In 1980 a hairstylist named Paul Mitchell and a businessman named John Paul DeJoria started a company with $700 between them. The brand's own story page tells it that way, and DeJoria has filled in the details in a Stanford Graduate School of Business talk. They printed the labels in black and white because it was a fraction of what color would have run them, and he sold the bottles salon to salon out of the trunk of his car.

Those black-and-white bottles became the look. The first range was three products, Shampoo One, Shampoo Two and The Conditioner, and all three are still here.

Then came the ingredient that defined the brand. In 1983 the founders set up a farm in Hawaii to grow awapuhi, a wild ginger, and two years later they introduced Awapuhi Shampoo. Paul Mitchell died in 1989, but the awapuhi line, and the company he started, kept growing through salons.

That history is why Paul Mitchell shampoo still feels like a salon brand. The names are plain, the bottles are graphic, and the originals are still on the shelf more than forty years later, which is part of the appeal.

The first grid is eight Paul Mitchell shampoos, from the originals to Awapuhi and Tea Tree. The second is the conditioners and an awapuhi mask.

My tip: use Shampoo Two or Three once a week and a gentler shampoo the rest of the time. The originals were designed as a system, not as a single bottle for every day.

Shampoo One is the original daily shampoo, gentle enough for all hair types, and it leaves hair clean and healthy-looking without stripping. Shampoo Two is its clarifying partner, a lemony deep clean that leaves hair squeaky-clean and shiny. Shampoo Three removes chlorine and minerals, so hair does not turn chlorine green after swimming.

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Nourishing Shampoo is one of the brand's best-sellers. It cleans gently, protects and repairs, and it smells exactly like you hope a Hawaiian ginger shampoo will. The Awapuhi Wild Ginger HydraSoft Shampoo is the moisture version, made to soften and add shine to dry hair.

Extra-Body Shampoo is a gentle volumizing formula for fine hair that needs fullness. Platinum Blonde Violet Shampoo is the purple one, for keeping blondes cool and bright.

Then there is Tea Tree Special Shampoo, which the brand calls its number one best-seller. It has a cooling tingle from tea tree oil and leaves the scalp feeling refreshed. It is the one I would hand to anyone who says their scalp feels heavy.

What I would skip: Shampoo Two every day. It is designed to clarify, and daily use can leave your hair feeling dry. Use it weekly and go back to Shampoo One or Awapuhi.

The Conditioner is the third original product, and it is actually a leave-in. It hydrates with Hawaiian awapuhi and works as a light detangler and moisturizer that you do not rinse out. The Detangler is a rich rinse-out conditioner for medium to coarse hair.

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Cream Rinse Conditioner is a best-seller that strengthens with keratin protein and softens for silky hair. Awapuhi Wild Ginger Intensive Treatment is the rich mask, made to get to the core of damaged hair.

The rest match the shampoos. Color Protect Conditioner detangles color-treated hair and helps protect against sun damage. Extra-Body Conditioner detangles and creates lift for fine hair. Super Smooth Conditioner is a daily conditioner that smooths frizz and softens. Sheer Hydration Conditioner revives dry hair without weighing it down.

A pairing tip: after Shampoo Two or Three, use the Awapuhi Intensive Treatment instead of a regular conditioner. Clarifying lifts everything off, so the mask is a good way to put softness back.

What I would skip: The Conditioner as your only conditioner if your hair is long and dry. It is a leave-in, so pair it with a rinse-out like The Detangler or Super Smooth.

One more thing I like about this grid: the bottles all match, so a shelf of Paul Mitchell still looks as graphic as the first labels did.

I think Paul Mitchell shampoo has aged well because it never tried too hard. Two founders with $700 made three products with plain labels, and those products are still on the shelf. Start with Shampoo One or Awapuhi for every day, add Shampoo Two once a week, and pick the conditioner that matches your hair. It is a salon routine that has worked since 1980, and it still does. Keep a bottle of Tea Tree Special around for hot summer days too.