Customer Reviews

Don't Go Shopping for Hair-Care Products Without Me: Over 4,000 Products Reviewed, Plus the Latest Hair-Care Information

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Paula Begoun, author of the infamous DON'T GO TO THE COSMETICS COUNTER WITHOUT ME, takes a look at another segment of the beauty industry, hair care. As in her cosmetics book, Begoun reviews hundreds of products using her simple rating style. In this book, her best buy categories are arranged by hair type, making it easy to find the exact product that is right for you. Begoun also includes a wealth of general information on hair care, from how to blow dry to choosing the best hairstyle.

Although this book is clearly a great resource, I didn't find it to be quite up to par with Begoun's cosmetics guide. First of all, Begoun has decided not to produce updated editions of the book, which means that newer hair care products released in the last 5 years are not included. In addition, I found the information on individual hair products is more repetitive and less detailed than what she offered for cosmetics. Furthermore, this book is not as well-organized as her cosmetics bible--Paula's Picks are not listed in the product entries, there is no glossary of product ingredients, etc. And finally, I would have liked to see reviews of hair coloring products.

Despite its flaws, this book is still a useful reference tool and is definitely worth a look.

Paula needs to provide an up to date version on hair care cuz this one doesn't do it....it's out dated....helpful but out dated!

As usual Paula seems to know what she is doing....her reviews helped me pick an effective combination with truly effective conditioning agents to tame my long hair which is very prone to tangling; before I had to deal with my hair frizzing and constantly knotting up into a bird's nest (despite the manufacturer's promises)--now it really is shiny and healthy!! I also suggest checking her website/newsletter for the latest updates on new products. By the way, I don't think it is poorly organized, nor is it racist. In fact African-American readers will find a wealth of straight-up and honest tell-it-like it is evaluations of all the products designed for their hair; as well as a well-balanced and well-written chapter addressing the current issues and the state-of-the-art of African-American hair care. That's not racist, it's fair and very inclusive. Probably some manufacturers (of all ethnicities) wold rather not see the truth about their products in print for the consumer to evaluate fairly, but that is to be expected. Excellent book!

For years I purchased expensive salon shampoos touting moisturizing properties for dry hair, only to have them dry out my hair. Finally I stumbled across a shampoo for dry hair that along with its conditioner, not only doesn't dry out my hair but leaves it looking shining. If I had first consulted Paula Begoun's book, I would have save myself a lot of money and bad hair days! I looked up all those shampoos claiming to moisturize dry hair, and Paula writes that they can dry out hair. I looked up the shampoo that worked and Paula not only gives it a favorable review, she lists it in "The Best Products" chapter under "Dry to very dry scalp and hair of any thickness." I appreciate that her product reviews contain a smiley, frowning or neutral face for quick reference, price per volume, a listing of what's in the product, and a statement or 2 about product, often with a mention of the type of hair it will or will not work well with.

In addition to 362 pages of product reviews and a 62 page section listing the best products for shampooing, conditioning and styling all types of hair, 191 pages provide an education about hair and the hair care industry. Among the topics covered are: Common ingredients in shampoos and why they're there, scientific causes of bad hair days, hair care basics, perming hair, coloring hair, and many more as you can see in the index. I'm not a cosmetologist, but Paula's information basically agrees with what my trusted hair stylist tells me. Also, I appreciate that Paula devoted a chapter to animal testing and gives a 1999 list of companies that do and do not test on animals, along with a website for getting a more up-to-date.

I'm giving 4 stars because of my one reservation about buying the book: as new hair care products become available and old ones go off the market or change their formulas, this book becomes dated. My January 2000 edition is nearly 3 years old and already I couldn't find a new shampoo that I tried, although since she gave all the other shampoos in that line a good rating, I correctly assumed it was good. If you're considering buying this book, I recommend buying a recent edition, or checking Paula's website, cosmeticscop.com, and seeing if a new edition is forthcoming. Other than that one hesitation, I wholeheartly recommend this book to everyone who has hair!

I've enjoyed Paula's makeup books, so I thought I'd give this one a try. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT!!!!!

some of the information was contradictory and some down right wrong. This book was a waste of my time and money.

Almost everyone else reviewing this book sang its praises, so I bought it. Now that I've read (and re- and re-read it), I agree with the reviewer who found the information contradictory and misleading. It is mind-boggling! I couldn't even find a category that described my hair type (or I could find several different ones that sorta fit, which isn't much more helpful than none). Am I dry to normal, dry to very dry, all hair types, normal to fine....? What a mess! And yes she is certainly contradictory, panning entire brands in the brand section and then naming their individual products in the lists of best products. There was also little guidance on putting together your product regimen. For example, should you use a rinse-out conditioner plus or instead of a leave-in conditioner? Then do you add a silicone serum and/or a styling product? I couldn't even figure out why anyone would want to use a shampoo that builds up. I'm not sure if anything in this book is reliable or makes any sense. I was better off before I read it.

I think Paula should just only list the best of the best happy faces and put in a reason if your shampoo is not in their it is not good enough to list. By according to her standards and expertise. Because this book is huge! It would save trees and ink. She does list the price with the ounces. What you should expect to pay. Read up at the library on this one. Seems she is in the 2nd edition. 3rd on the way. Or buy used! SAVE MONEY!

I can't understand how she has the time for all this research but I am sure glad she does! This is a very helpful book especially with all the claims made by the hair care companies! Going thru this book trying to find a product that is good for your hair can be daunting sometimes because there are just SO many products reviewed! BUT if you take your time and go thru the book and look thru her suggestion,,, you will find a good product at a great price. Paula has a real issue with over-paying (G-d Bless her :O) This book has saved me mega-bucks trying everything new that promises to cure my frizzes! Well worth the money at twice the price!

Folks, if you even care one iota about the hair on your head, or if you've ever been disappointed in the products you've bought to care for it (expensive or not), Paula will be your personal navigator through a sea of endelss choices! I already thought I knew a lot about caring for hair and what products to use from years of reading popular magazines like Cosmo and Allure. Finally, someone is setting the record straight and being honest in a way the hair care industry can't afford to be! Buy it, read it, live it! Your hair will be all the better for it, I promise!

Paula Begoun has written a book of reviews that are inept and incomplete. From page one she constantly contradicts herself on almost every topic she writes about. She tells how bad a product is and then gives it a recommendation. She gives people HORRIBLE advice on doing their own hair. Some of which can be damaging and expensive to repair. She states that perms and colors WILL damage the hair every time without exception and yet one of her references the American Association of Dermatologists says that perms and colors almost never damage the hair if done correctly. She says that hair has no genetic code, every cell in your body living or dead has a genetic code. Thats why they use hair samples to find DNA. Use this book as a reference for ideas, but please don't take her advice to heart without checking further. She also does not buy the shampoos and conditioners she rates. She simply looks at the ingredient labels. You cannot tell the quality of a product by ingredients alone. Use your better judgement or save your money and buy a cosmetics ingredients dictionary instead.