The things a girl would do for nice looking hair... (Pantene Sheer Volume Conditioner)

Member Name: crisella74

Product:	Pantene Sheer Volume Conditioner
Date:	08/02/09 (534 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Soft, healthy looking, fuller body hair

Disadvantages: There is room for better

Someone told me a long time ago "In your family, there must have been some Mongolian that fell inlove with one of your Romanian ancestress." Well, he actually used a more blunt word for inlove, but let's keep it romantic.
The reason he was telling me that is because I have a slightly oriental look, although as far as I know there are no Mongolians in my family. But since Romania was conquered many times by various races, it might be possible that a long time ago we got to know "the enemy" a little bit closer. My eyes are almond-shaped and it runs in the family, my uncle and my cousin have the same shape of eyes. Apart from a really nice shape of eyes, for which I get a lot of compliments, another gene that it was transmitted down for generations is a very fine, thin hair. In some ways, it's actually a very nice looking hair, it's fine, it's healthy and it shines. But if you think of any oriental person, you will often notice that it lacks volume, and this is my biggest problem. What is the point of having fine, shiny hair if you can not wear it long? The problem is that as soon as it passes shoulder length my hair looks like it's been glued to my scalp and my face it's draped by hair falling like a curtain

This is mainly the reason for which the last 10 years I have cut my hair rather short. However, what started last year with me being too lazy to go for a haircut turned into a desire of letting my hair grow long once again.
The trick now it's handling the volume problem, so I set off to look for products that would help in this area. I have read somewhere that Pantene Sheer Volume Conditioner has won a test made by the German institute Stiftung Warentest as being the best volume conditioner. I don't usually use Pantene but after trying various products that haven't worked, I decided to give it a try.

The product:
It comes in a white plastic bottle with a purple and silver design typical for Pantene products. The lid is at the bottom, which makes it very easy to get it out and I imagine you can get every drop out. This conditioner is based on Pro-Vitamin formula, with an Amino-S Complex. The conditioner itself it's quite creamy, not very thick but not runny either, it has a nice consistency. It's white and it has a nice, soapy smell which I find it doesn't linger in your hair for very long (unfortunately).

What is it for?
Pantene Pro-V Sheer Volume Conditioner is the important second step to beautiful hair with volume, body, and amplified attitude. The silky, lightweight conditioning formula helps target the areas of your hair that need it most, giving you protection against combing/styling damage while respecting your volume. Its Pro-vitamin formula is rich with moisturizers that won't weigh down your natural volume. Use as a system with Pro-V Sheer Volume Shampoo to:
- Give you the right foundation for a manageable, volume style
- Leave hair shiny and healthy, while helping to protect your natural volume


Using it:
Another problem I have with my hair is that is falling out, so the shampoo I am using it's a special one that should strengthen my hair. After shampooing my hair, I flip my hair hanging down to avoid getting conditioner (which is very greasy) on my skin and I take a little bit of conditioner and apply from mid hair to the ends. On the bottle it says to apply from the ends working your way up, which I always find it amusing... seriously now, how would one do that? Right now, my hair is shoulder length so I don't need a lot of conditioner, I only take out as much as it comes when I squeeze the tube one time.
I comb my hair with my fingers to work it into it, until it feels nice and soft. And it really feels extremely soft, I could see a huge difference while applying it, my fingers would just glide through my hair. I normally put my hair up while I continue to shower, letting the conditioner to penetrate the hair better, so it stays for a good few minutes.
Then it's time to rinse it, once again I flip my hair upside down so it doesn't touch my skin and run the shower over it. It takes a while to rinse it, but not too long and the hair still feels very soft as I comb it with my fingers.
I normally towel-dry my hair, to avoid damage from the hairdryer, but I still use it when my hair is almost dry, and that is because I find that it looks much shiner and nicer when styled using the hairdryer. When I dry my hair I focus at the roots first, using a round hairbrush and rolling each layer of hair toward my chin, heating it with the hairdryer. Once again, my hair is flipped upside down. As I dry each layer of hair, I put it up on a large roller. Once all is done, I leave the rollers for about 10-20 minutes, until the hair cools down. I know it's a lot of work, but it really helps giving the hair a nice bouncy, full body look. I do this every time I wash my hair, regardless of what shampoo or conditioner I use, so it won't affect my view on this conditioner.


Results:
As I said, the shampoo I am using it's to strengthen my hair and the way I style my hair it's been the same for years, so the only thing that is different is the conditioner. After using it, I have noticed my hair does somehow appear to have more volume then it had in years, and believe me, I have tried tons of products for volume. I won't say it's suddenly movie star volume or that I can't recognize myself, but it is much improved. I can really see a difference. My hair, for once, doesn't look stuck to the scalp, it's bouncy, full bodied, soft and looks healthier then it looked in a very long time. I can honestly say this product really worked well for me and would definitely recommend it to anyone.
The reason I am only giving 4 out of 5 stars is because, well, it's not perfect and I wish the scent would last much longer.

Summary: I don't have my heart set on it, but it's the best one I found so far.