The Hair RoundupOriginal count of Reddit commentsPublished and last updated 11 November 2026
Are expensive hair products worth it?
70% of the 201 commenters who compared cheap with expensive hair products in general said the cheap ones work as well or better, or that the expensive ones are not worth it.
140 of 201 commenters in 22 Reddit threads, 2021 to 2026. A commenter is one person in one thread. The threads were chosen because commenters in them discuss price and value. They are not a random sample.
140 said cheap works as well or better, or expensive is not worth it
36 said it depends
25 said expensive is better
140 said cheap works as well or better, or expensive is not worth it
36 said it depends
25 said expensive is better
One bar is one commenter. All 201 are drawn. Solid: cheap works as well, or expensive is not worth it. Dashed: it depends. Red: expensive is better.
See these numbers as a table
| What they said | Commenters | Share of the 201 |
|---|---|---|
| Cheap works as well or better, or expensive is not worth it | 140 | 70% |
| It depends | 36 | 18% |
| Expensive is better | 25 | 12% |
Check the bottle in your hand
What does yours cost an ounce?
In these threads, verdicts split by the brand’s price per ounce. See which band your bottle’s price falls in.
Divide the price by the fluid ounces on the label, then find that price in the list.
Across all four price bands, 80 price verdicts said a brand was worth its price and 40 said it was not.
-
Under $0.75an ounce · 10-oz bottle under $7.50
42 said worth it · 0 said not 100% of 42 said worth it.
-
$0.75 to $2an ounce · 10-oz bottle $7.50 to $20
11 said worth it · 1 said not Small group: read the two counts, not a percentage.
-
$2 to $4an ounce · 10-oz bottle $20 to $40
15 said worth it · 21 said not 42% of 36 said worth it.
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$4 and upan ounce · 10-oz bottle $40 or more
12 said worth it · 18 said not 40% of 30 said worth it.
A price verdict is one commenter saying one named brand was, or was not, worth its price. Bands use each brand’s standard shampoo price on 11 November 2026. This is what commenters wrote about brands. It does not rate your bottle.
Four more figures to quote
Each says what it counts and how many. The button copies the sentence with its source.
The price band
Verdicts split from $2 an ounce
We grouped brands by the shelf price per fluid ounce of their standard shampoo on 11 November 2026, then counted each price verdict: one commenter saying one named brand was, or was not, worth its price. “Worth it” includes “cheap for what it does.” $2 is the edge between two of our four bands, not a measured tipping point: cut at $3 instead, 58 of 63 verdicts below said worth it and 22 of 57 at or above did. The price is the brand’s shampoo today, not what each commenter paid. $2 an ounce is about $20 for a 10-ounce bottle.
53 of 54 said worth it98%
42 of 42 under $0.75, 11 of 12 from $0.75 to $227 of 66 said worth it41%
15 of 36 from $2 to $4, 12 of 30 at $4 and up42 worth it
0 not worth it
42 of 42 worth it (100%) 10-oz bottle: under $7.50 14 brands priced
11 worth it
1 not worth it
Small group: read the two counts, not a percentage 10-oz bottle: $7.50 to $20 16 brands priced
15 worth it
21 not worth it
15 of 36 worth it (42%) 10-oz bottle: $20 to $40 17 brands priced
12 worth it
18 not worth it
12 of 30 worth it (40%) 10-oz bottle: $40 or more 11 brands priced
- Under $0.75: 42 of 42 worth it (100%).
- $0.75 to $2: 11 worth it, 1 not. Small group: read the two counts, not a percentage.
- $2 to $4: 15 of 36 worth it (42%).
- $4 and up: 12 of 30 worth it (40%).
one price verdict: worth it (above the shelf) one price verdict: not worth it (below the shelf) Verdicts on brands we could not price are left out of this chart: 98 worth it and 46 not worth it were counted in all.
See these numbers as a table
| Price per ounce | 10-oz bottle | Brands priced | Worth it | Not worth it | Share worth it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $0.75 | under $7.50 | 14 | 42 | 0 | 100% |
| $0.75 to $2 | $7.50 to $20 | 16 | 11 | 1 | Small group |
| $2 to $4 | $20 to $40 | 17 | 15 | 21 | 42% |
| $4 and up | $40 or more | 11 | 12 | 18 | 40% |
| Average price per ounce behind each verdict | $1.76 (80 verdicts) | $3.98 (40 verdicts) |
“This “cheap” L’Oréal cost me like $6 each and the salon ones were $50 and $40 per bottle” …
“I can’t believe I used to shell out $60 for Olaplex every couple of months.”
A separate count
Did it work for them? Mostly yes, at every price
Reports of how a named brand’s products worked. A report is one commenter on one brand in one thread, so a commenter who wrote about three brands appears three times. It is what they wrote, not a measure of the product. Bars come in tens. A full row is 100 reports.
said it workedmixed (dashed)said it did not (red, set lower)
Under $0.75
an ounce. A brand here was named 498 times. 398 of those said how it worked.
85% of the 398 reports said it worked 338 worked · 28 mixed · 32 did not
$0.75 to $2
an ounce. A brand here was named 105 times. 86 of those said how it worked.
88% of the 86 reports said it worked 76 worked · 2 mixed · 8 did not
$2 to $4
an ounce. A brand here was named 275 times. 194 of those said how it worked.
63% of the 194 reports said it worked 122 worked · 16 mixed · 56 did not
$4 and up
an ounce. A brand here was named 235 times. 163 of those said how it worked.
71% of the 163 reports said it worked 116 worked · 14 mixed · 33 did not
Across every brand named, priced or not: 791 of 1,014 reports said it worked (78%), 75 were mixed, 148 said it did not.
See these numbers as a table
| Price per ounce | Times a brand was named | Reports of how it worked | Worked | Mixed | Did not | Share worked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $0.75 | 498 | 398 | 338 | 28 | 32 | 85% |
| $0.75 to $2 | 105 | 86 | 76 | 2 | 8 | 88% |
| $2 to $4 | 275 | 194 | 122 | 16 | 56 | 63% |
| $4 and up | 235 | 163 | 116 | 14 | 33 | 71% |
| Every brand, priced or not | 1,351 | 1,014 | 791 | 75 | 148 | 78% |
Brands
Brand by brand
30 brands were named by 10 or more commenters. The 8 most discussed come first. The price is each brand’s standard shampoo on 11 November 2026; commenters may have meant any of its products. Smaller brands are counted in the price bands but never shown alone.
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Pantene
$0.36/oz106 commenters named it · 13 threads
75 worked · 3 mixed · 7 did not88% of the 85 who said
13 worth it · 0 not worth it
1 said the formula changed
-
L'Oréal Paris
$0.27/oz89 commenters named it · 16 threads
56 worked · 9 mixed · 1 did not85% of the 66 who said
8 worth it · 0 not worth it
1 said the formula changed
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Olaplex
$3.58/oz86 commenters named it · 17 threads
37 worked · 6 mixed · 17 did not62% of the 60 who said
6 worth it · 6 not worth it
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Redken
$3.07/oz73 commenters named it · 12 threads
29 worked · 5 mixed · 19 did not55% of the 53 who said
2 worth it · 4 not worth it
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K18
$4.59/oz71 commenters named it · 13 threads
34 worked · 1 mixed · 10 did not76% of the 45 who said
4 worth it · 2 not worth it
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TRESemmé
$0.20/oz64 commenters named it · 8 threads
41 worked · 2 mixed · 6 did not84% of the 49 who said
4 worth it · 0 not worth it
2 said the formula changed
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Kérastase
$5.29/oz43 commenters named it · 15 threads
21 worked · 3 mixed · 1 did not84% of the 25 who said
4 worth it · 5 not worth it
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Garnier
$0.29/oz37 commenters named it · 13 threads
27 worked · 0 mixed · 1 did not96% of the 28 who said
No price verdicts
Show all 30 brandsHide the other 22 brands
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Suave
$0.17/oz35 commenters named it · 9 threads
22 worked · 1 mixed · 4 did not81% of the 27 who said
4 worth it · 0 not worth it
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Dove
$0.32/oz35 commenters named it · 8 threads
28 worked · 1 mixed · 3 did not88% of the 32 who said
2 worth it · 0 not worth it
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Herbal Essences
$0.64/oz33 commenters named it · 9 threads
23 worked · 3 mixed · 1 did not85% of the 27 who said
3 worth it · 0 not worth it
-
Pureology
$4.33/oz31 commenters named it · 7 threads
16 worked · 1 mixed · 7 did not67% of the 24 who said
0 worth it · 1 not worth it
1 said the formula changed
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OGX
$0.43/oz25 commenters named it · 7 threads
15 worked · 2 mixed · 3 did not75% of the 20 who said
1 worth it · 0 not worth it
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Head & Shoulders
$0.39/oz25 commenters named it · 7 threads
18 worked · 2 mixed · 2 did not82% of the 22 who said
2 worth it · 0 not worth it
-
amika
$2.90/oz24 commenters named it · 10 threads
10 worked · 0 mixed · 8 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
3 worth it · 2 not worth it
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Aussie
$0.30/oz22 commenters named it · 7 threads
17 worked · 3 mixed · 1 did not81% of the 21 who said
1 worth it · 0 not worth it
-
Davines
$4.53/oz21 commenters named it · 4 threads
9 worked · 1 mixed · 6 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
1 worth it · 2 not worth it
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Oribe
$6.59/oz19 commenters named it · 6 threads
10 worked · 1 mixed · 3 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
2 worth it · 2 not worth it
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Paul Mitchell
$1.57/oz17 commenters named it · 7 threads
13 worked · 0 mixed · 0 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
2 worth it · 1 not worth it
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Kevin Murphy
$4.40/oz16 commenters named it · 4 threads
7 worked · 2 mixed · 1 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
0 worth it · 1 not worth it
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Biolage
$2.00/oz15 commenters named it · 6 threads
7 worked · 0 mixed · 2 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
No price verdicts
-
SheaMoisture
$0.62/oz13 commenters named it · 8 threads
6 worked · 2 mixed · 3 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
No price verdicts
-
Moroccanoil
$3.53/oz13 commenters named it · 7 threads
6 worked · 0 mixed · 5 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
0 worth it · 5 not worth it
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Living Proof
$4.50/oz12 commenters named it · 6 threads
6 worked · 2 mixed · 1 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
0 worth it · 1 not worth it
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Kristin Ess
$1.20/oz12 commenters named it · 7 threads
10 worked · 0 mixed · 0 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
2 worth it · 0 not worth it
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Aveda
$2.47/oz12 commenters named it · 4 threads
8 worked · 0 mixed · 1 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
1 worth it · 0 not worth it
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Color Wow
$2.98/oz11 commenters named it · 6 threads
4 worked · 2 mixed · 1 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
1 worth it · 1 not worth it
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VO5
$0.44/oz11 commenters named it · 6 threads
7 worked · 0 mixed · 0 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
4 worth it · 0 not worth it
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OUAI
$3.40/oz10 commenters named it · 4 threads
7 worked · 2 mixed · 1 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
1 worth it · 2 not worth it
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Kenra
$1.98/oz10 commenters named it · 4 threads
4 worked · 0 mixed · 3 did notSmall group: read the counts, not a percentage.
3 worth it · 0 not worth it
See all 30 brands as a table, cheapest first
| Brand | Per ounce | Band | Commenters | Threads | Worked | Mixed | Did not | Worth it | Not worth it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suave | $0.17 | Under $0.75 | 35 | 9 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| TRESemmé | $0.20 | Under $0.75 | 64 | 8 | 41 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| L'Oréal Paris | $0.27 | Under $0.75 | 89 | 16 | 56 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Garnier | $0.29 | Under $0.75 | 37 | 13 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aussie | $0.30 | Under $0.75 | 22 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Dove | $0.32 | Under $0.75 | 35 | 8 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Pantene | $0.36 | Under $0.75 | 106 | 13 | 75 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 0 |
| Head & Shoulders | $0.39 | Under $0.75 | 25 | 7 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| OGX | $0.43 | Under $0.75 | 25 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| VO5 | $0.44 | Under $0.75 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| SheaMoisture | $0.62 | Under $0.75 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Herbal Essences | $0.64 | Under $0.75 | 33 | 9 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Kristin Ess | $1.20 | $0.75 to $2 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Paul Mitchell | $1.57 | $0.75 to $2 | 17 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Kenra | $1.98 | $0.75 to $2 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Biolage | $2.00 | $2 to $4 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Aveda | $2.47 | $2 to $4 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| amika | $2.90 | $2 to $4 | 24 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 2 |
| Color Wow | $2.98 | $2 to $4 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Redken | $3.07 | $2 to $4 | 73 | 12 | 29 | 5 | 19 | 2 | 4 |
| OUAI | $3.40 | $2 to $4 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Moroccanoil | $3.53 | $2 to $4 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Olaplex | $3.58 | $2 to $4 | 86 | 17 | 37 | 6 | 17 | 6 | 6 |
| Pureology | $4.33 | $4 and up | 31 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Kevin Murphy | $4.40 | $4 and up | 16 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Living Proof | $4.50 | $4 and up | 12 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Davines | $4.53 | $4 and up | 21 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| K18 | $4.59 | $4 and up | 71 | 13 | 34 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 2 |
| Kérastase | $5.29 | $4 and up | 43 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Oribe | $6.59 | $4 and up | 19 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
In their words
What the three views sound like
Exact excerpts, no usernames. The yellow phrase earned the comment its reading.
140 said cheap works as well, or expensive is not worth it
“Maaan I’m so tired of pretending to like these expensive shampoos… tresemme always comes through for me.”
“I feel like we've all been caught up with an expensive shampoo fad and it really is just - do what makes your hair happy.”
36 said it depends
“Some hair just does better with certain ingredients in cheaper shampoos.”
25 said expensive is better
“I’m never going back to drugstore brands because of how unproblematic those salon brands are.”
Method
How the count was done
The Hair Roundup
Price census: what was read
11 November 2026
Reddit threads read39
Opening post or its author gone17
Threads counted22
Comments read in them2,483
Since deleted, left out96
Comments counted from2,387
Said nothing we could count1,570
Comments with a reading817
Commenters behind them702
Each thread’s opening post
is counted as a comment.
One comment, start to finish
- 1. The comment
“My hair does the absolute best with cheap drugstore shampoo and washing every other day.”
r/Haircare · open the thread
- 2. How it was read
A general view that cheap works as well or better. No brand is named, so no brand gets a mark.
- 3. What it adds
One bar. It is 1 of the 140 behind the 70% at the top of this page.
Show the method, step by stepHide the steps
- 22 threads, chosen on purpose
- Threads where commenters discuss whether hair products are worth their price, posted 2021 to 2026: r/HaircareScience (9), r/Haircare (7), r/finehair (3), r/curlyhair (2), r/femalehairadvice (1). Some open with a routine or a problem and turn to price in the comments. They are not a random sample. We read 39 threads and left out 17, along with the 1,537 comments under them: in 16 the opening post has since been deleted by its author or removed by moderators, and in 1 the author’s account is gone.
- Every comment read
- 2,483 comments. 96 have since been deleted or removed on Reddit and are left out of every count. Every thread was re-read on Reddit on 11 November 2026.
- Two AI readers, then a third
- The readers were AI language models, not people. Two of them (Claude Opus 5.5 and Claude Fable 5.2), working separately from one written codebook, coded every comment. A third (Claude Sonnet 5.5) settled their disagreements without being told which reader wrote which reading. In the 22 threads counted, the two readings matched 1,612 times and the third reader settled the other 217. A comment with no view in it got no reading.
- What a reading is
- One commenter’s view of one brand, or of cheap against expensive in general, in one thread. One comment can hold several readings, one for each brand it judges. Several comments by one person about one brand in a thread make one reading.
- How the three general views were told apart
- Cheap works as well: cheap or drugstore products work as well as or better than expensive ones, or expensive products are not worth it in general. Expensive is better: expensive, salon or professional products are better in general, or cheap ones do damage or underperform. It depends: the commenter says outright that it depends on the product, the hair or the ingredient, or that neither is better across the board.
- One reading per commenter, per thread, per brand
- Ten comments about one brand in one thread still count once.
- Four price bands
- By the shelf price per fluid ounce of each brand’s standard shampoo, read once on 11 November 2026, most of them on Amazon’s US store: under $0.75, $0.75 to $2, $2 to $4, $4 and up. Each band includes its lower price and stops just short of its upper one. 58 brands were priced.
- Also coded: formula changes and fakes
- 14 commenters said a brand’s formula had changed and 2 warned about counterfeit bottles or unauthorized sellers. Both groups are too small to break down.
- What was left out
- Drugs and medical treatments, supplements, and salon services. Brands named by fewer than 10 commenters are counted in the bands but not shown alone. A brand’s commenter count is everyone who named it in a comment, with or without a view of it.
- Limit: two threads carry most of the headline
- 128 of the 201 general views come from two threads (“Just me or are salon quality shampoos not worth it?” and “Why does my hair look best when I use the cheapest shampoo”). Without the first the share is 76% of 123. Without the second it is 66% of 151. Without both it is 73% of 73.
- Limit: these threads, and Reddit
- The figures describe these 22 threads only. Reddit skews: its commenters are not a cross-section of everyone who buys hair products. Under 20 verdicts, this page prints counts and no percentage.
- Limit: opinions, not measurements
- The count records what commenters wrote. It does not measure how any product performs.
Sources
The 22 threads
Largest first. The bar is the number of comments counted in each: 2,387 in all.
| Thread | Subreddit and year | Comments counted | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why does my hair look best when I use the cheapest shampoo | r/Haircare · 2024 | 363 | 193 readings |
| Just me or are salon quality shampoos not worth it? | r/finehair · 2024 | 360 | 416 readings |
| is it possible to achieve this kind of glow w only drugstore products? | r/Haircare · 2023 | 268 | 86 readings |
| Silicons and sulphates…… hair feels amazing? | r/HaircareScience · 2023 | 255 | 77 readings |
| Are hair glosses worth it? | r/HaircareScience · 2024 | 112 | 32 readings |
| PLEASE HELP!! Hair oily immediately after shower | r/Haircare · 2025 | 109 | 43 readings |
| Why does my hair look and feel better with cheap shampoo? | r/HaircareScience · 2022 | 103 | 53 readings |
| Im glad Im not the only person that hates sulfate free shampoos | r/HaircareScience · 2021 | 95 | 40 readings |
| Why does my hair always end up like this? | r/Haircare · 2025 | 83 | 8 readings |
| It seems impossible to find the perfect shampoo | r/HaircareScience · 2023 | 66 | 42 readings |
Show all 22 threadsHide threads 11 to 22
Download and cite
Take the data. Quote the count.
Columns: thread, commenter, brand, price_per_oz_usd, price_band, general_view, experience, price_verdict, warning. A row with the last four columns empty is a commenter naming a brand without a view of it.
Using a figure? Please link to this page so readers can check the count.
The Hair Roundup, "Are expensive hair products worth it?" (a count of 22 Reddit threads), 11 November 2026, https://www.thehairroundup.com/research/are-expensive-hair-products-worth-it/
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