Stylist after stylist keeps telling me to just say no to Pantene Pro-V, a favorite of mine since I was a pre-teen, so why all the dissing of what I always thought was a great product? I decided to look at the truth behind all of the hairdresser hype.

Last week I went to go see the stylist I've had for the past year.  We were catching up and she asked me what brands of products I had been using. After naming off what I could remember was in my shower..Aussie, Suave, Tresseme, Bath & Body Works, Pantene...she gasped after I said Pantene. "Stop using the Pantene," she said, "Use your Aussie if you must but throw away the Pantene as soon as you get home." I was insulted. I love Pantene and have for years. I love everything from the commercials to the way my hair feels so silky soft and smooth after I've conditioned it. "Yeah, you think it feels silky and soft but that's bullshit," she yapped. "Pure bullshit. The reason why it feels that way is because of all of the wax in their formula. It coats your hair and makes you feel like it's doing what it's supposed to but really it's just drying it out. And Pantene has been known to make hair fall out"

I wanted to cry.

I've never been a big fan of buying salon products even with my long crazy hair because I hate the prices and love the results of what I get out of the brands I find in drug stores. While several stylists before had told me the same thing about Pantene, this time it hit home. I ended up going home with $30 worth of Matrix products and a strong sense of buyer's remorse as I looked longingly at my Pantene in the shower.

I decided to investigate.

After reading a number of user reviews there seems to be strong opinions on both sides. Many users commented saying they did have problems of hair falling out after using Pantene products while others claimed you shouldn't believe everything your stylist says and that thinning hair is genetic and not from the affect of your shampoo. According to BeautyBrains.com they suggest looking up the ingredients in both salon products and Pantene products and notice that they all contain the three basic types of ingredients: fatty alcohols (like cetyl and stearyl alcohol); conditioning ingredients (like stearamidopropylamine and quaternium-18) and silicones (like dimethicone and cyclomethicone.)

My bottom line:

Pick the product that works for you. Take helpful suggestions from your stylist but don't believe everything she/he says. While I did run out of there with salon products in hand after her woeful words I realized afterwards that every case is different. While some may swear on their hairdryers Pantene products are evil and bad for your locks it all depends on your own personal case. My hair is still thick and volumous as ever and that's all that matters to me.

What are your own personal experiences with this brand?