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.
{ 66 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
I have used Pantene products for the past 13 or so years. Last week I bought the newly advertised bottle with Rachel Hunter and her daughter on the ad… After using it I started to dry my hair and found that it looked greasy but felt incredibly sticky. I searched up other people that had, had this problem and tried all their suggestions on getting rid of it. Including, dishwashing detergent, baking soda, vinegar and listerine of all things. None of these things got it out. The vinegar left for 5 min, followed by something called Polytar plus liquid from the chemist – it contains 4.0% Coal Tar Solution and was $26.90 removed 90% of the stickiness. My hair has been great since then and i’ve been using sunsilk shampoo and conditioner. But I wanted to be sure it was the pantene that had caused it in the first place so this morning I washed with it again and sure enough – a greasy sticky mess – it is amazing what happens after just one wash, and you don’t believe it till you see it. My partner and kids have used it without the same result so i am thinking i react to an ingredient in the new recipie??? Anyone else had this happen???
Very interesting, I just read on this site under ‘Are you cheated if the company sells you the same product under different names’
– “Are these similarities surprising? Not at all considering that P&G (the company that makes Pantene) bought Clairol (the company that makes Herbal Essences.) Shortly after the purchase, P&G converted the Herbal Essences formulas to their Pantene base.”
Interesting because the other sites I have read about this problem of sticky hair on , the people usually have been using Pantene shampoo and conditioner or Clairol nice and easy hair dye when this occured.
i have to say i think everyone who is posting this crap about wax buildup and hair falling out are quite naive to believe these claims. this is SHAMPOO we are talking about! from my experience ( and i have tried everything from 1$ bottle of suave to 40$ bottle of joico ) your hair will turn out exactly the same EVERY TIME , if you use the right products for your hair type (such as using moisturizing shampoo for dry hair and clarifying shampoo for oily hair).
i really appreciate what the ‘beauty brains’ are doing on this site with de bunking these stupid myths and trying to inform people about the chemical make up and science behind the products they are applying to their bodies.
I have been using pantene’s shampoo,
creme rinse & mouse on my hair for the last four
months. I too have noticed an alarming amount
of hair loss recently when brushing my hair, washing
it and noticing ALOT of hair on my pillow in the morning.
It has just been falling out so easily which is not normal for me.
I started researching what could be causing this and noticed
all the blogs about people who had been using pantene during the
time of their hair loss.
HELLO… if the shoe fits open your eyes. Not all products on
the market are safe, people. -If your hair falls out why using a certain product, then it stops when you stop using it. You do the math.
I’m going to try other shampoos and try to get this build up
out of my hair with a clarifying shampoo and hope It didn’t do too much damage.
Whats disturbing to me mostly is that people get so easily conned
into thinking that because it is in a pretty bottle with a nice
name and a beautiful ad-model tells you its wonderful -people
on this blog think it can do no harm.
Okay, I posted to another site on this topic but I can’t help it, now I’m intrigued. Well, first of all, I don’t think a 13-year-old’s science experiment provides enough proof that dermatologists are scraping Pantene off people’s heads. If you use Garnier or Dove or Paul Mitchell, you can read the ingredients and they’re the same. In fact, Pantene has fewer ingredients than any of those brands. The funny thing is, though: nobody’s asking about diet or medical issues. As I said in a similar post, I think (from a lay person’s view) that hair falling out must be a medical problem, and not caused by Pantene. But anyway, why is Pantene the only shampoo being targeted? Why aren’t they going after Dove or Garnier or Tresemme, or any of the other popular brands? Is Pantene like the Yankees–it’s so big that everybody has to hate it? Stylists want us to buy shampoo for like $20 a bottle. All shampoo is supposed to do is clean the hair and maybe condition it a little so we can brush it out. Is this a difficult concept? The super-expensive brands have all this stuff in it that probably does nothing for hair–like “vitamins” and “proteins” and whatever. They want us to think our hair will be totally different if we use them. I haven’t found one salon shampoo that changed my life.
Pantene is pretty basic. I checked the list: Sodium lauryl and laureth sulfate (detergent), dimethicone (conditioner), guar (another conditioner), sodium xynosulfonate (another detergent, I think), and panthenol. What’s the big controversy?? Can somebody please tell me what the deal is? I really want to know now, it’s making my brain hurt.
For those of you that don’t believe the sticky/wax build up sagas – it is very real. Mine was not a build up of wax tho, it was the first time using their new recipe. I actually ended up ringing the helpline, and surprise, surprise they knew all about it. apparently it is caused from using the wrong shampoo/conditioner for your hair type. They said that it is not the shampoo but the conditioner that causes this to happen. They suggest using their clarifying shampoo, lather it up and wrap your head in glad wrap for 20min and get your head warm, then rinse. They also
I absolutely agree with this article and the people saying that the myths about Pantene are hogwash, because they are. I have been using Pantene for years and years (I’m only 19, so most of my life) and I have always had very thick hair. However, Pantene seems to be a hit-or-miss product. For me, NOTHING compares to Pantene. It makes my hair extremely bouncy, smooth, and keeps it healthy and growing strong. For my Mother, it seems to just not do anything for her. I’ve had hairstylists compliment my hair, and then ask what shampoo I use, and then backtrack and say that I shouldn’t be using it because it’ll make a build up on my hair YET they say I don’t have any such build up. Luckily, I have a hairdresser I LOVE and I know he’s looking out for my hair’s wellbeing because he’s never even asked what shampoo/conditioner I use.
Am really upset at the effect Pantene conditioner has had on my hair.Only used it for about four washes and have a sticky clogging coating on my hair. It looks and feels dreadful.
I’m hoping that the effects will soon wear off.
Pantene left my hair kinda frizzy and dry… but my hair never fell out. I’d just switch to another product, not worry about wax or plastic or anything.
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/brand/Pantene/
This website talks about whats in the product. You can compare them to professional products. As a hairdresser It has been my opinion that people that have used pantene loved using it for a certain amount of time. then negative effects follow such as they hair being dry, hair loss, skin break outs. Everyone is effected differently by ingredients but ultimately long term use of certain ingredients aren’t good for you. And frankly!… paying $5 for a product versus like $30 has to mean something!
“And frankly!… paying $5 for a product versus like $30 has to mean something!”
It means you were suckered by good marketing.
Mariano,
Was that English?
I love this site. I just want to say that conditioners may be the problem, not the shampoo. Here’s a little strategy I use: when my hair is feeling greasy or nasty, I just don’t use a rinse conditioner in the shower for a few days. Instead, I use a light leave-in. That resolves some of the conditioning build-up. I bought Pantene’s new volume shampoo–which is basically the clarifying shampoo if you read the ingredients–and I use a very light conditioner. I agree with BeautyBrains about money too. Salons want to retail. They get a good part of their business from the products they sell. Every time I go for so much as a trim, one of the girls is like, “Oh, did you try this?” or they try to shame you with, “Oh, you have such light hair, do you want a thickener?” as if I’m a 50-year-old man going bald, when actually, I’m a young woman with tons of wavy, fine hair that doesn’t need a man’s thickener. They say it loud enough for the whole world to hear, and then you feel stupid. I like most stylists but if any of you reading are one, please stop trying to guilt clients into buying things they don’t want. It’s embarrassing! Oh also, Pantene’s volume shampoo helped resolve minor break-outs from hormonal changes during that “time.” I love anything with heavy detergents. I don’t play softball with my hair.
Jillian, my dear, it’s precisely because you have believed what hairstylists tell you, that you are WRONG about Pantene. Panthenol/Panthenyl are simply versions of Vitamin B5, not wax! There is no wax or anything remotely waxy in Pantene formulations. Panthenol softens and conditions hair, but it is a vitamin and does not cause a build-up. Neither does it cause hair loss and scalp itching. Pantene contains silicones and conditioning ingredients which smooth and soften hair, adding shine and making hair more manageable.
Pantene would never put anything like wax in their shampoo formulas, it is a reputable shampoo brand and consumer safety and satisfaction is vitally important to them. Your hairdresser has lied to you and tried to discourage you from using a quality product and you have believed what they told you. Pantene has millions of satisfied customers across the world who use their shampoos daily and they are not complaining about hair loss, build-up and scalp irritation. This is lies! lies! lies!
When I was little my mum bought the Pantene for dry/damaged or for coloured hair (as she highlighted her hair). I liked how smooth it made my hair, so I had the normal-greasy formula (as I was starting puberty). I never had a problem with Pantene but always loved how my hair felt. After they changed their range from the hair health to hair type I stopped using it as I didn’t know which (curly, straight, coloured) I should be using for greasy hair.
Anyway since I dyed my hair blonde a few years ago and my hair got dry and frizzy in the winter, I have found that nothing other than Pantente, Dove and Herbal Essesnces (although I can’t stand the smell of the HE conditioners) can help to moisturise my hair (including supposed good brands Schwarzkopf and Alberto Balsam).
I still do not get itchy scalp, I do not get dandruff, my hair is not falling out (in fact I have waaaaaaay too much of it and always have had – which is annoying as I need heavy-duty clips to hold its weight and need 4 hours at the salon to have it streaked/highlighted – the lower layers finish before they have added dye to the top layers).
I only use shampoo on the scalp to avoid drying my ends, and never put conditioner on the scalp to avoid a greasy feeling too soon after washing. I also let my hair rest between washing by washing at most every OTHER day (washing strips the nourishing oils).
It is possible for women to loose hair – if you inherit the balding gene from BOTH parents you will lose hair in the same way as male pattern baldness. If you only inherit a single gene you will not. Men however lose hair if they only inherit a single gene. Now …. if men can start balding in their 20s so too can women! (according to my postgrad biol lecturer).
It’s really funny to me that people will always believe you have to pay more in order to receive more. Simply because something is expensive does not mean that it will work magical, fantastic wonders on your hair. I have tried several brands of drug store hair care items, as well as much more expensive (upwards of $30-60 bucks), and quite frankly…nothing has wowed me enough to warrant paying higher than $10 or $15 bucks. When someone tells you that you get more just because you are paying the premium price…doesn’t anyone understand the concept of marketing? Let’s compare face products: would a $70 jar of face cream by Chanel be THAT much more effective than perhaps a $10 by Olay? In fact, just for the sake of hilarity, that ever so expensive and fancy facial cream, Creme de la Mer (you know, the one that costs about $200 bucks a pop?)…yea, the second ingredient is mineral oil, something you can find in basically a plethora of drug store facial products (though I don’t doubt there is some controversy over whether this ingredient is good for the skin or not). So did money buy you something so very special? Not really. Expensive does not always mean you are getting the gold standard. You are paying for the name, for the image. It’s all marketing, my dears.
I have found all natural hair products for under $10, and work fabulously. I have used Pantene, and it has also worked fabulously. Some products your hair may not like, but that does not mean that they suddenly are the root of all evil either. You need to find what works for YOUR hair. Some hair types may not like ‘cones, some do. It all depends.
And for the record, while I have heard a handful of stylists mention Pantene directly, most often I now hear ‘all drugstore brands’ instead. Therefore, yes, I do believe without a doubt that they are merely trying to cover their bottom line and it is their job to push products, just as it would be if you worked in any other sort of retail environment. It’s not a sin, it’s business, but people can also think for themselves. I studied chemistry, as it was my major in college after all, thus I know the ingredients in the shampoos and conditioners (and really all cosmetics), what is good and what may be more of a risk. Therefore, I’m not really one to listen to someone who went to school in order to learn the art of styling hair, just as I am sure I wouldn’t attempt to try and do their job. Just know that most may not have the proper training in the way of understanding chemicals, but that’s perhaps not of their own fault (nor a dig at stylists! I just doubt all schools give an in depth analysis at the chemical structure and compounds of each ingredient in their products). So take it with a grain of salt. Do your own research
← Previous Comments
{ 5 trackbacks }