Stylin’ with Sally won’t bleed your bankroll
What it is: Think of Sally Beauty Supply as one-stop- shopping for almost any beauty product you could ever possibly need … and a whole lot more that you don’t need but just might buy anyway. From hair dye to hair dryers, fake fingernails to fake ponytails, eye shadow to leg wax, the aisles are filled with an array of lotions, potions and gadgets to make even erstwhile ugly ducklings feel oh-so-pretty.
What it’s all about: From its humble 1964 beginnings in New Orleans, Sally has grown into the world’s largest distributor of professional beauty supplies, with more than 2,700 stores throughout the world, blanketing the United States and reaching as far abroad as Japan and Germany.
The store is a favorite with beauty trade professionals, who can buy everything including barber shears and salon-style shampoo sinks, acrylic nail supplies and ear-piercing studs. But the store also caters to amateur beauty buffs looking for the temporary fixes of nail polish, lip gloss and straightening balm.
Why we like it: Fans of chichi salon or department-store brands will find little to get excited about here. A few Revlon and L’Oreal products are likely to be the most recognizable names in sight, and many of the wares have the utilitarian-looking packaging of products designed for frugal, results-oriented folks rather than the glamazon fashionistas usually found hovering around the MAC counter. But for those of us who love saving a few bucks while stocking up on styling aids, a trip to Sally can be just as enthralling as an afternoon in Sephora.
The young and trendy set will appreciate the selection of wild ‘n’ crazy hair gear, including a full line of shockingly hued hair dyes from Manic Panic. My days of festively colored tresses may be over (the silver streaks I currently sport are, alas, all too natural), but I have fallen hard for a line of hair care products called Beyond the Zone that I’ve only been able to find at Sally. The collection includes a full range of gels, texturizers and pomades with such fun names as Beach Head Surf Wax, Super Sexy Styling Sauce and Strip Search Gunk Removal Hemp Shampoo. Best yet, like all of Sally’s merchandise, the prices are low enough to encourage experimentation.
Speaking as a woman who has never given up on the pipe dream that one day I’ll discover the magical masque that will transform my thick, coarse hair into the long, flowing mane of Julia Roberts, I’m happy that Sally can indulge my Good Hair Day fantasies (and even occasionally deliver on them). And speaking as a woman who will never in her life be able to drop the kind of cash that Roberts can spend in one afternoon at the Aveda boutique, I’m happy that Sally can make me feel like a million dollars for less than a sawbuck.