While you will see a number of hair products reviewed on little blog this year, few of them will feature my byline. You see, my hair is not typical. It is finer than cornsilk, impossibly straight and utterly textureless. Nothing sticks to it — not color, not curl, not product. Gels, mousses and sprays result in damp, matted clumps. The strands are not substantial enough to support bobby pins. And I’ve been told by more than one New York hair professional to love it as is because (and I quote) “we’re not going to get it to do jack, darling.” Yep. That pretty much sums it up.
Pantene Beautiful Lengths Shampoo
On the upside, I am blessed with a decent supply of those baby fine locks, natural golden highlights and, well, maintenance is pretty easy: I wash. I condition. I air dry.
It took two decades and Gwyneth Paltrow to help me accept the fact that I’ll never be able to style past braids, a pony or poof. And I wear my hair down more often than not. As such, I focus on keeping it healthy, trying shampoos and conditioners formulated for shinier hair, stronger hair, longer hair and the like, hoping to get a little bonus volume out of the deal, too.
In recent years, nothing has been much of a standout. Still, I’m an optimist. So I’ve kept looking. And last month, it finally paid off in Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths Shampoo with shine enhancer.
Ironically, I didn’t buy Beautiful Lengths for anything more than a clean head of hair (the pearlescent tube and pink cap made me happy; I bought it). I didn’t expect much; so I was truly surprised when I noticed my highlights glowing like Summertime. I also noticed less hair breaking off in my shampoo comb (yes, yes; I realize that’s a no-no; but if I don’t sort the tangles while it’s loaded with conditioner, I’m in for at least 20 minutes in a dry comb situation) and hairbrush.
I continued using the Pantene and, after a couple of weeks, was convinced that my hair seemed fuller and was staying cleaner longer, too. Is that what volume looks like? If so, I like it!
A full month has gone by and Beautiful Lengths is still making a good impression. While using the tube as a microphone (it’s a shower thing), I noticed that this particular product also supports the Beautiful Lengths Program, which donates wigs made from real hair to women with cancer. You know, that makes me like this product even more. So much so that I’m going to have to try Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths Conditioner. Nice.
I love this stuff, too! It smells divine!