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As a beauty editor three plus years into the game, it feels somewhat shameful to admit that I still struggle with dry ends, especially with the plethora of product options and curly hair knowledge I’m surrounded by on a daily basis. I’ve come around to finding joy in my natural hair texture, but every hair texture comes with its own set of, ahem, quirks, which in my case are brittle, knotty ends that don’t retain moisture. But this story has a happy ending: I’ve finally found a product that pleases my fussy ends—and it costs less than $15.
Pantene’s Pro-V Miracles Bond Repair Keratin + Vitamin E Conditioner is like a band-aid for breakage, frizz, and roughness—if band-aids healed all wounds in about one minute. That’s right, it only takes sixty seconds for this 2024 Best of Beauty Award winner to add softness and shine back into frazzled, dull hair. It sounds a bit hard to believe, especially because I tend to think more is more when it comes to hydrating hair products, so I had to give this product a run for its (very reasonable) amount of money.
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The first time I tried this conditioner, I woke up with particularly unruly second-day hair. As those with waves and curls know, water is your best friend when bringing their shape back to life, so I doused my hair from ears to ends and worked a quarter sized dollop of product through the wet parts until evenly coated. I can’t even really tell you what happened between applying and rinsing out, because by the time I had washed my hands, sat on the edge of the tub, and checked my phone, time was up! A quick rinse and slightly less quick air dry later, and my hair could not have looked more different from how I woke up.
My hair was significantly softer and significantly less tangly, and the curls were as defined as it gets for me without adding any curl cream or gel—pinky swear. The secret comes down to the ingredient list, which is comprised of molecules that cling to the surface of the hair and work to seal the cuticle. “Think of your hair cuticle as tiny overlapping scales that cover each hair strand, similar to shingles on a roof,” says Cincinnati-based cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos. When the cuticle scales lay flat, they form a protective layer along hair strands that keeps the good stuff (moisture) in and the bad stuff (damage) out.
Unfortunately, it’s really easy to disturb that protective layer. “Hair color, heat tools, and even brushing can cause damage to the cuticle which results in dullness, increased breakage, tangling, and frizz,” says Dobos. That’s where Pantene’s formula works its magic. One of the ingredients, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, is a positively charged conditioning ingredient that bonds to the surface of the hair—imagine using tar (gross, but bear with me) to reattach the dislodged roof shingles in a flat, secure formation.
Like with magnets, because this ingredient is positively charged, it really loves negatively charged things—and wants to cling on to them and be best friends forever. Well, guess what happens to have a lot of negative charge? Damaged hair, according to Dobos—especially strands that have been bleached or chemically processed. In short, the cationic ingredients in this formula and damaged hair want to stick together, resulting in a fortified hair cuticle and softer, stronger hair.
Dobos recommends incorporating this conditioner into your regular routine for better repair and damage prevention over time. When it’s a $150 moisturizer, this advice stings, but at less than $13 for a hefty tube of conditioner, I’m happy to follow orders. You can shop it now for $13 at walmart.com.
Read more about our favorite budget-friendly beauty picks here:
- Allure Best of Beauty 2024: Steals Winners
- I Tried This $10 Shampoo and Conditioner to Prolong My Hair Color
- 15 Best Drugstore Moisturizers For Low-Cost, High-Yield Hydration
Now watch a cosmetic chemist guess cheap vs. expensive mascara:
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