Garnier Fructis - That stuff in the bright green bottle.

So, I've read people rave about Garnier Fructis, both here and in magazines. It was so cheap (like $2.88 a bottle with coupon, I think I paid) that I had to try it. I've liked Garnier hair dye for years... it's the only brand of hair dye I use.

But anyway, am I the only person that DOESN'T like this stuff? It seems to dry my hair out. Not as bad as Pantene, but still noticeable.
I've had it for a month now, and I've tried it several times, but I never like the results. I know I've heard you're supposed to use a new shampoo and conditioner for 10 days to really see how it works, but that doesn't seem wise in this case.

Any thoughts?

I did buy the 'fine hair' formula. Maybe I should have bought the 'normal hair' formula. Still, I don't imagine there'd be too much difference.

is there anything wrong with the ingredients? i personally like it. of course this is just me.

Thank you, Lyris!

Wow, did you happen to have a bottle of Fructis handy when you rattled off that list of ingredients, or are you just a walking encyclopedia?

LOL Grover....no I'm definitely no encyclopedia...my memory is far too limited for that. I got the ingredients from Walgreens.com. Just cut 'n paste.

Princess, the normal and dry shampoos are not identical, but very close. They both contain the same ingredients but a few are in slightly different orders. The dry version would probably VERY slightly enhance hair's shine due to the dimethicone listed third. They are both gentle shampoos.

The conditioners are even more similar. The first eight ingredients are identical, and the first 3-5 ingredients comprise 80-90 percent of a hair product. These products show no differences until you get down into the fragrance/preservative area, so they are virtually the same product. Both would probably work best for someone with slightly dry hair, as the ingredients present in the biggest quantities are moisturizers (cetyl alcohol), emulsifiers (PEG-180), detanglers (behentrimonium chloride) and shine-enhancers (amodimethicone.) Whew, okay I hope that helps! :-)

Well, first and foremost I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Meaning I am a huge dork. About two years ago I decided I was tired of wading through the hair product world with nothing to go on but the slick marketing language emblazoned on each bottle. I began reading a LOT: Paula Begoun's books, cosmetic dictionaries, reputable web sites (The Rose Sheet, the FDA). I asked my father, a chemist, lots of questions. In the end, I found my hair improving as I learned to go by the ingredient list and not the front of the label.

I have a rather extensive ingredient glossary on my hardrive with hundreds of compouds to which I refer, culled from a variety of resources. (If you want it I can email it to you...it's rather long!) At first I brought the whole printout with me to the store, but after awhile I got to know the most prolific ingredients so that wasn't necessary. Behentrimonium chloride is one of those chemicals that shows up in many, many conditioners as a detangling agent, so I now recognize it on sight.

An emulsifier thickens the product and gives it a specific consistency. Many people think that the thicker the conditioner, the richer and more moisturizing it must be. It's simply not true: It's thick because it contains emulsifiers. However some thickeners such as cetyl/stearyl/cetearyl alcohol and ceteath-20 are also emollients, which help moisturize hair.

I strongly believe the best defense consumers like you and I have against marketing lingo is knowledge. Once your awareness is raised, it cannot be lowered. I will never again judge a product by its manufacturer's flowery claims--I look at the ingredients and see for myself.

Another long-winded response today! Well in any event I hope that helps Grover. Have a lovely Tuesday!

i used a free sample i had gotten- the shampoo and conidtioner had a nice smell and left my hair feeling fresh. Im thinking of buying it when i finish my other shampoo.

WARNING!!
WARNING!!
WARNING!!

I tested the ph on the sample I received in the mail.

It was a 7!!!!!

In other words, it will rip color right out of your hair, and eventually fray your cuticle, leaving you with split ends.

This stuff is bad!!!

Lili Beach, I think 7 is neutral. I have some Phyto that says it is 7, right on the package. Thanks for testing it though. I need to get my hands on some pH strips.

I use the shampoo (fortifying line) when I need to clarify and the rest of the time i LOVE pantene...
Or Avalon shampoo!!
Their conditioner (fructis) is Ok but in my opinion it is a lil' bit TOO light for my colored hair!!

Ronda is right: the pH of this product shouldn't cause a problem. Seven is slightly more alkaline than hair, which has a natural pH between 5-6, making it slightly acidic. It's the really high pH products you need to watch out for: namely hair dyes that hover in the 10-11 range. Unfortunately, for permanent dyes to penetrate the cuticle it must open first, which explains the high pH requirement.

While 7 is slightly higher than hair's normal pH, you aren't going to leave Fructis on your hair day and night since it's a rinse-out product. Hair has a tendency to return to its natural pH, so it would do this after using a neutral pH product.