Jillian’s jittery about Pantene:
well im doing a science fair project on this and pantene and this site is very helpful and im just saying never attemp using pantene cause this is what will happen Supposedly it coats your hair with plastic or wax to make your hair seem silky and smooth. It also makes your scalp itchy and it makes your hair fall out. If you know anything about reading ingredients. You know that the first 5-10 are the main ingredients and have the most impact on your hair. Well, panthenol and panthenyl are in the first 5-10. Which both of these ingredients are pure wax. That’s why if you use Pantene when u touch your hair your not really touching your hair. Your touching the half to in inch of waxy coating you have developed on you’re hair.well just saying hopefully this is helpful info and im 100% sure its correct cause i asked professionals and im only 13
Sarah Bellum says:
Thanks for checking in with the Beauty Brains about your science project. Lefty and Righty have answered questions about Pantene before and they say that the idea that it coats your hair with plastic is a myth started by stylists to keep you from buying salon products. (BTW, Pantene contains silicone, not plastic.)
And the notion that when you touch your hair you’re really feeling Pantene is bogus. I don’t know as much about formulation chemistry as Lefty but even I know that there’s NO WAY you’re leaving half inch to an inch of product on your hair. That would be a TON of gunk left behind! No conditioner leaves that much stuff on your hair.
We do get a bunch of comments from our readers about Pantene making their hair fall out, but I can’t find any evidence that shows Pantene is causing the problem. (I’m keeping an open mind on this one, however, since SO many people have complained about it. Maybe I can talk Lefty and Righty into revisiting that subject in a future post.)
One last thing: if you really want to be “100%” sure” you shouldn’t only talk to professional stylists. And you shouldn’t “only” listen to the Beauty Brains either. Do your own research on the web, read Paula Begoun’s Cosmetic Cop website, contact Pantene and ask them what they say about their products, check with the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. But whatever you do, open your mind and THINK for yourself. It’s hard to be 100% sure of anything.
Thanks for your email and best of luck on your project! Write back and let us know your grade.
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Star8 Says:
Why are the “brains” always bashing on hair stylists? Like this one about Pantene?
As a stylist myself, I have found Pantene to be junk and I am not trying to get clients to buy only salon products. There are salon and regular products that are both wonderful and not so wonderful. Every one of us who have trained many hourse and spend all day with hair know some products cause problems like this. We want clients to have good hair and come back.
Pantene does leave a lot of coating behind and does cause problems for many people. I have seen for myself people using this had thinning of hair-and there were no other changes to their diet, meds or lifestyle.
Lastly, I look around to many resources not just Paula Begoun (sells her own line and books) who can’t possibly be open minded to all products if it affects her bottom line. Look on consumer review sites, ask hairdressers, scientists. Calling Pantene will do no good-what are they going to tell you that they make products that are very coating and cause problems for many people?
Janis Says:
They don’t seem to bashs stylist — just call out those that lie or repeat misinformation without checking first. It’s not “bashing” to say that one should not take the word of a hairstylist as the gospel truth on biochemistry, anymore than mine shold be taken as gospel truth on 8th century Babylonian astrology.
Jenna Says:
Nothing makes my hair feel fabulous better than Pantene. I’ve tried all sorts of brands- most of them caused dandruff, itchy scalp, or made my hair feel thin and dry. I swear by Pantene and recommend it to my girlfriends.
Several stylists and make-up artists have complimented me on my hair. Only one of them was surprised that I use Pantene.
At the end of the day, it’s whatever product that works for the individual that’s important. I really don’t think that there’s any real “bashing” going on, but people need to take what they read online with a pinch of salt and lighten up a bit.
Casey Says:
I have always felt Pantene makes my hair dry and brittle over time for whatever reason. I have no scientific explanation, but I know my hair…and their products definitly have that effect for me.
emi Says:
I think people might get the idea that Pantene makes your hair fall out because (and this is just a theory based on personal expirience)… When you grease up your hair, the hairs that you have already shed will fall from the mass of hair, because they are slippery enough to escape.
Like, you have all these shed hairs that hang out on your head because they still stuck to or knotted with or wrapped around your still attached hairs.
I thought I read somewhere a number of hairs humans shed a day, 100 or something like that. I am thinking that there must be a decent amount falling from your head, too.
If you brush your hair very softly, and take perfect care not to rip hair out, there will almost always be one or two hairs that end up on the brush. Imagine if all your hairs were all slimy and they just slip down the drain with the water in the shower.
Jessica Says:
The Brains hardly ever “bash” anyone, let alone in this entry. They just strongly encourage everyone to think for themselves!
Hear your stylist out, hear a cosmetics chemist out, but most importantly try it YOURSELF and decide as an individual!
I for one LOVE pantene/herbal essences etc. I also use a lot of salon brands that are not that different.
Should pantene leave a thick coating, perhaps it’s the people using the wrong formulation for their hair.
I know Pantene’s conditioner is very good but can be to heavy for some, leaving their hair too weighed down. So try another formula, or another brand. To say this one brand and this brand only causes thinning/fall out/etc is really close minded, IMO.
If it was really that bad, why does it use a lot of the same ingredients pricer brands use? The pantene formula is similar to other shampoos and conditioners but since there is so much naysaying about it, I believe people try it with a bias and remain negative about it the whole way through.
You know what shamp/cond that really leaves buildup, in my experience? Redken AllSoft left me with more buildup than pantene ever has.
Sarah Bellum Says:
Hey, sorry about that crack about stylists. I was just bein’ sassy. The other Brains have pointed out how we respect stylists for their artistry, but they don’t always get the best scientific training. So it’s not their fault!
K.Jones Says:
I find Pantene to be just a blah product for me. But I will say, it makes my back break out like crazy. I thought it was just me, but my BFF and aunt said they had the same problem with it. This does remind me of a stylist I had in high school (in 1210 bc) that said Prell would take the shine off linoleum and I must but Paul Mitchell. Of course, I had to buy it anyway, nothing but Freeze-N-Shine would get those mall bangs that high and crispy. Even with my intro to chem, I knew that stylist was just trying to keep her manager off her back,unload some Awapuhi and buy some Ratt tickets.
Karen Says:
I am a regular here at the Beauty Brains website and I would like to weigh in on this discussion of Pantene causing hair loss.
I started using the Pantene line when I read they were very good shampoos & conditioners for the money in magazines such as Allure and Glamour. I used them for over four years…..and my hair began falling out. As my hair was thinning, I was sure it was due to some hormonal issue or other medical problem. My doctor said it might be due to my diagnosed underactive thyroid and her only suggestion was to begin using a product similar to Rogaine but warned me of the problems that went with that so I decided to try and deal with it in other ways. Nothing worked. My hair became so thin on the top that I started using brown eye shadow in places on top of my scalp to hide the obvious thin spots.
Fast forward to last year: Because of the sharing of product information on the forum of this website as well as the information from Left and Right Brain, I switched to a different shampoo and conditioner but NOT because I was trying to prevent further hair loss. I was just hoping to find ways to make the hair that I had look thicker and healthier. Interestingly, once I made the switch, my hair stopped falling out! Since then, I’ve had absolutely no problems with hair loss.
Now my hair looks great! It’s definitely gotten thicker and shows no evidence that it ever got thin. Those awful gobs of hair that were coming out in the shower are a thing of the past.
I accept that fact that I will never know for sure that my hair loss was caused by the Pantene shampoo and conditioner I was using but there is also no way I’ll ever return to using them to test the theory.
jacrabbit Says:
I find that Pantene irritates my scalp, but I don’t know if that’s due to the wax/plastic/mysterious “coating” or the sodium laurel/laureth (?) sulfates - other shampoos containing these are also irritating to me, but not quite as much as Pantene.
Courtney Says:
I’ve used Pantene or Herbal Essences conditioners, which are virtually the same product, for over a year and I’ve never had any problems. (I use cheap Suave shampoo, not Pantene, so that may make a slight difference).
If Pantene really does cause hair loss, what could possibly be the ingredient(s) that cause it? It doesn’t seem like it differs much from other products. I think that would be the thing to study.
Becka Says:
This has been my eternal fight with people. I once asked people on a forum if they believed that Pantene would coat your hair in wax and cause it to fall out and it was pretty much split 50/50. It was sad. I told them it worked for me, but I prefer other shampoos etc, but they kept coming back with “oh my hairdresser told me to stop immediately if I liked hair” or “it made my hair fall out” and wrote it off as completely wrong.
One person even tried to argue with me as to say that it the reason was it was full of silicones and that I should buy higher end brands. She didn’t respond when I told her that my Paul Mitchell conditioner also had silicones in it….lol.
kage Says:
pantene is the only stuff i will use on my hair, everything else is too harsh and makes my hair break. i just washed my hair with it a couple of hours ago and it doesn’t feel even remotely waxy. it seems REALLY silly to believe pantene would make your hair fall out due to wax.
the only stuff i have a real problem with is suave. that stuff makes my hair and scalp so dry and awful that i can’t even brush it with out clumps breaking off.
thebeautybrains Says:
Jacrabbit, Pantene uses Ammonium Lauryl/Laureth sulfate.
There are some ingredients that are in Pantene but not other products. Namely, some ingredients in their proprietary fragrance.
Ali Lohan, Stallone, Gifford, Dolly Parton « Skin of the Stars Says:
[...] Beauty Brains (Real Scientists Answer Your Beauty Questions) focuses on Is Pantene putting plastic in your hair? The idea that it coats your hair with plastic is a myth started by stylists to keep you from buying [...]
Michelle Says:
I believe that if it makes your scalp itch or your hair fall out, It’s possible that you are allergic to an ingredient they use to formulate the shampoo or allergic to that ingredient when used at a certain amount. Everybody is different. What works for you may not necessarily work for others.
Jasmina Says:
The most disturbing thing about the original post is that this 13-year old is incapable of writing a coherent English sentence and has no acquaintance with the concept of spelling. I despair for our educational system.
Sarah Says:
Personally, when I was younger, Pantene seemed to weigh my hair down, and made it really greasy…not waxy, but my hair then was thinner, (stress, bad eating habits, etc.)Now, that my hair is thicker, the smooth and silky line makes it, well, smooth and silky! I’m not sure if it was that, or they changed their formula, but it works great now! My hair is soft, and wieghtless
Sarah Says:
oops I meant weightless…..
John Says:
My theory about Pantene makes hair fall in some people because of its kinda harsh detergent/surfactant which is base on Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate which makes hair a bit squeaky after washing so does increase the friction to the hair nad reduces slip therefore it promotes breakage.
thebeautybrains Says:
An interesting theory John.
However, that would mean that shampoos like Herbalessence, Suave, Alterna, Ted Gibson, etc. would also make your hair fall out.
And Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is every bit as harsh as Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate so shampoos based on this would also cause hair to fall out (if your theory is correct). That pretty much includes 90% of all shampoos.
There are other, more likely, hypothesis to the perceived idea that Pantene makes hair fall out.
Rori Says:
For that it’s worth, Pantene did make my hair fall out, a phenomenon I have not experienced with any other shampoo. I tend to stick the Aussi or Garnier products.
John Says:
@Beautybrains. I thought the Sodium Laureth Sulfate is the most common surfactant. BTW, SLES/SLS is a bit mild unlike ALES/ALS because the ALES/ALS is the most common surfactant preferable by most clarifying shampoos that makes hair to tangle after rinsing and greatly increases friction and vulnerability to breakage. Note SLES/SLS rarely “squeaks” to hair after rinsing and allows the most of the conditioning agents to deposit in the hair without rinsing it out.
Left Brain Says:
@John. SLES may be the most common throughout the world at the moment. It changes from year to year. There is very little difference in the mildness of ALES/ALS versus SLES/SLS. A good formulator can make either formula with low irritation.
I’d disagree that SLES/SLS rarely squeaks. It’s really more dependent on the final formula than whether you use ALS or SLS based products.
Yusra Says:
well I must say pantene should be taken off the market my hair has fell out so bad i want to cut to all off like a boy…….i have never had my any problems with my hair until I used pantene
ally Says:
Well, I find the conditioner ok, but most of the pantene shampoo contains sodium/ammonium lauryl/laureth. DO NOT USE THIS. If it the shampoo gets in ur yees it can damage it permenantly. IF it touches your skin it can seep through, damaging your tissues and hair follicles. For women, it may eventually lead to breast cancer. So, check your shampoos!
Left Brain Says:
@ally
There is no proof that sodium/ammonium lauryl/laureth will do any of those things to you. Unless you are aware of some scientific study showing that to be true. Could you please give us your source?
Mary Says:
I have very thick course wavy hair that tends to be dry. I use Pantene 2in1 and the heavy conditioner on my hair and it doesn’t weigh it down and it keeps my hair from being frizzy and fly away. I use gel to style but I let my hair dry naturally instead of blow dry because the blow dryer makes my hair huge and unmanageable. I went to a new hairdresser on a whim, after she washed my hair, used 2 handfuls of gel and blow dried my hair and then put on another gel and then sprayed hairspray she used a flat iron and said she was getting alot of waxy buildup and asked me what type of shampoo I was using and when I said Pantene she said that I should switch because it was causing a waxy buildup that was flaking off right into her hands and showed me. I wonder if that “waxy buildup” wasn’t some of the gels and hairspray she had gunked my hair up with before she proceeded to char it with a flat iron? My hair doesn’t feel waxy in my regular every day life, but it felt terrible when she was done with it. My husband even said it was sticky and gross feeling and I had to wash all the gunk out. I seriously doubt this hairdresser had any expertise in the area of chemistry nor do I think she got her information about Pantene from anyone who did and she didn’t seem to be open to the idea that maybe adding all those products and ironing my hair was not very good for the hair either, so go figure. It’s all relative and everybody’s hair acts differently. Are we looking for really healthy hair or are we looking for what we deem to be conventionally attractive hair because I’m pretty sure that hairdresser’s aim was the latter. I don’t know what is best for mine or anyone’s hair, but I do think that it is important to know the goal of your speaker and compare that goal with you own.
BreAnna Says:
I know I’m only a 17 year old girl…but I have something to say about this matter. I think it is completely false. I’ve used pantene all my life and I constantly get compliments on my hair; on how thick and shiny and full of body it is. Not only from my peers but also from hair stylists. They’ve never said anything about a waxy buildup.