My Swishing Pantene Aqua Light TVC

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I went up to Sydney last month for a Pantene Aqua Light hair treatment and blow dry at the chic Barney Martin Hair Studio in Surrey Hill.

What I didn't mentioned last time was that after my blow drys, along with fellow bloggers Valerie and Tine, we were given the opportunity to make our own hair swishing TV commercial for Pantene's latest offering - Aqua Light.

Yours truly, Valerie and Tine

I've always envied the girls with their beautiful hair that who are able look absolutely stunning when they swirl their heads and their amazing head of glossy manes so jumped at the opportunity to make my own commercial and look anywhere near as graceful as those TV beauties.

To get us all into the mood, Barney donned on a pretty wig and gave us a swishing demonstration himself.

Barney looking HOT with his swishing wig

Now thankfully we weren't making the official commercials because I have no such talents in front of the screen, but it was great fun to shoot the scenes and come back a nice little personal momento that I'm sure will give many chuckle in years to come when looking back at the all-too-hilarious footage.

shooting the TVC

Most importantly, I had a ball making the commercial and got a taste of what it like to do multiple takes of the same shoot to get the perfect shot (it is hard work I tell you - I have new-found respect for all the models and actors out there!).

So here it is - the fruits of my labour. Just don't mind my contorted facial expressions - I could never keep a straight face when I was being told to swing my heads from one end to another with the hair plastering all over my face.

I hope you enjoy this little comical TVC of mine. Just don't just laugh too hard - I had my mum laughed her head off when I showed this to her the first time this week.

You can also check out my fellow beauty bloggers Tine and Valerie's Pantene TVC on their blogs.

Finally, don't forget to enter the Pantene Make a Swish competition currently running to make your very own TVC and win an amazing cash prize.

Additional photos courtesy of Saunders & Co.

Pantene Aqua Light & A Swishing Competition

Pantene sceptics, I know there’s quite a few of you are out there. And as they say in industry, perception is reality - especially if 1 in 5 out of a sample of 159 women think that Pantene is bad for them and weighs their hair down.

I personally don’t mind Pantene because I have thick hair (and a lot of it too) so pantene’s formula have always worked for my hair rather than against it. But I know fine haired friends of mine are not so lucky and can find the original formula far too heavy for regular use.

After all this time, the folks at Pantene have heard its consumers and sceptics loud and clear and created a product that directly addresses these perception and concerns about Pantene products.

And folks, that is how the Aqua Light range is born. Guaranteed to leave no residue, and not be heavy or weigh hair down, this collection is will deliver hydration and that fresh ‘just washed’ feeling without hair feeling weighed down or looking limp and flat.

Having used it myself recently when I was given a wash and blow dry at Barney Martin’s Surrey Hill Salon, I can attest to it how light it feels.

My hair feels like its been using a clarifying shampoo and my hair was soft, weightless, and full of volume and without the usual pantene coating that I get from using the regular version. The blow dry was the icing on the proverbial cake (pass on my thanks to Jarita will you Barney?) and left my hair super straight and sleek, making me wish I had a stylist every morning to do my hair before I headed off to work .

Pantene Aqua Light Shampoo & Conditioner 350ml, RRP A$7.99 from major supermarkets, Priceline, discount department stores and most chemists.

So you want more than just nice swishing hair? Well you may just be in luck.

To help launch this latest range, Pantene has launched a ‘Make a Swish’ competition where you could be in the running to win $10k cold hard cash and become the face of Pantene Aqua Light (imagine starring in your own Pantene commercial – now that’s potentially 15 minute of fame you’d be proud to tell the grandkids of in years to come).

Simply upload a video of you unleashing your swishing powers and you’re in the running to win – it couldn’t be any easier!

I just might go practice my swishing techniques now and I hope to be able to see your hair swishes too!

Pantene Nature Fusion Shampoo & Conditioner

Over the years, the Pantene formula have been refined and re-developed and these days with improvements in technology findings, it is constantly evolving and advancing its hair care products.

Pantene’s latest line of products is the Nature Fusion in which contains the newest buzz ingredient in hair care - cassia flower extract,  proven to promote the health of hair and have previously used in Ayurvedic medicine and haircare for centuries before.

Pantene Nature Fusion Shampoo and Conditioner 

• Contains 2 varieties of cassia seed extract (cassia obtusifolia and cassia tora) to maximize the healthy hair benefits. Also contains naturally derived ingredients such as avocado oil, grapeseed extract and bamboo extract to penetrate into hair and strengthen it from within. 
• Coupled this with the high-tech Pro-V formula and a soft fruity, you have a winning creamy formula that spreads easily to leave each strand of hair more conditioned and stronger than before after continued use. 
• My hair is soft, lightweight and full of body and shine after use of the shampoo and conditoner. The most impressive thing for me is the difficult to manage ends that seem to flick in all directions are well behaved and easier to style. It definitely is my favourite range from Pantene to date and the conditioner is officially my new love!
• I also notice few hair breakages after 3 weeks of use of this latest range –testament that my hair is getting healthier and stronger. 

I’ve always enjoyed using Pantene hair products and appreciate their affordability (especially when they are on sale). In fact, I first tried them out some 15 years ago on my thick, wavy and somewhat coarse hair and they always managed to tame them and give me good-looking locks. 

I know some people don’t like Pantene shampoos and conditioners and it often gets a bad rap but I think that’s because they are a big brand and an easy target to pick on because frankly the claim of it being filled with silicones (hello – so does 100+ other brand’s shampoos) and it will make your hair fall out (bah – I wish, because I wouldn’t mind thinning out my thick mane) are baseless and bias.

Of course, I also use a clarifying shampoo on a weekly basis to remove residue and any silicone build-up from the various hair care products I use throughout the week. I think this is something most of us need to look into if our hair feels weighed down and coated with too many products and think its the regular shampoo causing the problem.

There's every chance that Pantene may not work for you depending on your hair type (I find that it works best for fuller thicker hair types rather than fine-haired people), but you can only try and find out for yourself whether the product is suitable for you.

At least it is cheap enough that if it doesn’t agree with your hair, you didn’t spend a fortune to find out. For me, it is an affordable everyday shampoo and conditioner that works well while I leave the more pricy salon speciality ones for weekly use.

Ingredients listings:

Shampoo

Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Xylenesulfonate, Cocamide MEA, Sodium Citrate, Fragrance, Citric Acid, Dimethiconol, Cassia Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Avocado Oil – Persea Gratissima, Bambusa Vulgaris Shoot Extract, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Grape Seed Extract – Vitis Vinifera, Yellow 10, Red 33, Blue 1

Conditioner, 

Water, Stearyl Alcohol, Behenamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Cetyl Alcohol, Bis-Aminopropyl Dimethicone, Fragrance, Benzyl Alcohol Dicetyldimonium Chloride, Disodium EDTA, Cassia Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (Cassia Tora Seeds), Panthenol, Panthenyl Ethyl Ether, Avocado Oil – Persea Gratissima, Bambusa Vulgaris Shoot Extract, Yellow 10, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Blue 1, Vitis Vinifera (Grape Seed) Extract, Acid Red 33

200ml RRP $4.89 at major supermarkets, Priceline and various pharmacies.

A sample of the above product was provided for consideration.

Supermarket Haircare Offerings that Actually Works

Hair Care has taken a serious turn in supermarket aisles this year with brands making more accessible professional quality products and updating their formulas to be better than ever to help us have glossy and luscious manageable locks every day.

With so much out in the market, it can be quite daunting to try and find a new shampoo and conditioner for your hair.

Let me try and demystify these latest range for you so you go to the beauty aisle armed and informed when you next visit you local store.

Pantene Daily Moisture Renewal* - 350ml RRP A$7.99

• New recharging Pro-V formula, the Pantene Daily Moisture Renewal shampoo and conditioner works more effectively to restore damaged hair back to healthy, shiny looking locks. 
• The new light-weight formula leaves hair feeling supple and shiny but doesn’t put extra weight and there’s less of that slippery dimethicone feeling when compared with its predecessor. 

Wella Pro Series Shampoo & Conditioner*  - 750ml RRP A$10.99

• This new Pro Series puts professional product normally found in salons into homes and includes a comprehensive hair care and styling line. The range features fruity, floral scent with whiffs of Egyptian pear, peach, roses, jasmine petals and chamomile, mixed with cashmere, sandalwood musk and coconut milk. 
• The haircare range comes in Shine, Volume, Colour and Repair Series to meet different types of hair concerns 
• The styling range (RRP A$7.99 each) comes in Volume, Strong Hold and Max Hold to meet the demands of any style you dream to create. 

Pantene Clinicare Ritual 1 week Trial kit* – RRP A$10.99 

• A joint effort from Pantene’s scientist and Wella Professional experts, this range is created to revitalised chemically stressed hair. 
• Contains Pro-Vitamins, three amino acids and Vitamin E to add moisture, radiance and shine whilst strengthening hair with regular use. 
• Range includes Fullness Charge for fine hair, Hydro-Surge for dehydrated hair, and Miro-Repair Revitalising for chemically damaged hair. 
• The trial kit includes a shampoo 40ml, conditioner 40ml and two 15ml rinse off treatment for an extra dose of restorative on a weekly basis. 
• The full size items costs A$14.99 for 250ml and A$19.99 for 5 ampoles of the rinse off treatment. 

I had the big task of putting all these hair care items to the test and finally, the results are in:

If you have normal-dry hair

• Pantene’s Daily Moisture Renewal is your best bet. It really does leave hair soft, silky whilst adding shine and still leave hair light and full of volume without any added weight. 
• This is my new go-to shampoo and conditioner from Pantene and whilst I was a fan of the original formula, the lightweight feel I get after using this is a welcoming change. 
• I’ve also known a few people who were previously not so keen on Pantene’s normal formula really enjoying the use of this latest range. 

If you have very chemically processed that needs intense treatment

• With my 1 week trial kit, I found the shampoo and conditioner do a fair job of hydrating my hair and keeping it adding shine back to my hair. 
• The stand out for me though is Clinicare’s rinse off treatment ampoles which are amazing for the all round hair rejuvenation that probably needs to happen once every week if you have dyed your hair to oblivion. 
• I can’t say that I’ve ever had a $80 treatment to validate whether this range beats that as the product claims, but I personally prefer the salon treatment for the extra pampering experience (I’ve only had A$40 treatments that leaves leave looking uh-mazing but if you are after value, then this at home kit would work for you). 

If you have fine hair and are after everyday hair maintenance 

• The volume range from Wella Pro would be your best bet. You can’t go past the value for money that Well Pro provides in its Shine, Volume, Colour and Repair series – there is bound to be a range here that meets your most discerning needs. 
• My personal pick is the Repair haircare series as I have brittle damaged hair - I especially love the conditioner from this range - it silkens my hair like nobody's business, leaves hair full of volume without any added weight. 

So there you have it, depending on your hair needs, you really can go any way with these latest haircare offerings. Be sure to check them out next time you pause down the beauty aisle of your supermarket.

What is your favourite supermarket haircare range?

Pantene, Clinicare and Wella Pro are available at supermarkets and selected chemists now. 

Product marked * were sent for consideration.