Review: New Garnier Pure Clean Shampoo & Conditioner

Every time a drugstore brand releases a new silicone-free shampoo or conditioner, I'm always curious to try it. I have a love/hate relationship with silicones. Certain products that contain silicones work WONDERS on my hair, while others do the opposite. Some silicones, which are less water-soluble, can build up in my hair and leave it feeling flat, heavy and lifeless. Other silicones can make my hair soft and bouncy, so it's kind of a guessing game for me.  Either way, if you use products that contain silicones, it's always a good idea to use a clarifying shampoo every once in a while, just to guard against product build-up. OK, enough about that!

If you're the type of person who likes to avoid ALL silicones in your haircare, I'm hoping this review can help you to better determine whether the new silicone-free Garnier Pure Clean products might be a good option for you.

 Garnier Pure Clean Shampoo and Conditioner for Normal Hair

(retail: around $4 each, 13 oz)

(Whoops! As you can see in the photo above, I forgot to take a picture of these products before I started testing them. Oh well, at least you know I gave them a thorough testing, right?)

I got a fantastic deal on these products a few weeks back. Rite Aid was having a 2/$5 sale on all Garnier shampoos and conditioners, and I also had two $1 coupons from the Sunday paper, which means I paid a grand total of $3 for both the shampoo and conditioner. Gotta love sales + coupons!

As you can see in these photos, this is Garnier's "greener" option for haircare. These products contain no silicones, parabens or dyes, and they're quite biodegradable as well.

If you're a new reader, let me tell you that my hair is long, naturally wavy, and fine in texture (but I have a lot of it). I have oily roots, dry ends, and my hair is color-treated as well. I don't use a lot of heat on my hair (I wear it wavy most of the time), and I barely use styling products aside from the occasional leave-in conditioner, mousse or smoothing serum. 

My top needs when it comes to a good shampoo are:

• It should thoroughly cleanse my hair without leaving it feeling stripped or excessively dry
• It should lather up easily and thoroughly
• It should be easy to distribute through my long hair
• It should rinse clean with little effort
• It should not contribute to tangling

My top needs when it comes to a good conditioner are:

• It should help detangle
• It should make my hair feel moisturized
• It should rinse easily yet leave a light, protective coating behind
• It should, at the very least, not interfere with the curl of my hair (even better if it makes my hair more curly)
• It should not weigh down my hair or leave it feeling greasy
• Less than 24 hours after use, it should not make my roots oily

So if your hair type and needs are anything like mine, then you might be interested to know that these products did not work well for me. Given the product claims, I had such high hopes for Pure Clean but, sadly, they did little to improve or maintain the look or feel of my hair.

Let's start with the shampoo: it did lather easily and it was easy to distribute through my hair. It rinsed clean as well, but my hair felt dry after rinsing. It DID feel clean, but I couldn't get past the dryness.

The conditioner was easy to apply, and I was rather hopeful after noticing that it did a very decent job of detangling. In the shower, my hair feels smooth and silky after application. When I rinse this conditioner out of my hair, it does leave a nice protective coating behind, which doesn't feel too heavy or greasy. 

But the real issues come when my hair is dry. The "healthy hair that shines" just isn't there for me. My hair looks dull and kind of lifeless after using these products, and my curls are almost nonexistent. Also, the longer I use these products, the more dry my hair feels. Every time I look in the mirror, I kind of get sad because I have no shine, no bounce, no "oomph" to my hair after using this shampoo and conditioner.

Like I mentioned at the top of this review, I'm not a complete silicone junkie, and I've used other products that have been silicone-free in the past. So I knew going into this that I wasn't going to get the results I get when I use products that DO contain silicones. BUT, I was just hoping that the shine and weightlessness that are part of the product description would actually be visible on my hair. They're not.

FINAL VERDICT:  Garnier Pure Clean Shampoo and Conditioner for Normal Hair are not a love-match for my particular haircare needs. I find the shampoo lathers well and rinses clean, and the conditioner does a really nice job of detangling my hair. However, when my hair is dry, it looks flat, dull and lifeless, and my curls are weighed down to the point where I need to use a curl-enhancing styling product to bring them back to life. If you're used to silicone-free products already, and your hair is in healthier condition than mine, then these products might perform much better for you. Unfortunately, they just don't do the trick for me. By the way, the fragrance of both the shampoo and conditioner is very similar to other Garnier products, with maybe just a tad more of a green apple note.

Have you tried the new Garnier Pure Clean products yet? If so, how did they work for you? I'd love to hear from you!