Semi-fancy Haircare

August 13, 2021 1:53 PM

What nice haircare and body wash products are nice to have on hand for guests?

I recently stayed at a friend's house and they had the best-smelling, high quality shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. As a cheapest-shampoo kind of person, it made me feel like I was at a luxury resort! But the brand (Aesop) is a little too $$$ for me to get for my guests. What semi-luxury haircare and body wash products can I have on hand for people when they stay with me? I'm hoping for like $20 per product. Bonus question: what about scent-free or sensitive skin options too?

posted by Uncle Glendinning to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

I like Aveda for this — you can buy them at Aveda salons in smaller size bottles.
posted by The Toad at 2:00 PM on August 13, 2021 [5 favorites]

Yeah, I would second Aveda. I don't typically use it, but tried it at a hotel I stayed at. It's a luxury or semi-luxury shampoo with a rosemary-mint scent that would appeal to many people. Kiehl's also makes pretty nice shampoos that feel luxurious to me, but I feel like Aveda's Mint and Rosemary Shampoo is more generally crowd-pleasing than, say, Kiehl's Amino Acid Shampoo which has a coconut scent.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 2:45 PM on August 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

I'm a big fan of Kiehl's.

But as a guest, I also love when people have quirky options that I wouldn't have known about, like the first time I saw products from Lush.
posted by Mchelly at 3:29 PM on August 13, 2021 [2 favorites]

My sister had Noto products in her downstairs shower when we were there recently and I loved them. Debating buying it for myself. Not cheap!

Aveda, Jāson, Everybody are all nice smelling things I like to keep around the house.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 4:19 PM on August 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

Ha, I am not your target market! Guest bath gets any rejects from my bath or samples :)

And for no smell/no SLS option, trader Joe's sells a cheap and entirely serviceable option (it's my daily shampoo) that it's good to have around for about $3/bottle.

I stayed with someone who kept a basket of misc things for guests - packages of tissues, disposable razor, toothbrush from dentist, floss, hair clips, and hairbands were all in there -- I was very impressed!
posted by esoteric things at 4:50 PM on August 13, 2021 [3 favorites]

Necessaire body wash and lotion. There’s an unscented option.
posted by third word on a random page at 8:09 PM on August 13, 2021 [2 favorites]

I know it's not very fancy but I bought some of the fancier dark green bottle of herbal essences at Target, and I get a good number of compliments and questions about it. Same with the cereve facial foaming cleanser I put in there.
posted by bbqturtle at 8:31 PM on August 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

Etsy and Instagram are full of high quality products by individual makers.
posted by MexicanYenta at 8:58 PM on August 13, 2021

I found this article about the various toiletry lines in luxury hotels - maybe this is a good place to start?
posted by gemutlichkeit at 7:25 AM on August 14, 2021 [1 favorite]

Briogeo is a couple clicks above drugstore and is more young/fun than “hotel luxury.”

Joico is in your range and is more of a salon brand, targeted to specific needs, that smells mild and fresh. In fact, salon brands might be what you want.
posted by kapers at 8:28 AM on August 14, 2021 [2 favorites]

Molton Brown shower gel might fit into this price bracket. The scents are luxurious and a bottle of shower gel lasts a long time.
posted by plonkee at 3:36 AM on August 15, 2021

Korres & Yves Rocher . Both are Euro drugstore brands I found out about because friends provided me with their toiletries when I stayed at their homes. Price points are friendly but they feel luxe.
posted by microscopiclifeform at 10:41 AM on August 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

Haha. The only time I've ever been truly impressed by a hotel shampoo offering they had Hermès products in there. I was like, dang, I didn't even know Hermès made shampoo.

Nthing Aveda and Kiehl's as good "I'm not sure if your hair type but I want you to know you're welcome here" options for a home guest room.

I also keep lotion, razors, lip balm, tampons, toothbrushes, toothpaste and some other sample size items in my guest bathroom, and a hair dryer too.
posted by potrzebie at 7:46 AM on August 16, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Oooo these all gave me such helpful places to explore! A bunch of perfect accessible-luxury items :) I ended up getting a few Kiehl's and Aveda products, plus a couple Denver-local products to have on hand (shoutout Elevated Soap Co and Adventurist). And I love having a ton of other options and ideas for future guests!
posted by Uncle Glendinning at 8:44 PM on August 24, 2021 [1 favorite]