Despite the fact that I’m a die hard product junkie, I really hate change. When something works for me I like to rock out with it until bottom of the bottle do us part. But recently, when I was given the opportunity to try out the Pantene Truly Natural Collection, I had to admit that I was intrigued to test out a product line that doesn’t typically fall under my rules for “sustainable style”. My goal? To be able to compare the collection to the routines I’ve used in the past for both reference and objectivity. This bargain brand has gained a bit of clout in the natural hair community and though I typically opt for less mainstream brands, the attractive price tag for acquiring a complete hair care system for under $15 a pop can make even the most pure naturalista get a little hot under the collar.
The events that followed went a little something like this….
STEP 1 – THE WASH
Pantene Pro-V Truly Natural Hair Clarifying Shampoo
INGREDIENTS: Water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Laureth 4, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Xylenesulfonate, Fragrance, Dimethicone, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Polyquaternium 6, Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
The clarifying shampoo did its job thoroughly (thanks in part to our great friends sodium lauryl and laureth sulfate). I admit that the vigorous lather lifted the dandruff from my scalp and my locs with little effort on my part. I probably used a lot more product than I should have but I did enjoy scratching every inch of scalp after a few weeks riding dirty under the radar.
STEP 2 – CONDITIONING
Pantene Pro-V Truly Natural Hair Deep Conditioner
INGREDIENTS: Water, Stearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Bis Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Fragrance, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
I tossed on the conditioner to my newly extra-fresh tresses to add back any of the moisture I might have lost during my adventures with the extra clarifying shampoo. My time was limited so I didn’t get to sit under the dryer or steamer to really treat my hair as it deserved but I think I got my point across. Five minutes later, I was out of the shower and ready to whip my hair into shape. The deep conditioner made my hair feel relatively soft which spelled good news to my color treated tresses.
STEP 3 – STYLING
Pantene Pro-V Truly Natural Hair Shine Serum
INGREDIENTS: Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Fragrance, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Panthenol, Ceteareth-20, Alcohol
I typically don’t go for styling products simply due to the biased nature of natural hair products catering to only the curly cult. For those of us rocking locs, anything outside of a good butter or cream that can help us twist and tighten our roots is simply a waste. Never the less, I took to the shine serum hoping to create some sizzle as I styled my loc knots. This product gave me a bit more hydration but I’d be lying if I said it made my locs shine with radiance. I was prepared for the let down but only because this product was built more for afros and waves. I’ll be passing it along down my beauty bff pipeline so that it won’t go to waste.
Let me know what you think about the Pantene Truly Natural line and what it did for your hair. Would you ever switch to this brand over the others currently available?
Brand Statement: Truly Relaxed and Truly Natural – Two collections From Pantene for healthier hair* no matter what your style.
“Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Pantene via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Pantene.”
Love and Beauty,
OBV
I have loose natural 4a hair and I really like the Pantene Truly Natural line. I received the Clarifying Shampoo, Co-Wash, Deep Conditioner, and Styling Custard as part of the Birthday Curlbox special. I wore my first WNG using the custard and I really liked the results. I haven’t used the clarifying shampoo yet, but I enjoy the co-wash and the deep conditioner. I’ve always liked Pantene and I used their spray leave-in conditioner as a detangler for my natural hair a while ago, but I can’t find it in stores now. I wish they’d come up with one for the Truly Natural line as well.
lawd at that DOUBLE sodium lauryl sulfate in the shampoo! my hair curly hair would die washing it with that stuff!
as for the conditioner, the fact that coconut oil is so low on the list is sad. i wanted to like this line but the ingredients alone made me leave it in the store. i don’t understand why these mainstream brands are not following suite to what works for curly hair. MOISTURE, MOISTURE, MOISTURE. we have to retain moisture. i have a bottle of $7 sls-based shampoo that has shea buter, argan, olive and a few other oils mixed in (within first 5-10 ingredients) with other non-premium ingredients and though i don’t care for the fact that it has sls, it works well because of the oils in the shampoo which help to not leave my hair stripped as well as helping me to retain moisture. oh, and it works as well as my fancy oil-based, sls-free almost $30 shampoo!
i do like the idea of the serum though. a cheap silicone-based serum with two good oils is a good alternative for those not willing to drop $40 on a bottle of pure argan and who have hair than can stand silicone coating.
Kurlybella: Thank you for your honest comment. As a professional cosmetologist myself, I can confidently tell you Pantene products and 99% of the grocery store haircare products are the worst for anyones hair. The ingredients are complete garbage in all of their products. (Look for yourself on the back of the bottles: almost every single product line contains the EXACT same crappy chemicals regardless or the brand. P.S Why support any company today that recently jumped on the curly/extra curly hair market. What were their priorities EVEN 5 years ago.. Why should we support them now?
So weird! What’s “truly natural” about those? The shampoo doesn’t even have one natural thing in it! What a cocktail of chemicals. And they all have the big F word, Fragrance. Sadly, all that crap makes my hair look so much nicer than the really pure stuff, but since I stopped using it whenever I DO happen to use something with Fragrance I can smell it for days – NOT a good sign!