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Name: Pro-V Classic Care 2 In 1 Shampoo + Conditioner
Brand: Pantene
Size: 250ml
Price: €4,90

From Pantene’s website:
Healthy looking and manageable hair from root to tip.
The Classic Care collection:
- Brings out shine for healthy looking hair
- Leaves hair moisturized and incredibly clean.

What I liked:
- nice consistency, neither too runny nor too thick; foams nicely
- cleanses hair well
- pleasant scent

What I didn’t like:
- contains Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which is very irritating
- doesn’t provide much conditioning
- the day after washing my hair was dry and difficult to manage
- shine doesn’t last long

You know how people are always complaining about Pantene products being bad for hair? Well, that’s not really true. Most of their products are perfectly fine and do their jobs effectively and safely. But their Classic Care 2 in 1 Shampoo + Conditioner is an exception. I’m not a big fan of 2 in 1 shampoos in general, because they either don’t cleanse hair well or don’t condition it enough, but my sister swears by this product so I thought I’d try it and see if there was something special about it.

There isn’t. If you’re into cosmetic ingredients, you just need to take a look at the formula to realise how harsh and irritating it is. But before I explain why, please keep in mind that the formula of hair care products can slightly vary from country to country, so the ingredients I’m about to mention may not be present in this same shampoo sold in your neck of the woods. That’s something that you may want to check out if you’re interested in trying it.

Contains harsh surfactants
Pantene Pro-V Classic Care 2 in 1 Shampoo + Conditioner cleanses hair very well. Even too well. That’s because it contains the harsh surfactant Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. I was really surprised to see this ingredient included in the formula. Most brands have stopped using it because of how irritating it is. It is so irritating, in fact,  that when scientists want to verify how much irritation a substance can cause, they compare it with it! As Dr Leslie Baumann has written in her book Cosmetic Dermatology SLS “strips the natural lipids from the skin, disrupting the barrier and rendering it more susceptible to external irritants”.

While SLS may not do much harm when used sparingly, frequent use may cause, especially in people with dry skin and/or hair, dryness, peeling and irritation. Why is it used then? Because of its ability to remove oil, dirt and product buildup from hair as well as its capacity to produce foam. Still, there is no excuse for using SLS when there are other surfactants, such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate (which is also included in the formula,), that do the same job just as well, without causing side effects. Claims that SLS and SLES are toxic and carcinogenic, however, are unfounded.

Contains harsh preservatives
The choice of preservatives was a poor one too. The product uses Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone, which when combined together, protect against bacteria and fungi. However, they are quite harsh too and can cause irritations and allergies. Because of this, the concentration that can be used in rinse-off products is very low, but still, people with sensitive skin would do well to stay away from them, just in case.

Dimethicone is used to condition hair
Its conditioning properties, instead, are due to Dimethicone. Dimethicone is a silicone that coats hair, thus reducing water loss, and making hair smooth, less prone to frizz and easy to manage. According to the Handbook of Cosmetic Science and Technology, it reduces combing force by 20,000 more than surfactant Distearyldimonium Chloride! In addition, Dimethicone also makes hair shiny. And while it is true that Dimethicone can build up on hair, surfactants will easily remove it when you next wash your hair.

My personal experience
If you’re read this far, you’ll have probably figured out that this shampoo + conditioner didn’t do much for my hair. White in colour, it has a nice consistency that’s not too runny nor too thick, and foams a lot. While the shampoo cleaned my hair very well, it didn’t provide much conditioning and the next day, my hair felt quite dry and was difficult to manage. As for the shine, it provided little and it disappeared quickly.

And although I didn’t experience any irritation, that’s probably because I use this shampoo only once a week, and not just because it doesn’t work well. My hands are often dry and I’m worried that, if I used this product regularly, they’d get worse and maybe even crack or bleed. The soapy floral scent, instead, is quite pleasant and lasts more than a day on the hair. Still, this is not enough to make up for all the shortcomings of this product.

Ingredients:
Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Glycol Distearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Citrate, Cocamide MEA, Sodium Xylenesulfonate, Dimethicone, Parfum, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Polyquaternium-76, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Sodium Oxide, Magnesium Nitrate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride, Methylisothiazolinone.

Available at:
Drugstores and supermarkets.

Summary
Pantene Pro-V Classic Care 2 in 1 Shampoo + Conditioner contains harsh surfactants that clean hair well, but can cause irritations if used regularly. Its conditioning properties are poor and, although after washing hair is shiny, soft and manageable, the next day it’s again dry and prone to fly-aways. However, it smells lovely.

Rating: 2.5/5

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