Pantene Pro V Destroys your Hair : Here's Why | Wannabe Beauty Guru
Pantene, tresseme, Aussie and V05 are particularly bad in this regard. They also have a lot of harsh fragrances that can be irritating to your scalp and dry your hair out further because of the high alcohol content. Even in the "natural" ones.
It can definitely be bad for your hair. If it's colored, permed, thin, course or dry it can be very damaging.
Most drug store shampoos are bad for those hair types honestly. People see improvement pretty quickly because of the waxes in them which add a lot of shine and glue the strands back together. But the damage is still there and if you heat style, damage is more likely because you're heating the wax on your hair far more than what is safe. Pantene, tresseme, Aussie and V05 are particularly bad in this regard.
They also have a lot of harsh fragrances that can be irritating to your scalp and dry your hair out further because of the high alcohol content. Even in the "natural" ones. A lot of brands, Pantene, Dove, tresseme and Garnier fructise are particularly bad about this one, that's why the smell is so strong and lasts for hours and hours.
On top of all that, they also use very harsh surfactants to make up for how watered down they are and keep the prices down. Even ones that say sulfate free are usually not entirely free of the multitude of sulfates or they just switch it out for a harsher cleanser.
When it comes to the "better" ones with avocado oil or coconut oil they aren't actually any better. Both of those molecules are too large to penetrate the hair shaft and make any difference beyond weighing down frizz and building up on the outside. Coconut oil is especially bad if you heat style because like wax, it heats up and causes more damage.
All of these things fade color, cause split ends to travel higher up the hair shaft, cause heat damage and dry out hair like crazy.
I always recommend joico or kenra to people who are wanting to switch and protect their hair better. They're both cheap, you barely need any, they smell great and it lasts and they have a line for pretty much every hair type. Joico k-pac is AMAZING and just shampoo and conditioner will do more for your hair short and long term than an hour long regimen of playing catch up with oils, styling balms and leave ins.
If you're willing to put a lot of money into it then R+Co or oribe are hands down the best across the board. R+Co uses all natural hand made gentle fragrances that literally last for days and both barely suds up at all because they are actually sulfate free across all products. Amika is also great as well, but they've had a lot of diversion issues lately so definitely get it from a salon or Ulta.
TL;DR yes it's bad for your hair, all drugstore shampoos are and they use waxes and oils to cover the damage. Joico and kenra are in the same price range at salons as drugstore shampoos and you don't need near as much or extra leave in products. R+Co, Oribe and Amika are great if you're willing to spend a lot of money.
Source, I'm a cosmetologist, it's part of my job and I don't sell product in my salon, I get specific things for specific clients so I don't make money off people buying better shampoo.
Edit: olaplex and Brazilian Blow Out products are also awesome. You don't need the in salon treatments to use either of them and if you straighten your hair Brazilian Blow Out has an AMAZING straightening balm and oil that go on wet and really helps hair to dry straighter but also protects against the heat.
