Pantene & TRESemme Hair Conditioners For Fine Hair

I've decided to review these products together as I think they would suit those with fine hair or curly hair that often get weighed down by hair conditioners.

I picked up Pantene's In-shower Foam Conditioner in Superdrug when I saw it on sale for 50p and decided to give it a go. The benefit of foam conditioners is that it won't weigh down fine hair like some traditional conditioners can do. There are four in-shower foam conditioners in the range: Smooth and Sleek, Sheer Volume, Colour Protect and Repair and Protect. I bought the Repair and Protect without realising it was specifically for fine and damaged hair. It promises "air-light conditioning without the weight." It is SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) free but it does contain parabens (Methyparaben and Propylparaben.) To use it you apply a palm sized amount and run it through the hair from the roots to the tips. You wait until it's absorbed into the hair and then wash it out. The light foam texture is like egg white whipped meringue or hair mousse and felt as light as air in the palm. It has a floral/marine fresh scent which smells really nice.

I have thick hair so I'm probably not the ideal candidate for this particular Pantene in-Shower Foam Conditioner for fine and damaged hair, but I did come across some very positive reviews by people who had thick hair and loved it. I found this easy to use, you could see the foam disappearing as it absorbed into the hair and there were no problems washing it out. It was great at de-tangling my hair in the shower or when I combed my hair afterwards. My hair was softer but it didn't feel that it was very hydrating or nourished. In fact my hair ended up quite frizzy both when I used a hairdryer or air dried my hair.

When comparing it to Pantene's 'regular' hair conditioner from the Repair and Protect range, I found that there wasn't that much difference between them. Both conditioners de-tangled my hair well and made my hair softer. However the in- shower foam conditioner did make my hair frizzy on top. When I used the foam conditioner I ended up using a lot more than my 'regular' conditioner.  Neither of the hair conditioners felt they were nourishing enough to 'repair and protect' my hair. Pantene's Smooth and Sleek shampoo range seems to work better for me- my hair feels moisturised and doesn't frizz my hair as much when I use it.

I may try the Smooth and Sleek in-Shower Foam Hair Conditioner from the range as it might be better suited to me. If you have dry or over processed hair you will need something else that's much more nourishing. If you have dyed hair go for the Colour Protect. Those with fine hair would benefit most from this Pantene's In-Shower Foam Conditioner, so it's worth checking out if you fall into this group.

TRESemme Beauty-full Volume Expert Pre-Wash Conditioner & Shampoo

The principle behind TRESemme's Beauty-full Volume Expert Pre-Wash Conditioner and Shampoo is co-washing or reverse hair washing. This is where you apply conditioner first followed by shampoo. Tresemme's Beauty-full Volume Expert Pre-Wash Conditioner and Shampoo are supposed to prevent flat, lifeless fine hair that is weighed down by traditional hair conditioners. It's also good for those with curly hair. The Pre-wash conditioner contains 'fleximax volumisers' to give hair 'bounce' and 'fibre polishing actives' that 'binds to the hair cuticle..leaving it smoothed and polished.' This conditioner does contain silicones (Dimethicone and Amodimethicone) as most conditioners do, however according to this pre wash conditioner it shouldn't have all the problems that regular conditioner can have (hair that is weighed down and flat.) It does contain two preservatives MCI and MI that can cause skin problems which isn't the greatest thing to have in the ingredients. Tresemme's Beauty-full volume Expert Pre-wash shampoo also has 'fleximax volumisers' to help 'control static, infusing your hair with volume.' You should apply the conditioner first along the length of the hair. Then leave on for 1 minute and wash thoroughly. Then you apply the shampoo. 

I absolutely love the smell of this shampoo and conditioner, it's perfumed and fresh but not overwhelming. You can smell the scent the day you wash your hair but after that it fades. Initially I used a lot of conditioner because I wondered why it wasn't lathering up- before I realised that it was conditioner so it won't lather-silly me! I found that this shampoo and conditioner doesn't control oil very well. My hair looked greasy the next day (day 2) and on day 3 my hair looked flat which is the opposite of what it claims to do. I'm not sure if co-washing works for me or if it's these products, but I suspect it's co-washing as my hair type is completely different from the one it benefits most. Instead of fine or curly hair I have thick, straight hair where volume or static isn't really a problem but I do get oily roots. Because it didn't work well for me I won't be buying it. However if you have curly or fine hair that doesn't get greasy quickly I still think TRESemme Beauty-full volume shampoo and conditioner are worth trying out.

Let me know about your experiences of Co-Washing. Has it worked for you? 

TRESemme Split Remedy Conditioners Review

Both of these Split Remedy conditioners promise 'to repair split ends by up to 80% after just three uses.' So armed with 10ml samples I tested this claim. I used TRESemme Split Remedy Conditioner four times over two weeks. A month later I used the TRESemme Split Remedy Leave -In- Treatment four times over two weeks. My hair is straight, long (almost down to my elbow) and thick. At the moment I wash my hair and blow dry about 2-3 times a week, don't use any other products or heat on my hair and I haven't had a cut for about 5 months..whoops!

I was very impressed with TRESemme Split Remedy Conditioner, (white bottle) this did what my usual conditioner does but more; there seemed a big reduction in split ends, I would say about about 70% -75% less, this was noticeable even after the first use! I usually only apply conditioner to the ends of my hair because I have hair that gets greasy at the roots but dry at the ends. Since this targets split ends, I applied to the middle to end of my hair. This is a lightweight conditioner than felt no different than my normal conditioner (Patene Classic Care.) After using my hair was softer, smoother, nourished and looking healthy without any frizz. This also smells absolutely divine! From reading reviews on Boots and MakeupAlley this product is like Marmite you either love it or hate it! From what I've read this doesn't perform as well on curly hair and continued use can cause build up and heaviness from the silcones ingredients (Dimethicone and Amodmethicone) so I'd recommend using this as an occasional treatment (maybe once a week or every other week) and rotating it with more 'standard' conditioners.

Does it really repair split ends? Well both conditioners contain PEC Technology (PolyElectrolyte Complex*) so instead of just coating the outside of the hair like standard conditioners do,  the PCT molecules can go into the split ends of the hair and create bridges across the open end of the split. When your hair dries, water evaporates and the contraction pulls the split ends back together Once the PCTs are dry they bind the split end closed-easy! So they do repair split ends, but to get rid of 100% of split ends permanently a trim is probably needed. Apparently PECs are heat activated so you will get the best results by blow drying.

I was less impressed with the results from TRESemme Split Remedy leave in treatment.  This is the first time I've used a leave-in conditioner treatment (which has a more subtle smell.) which I applied and combed through the mid length and ends of hair. I used this with a hair drier and without leaving my hair to air dry, and got the same results.  I found it good at good at dangling and smoothing my hair. However it left the ends of my hair feeling very dry, so I won't be purchasing  this.

*PCT Complexs has a negatively charged ion (PVM/MA copolymer) and a positively charged ion (Polyquaternium -28) Both positive and negative charges together produce a single complex with the special ability to stick to damaged hairs and to itself.