What is Diversion?

Diversion: How it Hurts Local Salons and Stylists

Is your salon your happy spot?  Do you trust and take to heart the products your stylist recommends after yet another great cut?  Do you remember how happy you were the first time you found Redken products on the shelves at Target?

Yeah, so was I, until recently.

I always knew that there was some ‘no-no’ published somewhere about professional hair products being sold at big box stores or online retailers, but did not realize it was supporting a grey market or had such an adverse effect on salons and stylists until I decided to research it.

Diverted Bumble & Bumble Products…
sold at major mark-up. YIKES!

What exactly is diversion you ask? Diversion is when professional hair products that are exclusively licensed to be sold at salons are sold at major retailers instead.  While this may be more convenient, it comes with a plethora of problems in addition to the most obvious one, which is that buying diverted products from major retailers takes away sales and support from our beloved salons and stylists.  Besides taking away support from salons, you also run the risk of buying expired or counterfeit products.

Yes, many of us think we are saving money by purchasing professional hair products at our favorite local retailer, but the truth is you may actually be spending more.  Investigations on diverted products have shown that professional products may actually be marked up at outside retailers.  Salons also typically offer great bundle deals or rewards systems for being a loyal customer, which will also save you money.  Lastly, you do not have the benefit of having a great new product that works great with your hair type being recommended to you at a big box store or online.  And when was the last time you weren’t completely satisfied with a product that your stylist recommended to you?

While it is not illegal to sell diverted products, the methods in which retailers acquire the products most likely is, so by purchasing diverted products, you are supporting dishonest business.  So do yourself, your salon, your stylist, and most importantly your hair a major favor and only purchase your tried and true professional hair products from your salon.

For the honest love of hair visit www.crowningglorystudios.com