A reader asked...
Hi! I recently purchased 3 bottles of conditioner from the Wal-mart Salon and they were all on sale for 60% off. I immediately thought I was catching a bargain and racked up. When I got home and took the sticker that was hiding the reason for my bargain, to my surprise was a date of 8/13/2006! 2006 are you serious! Why do they still have that stuff? So my question to you is does conditioner go bad or is it still usable after the expiration date?
If something has an expiration date, it's there for a reason. I wouldn't take a chance, return it and get your money back. I also want to encourage other readers to look for an expiration date before making a purchase. If you like your hair, don't take chances on bad products just to save money.
The industry standard shelf life of hair products is 18 months after it's been opened and 3 years if it's unopened. My personal rule of thumb is if I haven't use a product in 6 months, I toss it in the trash. Why? First, I hate clutter and hoarding. Secondly, if I haven't used it in 6 months, it probably wasn't the right product for me. If a product works well, I typically use it up within 3 months. Lastly, I'm not taking any chances when it comes to my hair. It might be a good idea to label the bottom of your products with the date your purchased it if you can't find an expiration date. Periodically you can go through your products and purge.
I'd be super careful if you swap products with other women and also buying from discount stores likes Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Family Dollar, Dollar General, etc. because without an expiration date, it's nearly impossible to tell how long the product has been sitting on the shelf. Some companies label their products with an expiration date and if that's the case you will have to examine the package to find it. I've seen it on the underside of the package, near the bar code and even sometimes right on the front label.
Storing products properly to avoid moisture, humidity and extreme temperatures can increase the shelf life of your favorite cosmetics.
Storing products properly to avoid moisture, humidity and extreme temperatures can increase the shelf life of your favorite cosmetics.
An article from iVillage.com says:
Even though products can typically be kept unopened for three years, this decreases to about 18 months after it has been opened, according to Cindy Moser of Zotos International, a parent company to hair care brands like Bain de Terre. The shelf life of opened products is decreased by about 50 per cent because they come in contact with bacteria from skin or become diluted from drops of water.
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