ShareThisBy SAMANTHA THOMPSON SMITH
Raleigh News & Observer
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
They promise so much hope on the store shelves. Straight, shiny hair! More body! No more dandruff!
But are those miracle shampoos and conditioners worth all the hype? Is a $13 bottle of shampoo really better than a $5 bottle?
We put our a panel of testers on it, having them test five products on the market, two of which are so new they won't be in stores nationwide until next month.
As usual, they agreed on nothing. But they got pretty close on the Yes To Carrots shampoo and conditioner _ a new $7.99 option available at Walgreens in June that one panelist says she liked so much she's already bought two more bottles of each (online) to incorporate into her regular hair-care product rotation.
Carrots, sexy soy and anti-poof products put to the test:
YES TO CARROTS PAMPERING CARROT JUICE SHAMPOO & PAMPERING HAIR MUD CONDITIONER
_ Available at Walgreens.com or in Walgreens stores in June. 16.9 ounces, $7.99.
_ What it is: Hair products packed with antioxidants. The shampoo has Dead Sea mud, carrot, pumpkin, melon, orange and honey, and is enriched with 26 minerals. The conditioner has many of the same ingredients as the shampoo, with the addition of sweet potato.
_ The opinions:
Jean Bailey: This shampoo did nothing special for me. It didn't give my hair any extra body or sheen. It smelled too sweet, almost like candy.
Cary Edgar: Despite ingredient lists that read more like vegan salad dressing than shampoo and conditioner, this was nothing short of perfection. I love it! . . . The trick with these products was to follow the exact directions _ massage into the scalp and leave for 2-3 minutes.
Ilina Ewen: I like this line but hate the logo and packaging. . . .The shampoo smells good and lathers up nicely. I don't like the $7.99 price tag. For the record, my husband liked this one best, but he wouldn't pay $7.99 for anything in the health and beauty aisles.
Susannah Skiver: I cannot stop raving about this! It did something amazing for my hair's body and smoothness _ like adding unknown oomph.
Art Stone: I love carrots. I liked the products, too. The smell was a little strong. I could smell these before I opened up the manila envelope containing them. But the smell was not bad, and the products felt and worked great. This was a friend's favorite.
PANTENE PRO-V RESTORATIVES TIME RENEWAL SHAMPOO
_ Available in June at drugstores. 8.5 ounces, $4.99
_ What it is: Shampoo designed to help restore up to two years of damage in one month.
The opinions:
Jean Bailey: I have always been a fan of Pantene products. They always deliver what they promise. This shampoo didn't let me down.
Cary Edgar: I feel like this is fine as an everyday, run-of-the-mill shampoo, but I'm skeptical when such tremendous claims are made for any product. You're in denial if you think that some $5 shampoo can undo two years of damage.
Ilina Ewen: The blue color was unexpected and alarming. I was wary about using something that was so blue ... not because I thought it would color my hair but because it just seemed so laden with unnatural chemicals. The color reminded me of dandruff shampoo. In the end, I didn't notice anything special.
Susannah Skiver: After about half a week, my hair actually did feel stronger and definitely looked healthier.
Art Stone | This is clearly not a product meant for guys. The smell was very feminine and I found the blue color just weird.
HEALTHY SEXY HAIR SOY MILK SHAMPOO
Available at salons. 13.5 ounces, $13.
What it is: A gentle shampoo designed to give body, shine and strength to hair from soy protein. It's also supposed to protect from color loss.
The opinions:
Jean Bailey: I really liked this shampoo. It didn't strip my hair of its color just like it promised. It had a fresh clean smell and gave my hair a great sheen.
Cary Edgar: This didn't leave a radical impression either way. The lather was soft and I felt like it cleaned my hair sufficiently, but the after-effect was dry after several days of use.
Ilina Ewen: This one was my favorite, mostly because of the packaging. Love the little milk bottle but expected the shampoo to be white and milky, not a weird clearish cloudy color. Not worth the $13 price tag, but no shampoo is.
Susannah Skiver: This had a citrus-y, peppery scent that was half nice, half weird. It made my hair feel really heavy-- like it was over-moisturizing it.
Art Stone: No idea what sexy hair is, but it sounds like something I should have. I did like the packaging and the product. I liked the texture and smell and thought it worked well. This was my favorite.
REDKEN SCALP RELIEF DANDRUFF CONTROL
Shampoo, 10.1 ounces, $10.50; conditioner, 8.5 ounces, $13.95.
What it is: Shampoo and conditioner. Combats symptoms of dandruff while at the same time detangling and moisturizing. Available at salons and Ulta.
The opinions:
Jean Bailey: Since I don't suffer from dandruff, I asked my friend, Carlos, who does, to try it. He was highly impressed! Carlos reported that the shampoo gave his scalp a nice cool sensation. It also gave his hair great sheen and manageability.
Ilina Ewen: This one is difficult to comment on. Neither I, nor anyone in my household has dandruff, so I can't speak to the efficacy of the product.
Susannah Skiver: Ugh! Like many dandruff shampoos, this smelled awful!
Art Stone: I tried this a week before wearing a tux. Dandruff often shows up on black jackets. It worked well. Not much else to say, as this seemed like it was being presented as a medical or scientific product.
SUNSILK (ANTI POOF OR KINKS AND WAVES SMOOTHER) SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER
Available at drugstores. 12 ounces, $4.49
_ What it is: The "anti poof" products have jojoba oil designed to hydrate, heal and seal the hair fibers and prevent hair from expanding. The "straightening" products are designed to soften stubborn kinks or unwanted waves with elastyn-E.
The opinions:
Jean Bailey: This shampoo says it makes your hair straighter if it is wavy or kinky. It did relax some of the wave in my hair. It seem to make the blow drying job a little easier and left my hair silkier ... lots of sheen.
Cary Edgar: This was brilliant! Like Yes To Carrots, I was surprised with this one. Letting my hair air-dry eluded me prior to using this. . . . This is great for a busy schedule.
Ilina Ewen: No more stubborn kinks or unwanted waves?! Bring it on! I've been coveting the straight, silky mane that Reese Witherspoon has been sporting post-Ryan. What a disappointment. I wish I had taken photos of my hair on Sunsilk and my hair on any other shampoo. Here's what you would see: exactly the same thing.
Susannah Skiver: My hair is straight as a rail; I have zero problems with poofiness or kinks, so I gave this to my friend Amanda to test. Her words: "It helped somewhat with the poof, but not more than any other anti-poof product I've used.
Art Stone: I am not sure what poof is, but my gut reaction is that I would be pro-poof, not against it. In any case, I tried it and found it unremarkable. I have nothing bad to say about it, but nothing particularly good.
About the beauty panel
JEAN BAILEY _ 59, Raleigh, N.C., airline sales agent
CARY EDGAR _ 27, Raleigh, communications director
ILINA EWEN _ 38, Raleigh, consultant and mother
SUSANNAH SKIVER _ 20, Chapel Hill, N.C., student at University of North Carolina
ART STONE _ 44, Raleigh, state employee
