Medium to Long Hair that's Dull or Damaged

Two days ago, I bought five new bottles of conditioner. Two of them are L'Oreal Vive Pro: L'Oreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss Conditioner for Medium to Long Hair that's Dull or Damaged and L'Oreal Vive Pro Hydra Gloss Moisturizing Conditioner for Very Dry or Damaged Hair.

From the Packaging

L'Oreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss Conditioner for Medium to Long Hair that's Dull or Damaged

Before using Nutri Gloss Mirror Shine Shampoo and Conditioner, hair may be dull or damaged from heat styling and the environment.
After using Nutri Gloss Mirror Shine Shampoo and Conditioner, hair is stronger and shines brilliantly with targeted nourishment, helping prevent split ends.
Nutri Gloss with a Pearl Protein Complex infuses hair with mirror shine and a cashmere soft touch.
  • Conditions hair without wearing it down
  • Nourishes hair for greater strength
  • Detangles and helps defend against split ends
  • Transforms dull into glossy, healthy shine
INGREDIENTS: Water (Aqua), Cetyl Alcohol, Amodimethicone, Cetyl Esters, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Fragrance (Parfum), Myristyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Dipalmitoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Methylparaben, Trideceth-6, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Limonene, Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool, Citric Acid, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Citronellol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein, CI 17200 (Red 33)

L'Oreal Vive Pro Hydra Gloss Moisturizing Conditioner for Very Dry or Damaged Hair

Before using Hydra Gloss Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner, hair may feel dry or damaged from the distressing effects of the weather and over-processing.
After using Hydra Gloss Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner, hair is conditioned with essential nutrients and shines with a high gloss finish.
Hydra Gloss with Royal Jelly Complex adds advanced moisturizers and essential nutrients to condition hair for up to 7x more moisture.
  • Conditions while injecting moisturizers to every strand
  • Penetrates hair for lasting moisturization
  • Leaves hair soft, shiny and touchable
INGREDIENTS:Water (Aqua), Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, PEG-180, Amodimethicone, Cetyl Esters, Fragrance (Parfum), Glycerin, Methylparaben, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Trideceth-6, Citric Acid, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Cetrimonium Chloride, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Coumarin, Royal Jelly Extract, CI 19140 (Yellow 5), CI 15985 (Yellow 6), Aminomethyl Propanol
I indicated the common ingredients that might have an impact on performance with italics and I indicated the unique ingredients that might have an impact on performance in bold. The ingredients used just for fragrance are crossed out. Most of the other ingredients are emulsifiers, thickeners, pH adjusters, and preservatives.

Nutri Gloss vs Hydra Gloss: The Ingredients

The formulas are pretty similar. So, what are the noticeable differences?
L’Oreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss Conditioner Dull or Damaged Hair has Jojoba Seed Oil whereas L’Oreal Vive Pro Hydra Gloss Moisturizing Conditioner for Very Dry or Damaged Hair has Olive Fruit Oil. Jojoba oil can't penetrate hair's cuticle, so it has virtually no benefit. Olive oil, on the other hand, is beneficial as it can penetrate all the way to the hair shaft. (Source.)
The Nutri Gloss Conditioner has a great ingredient that the Hydra Gloss Conditioner doesn't: Dipalmitoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate. Truth in Aging states, "This cationic emulsifier primarily works as an anti-static agent, and secondarily as a hair conditioning and detangling ingredient. It’s known for helping to soften and moisturize the hair."
The Hydra Gloss Conditioner has Glycerin, but according to The Beauty Brains glycerin is "not really functional in rinse off conditoners because it rinses down the drain."
The last "big" difference is Nutri Gloss's Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein (the Pearl Protein Complex) vs Hydra Gloss's Royal Jelly Extract. Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to think these nifty ingredients are doing something, the sad truth is that they're probably not. For all L'Oreal's marketing, they still have Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein as the second-to-last ingredient and Royal Jelly Extract as the fourth-to-last ingredient.
L'Oreal could at least pretend they're utilizing Pearl Protein and Royal Jelly by placing them in the middle of the ingredients lists.

L'Oreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss: The Results So Far

I've used L'Oreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss Conditioner for Medium to Long Hair that's Dull or Damaged two days in a row now. My hair feels softer, and it smells pretty nice, but I'm not really impressed yet. I want shiny hair, and it's only a little shinier than usual.
I hate trying to judge how shiny hair is. It changes under different light sources. In the sun, almost anything's shiny. Under fluorescent lights, ice sculptures look dull. And under other indoor lights, it's a coin toss.
But, I'm pretty sure my hair doesn't have the glossy sheen the bottle promises.
I'll give it a few more days, then I'm switching to L'Oreal Vive Pro Hydra Gloss Moisturizing Conditioner for Very Dry or Damaged Hair or one of the other three conditioners I bought.

2 comments:

  1. L’Oreal Vive Pro Nutri Gloss for Dull or Damaged HairSeptember 14, 2009 at 9:23 PM

    [...] NOTE: It never mentions preventing frizz on the bottle, so it’s just something I wanted, not something the conditioner promised to do. For product details, including ingredients, see my previous post: Medium to Long Hair that’s Dull or Damaged. [...]

    ReplyDelete
  2. L’Oreal Vive Pro Hydra Gloss Conditioner for Dry or DaSeptember 16, 2009 at 7:40 PM

    [...] scent, probably because of the coumarin (for the full list of ingredients, see my previous post: Medium to Long Hair that’s Dull or Damaged). If you like the conditioner’s scent, go for it: It’ll leave your hair nicely [...]

    ReplyDelete

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