By Stephanie Kreuzer, hair stylist, Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club, salon and spa

I am going to go into the importance of buying professional salon products at the salon and why it can be so dangerous to purchase those at places such as Target, Walgreens, Amazon, etc.

When you are looking for your home regimen to protect your hair, you need to understand the dangers of purchasing your products outside of the salon. In our industry there is what is called the gray market. That essentially is where there are stolen, compromised or outdated products that are sold to places without the guaranteed authenticity. Unfortunately, this is not illegal and is why this can happen.

So how does this happen? Companies will sell their product in bulk to distributors such as Target, Walgreens or CVS. The products can sit in improper conditions until the barcode is expired. When that happens, retailers will create their own barcodes and put it on the products without even thinking about the sensitivity to the environment and temperature that they are in. They also will mark up the products and sell them for more money than you will pay for at a salon.

The other worry is, sadly enough, an estimated 10 percent of failing salons will sell the unsold merchandise or old containers and fill them with water or alcohol and sell them for full price! So when you think of it, you’re actually paying more for a product that could potentially be only half of what it actually says it is.

Studies have shown there are more bacteria and harmful ingredients in your products when you get them outside of the salon. These products that have bacteria are actually counterfeit. In 2008, fake Paul Mitchel products were seized in Florida after testing and finding harmful bacteria in the products. The companies that sell these products have responded to questions and have no concern other than having the products available to sell to their guests.

We as an industry are working on getting the gray market shut down. Professional stores that sell licensed professional products are able to refuse a sale if they feel the person buying is a distributor. As this is an ongoing battle, it is very important to understand that when you go to places outside of the salon to get products, you may be getting tampered products or even counterfeit items.

Stop by the salon to learn more about our products. Golden Ocala Salon & Spa hours and appointments:

• SPA:  9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday – Friday; 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday; Sunday by appointment
• SALON: 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday and Friday; 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Tuesday – Thursday; 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday.

To schedule an appointment, call 352.402.4350.Keep up with all of the latest news from Golden Ocala by following us on Facebook and Twitter.