Bootleg hair products at Beauty Supply Stores!

[cocoberry10]

Of topic but similar - I found out my ex hairstylist would buy a big container of a really good conditioner and shampoo, and when it ran out, he would fill the brand name containers with cheap dollar store stuff. Every week I would pay an extra $10 for a Mizani deep conditioner and I never got it. He was putting some crappy instant conditioner on my hair and putting my under the dryer. He had me fooled big time. According to my mother in law, who is an ex stylist, this happens often.

Unfortunately, I’ve heard of this. I’ve also heard that sometimes when you buy products at a discounted rate, it’s b/c the product has reached its expiration (i.e. buy at Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid or at a discount BSS).

Oh and a stylist putting cheapie conditioner in a brand bottle doesn’t surprise me either. Thank God I do my own hair now!

 

[yourleoqueen]

I wish more companies would seal their stuff and put 'Sealed For Your Protection' on it like I've seen on some Africa's Best products. They do that for a few things in the Organics line.

I hope you folks that bought bootleg products reported these people to the BBB, the companies they are bootlegging or somebody. That is unethical and could be dangerous.

 

[imstush]

Wow, why am i surprised? FOr the life of me I never understood why everyone kept saying WGO stink. Mine never smells bad. UGH! Does this apply to drug stores as well? That's where I get my Nexxus. I have been too cheap to go to Aveda. But for the price of keeping my hair on my head I may need to go ahead and invest in only Aveda.

 

[SoforReal]

Wow, why am i surprised? FOr the life of me I never understood why everyone kept saying WGO stink. Mine never smells bad. UGH! Does this apply to drug stores as well? That's where I get my Nexxus. I have been too cheap to go to Aveda. But for the price of keeping my hair on my head I may need to go ahead and invest in only Aveda.

Do you mean established drug stores chains? If so I sincerely doubt they would bootleg products. As one member stated earlier they have too much at stake to do so.

 

[Ms. Cleo]

Do you mean established drug stores chains? If so I sincerely doubt they would bootleg products. As one member stated earlier they have too much at stake to do so.

Actually the word has been out for awhile to be very wary of buying professional salon products in a drugstore or grocery store. If you check out the Paul Mitchell website there is a FAQ about buying professional salon products at mass retailers and such: http://www.paulmitchell.com/About_Us/Pages/ProductControl.aspx


It all boils down to who can make a buck off of the unsuspecting public. That is not race-specific.

 

[CurleeDST]

at the bss where i go i noticed keracare products have a seal on them which you have to remove before using. i tried the smell test in the store but the seal prevents that.

 

[MzPrince]

Actually the word has been out for awhile to be very wary of buying professional salon products in a drugstore or grocery store. If you check out the Paul Mitchell website there is a FAQ about buying professional salon products at mass retailers and such: http://www.paulmitchell.com/About_Us/Pages/ProductControl.aspx


It all boils down to who can make a buck off of the unsuspecting public. That is not race-specific.

That's the same with OPI nail polish. I know here in Jacksonville the places that are licensed to sell it are JCPenney and Trade Secret. I'm sure a lot of the salons probably purchase from the distributors of OPI and sell from their salons and some don't but I definitely would not purchase any bottles of the polish that has Asian writing on the back of them. I've seen a lot of these floating around.

 

[BroadstreetBully]

OH MY! That's really messed up!

Now that I think about it, it makes A LOT of sense!

I purchased some WGO from an Asian BSS and felt like it was turning my hair hard and actually thinning my edges. But since everyone raved about it, I kept using it. Luckily I didn't have any serous side effects since I just went ahead and threw it out! I'm going to be more cautious now though, and purchase from reputable online sites if needed.

 

[PhonyBaloney500]

Gross. Which brands are likely to be bootleg? I hardly shop in those stores (I use Oyin, Kinky Curly, Avalon Organics, and Dr. Bronners mainly) but I picked up some heat protector (Motions).

 

[imstush]

Actually the word has been out for awhile to be very wary of buying professional salon products in a drugstore or grocery store. If you check out the Paul Mitchell website there is a FAQ about buying professional salon products at mass retailers and such: http://www.paulmitchell.com/About_Us/Pages/ProductControl.aspx


It all boils down to who can make a buck off of the unsuspecting public. That is not race-specific.

that's exactly who I was thinking of. Especially the fact that you can buy Paul Mitchell in drug stores such as Duane Reade.

 

[Kimberly]

That's a shame! You walk out thinking you're getting a tub of Mizani Relaxer and for all you know it's Bantu

Speaking of Bantu...I bought a Bantu relaxer from an Asian BSS back when I was still using Bantu....left it on my hair for 45 minutes! It did not tingle, it did not burn, it did not straighten. Anyone familiar with Bantu knows something is wrong with that scenario. At the time, I thought it was just old relaxer. I got my next tub from Sally's and it must have been fresh from the factory because I couldn't hardly get it applied good before I had to start rinsing it out...:burning:

Now, I'm wondering if it was actually old relaxer or just bootleg...erplexed

 

[SoforReal]

OMG! I thought I was in the clear by shopping at drug store or grocery store chains. I never bought my products from salons b/c I always thought they overcharged. But paying those extra few bucks may just be worth it.

 

[Nita81]

Speaking of Bantu...I bought a Bantu relaxer from an Asian BSS back when I was still using Bantu....left it on my hair for 45 minutes! It did not tingle, it did not burn, it did not straighten. Anyone familiar with Bantu knows something is wrong with that scenario. At the time, I thought it was just old relaxer. I got my next tub from Sally's and it must have been fresh from the factory because I couldn't hardly get it applied good before I had to start rinsing it out...:burning:

Now, I'm wondering if it was actually old relaxer or just bootleg...erplexed

Goodness gracious ....45 minutes !

 

[Energist]

Wow, that can be dangerous. That's just going to far, because faking chemicals or ingredients may harm people or cause allergic reactions. You can sue for false advertisement, especially if the pseudo products give you a rash or make your hair fall out!

 

[**WonderWoman**]

at the bss where i go i noticed keracare products have a seal on them which you have to remove before using. i tried the smell test in the store but the seal prevents that.

Can anyone share tips on how to spot the fake products? I was going to suggest checking to make sure it had a seal, but it seems like these people mean business and can easily put a seal on the bottle.

 

[JazzyDez]

This pisses me off like hell, yet I am not surprised.

The ORS Olive Oil lotion I bought from this BSS a few months ago was watery on top and all together not the same consistency as what I normally get and this is a staple of mine. I kept thinking to myself, this doesn't even seem like the real thing and I decided to toss it, and I bought another bottle from wal-mart. It was probably BOOTLEG.

These people need to be sued!

I am transitioning to mostly professional products anyway so I think I am going to start buying most of my products from professional salons or natural stores. I would probably only need the bss for mango butter. ORS is at wal-mart.

 

[MizAvalon]

This is very interesting. I used to use Natural Oasis a long time ago. I see it all the time in Beauty Max in Clinton and I never looked closely to see if it says New Oasis...they have big display of the product.

I have heard of the fake products. I think it got so bad, that the original product makers have placed disclaimers on their bottles saying that if you don't purchase it at a LICENSED salon, then it could be fake. I know at drugstore.com website they have disclaimers about the prodcut being authentic too. One thing the BSS started doing is putting in a fake salon, but never operating it. Has anyone noticed this....they have the chairs, bowls and stuff in the back so they can qualify to purchase salon products...but they never open the salon.

So I guess it is best to go to a REAL salon to get the high end products.

WOW!! Now this, I didn't know. I knew all about the fake products but they have fake salons too? Now I know why I have never, ever seen a soul getting their hair done at the salon that's connected to a BSS store that I sometimes go to.

 

[princcessnadia]

Wow this difinantly has me rethinking going to Asian BSS for anything!!erplexed

 

[LovelyLionessa]

Wow, what an eye opening thread.

 

[Reslnt1]

this happened to me recently with the JRedding Natural Protein conditioner....i initiallyu bought it at sallys for $8 and then went to the bss and saw that it was $4 so i bought it with intention of returning the sallys bottle,....when i got back to the car i realized that although the names and smell were the same the wording on the bottles were in different locations.....i wanted to return the bss version but they have a no return policy...

 

[CurleeDST]

i just go to trade secret and call it a day

 

[CurleeDST]

puhlease i carenothing about that no return policy. i bought some barry fletcher product, got it home and it had green mold in it. i went back to the asian bss and told them i wanted to return the product. they wanted to give me an in store credit - i told them NO and they returned my money - with receipt of course.

this happened to me recently with the JRedding Natural Protein conditioner....i initiallyu bought it at sallys for $8 and then went to the bss and saw that it was $4 so i bought it with intention of returning the sallys bottle,....when i got back to the car i realized that although the names and smell were the same the wording on the bottles were in different locations.....i wanted to return the bss version but they have a no return policy...

 

[Nightingale]

I haven't been to a BSS in awhile. I bought some Joico products from TJ Maxx and returned all of them. I rebought them at Trade Secret and Mastercuts, just to be sure they were authentic. Buying from salons isn't so bad since they have sales often. Mastercuts was 50% off for all the Joico.

 

[Artemis]

I went threw this episode recently with a Koren BSS down here that I always shop at. I was buying the Mizani relaxers from them, for the past 4 times that I've had it. The very first time I got it I noticed that the relaxer did not have a plastic film on it, just the cap. So when I went to ask about it, they told me that was the way it was sent. So I said okkkk?? seems a bit strange, but I got it anyway. Then on the last visit and relaxer that I got from them, I opened it and noticed that the creme had two different colors, like an off white and yellowish color. I went back to the store and showed them. But however, in the light at the store it all looked the same color. So at this point I thought I was tripping and of course so did they. Sooo I took it home and I used it, but made sure not to keep it on my head the usual time length. After washing it out, I noticed that my hair did not feel the same as it had the previous times. Right at that moment I wished that I had went with my first instinct.

So I visited a new BSS, and when I asked at about the Mizani and Affrim relaxer, she went behind the counter and pulled out the box they had actually been shipped in. I could clearly see the mailing label on the box, and it was directly from Avlon (for Affrim), and Mizani. They all had the plastic film cover and everything. I vowed then that I would never go back to that other BSS after that.

Um...?

I did NOT know that this relaxer came w/a plastic film cover!!!
WTH? I bought mine from an Asian BSS, and had been wondering why it was taking me forever to get my hair straight w/Mizani when everyone else said it worked fast

I am ordering mine from online from now on!

 

[SoforReal]

Dang, you can't even feel comfortable thinking your getting a good deal on hair products. I was totally in the dark about this bootlegging of hair products.

You really just have to be careful, I guess. I know this girl who bottle a bottle of Infusium 23, didn't like it b/c she said it made her hair crunchy, so homegirl put water in the bottle to make up the weight for the the amount she used, and brought it right back to good old wal mart who accepts just about any return..and y'all know they put it right back on the selves too..I feel bad for the person who bought that bottle!

Ahh hell naw!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hairmaster]

I got it online from Payne's Beauty supply. There was a thread on the Butter blend mizani a week or so ago and this was the only place that had it so far.

It's not on the shelves of proffesional only supply stores in St. Louis.. So how can they have it?

 

[pisceschica]

THAT is exactly the reason why manufacturers of PROFESSIONAL brand products tell people to stay away from beauty supply stores that sell bootleg products.

More specifically is when they sell products that are only supposed to be sold to professionals or only in professional salons. The risk are getting old product, getting a discountinued forumula from years ago, and in your case getting counterfeit product.

If you can avoid going to a beauty supply store at all costs. Yeah I know some relaxers and products are hard to find so just get on the internet and find them on a reputable website its worth the piece of mind.

 

[pisceschica]

I posted information about this same thing in a thread about supporting non-Black BSS. I was informed of this by my nail-tech. Her sister worked in a salon that was Asian owned and told her about things that they do. From nail polish to detergents to soap to nail arcylics to purses. They reproduce everything and go around to other salons and go through their garabage to pull out containers with the brand names on them to put their own products in so that people will think that they are using brand name products. Watch out people when you're going to these Asian owned establishments.

Its not really to use their own products its cost cutting.

In this particular case sometimes they'll either use old containers and fill it wit their own stuff or like was said dilute it.

In the case of nail salons (it does happen alot) they take older containers and fill it with products they are not supposed to use by law. I went to cosmetology school and we watched a video about it more specifically about nail shops most of them being asian owned. Anyways in order to fool inspectors from cosmetology state board or fool customers they will use cheaper products and put them in containers of more expensive ones so that to them it looks like they are using the required products. In the case of nail salons there are certain products they are NOT supposed to use but still do against the law because they are cheaper than the products they are required to use.

 

[balisi]

So I guess it is best to go to a REAL salon to get the high end products.

Yes, this is what some of us have been saying for some time now. When I didn't know better (WAY before I even thought of becoming a stylist, by the way) I used to purchase most of my hair products from the Asians. I remember purchasing a boxed relaxer only to find when I opened it that the the cream had dried out. I so rarely shop them now and when I see Mizani, Paul Mitchell, etc on the shelves I absolutely refuse to purchase from there.

I don't necessarily trust the online beauty supply stores either.

 

[SweetAKA]

Um...?

I did NOT know that this relaxer came w/a plastic film cover!!!
WTH? I bought mine from an Asian BSS, and had been wondering why it was taking me forever to get my hair straight w/Mizani when everyone else said it worked fast

I am ordering mine from online from now on!

After the last relaxer I bought from them I had major shedding. No matter what I did to my hair, it shed like crazy and it hasn't done that in years. Once I went to the new BSS and bought the relaxer with the film cover, my hair has been doing it's usual shedding and not the sink bowls of hair I was getting before when I was just raking my hand through my hair.

I felt like going back there and throwing a brick threw their window.