Dandruff free and conditioned in 5 minutes. (Head & Shoulders Anti-Dandruff Shampoo - 2 IN 1 - 400ml)

Member Name: Caewan

Product:	Head & Shoulders Anti-Dandruff Shampoo - 2 IN 1 - 400ml
Date:	28/07/09 (109 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Really works, quick, cost effective, long lasting.

Disadvantages: Strong smell, makes my hair feel dead.

Head & Shoulders first hit our shelves in the 1960s after being researched by the company which makes it today, Procter & Gamble, who have also brought brands such as Always, Ariel, Duracell, Gillette, Pampers, Pringles and many more to supermarkets all around the world. Since its 1961 release it has developed into a brand of its own, with 13 products including Head &and Shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo & conditioner, which is the subject of this review.
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The packaging.

The 400ml bottle is very large, standing at 20cm tall, 7cm wide, and 4cm deep which means generally you can not fit it on small shelves. Unlike in the picture featured, the bottle has a more modern shape which fits very well into the palm, one side is rounded so you can grip it with your thumb, and the other side is flat which means you can close your fingers around it for even more grip - perfect for showering as we all know how often we drop slippery products in the shower! The top of the bottle as a harder dark blue plastic which is also the lid! A problem with this maybe that the hard plastic of the lid/bottle top is more prone to snapping if you're not careful after purchase, or in your luggage - which has happened twice to me.

The front of the product is aesthetic, only the product name "head & shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo & conditioner" and a small description half way down the bottle; "2in1 classic clean for normal clean, conditioned hair" "for frequent use" (for some reason they don't use capitals) as well as a pretty looking watery swoop which goes from the bottom right, around the text and finishes at the top. The back of the bottle contains everything you need to read many books about to understand including the fact that this product uses a Hydrazinc formula to tackle your hair. So, water and zinc?

"Our proven Hydrazinc formula tackles the cause of
dandruff head on from the 1st wash, sweeping away
visible flakes and helping to relieve dryness, itchiness
and tight scalp*
*associated with dandruff"

and

"for clean, conditioned hair
Balanced,, beautifully clean hair starts with the scalp.
This daily shampoo and conditioning system is expertly formulated to thoroughly cleanse and condition without build-up, leaving your hair soft and shiny."

As well as this, the back tells you to avoid putting it in your eyes (if you do rinse thoroughly with WATER (as opposed to cola)) followed by lots of foreign words and the ingredients, which I have mentioned in the next section.
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The product

The product itself is a light blue colour, with a hint of green and is very thick as well as having a very strong smell which is what I imagine smells like what would happen if you dropped a piece of fruit into a vat full of long-named chemicals. The ingredients are as follows;

"Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl, Cocamide MEA, Zinc Carbonate, Glycol Disearate, Sodium Chloride, Zinc Pyrithione, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol, Parfum, Polyquaternium-10, Sodium Xylenesulfonate" Damn science and its big words "Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Benzoate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamol, Magnesium Carbonate Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexine Carboxaldehyde, Limonene Citronellol, Sodium Polynaphthalenesulfonate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, DMDM Hydantoin, CI 60730, Disodium EDTA, Terasodium EDTA, Methylisothiazolinone CI 42090"

And now I understand why people copy it all from Wikipedia.

Anyhow, these are the ingredients! Maybe scientists and people who have allergies will understand what they need to avoid, but to you and me, this might as well be Greek.
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My views.

I have been using this product for as long as I remember, which must be over 10 years as I have had dandruff problems for most of my life, so this product is something I'm very experienced with, showering with it most days. I have dabbled with other products in the last few years, including tar based products which stank like death.

The fact that this product is thick means that only a small amount is necessary, just a little but I overdo it most of the time for extra assurance that my hair will be dandruff free. The average 400ml bottle lasts me for one and a half months on average, often longer as I do not shower with it every day.
I find that the strong smell can be a bit much right after I have showered, but it stops after about an hour but stays noticeable throughout the day and, though it is not my favourite smell I have had others comment that my hair smells nice after using it. I don't find it a terrible smell - I just find it very chemical!

The anti-dandruff side of this product is very effective, after one shower I have only once or twice found any dandruff at all, and I've been using it for years. It's great that it works like this, you can be dandruff free in 5 minutes. To be honest, it says to use it every day, which I find too much for me, as generally my hair remains dandruff free for 4 days after using the product, so I use it every 2 days to be sure.

Unfortunately as a conditioner, I do not find this product very useful. It leaves my hair dry and feeling a bit lifeless. Apparently it has a low PH of 8, but occasionally I do have burn feelings if I use it too much.
Overall, I find this product a life saver, and it's been a lot better than the other brands I've been trying recently (most of which appear to be a bit over-exaggerated). The price for a bottle of this size is generally about £3.50-£4, and it is often on offer at supermarkets, it lasts for a month at least if you shower every day so it is a very good price.

Summary: This is a product you can trust to clean your scalp and hair. Thoroughly.