Cheap shampoos and conditioners (such as Suave) don’t give me the results I’m looking for. Often I find them very drying and they can make my hair frizzy. I don’t always buy salon stuff.. Paul Mitchell is really overpriced for what you get, in my opinion.. I have never been that impressed. I switch up between brands like Tresemme and Garnier Fructis. Through a lot of trial and error, I’ve found certain brands and types of products work really well.
One thing that will help against breakage is not brushing or combing your hair while wet. If you must, as I do (my hair looks crazy when towel-dried and uncombed), use some sort of detangler or other lubricant for your hair and use your fingers gently as a comb. I use Garnier Fructis anti-frizz serum, which helps keep the frizz down and also makes my hair easy to comb out with my fingers. You can also use a very wide-toothed comb.
You may want to try some sort of oil in your hair to keep in the moisture (particularly at the ends, since your hair is so long), which can help if dryness is making it look like you have split ends and such. You can use something store-bought, like VO5, or olive oil will work very well.