Your Hair Care Products, Are They Authentic?

Diversion is a term that is used in the beauty industry concerning hair care products. Diversion is when any store which is not a salon sells professional hair care products. Stores like Drug Emporium, CVS, Wal Mart, Walgreen's, and department stores just to name the main ones here in the states.

As a professional hair stylist my clients expect the best care for their hair when they come in my shop. I strive to give that to them. And in the course of this I recommend only the best that I can give them for their hair. And the best and most accurate products are the professional lines of products out there. My personal favorites are REDKEN, MATRIX, and PAUL MITCHELL. When it comes to diversion the owners are battling a hard battle. There is no law that says ONLY a salon can sell these products, so there is no legal ramifications for these individuals who purchase them and resell them to the other companies. This really should be changed though. When the products are purchased and resold via the black market there are issues about the safety of the products.

There are many ways that these products end up on the drugstore shelves. Most are bought through shady salon owners trying to make an extra buck. You have to be licensed to purchase professional products from the manufactures not just anyone can buy them. So the salon owner will purchase these products and then turn around and sell them to those in the black market who are willing to pay way over the retail value that the owner will get. The products are then once again sold to those who will usually alter them. They are stored in warehouses for a time, and then they will be opened diluted and re-packaged. Then they are re- distributed to stores.

During this process the temperature of the products are not maintained which can cause bacteria to grow. The products can become contaminated by human touch as well. Once the dilution process is done, comes the removal of the tracking number all manufactures place on the products. The number and code will be filed off the bottle. The code and tracking number is how manufactures keep up with their products and accept returns.

The products are then placed once again in storage until time to sell them.

WHAT IS REDKEN DOING TO STOP DIVERSION
In order to protect Redken salons and to ensure that consumers only receive the highest quality Redken products appropriate for their specific hair needs, Redken continues in its commitment to aggressively combat diversion:

• A former FBI agent developed the strategies and oversees the implementation of Redken's anti-diversion program.
• Exclusive product coding is used to track the movement of Redken products. This is the method for tracing products to industry diverters.
• Redken representatives undertake regular shelf sweeps at unauthorized retail outlets in the U.S. These products are subsequently decoded in an effort to identify diverters.
• Ongoing intelligence procedures uncover diversion schemes, including those involving stores and misuse of the Internet.
• Diversion information can be communicated to Redken's Security Department by calling the Redken Diversion Hotline at 1-800-503-3997 or by e-mailing us at NoDivert@aol.com.

You can help stop diversion! Redken offers monetary rewards for specific, supportable information leading to the identification and sanction of diverters of Redken products.

from redken.com

Dear Valued Clients,

First of all, thank you for choosing a salon that uses one or more of the following L’Oréal Professional Products – Matrix, Redken, PureOlogy, L’Oréal Professionnel, Artec, Kérastase, Shu Uemura Art of Hair and Mizani. I want to take this opportunity to speak to you directly about a problem facing our industry called Diversion. You have probably seen our products before in mass retailers, drug and grocery stores or unauthorized websites. Do not buy salon products from them. Why?

1. QUALITY – L’Oréal doesn’t authorize sales of professional products to these outlets and can’t guarantee the content or quality of these products. L’Oréal Professional Products purchased at unauthorized outlets are often older than 250 days, discontinued or even counterfeit. Because of the confidence we have in our products, for the 1st time ever, we are offering a QUALITY GUARANTEE. If you purchase our products at your local salon or spa and you’re not satisfied with their performance, return the product with a receipt within 4 weeks for a full refund. See your salon stylist or product website for further info.

2. PRICE – You may be at a price disadvantage when purchasing our products from an unauthorized sales outlet. In fact, through our price checks vs. syndicated data, we have found that salon products purchased at mass retailers are AT LEAST 10% higher than when bought at your local salon or spa.

3. PROFESSIONAL SERVICE - Most importantly, these products are sold without the service and recommendation of your stylist who knows the best product for your hair, and deprives them of the sale of this product and their service.

Support your stylist, care for your hair and your budget.

Please share your thoughts with me. I’m starting my own blog at davidcraggs.com. Or feel free to call our hotline at (800) 503-3997.

Sincerely,

David Craggs

President

L’Oréal Professional Products

Letter.PPDSalonDiversion 50003494

The price you would pay for a professional product at a salon is lower than what you would pay for the same product at any other drugstore. You will not get the expert advice about the product nor the one on one of how to use it that you would get form your stylist. There are so many different hair care products out there how could you possibly know which ones to use on your hair? This is where your stylist comes in. Your stylist knows your hair, and knows the products. As a professional she should be able to tell you right off which ones will work and which ones will not. Then she will tell you just how to use it. I have clients who tell me they don't like a certain product which I know is perfect their hair and style they are wearing.

Example: Redken product- REWIND. This is a putty like product designed to make the hair piecey and define the layers and/or make the hair spike out. But used in the wrong way this product will gum up the hair and make it gooey and flat. By instructing my clients on how to use this properly they have learned that this is the right product for them and they love it. This product sells in my salon for $16.00 and I have found it outside my salon for as much as $20.00(of course w/o the tracking code). Imagine spending that much on a product, getting home to use it and thinking that is what you need. Only to find out that it gums up your hair. You are out $20 as there is no refund on any product purchased through any retailer. However, if you purchase the same product at the right price from your stylist and are showed just how to use it you will be satisfied. And if you are not you can return it for a full refund.The amount of product that you use makes a big difference as well. When the bottle tells you to use a dime size that is what it means. The professional products are more concentrated than other products. You should never have to use a handful of a product to get the results you want. This is especially true for shampoo and conditioner. The myth about the more conditioner I use the better is just that, myth. The right conditioner should only need about a quarter size of the product to do the job. If you are having to use more than you need to you need to switch. This is a huge difference in professional products sold by professionals and ones sold by others. The main thing is to know what you are buying. Always look for the tracking codes on products(as shown in video) and make sure that where you are buying your products they are authorized to sell them.