A drugstore pick for soft hair that smells great

Budget-friendly shampoos have gotten a bad rap in the past few years. You may think affordable hair care products are full of harsh, damaging chemicals, but that just isn’t the case anymore. Plenty of drugstore shampoos are now formulated without silicones, parabens and sulfates, so you don’t have to break the bank for a “cleaner” option.

One of my more recent affordable faves is Pantene Pro-V Sulfate-Free Rose Water Shampoo. I tested it a few months ago and loved how clean, soft and shiny it made my hair — not to mention how good it made it smell! Here’s a full Pantene shampoo review for those who are looking for new (or better) hair care options that are easy on the budget.

Pantene

Infused with rose oil and a blend of antioxidants, pro-vitamin B5 and pH balancers, this shampoo leaves strands feeling soft and shiny. Even better: It’s free of sulfates, silicones, parabens, dyes and mineral oil.

Pros

• Great scent
• Makes hair feel very clean
• Leaves hair soft and shiny

Cons

• More expensive than other drugstore brands

$21 at Amazon

Review: Pantene Pro-V Sulfate-Free Rose Water Shampoo

Since hair care is so specific to each individual, it’s important to consider your own hair type and needs when choosing a shampoo. But take note: Just because something is more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. Case in point: Senior Beauty Editor Jennifer Romolini’s review of Olaplex shampoo. You may think that because the pricey “bond building” hair cleanser has legions of fans, it will work for everyone, but Jennifer found that it made her hair feel “knotty and crunchy like hay.”

While an 8.5-ounce bottle of Olaplex set her back $30, I got great results from a 30-ounce bottle of Pantene Pro-V Sulfate-Free Rose Water Shampoo for about $20. The first thing I noticed? How great it smelled. It boasted a delicious rose scent that lasted well after my shower. It lathered easily and rinsed out quickly, and I only had to use it once to get my hair feeling squeaky clean.

I loved that the shampoo came in a jumbo-size bottle with a convenient pump. The bottle lasted a very long time, not only because of how much was inside, but also because the pump prevented me from pouring out too much at a time — that happens to me all too often with squeeze bottles. I also loved how soft and shiny my hair looked when it dried, and since the shampoo is cruelty-free, I felt good about my purchase.

Overall, this is a great drugstore shampoo for anyone who wants soft, supple hair while steering clear of sulfates, silicones, parabens and dyes.

Is Pantene Pro-V Sulfate-Free Rose Water Shampoo color-safe?

I don’t have colored hair, so I can’t speak to this, but according to Pantene, the shampoo is safe to use on colored and permed hair. Several reviewers also said it worked great on their dyed hair. “I have color treated hair that gets so frizzy and (my daughter) has thin curly hair,” wrote one. “We both love the way the product controls the frizz and softens. The scent is amazing as well.”

Is Pantene Pro-V Sulfate-Free Rose Water Shampoo good for thinning hair?

While this is definitely an affordable option for hydrating hair, I don’t think it would necessarily help thinning strands. There is a rice-water-infused shampoo from Pantene that claims to reduce hair breakage and loss, so if those are your main issues, you may want to give Pantene Pro-V Sulfate-Free Shampoo with Rice Water a try instead.

Pantene

If you have thinning hair, try this shampoo instead. It’s infused with rice water and aims to help strengthen strands. 

$21 at Amazon

Pantene Pro-V Sulfate-Free Rose Water Shampoo ingredients

The main ingredient and star of this Pantene shampoo is rose water extract that has been infused with antioxidants, pro-vitamin B5 and pH balancers — all work together to make hair soft and shiny. (And as we’ve mentioned before, the shampoo is free from sulfates, silicones, parabens, dyes and mineral oil.)

The entire ingredient list is here:

Water, sodium cocoyl isethionate, lauramidopropyl betaine, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, fragrance, rosa gallica flower extract, panthenol, panthenyl ethyl ether, histidine, polyquaternium-10, sodium citrate, citric acid, sodium benzoate, sodium salicylate, tetrasodium EDTA.

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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