my pantene 14 day challenge from start to finish!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pantene. The opinions and text are all mine.

Quick story time! My interest in beauty and makeup started around middle school (along with my increasing interest in boys too– though that’s another story for another time, ha!) I remember being at the store standing in the shampoo and conditioner aisle, opening every bottle to smell each brand down the line! I fell immediately in love with Pantene and it’s been a favorite brand ever since. So when Pantene reached out and asked me if I wanted to partner with them on the 14 Day Challenge, it was a no-brainer! #DreamsDoComeTrue

I have to admit that I’ve neglected my beauty routine during the first quarter of 2019 as I’ve been extremely busy. Being self-employed and working from home most days means that I can get away with staying in pajamas 99% of the time, tossing my hair into a messy bun and delving right into work as soon as I wake up.

While this may sound like I’m living the millennial dream, the problem is that when I hang out in loungewear all day and don’t take a moment to put myself together, I don’t feel as productive. The Pantene 14 Day Challenge has been the perfect opportunity for me to re-invest back into myself, focus on self-care, and commit to having fewer bad hair days along the way too!

Let’s dive into my journals from the last two weeks! ↴

Pre-Gaming

Before I start the challenge I inspected my hair situation, a.k.a. the bird nest. My last haircut and dye was back in December when I sang in La bohème, and so the texture and overall look of my hair was rather dull and coarse before the challenge. My biggest complaint was the fact that my hair tangled so easily! I even shared on my Instagram last week that I’m known for carrying a large blow out brush everywhere I go because my hair is constantly tangling. To make matters worse, right before the challenge I was out of products and digging into my *gulp* hotel shampoo and conditioner stash (raise your hand if you have a pile of random hotel samples too that come out in moments of desperation.) It was really that bad.

Hair Goals?

I’m hoping that by the end of the challenge my hair will have more shine, vibrancy and won’t tangle as easily. I’d love for it to feel generally healthier and smooth, and I hope to develop a more consistent routine using the Pantene Repair & Protect Shampoo and Conditioner.

Day 1 

Because I color my hair as well as style it a lot, I decided to use the #Pantene Repair & Protect Shampoo and Conditioner for the next two weeks. And just after one wash I feel like my hair has more shine and is noticeably softer to the touch. I’ve decided that in addition to using the products consistently, I’m going to give my hair a full week off from hot tools or styling. To encourage myself to have more great hair days I’m going to limit how often I pull it back into a ponytail or bun out of habit (it’s become borderline addictive).

Day 4

Today was the second time I washed my hair with the products, and I definitely think that being consistent about which products you use is a game changer. I am super guilty of product jumping, but the reality is that every product is formulated for a different type of hair. I’ve been using so many inappropriate products for my color-treated, fine hair ranging from curl enhancing, to ultra-volumizing, to even shampoo for blondes! Eek. If you don’t use the right types of products for your own hair, you are obviously going to have less desirable results and more bad hair days. I love the fact that Pantene has a pretty in depth (and fun!) online Hair Advisor quiz to help you decide which products are best for your own specific hair type.

Day 7

Yay! A full week of using Pantene and laying off of the hot tools and it feels so good! My fiancé noticed today that my hair felt way smoother, which gave me a boost of confidence and a few of my students even asked me if I dyed my hair or changed the cut! Part of me wonders if the comments are because I am resisting the urge to throw my hair into a sloppy bun, or if it’s the improved hair, but either way I am going to run with it! Today was also the first day in a week that I decided to use hot tools and curl my hair as I had a shoot, and so I used the Pantene 10-in-1 Beauty Balm Crème to protect the hair from heat and aid in styling. I felt like my hair was definitely more manageable while styling.

The only drawback of this challenge so far has been the fact that I can’t stop touching my hair because it’s so soft (but there are worse probs to have though, right?)

Day 11

Today was the third wash of the challenge and I took extra care not to over rinse the conditioner per Pantene’s suggestion. As part of my partnership they offered me a list of tips to maximize the art of the great hair day and I learned that I have been over rinsing my conditioner my entire life! I always thought that you wanted your hair to be audibly squeaky when you finish washing, however I noticed a HUGE difference when I changed this habit and only rinsed for 30 seconds or so. My hair feels like it has more of a protective sheen on it and is way less tangeld!

Day 14

Wow. This challenge flew by and had an interesting ripple effect into other areas of my beauty and self-care routines. Focusing on improving my hair has inspired me to also get back into the habit of doing my nightly skin care routine with consistency. I also siphoned off some time to schedule a hair appointment for next week, and have started trying out new styles!

In terms of my hair quality, I notice that it is absolutely smoother, has less breakage and has a more noticeable shine and bounce to it. I’ve been finding myself relying less on my gigantic brush as well for constant detangling, much to the relief of my friends who are embarrassed by my public grooming habit, LOL!

All in all, this challenge has been a fantastic great hair day experiment that’s inspired me to start taking a little bit more time for myself, as well as practice discipline when it comes to following through with grooming and beauty habits!

If you want to give the Pantene 14 Day Challenge a whirl, you can take their awesome Hair Advisor quiz or dive right in and snag a great deal from Walmart on the Repair & Protect duo! Interested in the large conditioner pump? See here!