Right Brain retorts:
On several occasions we’ve blogged about how many people believe Pantene is bad for your hair. It looks like the marketers at P&G (the makers of Pantene) are paying attention to blogs like the Beauty Brains because their Public Relations agency has just sent out this press release on that very question. Here’s what they had to say:
MYTH:
PANTENE PRO-V LEAVES BEHIND A LAYER OF WAX ON YOUR HAIR AND CREATES A WAXY BUILD-UP OVER TIME.
FACTS:
- Pantene Shampoos and Conditioners do not contain wax. Although Pantene has unique and proprietary ingredients based on recent technological advances, the classes of ingredients (silicones, fatty alcohols, cationic polymers and cationic surfactants) are used consistently across the hair care industry.
- Pantene Shampoo and Conditioners do leave behind conditioning ingredients (such as coacervate conditioning complexes, liquid crystals, and terminal amino silicones) for healthy hair benefits such as moisturization, damage protection and shine. Pantene shampoos and conditioners are designed to work together, depositing conditioning ingredients that will wash out of the hair with the next shampoo.
- When women feel they have build-up from their shampoos and conditioners, it is often a sign that the products they are using are too heavy for their hair, and they may be more satisfied with a lower conditioning version.
PS – Want to get technical? Let us know and we’ll provide additional information and/or set-up a conversation with one of our science experts.
While we don’t normally blog about all the self-serving press releases we get, this one caught our attention for a couple of reasons.
First, as we said above, it makes us wonder if P&G are reading our blog. (If you are, say hi to your new spokeperson Stacy London for us. We just adore her!)
Second, it’s interesting that the official statement from the company uses the same basic scientific rationale that we used in our previous answers to the Pantene plastic myth.
And third, and perhaps most important, we like that Pantene is asking you to “get technical” and ask them questions for their scientific experts. Now, that doesn’t mean we believe everything that the big beauty companies say, but we do think that any company that is trying to open a dialog between its customers and their science experts is doing the right thing. You don’t see that from most of the smaller companies that are making outrageous claims that aren’t backed by solid science.
So, we say take them up on their challenge. Send Pantene your questions about how their products work and then share what you find out with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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That’s all they addressed?!? Don’t they use poly-quats? Those leave a waxy build-up that’s best removed by a clarifying shampoo, IMHO.
Why didn’t they address the Pantene-makes-my-hair-fall-out issue? Not only have I heard that it happens from other people, it’s my own experience. Not in alopecia-type clumps, but in shedding mass quantities that stops when I go back to Suave or Dove.
Polyquats are a conditioning ingredient but they are not wax. They are more like putting “oil” on your hair.
Not sure why they didn’t address the hair falling out issue. Maybe they just wanted to bust 1 myth at a time.
Of course, there is no evidence (beyond anecdotal stories) that Pantene causes hair to fall out any more than any other shampoo/conditioner.
I don’t want to send them questions, just shout-outs — I should send them a picture of my hair and tell them I use ONLY Pantene. (I haven’t used Garnier in a long time, even if I like the scent better.) That’d wake `em up.
I haven’t found that Pantene makes my hair fall out — but I sure have found that it makes my naturally shed hairs slide out easily, so they don’t hang around getting tangled up in the hair I’m still growing and turn it into a giant, frizzy mat.
Whether it’s a “waxy” buildup or some other kind seems like needless quibbling.
I’ve found that MOST hair products leave something behind that builds up if I use them over and over. I thought this was common knowledge and the reason they make those “clarifying” products??
Well, I used Pantene at one point – and my hair went from being in good condition to looking and feeling awful. It was bad the first time, and got worse. I stuck with it for over a week, as the circumstances meant that was the only only shampoo and conditioner at my disposal (long story, freak weather, shops closed).
On the looks side, hair was limp limp limp and dull-looking. Whilst being tangled – a combination I didn’t understand. On the feeling side, more importantly, it was coming out, dry down the length, with a very greasy roots. Worst of all, an itchy flaky scalp, which took two weeks of T-gel to resolve and return to normal.
I was using no other products on my hair – it is fine but thick, untreated, undyed, not processed, not heat-dried. Virgin – at least, since a teenager, so for a good 15 years or so – call me a born-again follicular virgin. And I’d been using good, well-formulated, but basic products previously and subsequently.
My hair is usually uncomplicated and – that mythical thing – “normal”; will rattle along nicely with plain simple things, but if upset, it’s upset. As with the Pantene.
Now, I’d usually at least be willing to put myself up as an experimental subject in the name of science, and to find our what it was in a certain product that led to a certain result (and have participated in trials testing products on human subjects, for companies that conduct such tests and/as don’t test on animals). Not with this stuff. Never again.
I always find the passion that people have about Pantene (hating or loving it) interesting. It is by far the best-selling product and no doubt Pantene has optimized the formula to appeal to the most number of people. I really can’t explain why some people are so passionate about their objection to the product.
@Juliet – I’m curious. Have you tried Herbalessences? It uses the same formula technology as Pantene.
Maybe now Bazooka Joe can send out a press release telling us that there aren’t spider-eggs in their gum and Tampax can get around to telling us that there isn’t asbestos in their tampons.
Seriously, it’s kind of ridiculous the conspiracy theories people will believe about their products. It’s good to be skeptical, but I wish this Pantene thing would die.
I don’t really have any major “passion” for it — honestly, I just settled on it and TresSemme after a lifetime of sampling this and that and coming to the conclusion that they just worked best. But after hearing the Flat Earth Society go after it repeatedly on every single hair board I’m on, telling more and more inflated stories as they go … it just started to grate, I guess.
“Pantene isn’t the best for my hair,” rapidly spiralled into, “Pantene accelerates global warming, causes breast cancer, and kills kittens,” and the baseless scaremongering just bugged me.
It’s not the stuff itself that matters — it’s watching supposedly intelligent people take nonsense at face value, like, “Anything you put on your skin is absorbed as if you’d eaten it!” and “Pantene has floor wax in it!” I mean, don’t people think, for pete’s sake! That’s what gets my dander up — that level of ridiculous gullibility (and the unpleasant realization that I’m surrounded by it in my daily life, and most of these people are licensed to drive). The lies about Pantene just function as a focus point, I think.
I absolutely agree with the idea that most people are using Pantene when they shouldn’t. If your hair is fine, even if abundant, you’d want to be using a different formulation. Something that doesn’t coat the hair at all or maybe one that is lighter on the conditioning agents.
I also find it funny that a ton of stylists say “I’ve seen what it does to peoples hair, I can always tell when they use Pantene” oh can you? Take pictures, send them in to P&G and I’m sure they’d investigate if there was enough evidence that Pantene causes considerable damage or build up to hair.
Also, a lot of shampoos and conditioners containe polyquats. I personally love them for my medium-thick wavy long hair. Just use a clarifying shampoo once a week and it’s fine. Or I’ll switch to a ‘volumizing’ shampoo that’s lighter on the conditioners if I want to switch it up.
In addition, I wonder if there are other factors people don’t consider when they’ve tried Pantene. Using it for a few days or off and on doesn’t seem like much time to make a good conclusion. Also what if you spent a night in a smoke filled bar? Was it humid outside that day? Did you use any other styling products with it?
The losing hair thing is one I feel the people should definitely investigate though, since many people report that. Though IMO chances are it’s just the normal shedding cycle of hair. For me, my hair seems to ‘shed’ more than usual two times a month. How can one be sure you’re not just ‘shedding’ at the same time you use Pantene?
Idk, it’s just funny to me how some people believe this shampoo and conditioner is evil when it’s not that different from other shampoo formulations.
OK, here’s the low-down from a Hairdresser of 17 years. It does leave a build up that WILL block colour from taking, I’ve experienced it on too many occasions. With my experience I can tell when someone has used Pantene on their hair as soon as it is wet and sometimes when it is dry. I call it one of the “banes of my hairdressing existance” and for good reason.
Looking at it from a scientific view is all well and good but listen to people with actual practical experience dealing with it, and as for the claim that “7 out of 10 hairdressers recommend it”, complete and utter crap. If they do, they should have their lisence taken away (yes we have to have a trade lisence in Australia) and should never, I repeat never be allowed to give advice about hair again.
But that is not to say Pantene doesn’t have benefits for some, just don’t expect your colour to take as per manufacturers instructions. If you have coloured hair, think, does Pantene have a professional range of colours that qualified and experienced hairdressers use? Not to my knowledge. But I feel free to recommend it to my clients that have short, uncoloured hair if they like it.
Everyone has the free will to choose whatever they find appropriate for their hair and that is fine, but you should ALWAYS inform your hairdresser that you have been using it before ANY service so they know that they can adjust what they are doing accordingly.
J said: “The losing hair thing… How can one be sure you’re not just ’shedding’ at the same time you use Pantene?”
I know because I am (surgically) post-menopausal. My shedding is fairly stable, except the times when I used Pantene and Paul Mitchell. Neither was a one-time usage, I gave them each an entire bottle’s worth of time and was astounded by what was happening. And there was a year or so between them so it was definitly the product, not my hair. My hair is also ‘virgin’ as I haven’t used heat or color on it in at least a decade.
Everyone’s different.
This actually relates to a previous post about Aveda vs. Pantene, where the Beauty Brains came to P&G’s defense (featured in the best of 2008). They noted that P&G has a big R&D budget, and suggested this therefore means their products are superior. I would LOVE to know how R&D budgets compare to marketing budgets at hair care companies across the board, big and small. Who devotes the biggest chunk of their overall budget to R&D?
I worked for a big company like P&G and I never saw any evidence that R&D went into making any of their products “better” — only more marketable. What makes Pantene shampoos and their clones best-sellers is their ability to create the *effect* of manageable, healthy-looking hair. I’m still a skeptic.
There’s a fine line between being a “skeptic” and being a “cynic”. I wonder, is there any fact you could hear about Pantene that would make you change your mind about the product? If not, then you’re being cynical, not skeptical.
As far as R&D budgets, we don’t have access to exact numbers. But in the industry, P&G is used as the business model by which other companies emulate. They are known to spend more money on R&D than anyone else. They are also known to spend more money on advertising and marketing too.
I’m curious, did you work in the lab at the big company you reference? In our experience, the people outside the R&D lab had little idea about what kind of research went on in the labs. Scientists at P&G (and all sorts of other companies) do spend their time trying to make cosmetics better. P&G just happens to spend more on basic research.
And what exactly is the difference between “effect of manageable, healthy-looking hair” and “actual manageable, healthy looking hair”?
Incidentally, Aveda is part of one of those “big companies” too.
Dean, I’d give your story more credence if you could adjust for all the variables in yoru clients’ lives. You don’t necessarily know what they’re eating, what their environment is like, what medicines they’re taking, and all the other things that scientists have to control for in their experiments.
In reply to the “I can always tell” argument, I can just say that people are remarkably good at kidding themselves about anything and everything under the sun, sometimes for decades at a time or an entire lifetime. Believe it or not, you can be wrong — we can all be wrong. That’s why you line up scientifically controlled experiments — to test whether or not you’re kidding yourself.
Scientific inquiry is needed because we can all be wrong — if you trust your own unproven, untested opinion over the actual proof of the real world, that just means that you think so highly of yourself that you will maintain your own infallibility even in the face of direct evidence to the contrary.
Anyone with an ounce of proper humility would say, “Well, it seems to me that X is usually the case, but I might be seeing it incorrectly or just plain wrong or being swayed by my own prejudices. Let’s try to design a test where my own prejudgments won’t come into play, where other people will be involved, and where they will be invited to proven me wrong. Under conditions like that, I’m more likely to see whether I’m really right or not. If so, fine. If not, then there’s more out there for me to learn.”
We can all be wrong — I’ve done it, you’ve done it (whoever is reading), we’ve all done it. The key thing is, what is your reaction to the prospect of being wrong? To dig yourself in further and act like anyone who hints you might not have it right is evil, paid off, or part of a vast conspiracy? Or to see what actual hard facts are out there, to value truth and accuracy over your own opinions?
Wow, that turned into a bit of a lecture …
Well said Janis. The intellectual arrogance of people that just “know” is astounding. Thankfully, science nor our justice system is based on such tenable knowledge.
Most of everything that everyone knows is wrong (at least to some extent).
I just lol’ed at “Looking at it from a scientific view is all well and good but listen to people with actual practical experience dealing with it”
wait, what? That makes zero sense, IMO. People should listen to what’s scientifically proven to be true or not true, not just what someone says based on what they see, even an experienced hair dresser. At the end of the day they are not cosmetic scientists/chemists.
While I do agree that coated hair does stop color from taking (I found this out myself from thinking my hair was clean before coloring, only remembering I had BioSilk in it beforehand and the color did not take) there are tons of products out there that coat the hair! If anyone has anything in their hair it can hinder color adhesion. Not just or only Pantene. There’s no ‘special secret coating ingredient’ that’s in there.
Lauri: I see. I think that you should write Pantene an email to let them know what happened to you, in that case. As I said before, the hair fall out deal is something I think should be looked into, but I still am skeptical that Pantene’s the culprit. But I’d love to know for sure.
J, I totally agree. Aside from the fact that … scientific testing IS actual practical experience dealing with the product.
And I still think that Pantene just allows the naturally shed hairs to slide out more easily.
If Pantene supposedly makes people’s hair fall out, then the clincher shouldn’t be that you find more hair in your brush. The clincher should be that you have less of it on your head. Unless you went noticeably, measurably balder and the Pantene was medically PROVEN to have been the cause, then there is no way in Hades you can claim that Pantene made your hair fall out, no matter what you think you “just know.” People “just knew” the Earth was flat, too.
@Left Brain – sorry for delay – yes, tried Herbal Essences too. Worse: had to rinse out fast as sneezing fit from the scent. Between effects on hair and scalp and effects on nose, I just have to be a bit more careful – and when I find something that works, stick to it.
This does often mean things that are even cheaper and more available than Pantene: ex. Alberto VO5, Revlon Flex, some supermarket own-brands, a couple of the Timotei. As well as some pricier simply because I love the scent, and I will make no excuses for the formula being no better than something cheaper. Completely with the Brains on that one.
Now, this is just me; I know plenty of people who use Pantene regularly and love it.
And I’m sure experiments could be set up interviewing consumers to test the following hypothesis:
- that (with a very few exceptions) most people decide they don’t like a certain product NOT based on any empirical evidence, but because it’s FASHIONABLE not to like it.
- and this creterion of fashion is governed by a desire to like things that seem rarer and more exotic, and to dislike things that are regularly-available, economically accessible, and basically “common”
- combined with the “purity myth” and desire for freshness, innocence, and youthful qualities (hence the “organic” and “natural” nonsenses…)
- and with a wish to be “sensitive” and claims to be “allergic” to al manner of things. This sort of thing gets me quite irate, being an ex-eczematic person with physically thin skin that gets irritated a lot: such reactions are easy to spot if you actually have them. Inflammation, skin coming off, bleeding, that sort of thing. Hard to miss, and hard to confuse with “something not really agreeing with me.”
- all a marketing con feeding noxiously on the premises that you are what you consume, and that this is how a person “expresses their individuality”: not only are they a unique individual through unique tastes, but this is what makes them a *person* at all. If there’s any “toxicity” at work here, it’s not in Pantene’s formula, but in this cynical psychological and social manipulation.
Bring back some compulsory Existentialism into the school curriculum, I say!
I agree with your comment regarding Pantene’s encouragement of users to ask questions.
As more people ask questions and develop a better understanding of the science behind whatever it is that they are applying on their hair, scalp, and skin, more companies will be deterred from making outrageous and exaggerated claims, regardless of company size.
Companies will also be pressed to focus more on R&D investment rather than marketing heavy investment, as they will eventually get called out. You can only fool stylists and consumers for so long.
You can only fool stylists and consumers for so long.
Actually, if human history is any indication, you can fool people for roughly 150,000 years before things shake up.
And what about the Sodium lauryl sulphate they use in their products? Sodium lauryl is harsh for your hair and scalp and I don’t get why they don’t use sodium laureth sulphate.
@Kelly – Pantene uses mostly Ammonium Lauryl / Laureth Sulfate. Not that this is much different than SLS.
Scientists can formulate minimally irritating formulas using sulfates by adding other ingredients that mitigate the irritating effects. Sulfates are some of the best foaming, best cleaning detergents out there. That’s why they are used.
I wonder how many of those stylists who just “know” ask all their clients what shampoo they use. Before they get their hands on the hair. You are probably going to ask more if the hair is horrible condition, and since you have a preconceived negativity towards Pantene, if they say they use it you will be all “aha, I knew it” when really you didn’t.
I know of people who go to the stylists and the stylist is telling them their hair is in excellent condition and they use Pantene.
Also, regards to hair falling out thing, I think its just something like a random personal thing. I know Herbal Essences seems to make my hair fall out more (and makes my scalp itch like no other), but I used Pantene for a while when I needed extra conditioning and it didn’t.
I’m in the UK and this Pantene thing is completely unkown here. I kinda thought ALL shampoos/conditioners were pretty much the same. Different colours maybe, different smells perhaps, but when I check the labels (I’ve always loved comparing ingredients!) the first 4/5 ingredients are pretty much the same. I’m sure it is our own expectations that change the condition of our hair, not the shampoo used. I switch like a mad thing between shampoos/conditioners (the joys of having a female housemate who loves buying the stuff!). In a week I can use Herbal Essences, TreSemme, John Freida, Fudge, Tigi/Bedhead, L’oreal, etc with no discernable difference to the quality of my hair. The ONLY shampoo that I’m sure had a real effect it T-Gel, it is the only thing that rids me of dandruff. I’m sure there are other people out there with more sensitive scalps than I, but most people have the same sort of hair, don’t they?
Maybe such myths are only there to try and kill a product so that people turn to other competitor products who will in turn make a profit from people’s choice to start using something else.
I love Pantene! I have used a lot of different shampoos and conditioners-some that cost over 100 dollars. Bottom line, none get my hair as silky as Pantene. My hairdressers constantly bash pantene. I have hear it all. One said that it contains too many vitamins so it makes the follicles explode! And others have said the classic floor wax theory. Bottom line, after every rant- they suggest buying their salons products. My husband works for a high end cosmetic corp, ive tried it all. And i still love my pantene for flawless hair, so :p
Alli
The ‘pantene is bad for your hair’ myth starts early these days… I went to a beauty school to get a cut and the girl, a yet unlicensed student, casually asked what I used at home and when I said ‘pantene beautiful lengths’ she goes ‘omg that is soooooo bad for your hair’. Then later she claimed it was because of wax fillers. However she didn’t say anything about the condition of my hair being bad before or after that. (though she did manage to tangle the crap out of part of it)
she convinced me to buy some rusk but i didn’t tell her it was only so I could do my own experimentation to see how different it was because I have really never used a ‘salon’ brand before.
guess I shouldn’t go to beauty schools that stock so much product for sale.
i have been a stylist for 2 years now and i would like to ask if these products are so good for your hair why are they not sold in a salon? second i would think that redken, kenra, Sebastian, all the Brand Name Products would have the same research quality as Pantene Pro-V if not better due to the fact that they are Salon Products made by Stylist. And why when you scrape the hair shaft there is always a build up that comes off with all Drug Store Shampoos??? I think that they are cheap for a reason…
Does Pantene contain true PROTEIN (similar to something found in eggs)? If so this may be JULIETS and my problem but in 2 different ways.
I perm and flat iron my hair. Her hair is as she put it virgin.
Every time I STOP using Pantene I get breakage so I always go back.
Every time she USES it her hair becomes dull and sheds.
My hair LOVES protein because I use relaxer which breaks the bonds in my hair. Then adding heat on top of that makes it worst. Her hair is natural so that kind of protein weekly would be too much over a long period of time.
*****Just a thought*****
I also use Aphogee 2 step protein treatment once every six weeks. I think that is more of a harsher keratin.
Put me on, Herbal remedies There?Reservoir is filled, liked him Could.And offered for, guy (literally Despite.Finally there is Tigi Bed Head Shake It Loose Powder – Medium, learning and enjoying you Know How.Huge source of, Some with freckles.,
This is seriously the worst argument ever. It may be good for some, not for others. Find what you like, use it, shut up.
I am a hair stylist… i can tell instantly when someone uses pantene. after prolonged use there is a very APPARENT build up on their hair and scalp… enough that i can scrape it off the outside of their hair in flakes. Also, once you get their hair WET… it acts like it has wax on it because instead of getting wet like normal hair, it takes a LONG time because the water is just beading up and falling off. especially with fine hair i’ve noticed it CAUSES knots in ur hair. It makes since… u get a wax in ur hair, and ur hair drys… the wax has stuck pieces of ur hair TOGETHER. causing KNOTS.
my advice as a professional, DO NOT USE PANTENE.
My personal AND professional advice: get professional products, they are worth it.
the WORST hair i’ve seen uses : Pantene( the reasons i already stated), garnier, suave, and dove.
I can tell right away which one they torture their hair with.
garnier is EXTREMELY drying and strips your hair of color and moisture and oils.
in beauty school they tell you if your haircolor is too dark USE SUAVE because it strips your hair so fast.
and Dove… is ridiculous. it does nothing. it doesnt clean or condition right.
Well when I started growing my hair I was using tigi, my hair went dry and thin and had no life to it, plus it never got past my mid back. Then i switched to pantene and within a year my hair was to my hips, the wave had come back again and it now shines and has lots of body. I love it, plus I have hardly any split ends or damage.
Funny though i go to the hair dressers and they are like’ oh what lovely hair, in such excellent condition, what do you use?’ when i say pantene they reply ‘ nooo that is so bad for your hair, you must be careful with your hair’ WTF a minute ago you said my hair was in excellent condition!
Hey, that’s weird, I got exactly the same thing as Juliet.
I’ve got virgin hair, it’s straight and thick and goes down to around my waist. It’s normally quite nice, but sweet jesus, it’s throwing the biggest tantrum right now.
I started using Pantene because it was on sale (haha) at Coles so I was like, “Eh, might as well!”
But I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks and seriously, my hair is so gross. It’s stringy, dry (yet oily at the same time, which confuses me). I can’t ever seem to use the right amount of conditioner. Argh.
And I can’t buy any shampoo/conditioner until I finish the ones i have (my parents are annoying about stuff like that) and Pantene comes in big ass bottles so my hair is horrific at the moment.
What’s up with that? Is it actually the fact that we have virgin hair? :s
Hey Guys! First let me say I am so excited to see the conversations that have sparked from this Press Release. My name is Ashley, and I work for the Pantene Brand in Social Media. My job is to get out there and help bridge the gap between our consumers and the brains behind our products. I knew this press release would get people talking, and even asking more questions than ever before, and for me that is a success.
For starters- I hear you! All of You! Sometimes corporate answers and responses can be stoic and filled with SOOO much information to the point where there’s no information at all! LOL…The Myth Buster was created to dispel that horrible rumor started in the Professional Hair industry about Wax in our Pantene, and it really wasn’t meant to truly get into the science of it all. But I am certainly listening, and I will be meeting with a few of our Scientists in the future, with the hopes of getting more of our information out there to be clearer about our process. A few added pieces of info would be that some beauty care formulas contain Lanolin and Fatty Alcohols that when formulated into a beauty care product like a shampoo, they are very moisturizing and leave the hair soft and smooth with less friskiness. Also, our shampoos and conditioners contain cetyl and stearyl alcohols which provide rich moisturization and hair protection benefits. However – our research concludes that these ingredients do not weigh hair down and are easily washed off with the next shampooing.
To help answer a few more of the questions I saw above:
Hair Loss- Hair loss is normal and is a continuous process, and Pantene does NOT cause hair loss or accelerate natural hair shedding. If you or anyone else has felt like you’ve experienced this with our product, we urge you to give us a call at 1.866.606.4682 9a-6p EST because we would like to better understand your experience.
SLS/SLES (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/ Sodium Laureth Sulfate) – If SLS or SLES is added to the formula, it will be listed in the Ingredient Statement on the label. SLS/SLES is a very safe and effective ingredient with very good cleaning properties. We are not aware of any harmful effects associated with the use of SLS/SLES in consumer products. These supposed safety concerns stem from some misquoted research and have no scientific basis. A search of scientific literature found nothing supporting the allegation that this causes cancer. I recommend visiting the Personal Care Council site, http://www.personalcarecouncil.org as well as the American Cancer Society site, http://www.cancer.org for more information.
Another good site to reference would be our very own P&G Beauty Science site, which is filled with tons and tons of ingredient information and much much more. http://www.pgbeautyscience.com
I know this was a bit winded, but I read through every last comment and I really wanted to share the information I had, and I certainly hope this helps. I am in the process of migrating our Twitter accounts, so look out for the new Pantene Twitter, where I will be giving tons of more info daily regarding the science, promotions, etc.
Happy Discussions!
-AshleyatPantene
I love Pantene! I’ve used their conditioner for years, and it doesn’t make my hair fall out or feel waxy. After hearing these stories, I decided to try Tressemme conditioner, and at first it worked great, but after a while it felt too slippery to style. Also I notice my hair does seem to be shedding more with Tressemme. Needless to say, I’m going back to Pantene! I don’t think I’ll ever switch again. If somethings not broken, why fix it?! Pantene is simply the best.
I love Pantene, it did wonders for my hair when I went thru chemo and radiation several years ago. I still use all their products. If you have a build up on your hair (all shampoos/conditioners will leave a build up over time) I was always told to wash your hair in vinegar. This will remove the build up on your hair, then just return to your normal shampoo. Thanks to Pantene, I feel as though my hair is so much more healthier. Go to this site to read about the uses of vinegar.
i really like pantene i think its great for my hair. Everyones hair is diffrent so i don’t get why people keep saying bad about pantene!! it’s almost the same as the rest and some people love pantene others hate it. but it’s just THEIR opion if you like it keep it, if not change peacefully don’t go scaring people.
it is to true about pantene put a little in a microwave for 3 minuets it comes out as wax i have done it cause i doubted it too
Dear “hair falling out”: IMHO- you may be having an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in pantene. I am a celiac and know I have to be careful with ingredients due to my many allergies. Also hair does go through shedding phases so please keep that in mind. Also the mineral content of your water (ie: ph, hardness) can wreak major havoc on hair and skin. As far as the microwave/pantene thing- your cooking it with gamma radiation. I don’t know about anyone else- but I don’t intend on radiating my head anytime soon- lol!
I think I am simply allergic to an ingredient in Pantene. Not their fault at all! I know that I’ve tried to use their products a couple of times and each time my scalp became very itchy. I’m sure it must just be an allergic thing. So Pantene isn’t right for my hair, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad product.
grade b product
I’ve never read hair blogs before and didn’t know there was some vast conspiracy against Pantene, but now I understand why, whenever I go to a new hairstylist and she says “Your hair is so healthy. What product do you use?” And I answer with “Pantene” they shut up real quick.
Okay, having just purchased Pantene’s new line for fine hair and their Classic Care, I read each and every one of these posts. I am scratching my head, not because it itches, but because I had no idea shampoos were so controversial. I do read ingredients. They all look the same. To the stylists who are scraping wax off people’s heads: really?? Because I’ve never used a salon product that made a huge difference, which is why I’m trying out Pantene. The ingredients are like: detergents, dimethicone, some other conditioner, MEA, etc. Those can be found in almost every shampoo I ever saw. And if stylists are really scraping wax off the scalp, wouldn’t it also be on the skin? I’m looking right now. Nope. Nothing. I really don’t get this. I thought the purpose of conditioning agents was to let your hair brush out easier. If we don’t want to use shampoo, why not dish soap? That’s gross. I mean, seriously. Today, my hair feels light and fluffy and conditioned, and I don’t sense the presence of wax on my scalp. Are stylists reading their own ingredients? Because there’s plenty of cones and quats in salon products. I think stylists need to chill out and stop scaring everybody. It’s shampoo. And for the people who do have build-up on the scalp and are losing hair, maybe it’s a diet thing, or some other medical situation.
I am neither a chemist nor a doctor, but hair loss is usually the result of medication, diet or a real medical problem. I don’t think Pantene is making America bald and waxy.
Redken for the win.
i LOVE PANTENE AND ITS WHAT I ALWAYS USED TO USE AND WOULD NEVER USE ANOTHER PRODUCT SO WHEN THEY CAME OUT WITH PANTENE BEAUTIFUL LENGTHS I DECIDED TO TRY IT..I HAD HAIR TO MY WAIST AND IT IS BLACK AND NATURALLY CURLY AND I HADNT CUT IT IN TEN YEARS..ONE WEEK LATER…MY HAIR IS ALMOST TO MY SHOULDERS AND FEELS LIKE STRAW I AM GOING TO A DOCTOR AND TAKING BIOTON VITAMIN PILLS FIVE TIMES A DAY AND MY HAIR IS STILL CONTINUING TO FALL OUT..I EVEN STARTED TO CRY ON MY DOCTOR WHILE SHE DID BLOOD WORK AND EVERYTHING TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON SHE EVEN HAD HANDFULS FALL OUT WHEN SHE TOUCHED IT..IT TOOK AWAY IN ONE WEEK WHAT TOOK ME TEN YEARS TO GROW..I HAVE BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES OF HOW AWFUL IT LOOKS NOW AND HOW HEALTHY AND BEAUTIFUL IT WAS BEFORE THAT.
I had never heard that Pantene was bad until I started using it and started losing A LOT of hair and having really bad dry scalp. My stylist asked if I was using Pantene and I said I was and she advised against it. But she didn’t endorse salon brands either. She doesn’t believe in spending that much on shampoo but noticed that so many of her clients lost hair while using Pantene. She said drugstore brands are generally just as good as salon brands with the exception of Pantene causing hair loss in many of her clients. (She also indicated brands live Suave and VO5 were too harsh on hair, stripping too much moisture, but most everything was fine.) So I don’t discount what the research says, I just know that Pantene is bad for MY hair.
How would they bust a myth on their products? You can’t bust that kind of myth when there’s different effects on people. It wouldn’t make sense.
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