing, you can often find a great deal more information about specific products online – usually, the manufacture’s website is the best place to start. If you purchased your products from a sales representative or salon, I would recommend starting there. It is, quite literally, part of their job to know the products and how to assist you in getting the best results.

I hope you found this article useful! If so, please let me know in the comments, or just hit that little like button. This helps to know what kind of information you, my dear reader, find helpful. Any other feedback is welcome, as well.

Much Love, and Many Blessings!

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