Hair is a major accessory. Whatever your hairstyle may be, it showcases an overall vibe that can define you and your look. That's why it deserves the best of the best when it comes to styling and treatment. However, that doesn’t mean you have to pull hundreds of dollars out of your wallet or travel to the nearest big city to find the top salon brands. There are plenty of hair products in your local drugstore that deliver serious results.
We asked 10 top professionals what they use on their clients—and themselves—that you can buy at your neighborhood Walgreens. Let me tell you, there was no snobbery here. Even though they work at fancy salons, these stylists gave rave reviews to a bunch of drugstore buys for cleaning, smoothing, volumizing, and more—most of which you can get for $12 or less. We were surprised to find that several of them all went gaga over the same can of hairspray! Scroll on to see their picks.
Related: 23 of the Best-Selling Drugstore Beauty Products of All Time
Dove Volume and Fullness Dry Shampoo , $6
“It’s my favorite drugstore product of all time. It's my go-to to freshen up oily roots on all my clients.” — Caile Noble
Bed Head Superstar Queen For A Day by TIGI , $20
“It’s one of the best root lifters/thickening sprays I've ever used, and it can give even the finest of hair volume and hold. The thickening spray gives volume, body and lift with a natural, nonsticky feel. It’s great for fine to medium hair texture at any length.” — Michael David from Sharon Dorram Color at Sally Hershberger
Head & Shoulders Smooth & Silky with 3 Action Formula Shampoo and Conditioner , $7
“It cleanses, protects, and moisturizes from scalp to ends, creating resilient hair that’s smooth and soft. My go-to for effortless air-dried styles.” — Claire Holt
John Frieda's Frizz-Ease Nourishing Oil Elixir , $11
“I love this product because you get a lot of bang for your buck. It's a high-quality product that will smooth your hair at an affordable price.” — Devin Toth
Dove Daily Moisture Conditioner and Shampoo , $4 each
“I really like these because they clean and condition without stripping the hair of moisture, and they don’t leave a heavy residue.” — Adam Campbell
Dr. Bronner Organic Coconut Oil , $12
“Coconut oil is one of the best buys for its beauty and heath benefits. It can protect the hair from heat, provide strength to split ends, hydrate the hair, add definition to curls, and help with dry, flaky scalp.” — Jason J. Dougherty
TRESemmé Runway Collection Max the Volume Root Lifting , $7
“It's a great product that doesn't weigh down the hair or leave a sticky residue. It's great for all types of hair, especially fine, limp hair. This texture cream contains wheat amino acids to leave your hair with lots of volume from root to tip.” — Daven Mayeda
L’Oréal Elnett Satin Hairspray , $15
“It’s a wonderful hairspray that's buildable, provides great hold, and is soft enough to reshape and style. It’s the number-one spray used on photo shoots for these reasons. The spray is so fine that it disappears at the stroke of a brush, but it’s so strong enough that the hold lasts all day.” — Michael David from Sharon Dorram Color at Sally Hershberger
