05.06.05
I decided that I didn't really care for the mystery shampoo and conditioner, but I continued to use it for the entire two weeks, because I wanted to be fair with the survey results.
And when I got the survey, there were an awful lot of questions about my opinion of Pantene products, like would I recommend Pantene to my clients if I had to recommend a non-pro brand, would I use Pantene in a salon, etc.
They also mentioned that Pantene is formulating a line of products specific to the needs of color-treated hair.
I have come to the decision that I have, in fact, been using Pantene for the last two weeks, and boy can I tell.
I knew it was non-pro from the second I opened the bottle -- the fragrance is wrong. It doesn't smell like pro shampoos smell, even though they all smell differently from each other.
And the shampoo is pearlescent. A lot of shampoo manufacturers make their products all shimmery and pearly in order to create the aura of luxury, opulence and decadence. I'm not going to say that some pro lines don't do that too, but dollars to donuts, you're going to find a hell of a lot more mass-market shampoos that you can't see through.
And I have noticed an increase in pearlescent pro shampoos lately -- there are a lot of $17+ 8-ounce bottles of shampoo coming out lately. I guess if you're going to pay $25 for some swanky-ass hair cleanser, it sure as hell better look about as fancy as shampoo can possibly look. It's like they're boutique branding, trying to create some luxe image.
I prefer a translucent shampoo, but that's me. I like to see whatexactly the hell I'm using.
My overall assessment of the products? I don't really care for them. I generally look better with second- or third-day hair, and with this stuff, by the second day it looked more fifth-day hair.
I have hair that is pretty thick considering that it is on the fine side. A lot of times, with my hair air-dried and without product, I get what I call "dandelion head." Remarkably, and not in a particularly good way, this conditioner weighed it down enough to make it look flat and crappy. Shiny, yes, but limp and lifeless.
I give it a thumbs down.
What's in your head?