Dove 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner: Extra Volume?

When Dove first came out with shampoo, I was entering high school; my mom heard about it when I wasn't listening, apparently, and told me about because we both have fine, thin hair. I used Suave shampoo in elementary school because as a little kid, all I cared about was the huge selections of fruity smells; I used 2-in-1 Pert in middle school, and I remembered it did a fairly good job making my hair soft as long as I had shoulder-length hair; I started to use VO8 after Pert because they came out with those milky shampoos which smelled so good. Finally, Dove seemed best, because none of these shampoos ever specifically stated they were for "fine, thin hair" at the time, and Pert didn't smell good.

I generally have long hair and don't dye it (I never dye my hair; I did once in 8th grade as an experimental thing, but that was the last time...), but I've tried shoulder length hair and boy-short hair. When I don't have long hair, I care less about my shampoo because short hair was easier to take care of anyway. So when my mom bought Dove's Extra Volume 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner, it was like heaven for my long hair.

The Dove Difference is our Weightless Moisturizer: All Dove Shampoos and Conditioners bring just the right amount of our unique Weightless Moisturizers to the center of each hair strand, without weighing it down.

Extra Volume 2-in-1 FOR FINE, THIN HAIR:
- Adds volume and fullness while leaving hair noticeably softer and smoother
- Breakthrough shampoo formula cleans effectively without stripping hair of essential moisturizers
- Combines cleansing and weightless moisturizing into one step

Dove did wonders for me, except for volume.

Weightless Moisturizers & volumizing power
What volume? They emphasize this more than they need to; the only difference in volume is minor, resulting from their "Weightless Moisturizer" claims. All other shampoos I've used in the past had a heavier feel when I would lather, and weighed down my hair after the shower. However, because of Dove's Weightless Moisturizers, my hair was not weighed down, and didn't look as flat, but didn't look like it had much volume, either.

Weightless Moisturizers & drying time
I found that because the Weightless Moisturizers didn't weigh my hair down, drying my hair was almost effortless. In general, I just towel dry my hair (on ocassion I use a hair-dryer, but only if I'm rushing and I want to curl my hair). For towel drying my hair, Dove's Weightless Moisturizers was a plus to the process: I would towel dry it right out of the shower and wrap it in my towel as I got ready for the day. I wouldn't have to leave my hair wrapped for long; I found that if I let my hair dry naturally (and not wrapped up in a towel) with Dove's shampoo, it dried pretty quickly. This was such a joy my first year of college, too, when I would wake up 15 minutes before class and do my 5 minute shower and my hair would be dry by the time I sat down in my seat for music theory. So, since I usually dry my hair naturally, drying it with a hair-dryer does not take that long, either.

Weightless Moisturizers & manageability
Excellent. Of all the shampoos I've tried in the past (like the ones I mentioned in the beginning of my reivew) didn't come close (maybe except for Pert, but still, that was also a 2-in-1 but smelled like chemicals). Since Dove's Weightless Moisturizers didn't weigh down my hair and didn't naturally stay dripping wet for long, brushing it was easy. I found that true for both Dove's 2-in-1 shampoo and their shampoo along (not 2-in-1). My hair gets a few tangles, but brushing it never hurt and was never much of a hassle, gliding easier than when I use thicker shampoos (such as Suave or Garnier Fructis).

Weightless Moisturizers & softness
This shampoo does make your hair noticeably softer, as they claim. The softness is a plus to manageability. Since Dove's Weightless Moisturizers don't weigh down my hair, I found that my hair became noticeably softer after time, and touching it was nice, no rough feel (even when I have a ton of split ends on layered hair telling me it's time for a trim).

Weightless Moisturizers & the 2-in-1 formula
When I first used a conditioner, it was Suave. I put it in my hair after shampooing in the shower and loved the feel of my hair when I was rinsing it out -- so soft and nice -- but then when I put my hands where my eyes could see them, strands of hair were wrapped around my fingers like a horror movie (ok, it wasn't that bad -- maybe like three or five strands). I hadn't even felt hair being pulled out. However, since Dove contains a 2-in-1 (shampoo and conditioner) formula and Dove is gentle, I never experience this (maybe ocassionally my hand will pull out one strand, but that's pretty much natural for when our hair is growing and pushes out other strands of hair). I would say this is a shampoo good for everyday use, especially on those days you feel like washing your hair more than once.

Weightless Moisturizers & NO shine
This shampoo doesn't do much to help your hair improve its shine, like Garnier Fructis' shampoo does. Yes, Dove's weightless moisturizers "cleans effectively without stripping hair of essential moisturizers," but doesn't add to any natural shine your hair already has. Because the shampoo helps moisturize your hair, that might make it look better sheen-wise, but my hair was never really dry or dull to begin with, so I didn't notice much. If anything, Dove does make your hair look healthier, but the main focus isn't on shine.

Dove's texture & scent
Dove's shampoo looks like a milky substance and isn't as thick as other shampoos feel when you pour it into your hand. Dove lathers well and you don't really need a handful to do the job. The fragrance, don't get on me for saying this, is "feminine." It's sweet but not sweet. As in, it's not sweet like fruits, but just has this nice, clean smell to it that just tells people, "I showered today" (that's not a bad thing). And it's the scent that will usually make people tell you, "Hey, your hair smells nice." Why, thank you! I've had that compliment several times upon using Dove's shampoo, hehe. But it's not something strong where it just overwhelms you or other people, it's actually faint, but not too faint where you can't enjoy being clean.

Ingredients:
water (aqua), sodium laureth sulfate, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, cocamidopropyl betaine, ammonium chloride, dimethiconol, glycol distearate, glycerin, fragrance (parfum), PPG-9, carbomer, glyceryl oleate, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM hydantoin, PEG-45M, TEA-dodecylbenzenesulfonate, lysine HCl, silk amino acids

Pricing
Dove get's more expensive as you get the bigger container (assuming you like Dove and want to buy in bulk) -- ok, that's inevitable. But buying the biggest pump (like they offer at wholesale stores such as Sam's Club or Costco) gets real expensive, close to $9. Hmm, maybe that's not so bad. But I say Dove is worth every penny, unless you are really looking to volumize above all. But, I mean, no shampoo does it all... or if there is a super-shampoo, somebody let me know!

Pros
Doesn't weigh down hair, makes hair noticeably softer, manageable, good for everyday use

Cons
No volume like they claim, doesn't improve shine, expensive in big containers

The Bottom Line
Dove is the saviour for fine, thin hair; where all other shampoos are heavy, Weightless Moisturizers are the answer.

Recommended:
Yes