The Products We Actually Use
(And Why)

Every stylist has opinions about product. I have a lot of them. At Patina Salon, we don't stock anything we don't actually believe in — which means our shelves are intentional. Here's what we use, what we send clients home with, and why it's on the shelf at all.

Davines — The Brand We Reach for Most

If there's one line that runs through all four of our artists' kits, it's Davines. The OI All In One Milk is in nearly every session: it works as a heat protectant, detangler, and finishing product in a single step, and it makes hair feel noticeably softer without weighing it down.

Beyond OI, the NOUNOU line is what I reach for on dry, compromised, or heavily bleached hair. The shampoo and conditioner work together to genuinely replenish moisture — not just coat the hair shaft to fake it.

Davines also matters to me on a values level. They're B Corp certified, they use sustainable packaging, and the product quality is consistent. That combination is harder to find than you'd think.

Aluram — Clean, Simple, Effective

On the more accessible end of the shelf, we keep Aluram. It's a clean, sulfate-free line built around gentle daily care, and it's become a favorite for clients who want salon-quality results without a complicated routine. The hydrating shampoo and conditioner are a reliable everyday pairing, and the line is kind to color-treated hair.

What we like about Aluram is that it does its job without fuss. For clients who tell us they'll never reach for more than two products at home, this is what we point them to.

K18 — Bond Repair We Actually Trust

Bond repair treatments have been everywhere in the last few years. K18 is the one that actually works the way it claims to. The science behind it is different from Olaplex — instead of building new bonds between shampoo and rinse, it repairs the polypeptide chain inside the hair shaft in four minutes with no rinsing required.

I use it as an add-on during color services on compromised hair, and I recommend the at-home leave-in treatment to clients doing aggressive blonding work between appointments. The difference in how the hair handles heat styling after treatment is noticeable. It's not cheap, but it's one of the few salon products where the results justify the price tag without qualification.

What We Don't Sell

There are lines we've tried and set aside. A few that get a lot of marketing attention in the professional space don't perform consistently, and we'd rather carry fewer things that work than more things that look impressive.

We also don't stock drugstore alternatives or private-label rebadges. The price-per-ounce comparison looks compelling until you factor in the formulation quality difference — especially for color-treated hair, where cheap sulfates and synthetic fragrance are actively working against the color you paid to have done.

What to Ask About at Your Next Appointment

The honest answer is: what works best depends on your hair. If you're unsure what to use at home, ask your stylist at your next appointment. We'll tell you exactly what your hair actually needs — not what's on the shelf near the register.

At Patina, product recommendations are part of the service. We're not going to pressure you into buying anything, and we're not going to recommend something just because it's marked up. What we carry is what we'd use ourselves.