Hey Nancy,

If Suave works for you, great! I'd recommend going with their more expensive shampoos & conditioners, though. Like the Daily Moisture and Humectant, etc. But some people actually fare just fine with the cheap stuff (lucky ducks).

I used Suave from childhood through late teens, but it ravaged my hair badly. I had terrible dry, split ends.    So then I switched to Herbal Essences for a number of years & liked it a lot, then finally switched to Pantene. I find I'm still switching around these days. 

The problems that I personally experienced with Suave was that 1.) the shampoo was way too harsh & contained a lot of ammonia, 2.) the conditioner was far too thin & did absolutely zilch for my hair, 3.) the formulas combined gave my hair a "gummy" feel & made my hairs rub together & stick to each other, causing horrible tangles. 
    But there are pros and cons to just about everything, I guess.

What I suggest is to just get out there & try everything. Cheap stuff, salon products & everything in between. That way, you'll know exactly what works for your hair, what doesn't and whether there's a cheaper product that works just as well. Plus, your needs & hair can change over time, so it's good to switch things out when that happens.

Clarifying is essentially clearing your hair of dirt, oils, conditioners & everything else that's on it. You've probably seen shampoos labeled "clarifying." These work well, and you can also use vinegar rinses instead or in addition.
    If you use a shampoo that does not contain cones, you could get by with just using a vinegar rinse. If you normally use a shampoo that does contain cones, you're probably better off using a clarifying shampoo once a week.

Vinegar rinses are quite simply a little vinegar (white or apple cider vinegar) mixed with a lot of water & poured over the hair. Most people here use apple cider vinegar (ACV), but I use white distilled. I pour a little bit of it into the bottom of a 1 Liter or 32 oz. water bottle, fill the rest up with cold water & shake like crazy to mix.

But yeah, since you're new here, I'd encourage you just to try this and try that. Whatever appeals to you. That way you'll likely find something that works wonderfully for your hair and possibly stumble across something new & great that none of us here know about yet. 

Just remember to take it in stride. It's not the end of the world if you do something "wrong." Even if it feels that way. 

Peace!

For cheap stuff,maybe you'd want to try the Dove line.  Some of them if not all contain no cones.  That is what I heard,but I haven't read the list of ingredients to be honest with you.  You might also want to try something in the health store thats all natural.  Good luck!

I use Suave Milk&Honey conditioner.. I'm absolutely in Loooooooove with the smell.  It also has JoJoba oil in it, and, unlike Angel, I like the fact that it's a light conditioner.  My hair tends to get weighed down easily, and I prefer a lighter conditioner.  But everyone's different.

I also use a vinegar rinse to clarify, but some people use a clarifying shampoo or conditioner and like that better.

That said, everyone's hair is different!  So it all depends on what you like, what works, when it works.  Me, I love to change shapoos all the time, never been really stuck on one brand, though I tend to buy the "moisturizing" kind.  I might suggest trying the little travel-sized bottles you find at the drugstore... that way, you can try a variety of things without shelling out a lot of cash for a large bottle of something you may not use all of.

Galadriel-

I'm so glad you mentioned the Chagrin Valley shampoo bars.  I've been wanting to try them but I got a little scared when I read about the hard water thing.  I thought I might try, someday.....the Rosemary Mint or the Rosemary Lavender Aloe bars.....any suggestions?