Pantene Color Preserve Shine Vs. Salon Brand

As part of Pantene's campaign to introduce their Hair Solutions line for different types of hair, I was given samples of the Color Preserve and Shine shampoo and conditioner, and Pantene's Color Nourishing Treatment for weekly use.

I've been coloring my hair for years, and generally spend extra money to buy salon brands of shampoo and conditioner to keep my color looking new and my hair soft and shiny. The products in my shower when the Pantene products arrived were salon brand shampoo and conditioner. I've been using a salon brand for over a year and have been satisfied with the results. My color lasts well between treatments, and my hair, all things considered, is reasonably soft and shiny.

I've done a product review of the Pantene Color Preserve and Shine shampoo and conditioner, but I felt it would add to both my own decisions on what to use in the future and my readers' feelings on what might be best for them, if I compared the Pantene products to a fairly well-known salon brand. Both brands preserve my hair color and leave my hair feeling soft and looking shiny. There seem to be three major areas of difference.

The first, obviously, is price. I bought a 16 oz. bottle of my salon brand of shampoo at the salon I visit for about $15.00. You can get the Pantene Color Preserve and Shine shampoo here for $5.94 for a 12.6 oz bottle; the suggested retail price is $6.99. The prices for the conditioners in each brand are comparable to the shampoo price. Clearly, Pantene is a much less expensive choice.

Second, the salon brand products are only "guaranteed" or "warranted" when purchased in professional salons, although obviously there are other places to buy them. Pantene is available in drugstores and many grocery stores, as well as on-line.

The third area of comparison is the ingredients. If you look at the top of the back of the salon-brand bottle, you'll see that it contains ginseng and gingko biloba to nourish and protect your hair. The Pantene Color Preserve and Shine says it contains their "system with micro-polishers [that] smooth and refinish hair's outer layer." I like natural things. That gingseng and gingko biloba sound pretty good next to micro-polishers, don't they? But read on. Be a smart consumer and look at the bottom, where they list the ingredients.

The first three ingredients of both shampoos are water, sodium lauryl sulfate (#2 in Pantene, #3 in salon brand), and sodium laureth sulfate (#3 in Pantene, #2 in salon brand). Bear in mind that sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate are almost identical. They are both petro-chemicals that create lather and may dry some hair types. You have to look slightly more than halfway down the long ingredient list of the salon-brand shampoo to find the botanical ingredients, although in the spirit of openness, there are no botanical ingredients in the Pantene shampoo other than citric acid (also present in the salon-brand product).

Citric acid is found in citrus fruits, and is frequently used in soaps and detergents, because it increases their effectiveness. A small amount in shampoos can help to remove minerals from hard water, but too much can damage hair by stripping needed minerals and/or bleaching hair. Citric acid is the 6^th ingredient listed in the Pantene Color Preserve Shine shampoo, and the 13^th ingredient in the salon brand. In both products, that probably means there isn't enough to damage your hair, but just enough to help soften it.

If you're looking for all-natural, you won't find it in either product. If, on the other hand, you're looking for affordable products that will protect your hair's color, shine and softness, your best choice is Pantene's Color Preserve Shine shampoo and conditioner. While I'm not sure I'd say that it's better than the salon-brand product, it certainly compares and is as good, and the Pantene is much more affordable.